UNASSIGNED: the objective of the study was to find out the microstate map topographies and their parameters generated during the resting state and during listening to North Indian classical Music Raag \'the Raag Bilawal\'. It was hypothesized that in the resting state and during listening to music conditions, there would be a difference in microstate parameters i.e. mean duration, global explained variance (GEV), and time coverage.
UNASSIGNED: a 128-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded for 12 Indian subjects (average age 26.1+1.4 years) while resting and listening to music using the EEG microstate investigation. Investigation and comparison of the microstate parameters were the mean duration, global explained variance (GEV), and time coverage between both conditions were performed.
UNASSIGNED: seven microstate maps were found to represent the resting state and listening to music condition, four canonical and three novel maps. No statistically significant difference was found between the two conditions for time coverage and mean duration. The statistical significance levels of the map-1, map-2, map-3, map-4, map-5, map-6, and map-7 for the mean duration were 0.4, 0.6, 0.97, 0.34, 0.32, 0.69, and 0.29 respectively; and for time coverage were 0.92, 0.92, 0.96, 0.64, 0.78, 0.38, and 0.76 respectively. Map-1, map-4, and map-7 were the three novel maps we found in our study.
UNASSIGNED: similarities regarding stability and predominance of maps with small vulnerability exist in both conditions indicating that phonological, visual, and dorsal attention networks may be activated in both resting state and listening to music condition.

UNASSIGNED: Aberrance in switching from default mode network (DMN) to fronto-parietal network (FPN) is proposed to underlie working memory deficits in subjects with substance use disorders, which can be studied using neuro-imaging techniques during cognitive tasks. The current study used EEG to investigate pre-stimulus microstates during the performance of Sternberg\'s working memory task in subjects with substance use disorders.
UNASSIGNED: 128-channel EEG was acquired and processed in ten age and gender-matched subjects, each with alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, and controls while they performed Sternberg\'s task. Behavioral parameters, pre-stimulus EEG microstate, and underlying sources were analyzed and compared between subjects with substance use disorders and controls.
UNASSIGNED: Both alcohol and opioid use disorder subjects had significantly lower accuracy (P < 0.01), while reaction times were significantly higher only in subjects of alcohol use disorder compared to controls (P < 0.01) and opioid use disorder (P < 0.01), reflecting working memory deficits of varying degrees in subjects with substance use disorders. Pre-stimulus EEG microstate revealed four topographic Maps 1-4: subjects of alcohol and opioid use disorder showing significantly lower mean duration of Map 3 (visual processing) and Map 2 (saliency and DMN switching), respectively, compared to controls (P < 0.05).
UNASSIGNED: Reduced mean durations in Map 3 and 2 in subjects of alcohol and opioid use disorder can underlie their poorer performance in Sternberg\'s task. Furthermore, cortical sources revealed higher activity in both groups of substance use disorders in the parahippocampal gyrus- a hub of DMN; superior and middle temporal gyri associated with impulsivity; and insula that maintains balance between executive reflective system and impulsive system. EEG microstates can be used to envisage neural underpinnings implicated for working memory deficits in subjects of alcohol and opioid use disorders, reflected by aberrant switching between neural networks and information processing mechanisms.

Tinnitus is closely associated with cognition functioning. In order to clarify the central reorganization of tinnitus in patients with vestibular schwannoma (VS), this study explored the aberrant dynamics of electroencephalogram (EEG) microstates and their correlations with tinnitus features in VS patients. Clinical and EEG data were collected from 98 VS patients, including 76 with tinnitus and 22 without tinnitus. Microstates were clustered into four categories. Our EEG microstate analysis revealed that VS patients with tinnitus exhibited an increased frequency of microstate C compared to those without tinnitus. Furthermore, correlation analysis demonstrated that the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) score was negatively associated with the duration of microstate A and positively associated with the frequency of microstate C. These findings suggest that the time series and syntax characteristics of EEG microstates differ significantly between VS patients with and without tinnitus, potentially reflecting abnormal allocation of neural resources and transition of functional brain activity. Our results provide a foundation for developing diverse treatments for tinnitus in VS patients.

Developing motor and cognitive skills is needed to achieve expert (motor) performance or functional recovery from a neurological condition, e.g., after stroke. While extensive practice plays an essential role in the acquisition of good motor performance, it is still unknown whether certain person-specific traits may predetermine the rate of motor learning. In particular, learners\' functional brain organisation might play an important role in appropriately performing motor tasks. In this paper, we aimed to study how two critical cognitive brain networks-the Attention Network (AN) and the Default Mode Network (DMN)-affect the posterior motor performance in a complex visuomotor task: virtual surfing. We hypothesised that the preactivation of the AN would affect how participants divert their attention towards external stimuli, resulting in robust motor performance. Conversely, the excessive involvement of the DMN-linked to internally diverted attention and mind-wandering-would be detrimental for posterior motor performance. We extracted seven widely accepted microstates-representing participants mind states at rest-out of the Electroencephalography (EEG) resting-state recordings of 36 healthy volunteers, prior to execution of the virtual surfing task. By correlating neural biomarkers (microstates) and motor behavioural metrics, we confirmed that the preactivation of the posterior DMN was correlated with poor posterior performance in the motor task. However, we only found a non-significant association between AN preactivation and the posterior motor performance. In this EEG study, we propose the preactivation of the posterior DMN-imaged using EEG microstates-as a neural trait related to poor posterior motor performance. Our findings suggest that the role of the executive control system is to preserve an homeostasis between the AN and the DMN. Therefore, neurofeedback-based downregulation of DMN preactivation could help optimise motor training.

Atheism and agnosticism are becoming increasingly popular, yet the neural processes underpinning individual differences in religious belief and non-belief remain poorly understood. In the current study, we examined differences between Believers and Non-Believers with regard to fundamental neural resting networks using EEG microstate analysis. Results demonstrated that Non-Believers show increased contribution from a resting-state network associated with deliberative or analytic processing (Microstate D), and Believers show increased contribution from a network associated with intuitive or automatic processing (Microstate C). Further, analysis of resting-state network communication suggested that Non-Believers may process visual information in a more deliberative or top-down manner, and Believers may process visual information in a more intuitive or bottom-up manner. These results support dual process explanations of individual differences in religious belief and add to the representation of non-belief as more than merely a lack of belief.

Objective: Idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) involves aberrant organization and functioning of large-scale brain networks. This study aims to investigate whether the resting-state EEG microstate analysis could provide novel insights into the abnormal temporal and spatial properties of intrinsic brain activities in patients with IGE. Methods: Three groups of participants were chosen for this study (namely IGE-Seizure, IGE-Seizure Free, and Healthy Controls). EEG microstate analysis on the resting-state EEG datasets was conducted for all participants. The average duration (\"Duration\"), the average number of microstates per second (\"Frequency\"), as well as the percentage of total analysis time occupied in that state (\"Coverage\") of the EEG microstate were compared among the three groups. Results: For microstate classes B and D, the differences in Duration, Frequency, and Coverage among the three groups were not statistically significant. Both Frequency and Coverage of microstate class A were statistically significantly larger in the IGE-Seizure group than in the other two groups. The Duration and Coverage of microstate class C were statistically significantly smaller in the IGE-Seizure group than those in the other two groups. Conclusions: The Microstate class A was regarded as a sensorimotor network and Microstate class C was mainly related to the salience network, this study indicated an altered sensorimotor and salience network in patients with IGE, especially in those who had experienced seizures in the past 2 years, while the visual and attention networks seemed to be intact. Significance: The temporal dynamics of resting-state networks were studied through EEG microstate analysis in patients with IGE, which is expected to generate indices that could be utilized in clinical researches of epilepsy.

The spontaneous activity of the brain is dynamic even at rest and the deviation from this normal pattern of dynamics can lead to different pathological states. EEG microstate analysis of resting-state neuronal activity in Parkinson\'s disease (PD) could provide insight into altered brain dynamics of patients exhibiting dementia. Resting-state EEG microstate maps were derived from 128 channel EEG data in 20 PD without dementia (PDND), 18 PD with dementia (PDD) and 20 Healthy controls (CON) using Cartool and sLORETA softwares. Microstate map parameters including global explained variance, mean duration, frequency of occurrence (TF) and time coverage were compared statistically among the groups. Eight maps that explained 72% of the topographic variance were identified and only three maps differed significantly across the groups. TF of Map1 was lower in both PDND and PDD (p < 0.001) and that of Map3 (p = 0.02) in PDND compared to control. Cortical sources showed higher activation in precuneus, cuneus and superior parietal lobe (Threshold: Log-F = 1.74, p < 0.05) with maximum activity in the precuneus region (MNI co-ordinates: - 25, - 75, - 40; Log-F = 1.9) in PDND compared to control only for Map1. Lower TF of Map1 (prototypical microstate D) may potentially serve as a biomarker for PD with or without dementia whereas higher activation of precuneus, cuneus and superior parietal lobe at resting-state could favour signal processing, lack of which could be associated with dementia in Parkinson\'s disorder.

UNASSIGNED: The present study investigates the association of lifetime interpersonal violence (IPV) exposure, related posttraumatic stress disorder (IPV-PTSD), and appraisal of the degree of threat posed by facial avatars.
UNASSIGNED: We recorded self-rated responses and high-density electroencephalography (HD-EEG) among women, 16 of whom with lifetime IPV-PTSD and 14 with no PTSD, during a face-evaluation task that displayed male face avatars varying in their degree of threat as rated along dimensions of dominance and trustworthiness.
UNASSIGNED: The study found a significant association between lifetime IPV exposure, under-estimation of dominance, and over-estimation of trustworthiness. Characterization of EEG microstates supported that lifetime IPV-PTSD modulates emotional appraisal, specifically in encoding and decoding processing associated with N170 and LPP evoked potentials. EEG source localization demonstrated an overactivation of the limbic system, in particular the parahippocampal gyrus, in response to non-threatening avatars. Additionally, dysfunctional involvement of attention-related processing anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) was found in response to relatively trustworthy avatars in IPV-PTSD individuals compared with non-PTSD controls.
UNASSIGNED: This study showed that IPV exposure and related PTSD modulate individuals\' evaluation of facial characteristics suggesting threat. Atypical processing of these avatar characteristics was marked by group differences in brain regions linked to facial processing, emotion regulation, and memory.

Radiation therapy therapists (RTTs) face challenging daily tasks that leave them prone to high attrition and burnout and subsequent deficits in performance. Here, we employed an accelerated alpha-theta neurofeedback (NF) protocol that is implementable in a busy medical workplace to test if 12 RTTs could learn the protocol and exhibit behavior and brain performance-related benefits. Following the 3-week protocol, participants showed a decrease in subjective cognitive workload and a decrease in response time during a performance task, as well as a decrease in desynchrony of the alpha electroencephalogram (EEG) band. Additionally, novel microstate analysis for neurofeedback showed a significant decrease in global field power (GFP) following neurofeedback. These results suggest that the RTTs successfully learned the protocol and improved in perceived cognitive workload following 3 weeks of neurofeedback. In sum, this study presents promising behavioral improvements as well as brain performance-related evidence of neurophysiological changes following neurofeedback, supporting the feasibility of implementing neurofeedback in a busy workplace and encouraging the further study of neurofeedback as a tool to mitigate burnout.

Neuroscientific models of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) postulate an imbalance between automatic, implicit, and controlled (conscious) processes. Implicit associations towards alcohol indicate the automatically attributed appeal of alcohol-related stimuli. First, behavioral studies indicate that negative alcohol associations are less pronounced in patients compared to controls, but potential neurophysiological differences remain unexplored. This study investigates neurophysiological correlates of implicit alcohol associations in recently abstinent patients with AUD for the first time, including possible gender effects.
A total of 62 patients (40 males and 22 females) and 21 controls performed an alcohol valence Implicit Association Test, combining alcohol-related pictures with positive (incongruent condition) or negative (congruent condition) words, while brain activity was recorded using 64-channel electroencephalography. Event-related potentials (ERPs) for alcohol-negative and alcohol-positive trials were computed. Microstate analyses investigated the effects of group (patients, controls) and condition (incongruent, congruent); furthermore, possible gender effects in patients were analyzed. Significant effects were localized with standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic topography analysis.
Although no behavioral group differences were found, ERPs of patients and controls were characterized by distinct microstates from 320 ms onwards. ERPs between conditions differed only in patients with higher signal strength during incongruent trials. Around 600 ms, controls displayed higher signal strength than patients. A gender effect mirrored this pattern with enhanced signal strength in females as opposed to male patients. Around 690 ms, a group-by-valence interaction indicated enhanced signal strength in congruent compared to incongruent trials, which was more pronounced in controls.
For patients with AUD, the pattern, timing, and source localization of effects suggest greater effort regarding semantic and self-relevant integration around 400 ms during incongruent trials and attenuated emotional processing during the late positive potential timeframe. Interestingly, this emotional attenuation seemed reduced in female patients, thus corroborating the importance of gender-sensitive research and potential treatment of AUD.