Understanding Brain Activity During Sleep To Detect Early Neurological Changes

"Schizophrenia, for example, is characterised by disrupted synchronisation betwixt different areas, while Alzheimer's illness often starts pinch very subtle functional changes successful 1 area of nan cortex, moreover earlier symptoms go apparent," says Armonaitė, explaining nan value of investigation aimed astatine differentiating nan functional areas of nan cortex.

Functional cortex parcelling was nan taxable of Armonaitė's investigation during her PhD studies astatine nan University of Uninettuno successful Italy.

"The cerebral cortex is not homogeneous, and different areas tin behave otherwise depending connected whether a personification is awake, dormant aliases successful a authorities of modulation betwixt these stages. My study was aimed astatine determining whether we tin place cortical areas based solely connected their electrical activity, not only successful nan absence of outer stimuli, but besides during different stages of sleep," explains nan interrogator from nan KTU Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

A deeper knowing of really nan encephalon useful moreover erstwhile resting is important for nan test and prevention of some neurological and slumber disorders, she says.

Research connected nan parcelling of nan cerebral cortex dates to nan early 20th century, erstwhile German neuroscientist Korbinian Brodmann defined 52 chopped areas of nan quality cerebral cortex, known arsenic Brodmann areas. This representation of nan cerebral cortex is still wide utilized successful some objective believe and neuroscience research.

According to Dr Armonaitė, distinguishing betwixt nan cortex and different structures successful nan encephalon allows circumstantial areas to beryllium linked to circumstantial functions, specified arsenic vision, language, centrifugal skills aliases semipermanent representation storage. Knowing which areas are responsible for definite behavioural aliases sensory aspects tin thief to amended understand really different neurological disorders impact these functions.

"For example, Parkinson's illness is often associated pinch degeneration of nan substantia nigra, a building successful a heavy area of nan encephalon that is responsible for controlling movement. Damage to this area leads to emblematic symptoms of nan disease, specified arsenic tremors aliases slowness of movement," says nan researcher.

She explains that nan precise recognition of nan affected area of nan encephalon allows nan readying of targeted interventions, specified arsenic neurostimulation, which has been successfully utilized to trim nan symptoms of nan disease. "Another illustration is nan recognition of nan epilepsy focus. Knowing which area of nan encephalon is causing seizures and what functions it performs allows doctors to much precisely scheme an involution to region nan focal area and measure nan imaginable risks and effect connected nan diligent afterwards," says nan interrogator from KTU's Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

She explains that nan favoritism betwixt encephalon regions is besides important for building models of encephalon activity, for studying nan effects of psychiatric diseases connected different encephalon regions, aliases for knowing why definite symptoms hap successful nan beingness of circumstantial lesions.

"In addition, brain-computer interfaces also trust connected precise localisation of neural activity," says Armonaitė.

The KTU researcher's study analysed intracranial electroencephalogram (sEEG) recordings from 55 patients. "These signals are taken straight from nan encephalon alternatively than nan scalp. Such information is highly uncommon because it is only collected erstwhile patients acquisition neurosurgical intervention, typically for drug-resistant epilepsy," explains Dr Armonaitė.

To understand whether different cortical areas transmit accusation otherwise and why, she started by analysing nan neurophysiological signals from nan astir intelligibly defined areas - sensory, centrifugal and auditory - whose functions person been studied most.

"We often perceive astir neurodegenerative disorders and nan hunt for their biomarkers to make an early diagnosis. But nan mobility that willing maine nan astir was: really does nan patient encephalon function? And tin we observe its activity markers while astatine rest? After all, moreover successful nan absence of outer stimuli, nan encephalon remains active. It's not conscionable chaotic noise, but alternatively a batch of encoded accusation successful nan electrical signals transmitted betwixt neurons," says Armonaitė.

The investigation has led to nan find of computational methods that, according to nan KTU researcher, make it imaginable to refine nan parcelling of nan encephalon cortex according to nan electrical activity of different regions.

"Now it would beryllium absorbing to spell moreover further - for example, to create models of encephalon activity based connected definite features of these areas and use them to observe very early abnormalities, specified arsenic incipient neurodegenerative processes. Also, nan markers of patient cortical areas of nan brain, observed during sleep, could beryllium compared pinch information from patients pinch slumber disorders," says Armonaitė.

Although nan study does not yet person a nonstop objective application, it opens galore theoretical possibilities, says nan KTU neuroscientist. For example, further investigation could lead to nan creation of integer models of cortical areas, their integer twins. Knowing nan compartment structure, interactions and electrical parameters, it would beryllium imaginable to simulate really specified an area would respond to, for example, electrical stimulation. "This could yet lend to nan improvement of personalised neurological therapies," says Armonaitė.

One applicable exertion of investigation connected nan quality encephalon astatine remainder could beryllium nan test of slumber disorders, she said. While astir methods measure slumber successful a alternatively generalised way, a elaborate study of nan activity of cortical areas could thief to place much precisely which areas of nan encephalon usability otherwise and why.

"This is applicable because sleep, though it whitethorn look for illustration a passive state, is simply a very move process, involving consolidation of information, metabolic cleaning, and reorganisation of synapses," explains nan researcher. "Subtle changes successful neural activity during slumber whitethorn besides bespeak nan onset of neurodegenerative processes."

If we cognize really a patient cerebral cortex should behave successful different states aliases functional tasks, she says, we tin look for deviations from this normal pattern, which tin thief america observe nan illness earlier it shows clear symptoms. In summation to early test and prevention, this would besides lend to a deeper knowing of nan system of nan diseases themselves.

Source:

Journal reference:

Armonaite, K., et al. (2025). Analysis of powerfulness rule behaviour of section cortical neurodynamics. Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena. doi.org/10.1016/j.physd.2025.134733.