EEG-Based Control of Working Memory Maintenance Using Closed Loop Binaural Stimulation

[1604279 . abaid]众所周知，脑电波的频率会影响广泛的认知能力，如注意力、情绪、注意力和记忆力，但如何非侵入性地控制这些频率目前还没有得到很好的理解。这个项目的目标不是使用电刺激等侵入性控制方法，而是利用听觉系统中现有的感觉通路来驱动大脑中的振荡。这里使用的技术被称为双耳节拍，依靠每只耳朵听不同的音调，是一种安全的大脑刺激方法。这种类型的刺激，在一个反馈循环中，将被探索其对有或没有轻度认知障碍（MCI）的人的工作记忆的影响，轻度认知障碍是阿尔茨海默病的常见前兆。该项目的结果有望通过提供基于双耳节拍的无创诊断和治疗干预来改善轻度认知障碍患者的生活质量。这项工作将通过弗吉尼亚州西南部多个地点的一系列信息会议与MCI患者及其护理人员分享，从而教育社区这种疾病的影响。工作记忆是控制暂时保留和在线组织思想的系统，用于成功的目标导向行为。值得注意的是，个体在可以同时保留的项目数量上表现出最大负荷。由于工作记忆依赖于神经通讯，它受益于皮层内增加的阶段同步。患有轻度认知障碍的人整体阶段同步性下降，这可能与工作记忆能力的丧失有关。因此，一种非侵入性刺激技术来诱导同步，称为双耳节拍，可能构成MCI的诊断和治疗技术。双耳节拍利用了一种发生在大脑皮层内的现象，当两个双耳节拍时；事件音调分别呈现给每只耳朵。第三个幻象双耳节拍，其频率等于di&amp；#64256；两种呈现的音调在听觉通路内产生，并投射到听觉皮层。该项目试图回答双耳节拍是否可以用来识别和控制工作记忆的问题。这些相互作用将探索使用计算模型和实验测试。将开发硬件来实现使用双耳节拍对大脑信号的实时控制。大脑信号将用脑电图（EEG）记录下来，这是一种使用一系列电极无创测量头皮电压的技术。这项工作的目标是识别能够可靠地预测受试者的脑电图输出。执行工作记忆任务和控制受试者的能力？在神经系统健康的人和轻度认知障碍患者中，使用闭环控制双耳节拍刺激的表现。

1604279-AbaidThe frequency of brainwaves is known to impact a wide range of cognitive abilities, such as concentration, mood, attention, and memory, but understanding how to noninvasively control these frequencies is currently not well understood. Rather than using invasive control methods such as electrical stimulation, this project aims to drive oscillations in the brain using existing sensory pathways in the auditory system. The technique used here, known as binaural beats, relies on listening to different tones in each ear and is a safe method of brain stimulation. This type of stimulation, in a feedback loop, will be explored in terms of its impact on working memory in people with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a common precursor to Alzheimer's disease. The results of this project are expected to improve the quality of life for people with MCI by offering noninvasive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions based on binaural beats in future incarnations. This work will be shared with people who have MCI and their caregivers through a series of information sessions in multiple locations in southwest Virginia, thus educating the community such illnesses impact. Working memory is the system in control of temporary retention and online organization of thoughts for successful goal-directed behavior. Remarkably, individuals exhibit a maximum load on the number of items that can be simultaneously retained. Since working memory relies upon neural communication, it is benefitted by increased phase synchronization within the cortex. People with MCI have decreased overall phase synchronization which can be correlated with a loss in working memory capacity. Therefore, a non-invasive stimulation technique to induce synchronization, called binaural beats, may constitute a diagnostic and therapeutic technology for MCI. Binaural beats utilize a phenomenon that occurs within the cortex when two different tones are presented separately to each ear. A third phantom binaural beat, whose frequency is equal to the difference of the two presented tones, is produced within the auditory pathway and projected to the auditory cortex. The project seeks to answer the question of whether binaural beats can be used to identify and control working memory. These interactions will be explored using computational models and experimental tests. Hardware will be developed for implementing real-time control of brain signals using binaural beats. The brain signals will be recorded using electroencephalography (EEG), which noninvasively measures the voltage across the scalp using a series of electrodes. The goal of this work is to identify EEG outputs which can reliably predict a subject?s ability to perform working memory tasks and to control the subject?s performance using closed loop control of the binaural beat stimulus, both in people who are neurologically healthy or who have MCI.