Brain Sciences

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Leszek Kaczmarek

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Guest Editor

BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pasteura 3, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: Molecular and Cellular Foundations of the Brain–Mind Connection

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A need to understand the mind at the molecular and cellular level in the brain has been a long-standing goal of neuroscience research. In a way, single-neuron recording directly approaches the cell biology functions of individual neurons, whereas molecular biology has provided tools to address their biochemical underpinnings. Discovery of a gene expression in learning (late eighties) and then use of genetically modified mice in learning and memory (early nineties) were the major pillars of modern neurobiology aiming at elucidating healthy and then diseased minds. Recent progress in high-throughput studies based on genomics, epigenomics, proteomics, etc., has markedly advanced our knowledge on humans and animal models, implicating a myriad of genes, RNAs and proteins in mind physiology (e.g., learning and memory) and pathology (especially major neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum, addiction, etc.). This research area has expanded so dramatically that there is no way to capture its entirety. Nevertheless, it appears worthy to review some aspects, even if very limited, of these rapid developments. This Special Issue of Brain Sciences is supposed to serve this ambitious goal. The expected contributions might be in the form of either review or experimental research presenting various pieces of work pertinent to the broadly defined molecular and cellular foundations of the brain–mind connection.

Prof. Dr. Leszek Kaczmarek
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Neuronal cell biology
Gene expression
Genetic modifications
Epigenetics
Learning and memory
Neuronal plasticity
Neuropsychiatric disorders

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2034 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Virtual Reality (VR)-Based Environmental Enrichment in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Mild Dementia

by Waleed Riaz, Zain Yar Khan, Ali Jawaid and Suleman Shahid

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(8), 1103; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11081103 - 22 Aug 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5942

Abstract

Background: Despite an alarming rise in the global prevalence of dementia, the available modalities for improving cognition and mental wellbeing of dementia patients remain limited. Environmental enrichment is an experimental paradigm that has shown promising anti-depressive and memory-enhancing effects in pre-clinical studies. However, its clinical utility has remained limited due to the lack of effective implementation strategies. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the usability (tolerability and interactivity) of a long-term virtual reality (VR)- based environmental enrichment training program in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia. A secondary objective was to assess the effect of VR-based environmental enrichment on stabilization of cognitive functioning and improvement of mental wellbeing in older adults with MCI and mild dementia. Methods: A total of seven participants (four patients with MCI and three with mild dementia) received biweekly VR-based environmental enrichment over a course of 6 months. The tolerability and interactivity of the participants in the VR training was serially assessed via virtual reality sickness questionnaire (VRSQ) and recording of input-error ratio. Cognitive functioning was assessed through Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) before and after the study. Mental wellbeing was assessed through Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well Being Scale (WEMWBS). Results: VR-based environmental enrichment was well-tolerated by the patients with significant decrease in VRSQ scores (p < 0.01) and input-error ratio (p < 0.001) overtime. VR training was also effective in stabilization of MoCA scores over the course of therapy (non-significant difference in the MoCA scores before and after the therapy) and was associated with a trend (p < 0.1) towards improvement in WEMWBS scores between the first and the last assessments. Qualitative observations by the care-givers further corroborated a noticeable improvement in mental wellbeing of patients. Conclusions: This pilot study shows that VR can be a feasible, tolerable, and potentially effective tool in long-term support of older adults with MCI and mild dementia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Cellular Foundations of the Brain–Mind Connection)

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Review

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16 pages, 9999 KiB

Open AccessReview

How Human Single-Neuron Recordings Can Help Us Understand Cognition: Insights from Memory Studies

by Zuzanna Roma Kubska and Jan Kamiński

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(4), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11040443 - 30 Mar 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3848

Abstract

Understanding human cognition is a key goal of contemporary neuroscience. Due to the complexity of the human brain, animal studies and noninvasive techniques, however valuable, are incapable of providing us with a full understanding of human cognition. In the light of existing cognitive theories, we describe findings obtained thanks to human single-neuron recordings, including the discovery of concept cells and novelty-dependent cells, or activity patterns behind working memory, such as persistent activity. We propose future directions for studies using human single-neuron recordings and we discuss possible opportunities of investigating pathological brain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular and Cellular Foundations of the Brain–Mind Connection)

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