Search Results (98)

Background: Bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor used in multiple myeloma (MM), is associated with several adverse effects, most notably peripheral neuropathy. Ototoxicity, however, remains a rare and underrecognized complication. Case presentation: We report the case of a 74-year-old man with MM who developed sudden unilateral sensorineural hearing loss following subcutaneous bortezomib administration. Audiometry confirmed severe right-sided hearing loss. MRI of the internal auditory canal was normal. Given the absence of other ototoxic agents, bortezomib was identified as the likely causative drug. The patient was treated with intratympanic dexamethasone injections, achieving partial hearing recovery. Subsequent chemotherapy re-exposure triggered another hearing decline, which again improved after repeated intratympanic treatment. Conclusions: Bortezomib-related ototoxicity is a rare but potentially reversible adverse event. This case suggests that early intratympanic corticosteroid therapy may mitigate cochlear injury, allowing continuation of chemotherapy for patients responding well to bortezomib. Full article

Background: Clinical practice suggests that objective assessment tools are needed to assess adults with inattention or hyperactivity, informed by the underlying pathophysiology of attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This systematic review comprehensively evaluates the current objective assessment methods as an adjunct diagnostic tool for these adults. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies investigating various objective diagnostic methods to assess adults with ADHD and healthy controls. The database search occurred from its inception to 23 December 2024. Results: Our search yielded 46 studies that reported on various objective methods to assess adults with ADHD. The MOXO-distracted Continuous Performance Test (MOXO-d-CPT), eye-tracker with MOXO-d CPT, Conners’ Continuous Performance Test—3rd edition (CCPT-3), and oculomotricity can differentiate between true and feigned ADHD or other diagnostic possibilities. The Quantified Behavior Test (Qb Test+) can detect hyperactivity and differentiate it from other psychiatric disorders. Mono-d, CCPT-3, Qb Test+, Test of Variables and Attention (TOVA), Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-CPT), and oculomotricity can monitor pharmacotherapy response. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers more promise than structural imaging and demonstrates a moderate level of sensitivity and specificity to differentiate adults with and without ADHD by performing the verbal fluency test. Notwithstanding, electroencephalography (EEG)/event-related potential (ERP) shows potential in diagnosis and treatment monitoring (e.g., neurofeedback training). In addition, transcriptome-based biomarkers have also been explored as diagnostic tools. Conclusion: The diagnosis and monitoring of ADHD in adults come with a unique set of challenges due to psychiatric comorbidity, including depression and anxiety; fluctuation of symptoms over time; and lack of consensus among clinicians and professional organizations to adopt objective tests in the diagnostic process. Our findings support the notion that a combination of clinical assessment and objective biomarkers targeting distinct pathophysiological aspects may enhance the accuracy of ADHD diagnosis. Full article

Background/Objectives: Distraction is a form of impaired selective attention that becomes more pronounced with normal aging and in pathological conditions such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Event-related potentials (ERPs) provide sensitive, time-resolved measures of neural mechanisms underlying distractibility. This study aimed to identify age- and disease-related ERP signatures of auditory–visual distraction as potential functional biomarkers for cognitive decline. Methods: Forty-six participants were enrolled, including young controls (Y), healthy older controls (O), individuals with MCI, and individuals with AD. Participants performed cross-modal interference tasks in which irrelevant auditory distracting sounds were paired with a relevant visual discriminating task. The distraction potential was quantified as the difference between ERP responses to novel distractors and standard stimuli, focusing on three core components: N1-enhancement, P3a, and reorienting negativity (RON). Behavioral measures (accuracy, reaction time, miss responses) were also assessed. Results: Compared to Y, O showed increased N1-enhancement and reduced P3a and RON amplitudes, consistent with age-related susceptibility to distraction. Patients with MCI and AD exhibited further abnormalities, including diminished P3a and altered RON responses, suggesting impaired orientation and reorientation of attention. Behavioral distraction effect was observed in all groups, with no significant difference between groups. ERP–cognition correlations indicated that reduced P3a amplitude and delayed RON were associated with executive dysfunction and memory deficits. Conclusions: ERP signatures of distraction, particularly altered P3a and RON components, differentiate normal aging from pathological decline and may serve as functional biomarkers for early detection of MCI and AD. These findings highlight the translational potential of distraction paradigms in clinical assessment of aging-related cognitive impairment. Full article

Noise exposure in urbanized environments poses a growing challenge to human health and well-being. Consequently, there is an urgent need to identify and preserve areas with high acoustic quality to support restorative experiences in urban environments. This study examined the soundscape of the Two Ponds Golf Course in Trzciana, Poland, and evaluated its potential as a setting for acoustic and psychological regeneration. A mixed-method design was adopted, integrating a questionnaire survey of 36 players (n = 36), binaural sound recordings, and landscape analysis. The results indicated that 63% of respondents evaluated the sound environment positively, highlighting the dominance of natural sounds (birds, wind, and amphibians), complemented by golf-related and rural background sounds. Only 13% of respondents perceived the sounds as disruptive. Occasional negative acoustic events, such as aircraft overflights or lawnmower activity, occurred infrequently and had a limited influence on the overall positive perception of the site. These findings suggest that suburban golf courses may function as “soundscape refugia,” providing restorative auditory experiences while supporting biodiversity conservation. Full article

Electroencephalography (EEG) provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying attention, response inhibition, and distraction in cognitive tasks. This dataset was collected to examine neural activity in young drivers and non-drivers performing Go/No-Go tasks under visual and auditory distraction conditions. A total of 40 university students (20 drivers, 20 non-drivers; balanced by sex) completed eight experimental blocks combining visual or auditory stimuli with realistic distractions, such as text message notifications and phone call simulations. EEG was recorded using a 16-channel BrainAccess MIDI system at 250 Hz. Experiments 1, 3, 5, and 7 served as transitional blocks without participant responses and were excluded from behavioral and event-related potential analyses; however, their EEG recordings and event markers are included for baseline or exploratory analyses. The dataset comprises raw EEG files, event markers for Go/No-Go stimuli and distractions, and metadata on participant demographics and mobile phone usage. This resource enables studies of attentional control, inhibitory processes, and distraction-related neural dynamics, supporting research in cognitive neuroscience, brain–computer interfaces, and transportation safety. Full article

Background/Objectives: Working memory (WM) performance relies on the coordination of updating and inhibition functions within the central executive system. However, their interaction under varying cognitive loads, particularly across sensory modalities, remains unclear. Methods: This study examined how sensory modality modulates flanker interference under increasing WM loads. Twenty-two participants performed a visual n-back task at three load levels (1-, 2-, and 3-back) while ignoring visual (within-modality) or auditory (cross-modality) flankers. Results: Behaviorally, increased WM load (2- and 3-back) led to reduced accuracy (AC) and prolonged reaction times (RTs) in both conditions. In addition, flanker interference was observed under the 2-back condition in both the visual within-modality (VM) and audiovisual cross-modality (AVM) tasks. However, performance impairment emerged at a lower load (2-back) in the VM condition, whereas in the AVM condition, it only emerged at the highest load (3-back). Significant performance impairment in the AVM condition occurred at higher WM loads, suggesting that greater WM load is required to trigger interference. Event-related potential (ERP) results showed that N200 amplitudes increased significantly for incongruent flankers under the highest WM load (3-back) in the visual within-modality condition, reflecting greater inhibitory demands. In the cross-modality condition, enhanced N200 was not observed across all loads and even reversed at low load (1-back). Moreover, the results also showed that P300 amplitude increased with load in the within-modality condition but decreased in the cross-modality condition. Conclusions: These results demonstrated that the interaction between updating and inhibition is shaped by both WM load and sensory modality, further supporting a sensory modality-specific resource allocation mechanism. The cross-modality configurations may enable more efficient distribution of cognitive resources under high load, reducing interference between concurrent executive demands. Full article

Background/Objectives: The Adaptive Control Hypothesis posits varying control demands across language contexts in production, but its role in comprehension is underexplored. We investigated if trilinguals, who manage three dual-language contexts (L1–L2, L2–L3, L1–L3), exhibit differential proactive and reactive control demands during comprehension across these contexts. Methods: Thirty-six Uyghur–Chinese–English trilinguals completed an auditory word-picture matching task across three dual-language contexts during EEG recording. We employed behavioral analysis, drift-diffusion modeling, event-related potential (ERP) analysis, and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to examine comprehension efficiency, evidence accumulation, and neural mechanisms. The design crossed context (L1–L2, L2–L3, L1–L3) with trial type (switch vs. repetition) and switching direction (to dominant vs. non-dominant language). Results: Despite comparable behavioral performance, drift-diffusion modeling revealed distinct processing profiles across contexts, with the L1–L2 context showing the lowest comprehension efficiency due to slower evidence accumulation. In the L1–L3 context, comprehension-specific proactive control was indexed by a larger P300 and smaller N400 for L1-to-L3 switches. Notably, no reactive control (switch costs) was observed across any dual-language context. MVPA successfully classified contexts and switching directions, revealing distinct spatiotemporal neural patterns. Conclusions: Trilingual comprehension switching mechanisms differ from production. Reactive control is not essential, while proactive control is context-dependent, emerging only in the high-conflict L1–L3 context. This proactive strategy involves allocating more bottom-up attention to the weaker L3, which, unlike in production, enhances rather than hinders overall efficiency. Full article

The optically pumped magnetometer, OPM-MEG, has the potential to replace the traditional low-temperature superconducting quantum interference device, SQUID-MEG. Event-related spectral perturbations (ERSPs) can be used to examine the temporal- and frequency-domain characteristics of a signal. In this paper, a finger-tapping movement paradigm based on auditory cues is adopted, and OPM-MEG is used to measure the functional signals of the brain. The event-related spectral perturbation values of the right and left hands of right-handed people were calculated and compared. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the event-related spectral perturbations between the right and left hands of right-handed people. In summary, OPM-MEG has the ability to measure the event-related spectral perturbations of the brain during finger movements and verify the asymmetry of motor skills. Full article

Background: This prospective pilot study included four participants with chronic visual impairment and assessed functional and electrophysiological recovery following visual evoked potential (VEP)-guided auditory biofeedback across diverse etiologies. Low vision affects more than two billion people worldwide and imposes a sustained personal and socioeconomic burden. Conventional rehabilitation emphasizes optical aids and environmental modification without directly stimulating the visual pathway. Emerging evidence indicates that auditory biofeedback based on real-time cortical activity can leverage adult neuroplasticity. Methods: Four men (mean age 58 ± 12 years) with chronic visual impairment attributable to occipital stroke, stage IV macular hole, end-stage open-angle glaucoma, or diabetic maculopathy completed ten 10-min monocular sessions with the Retimax Vision Trainer over three weeks (15 Hz pattern reversal, 90% contrast). Primary end points were best corrected visual acuity (BCVA, ETDRS letters) and P100 amplitude/latency. Fixation stability was recorded with MAIA microperimetry when feasible. A focused PubMed review (2010–2025) mapped current evidence and research gaps. Results: Median BCVA improved by seven letters (IQR 0–15); three of eight eyes gained ≥ 10 letters and none lost vision. Mean P100 amplitude increased from 1.0 ± 1.2 µV to 3.0 ± 1.1 µV, while latency shortened by 3.9 ms. Electrophysiological improvement paralleled behavioural gain irrespective of lesion site. No adverse events occurred. Conclusions: A concise course of VEP-guided auditory biofeedback produced concordant functional and neurophysiological gains across retinal, optic nerve, and cortical pathologies. These pilot data support integration of closed-loop biofeedback into routine low vision care and justify larger sham-controlled trials. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome (CCAS) is a well-recognized postoperative complication in children following resection of brain tumors involving cerebellar midline structures. The fastigial nucleus is regarded as relevant, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study uses an oddball paradigm designed to model attentional and learning processes relevant to CCAS to investigate how early-life lesions of the fastigial nucleus in rats affect cognitive performance and neural information processing in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in adulthood. Methods: Fastigial lesions were induced stereotaxically in 23-day-old male Sprague Dawley rats [n = 9]. Naïve [n = 9] and sham-lesioned rats [n = 6] served as controls. As adults, all rats were trained in an oddball paradigm requiring discrimination of a rare target tone from a rare distractor and a frequent standard tone. Local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded from electrodes implanted in the mPFC during oddball testing and event-related potentials (ERPs) were analyzed. Results: Rats with fastigial lesions required significantly more training days to reach ≥70% correct performance criterion. In fully trained rats, analysis of neural recordings during behavioral testing revealed reduced ERP amplitudes and prolonged latencies of late ERP components after target stimuli. Developmental fastigial lesions lead to lasting deficits in cognitive learning capacity and neural mPFC processing, highlighting the integrative role of cerebellar midline structures in higher-order cognitive function and sensory discrimination. Conclusions: This rodent model provides a valuable translational platform for further investigating the neural basis of CCAS and may inform neurosurgical strategies aimed at minimizing cognitive sequelae in children undergoing cerebellar tumor resection. Full article

External Human–Machine Interfaces (eHMIs) enhance pedestrian safety in interactions with autonomous vehicles (AVs) by signaling crossing risk based on time-to-arrival (TTA), categorized as low, medium, or high. This study compared five eHMI configurations (single-level low, medium, high; two-level low-medium, medium-high) against a three-level (low-medium-high) configuration to assess their impact on pedestrians’ crossing decisions, mental workload (MW), and situation awareness (SA) in vehicle platoon scenarios under full and partial eHMI penetration. In a video-based experiment with 24 participants, crossing decisions were evaluated via temporal gap selection, MW via P300 event-related potentials in an auditory oddball task, and SA via the Situation Awareness Rating Technique. The three-level configuration outperformed single-level medium, single-level high, two-level low-medium, and two-level medium-high in gap acceptance, promoting safer decisions by rejecting smaller gaps and accepting larger ones, and exhibited lower MW than the two-level medium-high configuration under partial penetration. No SA differences were observed. Although the three-level configuration was generally appreciated, future research should optimize presentation to mitigate issues from rapid signal changes. Notably, the single-level low configuration showed comparable performance, suggesting a simpler alternative for real-world eHMI deployment. Full article

Background/Objectives: Variations of the latrophilin-3 (Lphn3) gene have been associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). To explore the functional influence of this gene, Lphn3 knockout (KO) rats were generated and have thus far demonstrated deficits in ADHD-relevant phenotypes, including working memory, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. However, inattention remains unexplored. Methods: We assessed automatic attention in Lphn3 KO (n = 19) and their control line (wildtype/WT, n = 20) through use of the following auditory event-related potentials (ERPs): P1, N1, P2, and N2. We also extended this exploratory study by comparing these same ERPs in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs, n = 16), the most commonly studied animal model of ADHD, to their control line (Wistar–Kyoto/WKY, n = 20). Electroencephalograms (EEG) were recorded using subdermal needle electrodes at frontocentral sites while freely moving rats were presented with five-tone trains (50 ms tones, 400 ms tone onset asynchronies) with varying short (1 s) and long (5 s) inter-train intervals. Peak amplitudes and latencies were analyzed using GLM-mixed ANOVAs to assess differences across genotypes (KO vs. WTs) and strains (SHRs vs. WKYs). Results: The KOs did not demonstrate any significant differences in peak amplitudes relative to the WT controls, suggesting that the null expression of Lphn3 does not result in the development of inefficiencies in automatic attention. However, the SHRs exhibited significantly reduced peak P1 (and peak-to-peak P1–N1) values relative to the WKYs. These attenuations likely reflect inefficiencies in bottom-up arousal networks that are necessary for efficient automatic processing. Conclusions: Distinct findings between these animal models likely reflect differing alterations in dopamine and noradrenaline neurotransmission that may underlie ADHD-relevant phenotypes. Full article

Theaters in ancient Pompeii played a vital role in Roman entertainment, shaping the auditory experiences of spectators. This study examines the acoustic properties of the Amphitheater, the Grand Theater, and the Odeon using impulse response (IR) analysis to reconstruct their soundscapes. Next, the study considers the impact of typical musical instruments, vocal performances, and ambient sounds—such as gladiatorial combat—on these spaces’ acoustics. Findings reveal significant differences in reverberation times, sound clarity, and spatial characteristics, shaped by each theater’s design. These sites, preserved after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, provide a unique opportunity to analyze how architecture influenced sound propagation. The Amphitheater, with its vast open structure, enhanced large-scale events, while the Grand Theater’s semi-enclosed design balanced musical and theatrical performances. The Odeon, the most intimate of the three, prioritized speech clarity. These insights highlight how Roman architects engineered performance spaces to accommodate diverse entertainment forms. By combining acoustic measurements with historical context, this research offers a deeper understanding of ancient Pompeii’s soundscapes and the auditory experiences of its inhabitants and offers insights for composition and soundscape creations that take inspiration from these prominent historical architectural and cultural icons whilst exploring its potential within contemporary immersive listening practices. Full article

Background: Perceptual awareness refers to the conscious detection and identification of a sensory event. In electrophysiological studies, it is associated with a modality-specific negative-going event-related potential, which can be observed as early as 100–300 ms after the stimulus onset. Method: In this study, we measured neuroelectric brain activity during the auditory attentional blink, comparing brain responses when participants correctly reported both the first (T1) and second (T2) targets versus when only T1 was detected, but T2 was missed. To achieve robust statistical power, we pooled data across six previously published studies for the current analyses. Result: Our results revealed that accurately reporting both T1 and T2 elicited greater negativity between 150 and 300 ms over the frontocentral and central scalp areas following T2 onset, compared to trials where T1 was detected but T2 was not. Additionally, a positive displacement, peaking around 800 ms over the central-parietal scalp area, followed the early negativity. Successful detection of both T1 and T2 was also associated with more pronounced alpha suppression, peaking at approximately 500 ms before and 800 ms after T2 onset. Conclusions: These findings suggest that neural correlates of what we refer to “auditory awareness” occur both before the stimulus sequence and soon after T2 onset. Pre-stimulus difference in alpha power may serve as an indicator of lapses in attention, with greater alpha power reflecting periods when participants are less engaged or off-task. Full article

Problematic internet use (PIU) is linked to psychological distress and cognitive alterations, yet its early pre-clinical effects remain unclear. This study explored the psychological, behavioral, and neurophysiological correlates of PIU in a healthy, non-clinical population, focusing on response inhibition and execution within internet use patterns. A total of 133 participants (74 females, aged 18–35) were assessed using PIUQ-9 and DPIU questionnaires, along with measures of anxiety, depression, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms. An auditory equiprobable Go/NoGo task was used and event-related potentials (ERPs; N1/N2/P2/P3) were analyzed in relation to PIU severity and different online activities engagement. Additionally, behavioral, psychological, and neurophysiological profiles of individuals with high and low PIU levels were compared. PIU severity correlated with anxiety, depression, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms, while Go/NoGo task accuracy was unaffected. N1 amplitudes negatively correlated with PIU severity and gaming engagement, suggesting altered early sensory processing. NoGo-P3 latency positively correlated with information search engagement, indicating delayed inhibitory processing in frequent online searchers. High and low PIU groups differed in psychological measures but not in ERP or behavioral measures. Our findings confirm psychological distress in PIU alongside subtle neurophysiological alterations, suggesting that ERP measures in the equiprobable Go/NoGo task may not be highly sensitive PIU risk biomarkers in non-clinical populations. Full article