Readiness potential (RP) based on electroencephalograms (EEG) has been studied extensively in recent years, but no studies have investigated the influence of the reference electrode on RP. In order to investigate the reference effect, 10 subjects were recruited and the original vertex reference (Cz) was used to record the raw EEG signal when the subjects performed a motor preparation task. The EEG was then transformed to the common average reference (CAR) and reference electrode standardization technique (REST) reference, and we analyzed the RP waveform and voltage topographies and calculated the classification accuracy of idle and RP EEG segments. Our results showed that the RP waveform and voltage topographies were greatly influenced by the reference, but the classification accuracy was less affected if proper channels were selected as features. Since the Cz channel is near the primary motor cortex, where the source of RP is located, using the REST and CAR references is recommended to get accurate RP waveforms and voltage topographies.
Background: Flight and freezing are two vital defensive behaviors that mice display to avoid natural enemies. When they are exposed to innate threats, visual cues are processed and transmitted by the visual system into the emotional nuclei and finally transmitted to the periaqueductal gray (PAG) to induce defensive behaviors. However, how the dorsal PAG (dPAG) encodes the two defensive behaviors is unclear.Methods: Multi-array electrodes were implanted in the dPAG nuclei of C57BL/6 mice.Two kinds of visual stimuli (looming and sweeping) were used to induce defensive behaviors in mice. Neural signals under different defense behaviors were recorded, and the encoding characteristics of the two behaviors were extracted and analyzed from spike firing and frequency oscillations. Finally, synchronization of neural activity during the defense process was analyzed.
Background An increasing body of research has confirmed the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).Methods We explored the potential mechanism of Changping decoction (CPD) in the treatment of IBS through pathway analysis based on a network pharmacology approach. Public databases, including the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform, Gene Expression Omnibus, and STRING, were used to screen the active ingredients and targets of CPD. Enrichment analysis was performed using the R-3.6.0 software to expound the biological functions and related pathways of CPD targets. The Cytoscape software was used to construct a “disease-CPD-target” network and identify hub genes of CPD relevant for the treatment of IBS. Employing rat models, pathological observation and abdominal withdrawal reflex tests were used to verify the effectiveness of CPD in the treatment of IBS. Immunohistochemistry was used to confirm the relationship between the CPD treatment and hub genes.Results Network pharmacological analysis of CPD for the treatment of IBS identified 159 active ingredients. A total of 118 key targets were identified, including MAPK8, VEGFA, PTGS2, and others. A series of signaling pathways, such as MAPK, Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection, and IL-17 signaling pathway were found to play an important role in the therapeutic mechanism of CPD in the treatment of IBS. Pathological observation and abdominal withdrawal reflex tests confirmed that the symptoms of IBS in rats were relieved by CPD. Moreover, immunohistochemistry confirmed that CPD could inhibit the expression of inflammation-associated factors, such as VEGFA, MAPK8, and PTGS2.Conclusions Based on network pharmacology analysis, the present study provides insights into the potential mechanism of CPD in the treatment of IBS after successfully screening for associated key target genes and signaling pathways. These findings establish a theoretical basis for the development of CPD-derived therapeutics.
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