Evaluating the depression state during perinatal period by non-invasive scalp EEG

Perinatal depression, with a prevalence of 10 to 20% in United States, is usually missed as multiple symptoms of perinatal depression are common in pregnant women. Worse, the diagnosis of perinatal depression still largely relies on questionnaires, leaving the objective biomarker being unveiled yet. This study suggested a safe and non-invasive technique to diagnose perinatal depression and further explore its underlying mechanism. Considering the non-invasiveness and clinical convenience of electroencephalogram for mothers-to-be and fetuses, we collected the resting-state electroencephalogram of pregnant women at the 38th week of gestation. Subsequently, the difference in network topology between perinatal depression patients and healthy mothers-to-be was explored, with related spatial patterns being adopted to achieve the classification of pregnant women with perinatal depression from those healthy ones. We found that the perinatal depression patients had decreased brain network connectivity, which indexed impaired efficiency of information processing. By adopting the spatial patterns, the perinatal depression could be accurately recognized with an accuracy of 87.88%; meanwhile, the depression severity at the individual level was effectively predicted, as well. These findings consistently illustrated that the resting-state electroencephalogram network could be a reliable tool for investigating the depression state across pregnant women, and will further facilitate the clinical diagnosis of perinatal depression.

The dynamic causality brain network reflects whether the working memory is solidified

Working memory, which is foundational to higher cognitive function, is the "sketchpad of volitional control." Successful working memory is the inevitable outcome of the individual's active control and manipulation of thoughts and turning them into internal goals during which the causal brain processes information in real time. However, little is known about the dynamic causality among distributed brain regions behind thought control that underpins successful working memory. In our present study, given that correct responses and incorrect ones did not differ in either contralateral delay activity or alpha suppression, further rooting on the high-temporal-resolution EEG time-varying directed network analysis, we revealed that successful working memory depended on both much stronger top-down connections from the frontal to the temporal lobe and bottom-up linkages from the occipital to the temporal lobe, during the early maintenance period, as well as top-down flows from the frontal lobe to the central areas as the delay behavior approached. Additionally, the correlation between behavioral performance and casual interactions increased over time, especially as memory-guided delayed behavior approached. Notably, when using the network metrics as features, time-resolved multiple linear regression of overall behavioral accuracy was exactly achieved as delayed behavior approached. These results indicate that accurate memory depends on dynamic switching of causal network connections and shifting to more task-related patterns during which the appropriate intervention may help enhance memory.

Feedback-related brain activity in individual decision: evidence from a gambling EEG study

In this study, based on scalp electroencephalogram (EEG), we conducted cortical source localization and functional network analyses to investigate the underlying mechanism explaining the decision processes when individuals anticipate maximizing gambling benefits, particularly in situations where the decision outcomes are inconsistent with the profit goals. The findings shed light on the feedback monitoring process, wherein incongruity between outcomes and gambling goals triggers a more pronounced medial frontal negativity and activates the frontal lobe. Moreover, long-range theta connectivity is implicated in processing surprise and uncertainty caused by inconsistent feedback conditions, while middle-range delta coupling reflects a more intricate evaluation of feedback outcomes, which subsequently modifies individual decision-making for optimizing future rewards. Collectively, these findings deepen our comprehension of decision-making under circumstances where the profit goals are compromised by decision outcomes and provide electrophysiological evidence supporting adaptive adjustments in individual decision strategies to achieve maximum benefit.

LMP2 and TAP2 impair tumor growth and metastasis by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and EMT in cervical cancer

BACKGROUND

The roles of low molecular mass polypeptide 2 (LMP2) and transporter-associated with antigen processing (TAP2) in tumorigenesis are controversial. Here we aimed to explore the effect of LMP2 and TAP2 on the oncogenesis and metastasis of cervical cancer cells.

METHODS

The expressions of LMP2 and TAP2 in cervical cancer and normal tissues were determined by qPCR. Plate colony formation, cell counting kit-8 analysis and in vivo tumor xenograft assays were used to detect the tumor growth. Wound healing and transwell assays were used to detect the metastasis of cervical cancer. Gelatin zymography and western blotting assays were used to detect the effect of LMP2 and TAP2 on the EMT and Wnt/β-catenin pathway in cervical cancer cells.

RESULTS

In the present study, we reported that LMP2 and TAP2 levels were overexpressed in cervical cancer. Overexpression of LMP2 and TAP2 impaired the proliferation of Hela cells. In vivo studies substantiated that LMP2 and TAP2 antagonized tumor growth. Likewise, LMP2 and TAP2 overexpression decreased the migration and invasion ability of Hela cells by regulating the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Mechanically, LMP2 and TAP2 subverted the protein abundance of Wnt1 and β-catenin, thereby downregulating their downstream targets Cyclin D1 and c-Myc. In addition, Wnt1 overexpression partially rescued the observed consequences of ectopic expression of LMP2 and TAP2 in cervical cancer cells. Taken together, our study revealed that LMP2 and TAP2 suppress the oncogenesis and metastasis of cervical cancer cells by Wnt/β-catenin pathway and altering EMT.

CONCLUSION

LMP2 and TAP2 may inhibit the oncogenesis and metastasis of cervical cancer cells by inhibiting the process of EMT and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which may provide important insight into prospective targets for the treatment of cervical cancer.

Edge-centric functional network predicts risk propensity in economic decision-making: evidence from a resting-state fMRI study

Despite node-centric studies revealing an association between resting-state functional connectivity and individual risk propensity, the prediction of future risk decisions remains undetermined. Herein, we applied a recently emerging edge-centric method, the edge community similarity network (ECSN), to alternatively describe the community structure of resting-state brain activity and to probe its contribution to predicting risk propensity during gambling. Results demonstrated that inter-individual variability of risk decisions correlates with the inter-subnetwork couplings spanning the visual network (VN) and default mode network (DMN), cingulo-opercular task control network, and sensory/somatomotor hand network (SSHN). Particularly, participants who have higher community similarity of these subnetworks during the resting state tend to choose riskier and higher yielding bets. And in contrast to low-risk propensity participants, those who behave high-risky show stronger couplings spanning the VN and SSHN/DMN. Eventually, based on the resting-state ECSN properties, the risk rate during the gambling task is effectively predicted by the multivariable linear regression model at the individual level. These findings provide new insights into the neural substrates of the inter-individual variability in risk propensity and new neuroimaging metrics to predict individual risk decisions in advance.