A5041216066- Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research
- Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Gastrointestinal motility and disorders
- Pain Management and Placebo Effect
- Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
- Gastroesophageal reflux and treatments
- Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies
- Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
- Pain Management and Treatment
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Action Observation and Synchronization
- Neurological disorders and treatments
- Migraine and Headache Studies
- Peripheral Nerve Disorders
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Diet and metabolism studies
- Vestibular and auditory disorders
- Trigeminal Neuralgia and Treatments
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
- Botulinum Toxin and Related Neurological Disorders
- Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Dysphagia Assessment and Management
Harvard University
2016-2024
Logan University
2016-2024
Politecnico di Milano
2011-2024
Massachusetts General Hospital
2016-2024
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging
2013-2024
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
2021-2024
University of Rome Tor Vergata
2021
Harvard University Press
2014
Abstract Migraine pathophysiology includes altered brainstem excitability, and recent neuromodulatory approaches aimed at controlling migraine episodes have targeted key relay modulatory nuclei. In this study, we evaluated the impact of respiratory-gated auricular vagal afferent nerve stimulation (RAVANS), a novel intervention based on an existing transcutaneous vagus approach, in modulation activity connectivity patients. We applied 3T–functional magnetic resonance imaging with improved...
BackgroundThe therapeutic potential of transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) is currently being explored for numerous clinical applications. However, optimized response different indications may depend on specific neuromodulation parameters, and systematic assessments their influence are still needed to optimize this promising approach.HypothesisWe proposed that stimulation frequency would have a significant effect nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) functional MRI (fMRI) respiratory-gated taVNS...
Social interactions such as the patient-clinician encounter can influence pain, but underlying dynamic interbrain processes are unclear. Here, we investigated brain supporting social modulation of pain by assessing simultaneous activity (fMRI hyperscanning) from chronic patients and clinicians during video-based live interaction. Patients received painful nonpainful pressure stimuli either with a supportive clinician present (Dyadic) or in isolation (Solo). In half dyads, performed clinical...
This paper investigates the relation between mental engagement level and sustained attention in 9 healthy adults performing a Conners' "not-X" continuous performance test (CPT), while their electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was simultaneously acquired. Spectral powers were estimated extracted classical EEG frequency bands. The index (β/α) calculated employing four different cortical montages suggested by literature. Results show efficacy of measures detecting changes state its...
Brain activity concordance between patients and clinicians supports therapeutic alliance treatment relief of pain.
We recently showed that patients with different chronic pain conditions (such as low back pain, fibromyalgia, migraine and Gulf War illness) demonstrated elevated brain and/or spinal cord levels of the glial marker 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO), which suggests neuroinflammation might be a pervasive phenomenon observable across multiple aetiologically heterogeneous disorders. Interestingly, spatial distribution this neuroinflammatory signal appears to exhibit degree disease specificity...
While autonomic outflow is an important co-factor of nausea physiology, central control this poorly understood. We evaluated sympathetic (skin conductance level) and cardiovagal (high-frequency heart rate variability) modulation, collected synchronously with functional MRI (fMRI) data during nauseogenic visual stimulation aimed to induce vection in susceptible individuals. Autonomic guided analysis neuroimaging data, using a stimulus-based (analysis windows set by protocol) percept-based...
Central autonomic control nuclei in the brainstem have been difficult to evaluate non-invasively humans. We applied ultrahigh-field (7 T) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and improved spatial resolution it affords (1.2 mm isotropic), putative that and/or sense pain-evoked cardiovagal modulation (high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) instantaneously estimated through a point-process approach). The time-variant HF-HRV signal was used guide general linear model analysis of...
Abstract Patient–clinician concordance in behavior and brain activity has been proposed as a potential key mediator of mutual empathy clinical rapport the therapeutic encounter. However, specific elements patient–clinician communication that may support brain-to-brain alliance are unknown. Here, we investigated how pain-related, directional facial between patients clinicians is associated with concordance. dyads interacted pain-treatment context, during synchronous assessment (fMRI...
Transcutaneous stimulation of the auricular branch vagus nerve (ABVN) has been proposed as a non-invasive alternative to (VNS). However, its cardiovagal effects are inconsistent across studies, likely due inhomogeneity in parameters. Here, we evaluate respiratory-gated ABVN (Respiratory-gated Auricular Vagal Afferent Nerve Stimulation, RAVANS), where stimuli delivered 1 s bursts during exhalation phase respiration, thus mimicking breathing-induced modulation cardiac vagal activity. In this...
In the last decade, an increasing interest has arisen in investigating relationship between electrophysiological and hemodynamic measurements of brain activity, such as EEG (BOLD) fMRI. particular, changes BOLD have been shown to be associated with spectral profile neural rather than absolute power. Concurrently, recent findings showed that different rhythms are independently related signal: therefore, it would also important distinguish contributions fluctuations when modeling two signals....
Assessment of gastric function in humans has relied on modalities with varying degrees invasiveness, which are usually limited to the evaluation single aspects function, thus requiring patients undergo a number often invasive tests for full clinical understanding. Therefore, development non-invasive tool able concurrently assess multiple is highly desirable both research and assessments gastrointestinal (GI) function. Recently, technological advances magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have...
Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a disorder of gut-brain interaction, and its putative pathophysiology involves dysregulation gastric motility central processing afference. The vagus nerve modulates peristalsis carries afferent sensory information to brainstem nuclei, specifically the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS). Here, we combine MRI assessment kinematics with measures NTS functional connectivity brain in patients FD healthy controls (HC), order elucidate how axis communication associated...