Beta traveling waves in monkey frontal and parietal areas encode recent reward history

Brain function depends on neural communication, but the mechanisms of this communication are not well understood. Recent studies suggest that one form of neural communication is through traveling waves (TWs)-patterns of neural oscillations that propagate within and between brain areas. We show that TWs are robust in microarray recordings in frontal and parietal cortex and encode recent reward history. Two adult male monkeys made saccades to obtain probabilistic rewards and were sensitive to the (statistically irrelevant) reward on the previous trial. TWs in frontal and parietal areas were stronger in trials that followed a prior reward versus a lack of reward and, in the frontal lobe, correlated with the monkeys' behavioral sensitivity to the prior reward. The findings suggest that neural communication mediated by TWs within the frontal and parietal lobes contribute to maintaining information about recent reward history and mediating the impact of this history on the monkeys' expectations.

Neural oscillatory characteristics of feedback-associated activity in globus pallidus interna

Neural oscillatory activities in basal ganglia have prominent roles in cognitive processes. However, the characteristics of oscillatory activities during cognitive tasks have not been extensively explored in human Globus Pallidus internus (GPi). This study aimed to compare oscillatory characteristics of GPi between dystonia and Parkinson's Disease (PD). A dystonia and a PD patient performed the Intra-Extra-Dimension shift (IED) task during both on and off-medication states. During the IED task, patients had to correctly choose between two visual stimuli containing shapes or lines based on a hidden rule via trial and error. Immediate auditory and visual feedback was provided upon the choice to inform participants if they chose correctly. Bilateral GPi Local Field Potentials (LFP) activity was recorded via externalized DBS leads. Transient high gamma activity (~ 100-150 Hz) was observed immediately after feedback in the dystonia patient. Moreover, these bursts were phase synchronous between left and right GPi with an antiphase clustering of phase differences. In contrast, no synchronous high gamma activity was detected in the PD patient with or without dopamine administration. The off-med PD patient also displayed enhanced low frequency clusters, which were ameliorated by medication. The current study provides a rare report of antiphase homotopic synchrony in human GPi, potentially related to incorporating and processing feedback information. The absence of these activities in off and on-med PD patient indicates the potential presence of impaired medication independent feedback processing circuits. Together, these findings suggest a potential role for GPi's synchronized activity in shaping feedback processing mechanisms required in cognitive tasks.

Exploring Methodological Approaches of Experimental Studies in the Field of Neuroarchitecture: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review aims to strengthen the relationship between architecture and neuroscience by classifying data measurement techniques in the field of neuroarchitecture with a focus on the most practical and common methodological approaches. It classifies data recording techniques in different architectural categories (e.g., interior, urban, built environment).

BACKGROUNDS

With regard to urban life developments and technological breakthroughs, studies of human interactions with environments have been expanding in recent years. Additionally, recent advances in neuroscience have allowed architects to find out more about human experiences in built environments, but there are few valid frameworks about what methodologies and instruments are more common to conduct experimental tasks in this interdisciplinary field.

METHODS

Twenty-eight experimental studies were selected based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses literature search extension (PRISMA) systematic review protocol and a comprehensive analysis. The task-space of selected articles was categorized into three subfields, namely, "interior design," "urban design," and "building design" based on environments and their stimuli. As for this context-based categorization, recording techniques and methodology were distinguished for each subfield division.

RESULTS

More than 50% of the studies were incorporated in the first two categories, and the EEG recording was the most frequently employed neuroimaging technique thanks to the technical efficacy of its setup and the high temporal resolution of its electrophysiological signals.

CONCLUSION

In this study, a summary of techniques and methodological approaches applied in the field is provided in a nut shell, and a general framework of instruments is presented to help scholars to carry out more practical research in the future leading to designing built environments more efficiently.

Global, Regional, and National Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life-Years for 29 Cancer Groups, 1990 to 2017: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study

Importance

Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are now widely recognized as a threat to global development. The latest United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs reaffirmed this observation and also highlighted the slow progress in meeting the 2011 Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the third Sustainable Development Goal. Lack of situational analyses, priority setting, and budgeting have been identified as major obstacles in achieving these goals. All of these have in common that they require information on the local cancer epidemiology. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is uniquely poised to provide these crucial data.

Objective

To describe cancer burden for 29 cancer groups in 195 countries from 1990 through 2017 to provide data needed for cancer control planning.

Evidence Review

We used the GBD study estimation methods to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Results are presented at the national level as well as by Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income, educational attainment, and total fertility rate. We also analyzed the influence of the epidemiological vs the demographic transition on cancer incidence.

Findings

In 2017, there were 24.5 million incident cancer cases worldwide (16.8 million without nonmelanoma skin cancer [NMSC]) and 9.6 million cancer deaths. The majority of cancer DALYs came from years of life lost (97%), and only 3% came from years lived with disability. The odds of developing cancer were the lowest in the low SDI quintile (1 in 7) and the highest in the high SDI quintile (1 in 2) for both sexes. In 2017, the most common incident cancers in men were NMSC (4.3 million incident cases); tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer (1.5 million incident cases); and prostate cancer (1.3 million incident cases). The most common causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for men were TBL cancer (1.3 million deaths and 28.4 million DALYs), liver cancer (572 000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs), and stomach cancer (542 000 deaths and 12.2 million DALYs). For women in 2017, the most common incident cancers were NMSC (3.3 million incident cases), breast cancer (1.9 million incident cases), and colorectal cancer (819 000 incident cases). The leading causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for women were breast cancer (601 000 deaths and 17.4 million DALYs), TBL cancer (596 000 deaths and 12.6 million DALYs), and colorectal cancer (414 000 deaths and 8.3 million DALYs).

Conclusions and Relevance

The national epidemiological profiles of cancer burden in the GBD study show large heterogeneities, which are a reflection of different exposures to risk factors, economic settings, lifestyles, and access to care and screening. The GBD study can be used by policy makers and other stakeholders to develop and improve national and local cancer control in order to achieve the global targets and improve equity in cancer care.

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2-to end preventable child deaths by 2030-we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000-2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations.