by Sveva Pepe  , Simone Tedeschi  , Nicolo' Brandizzi  , Samuele Russo  , Luca Iocchi  and Christian Napoli

Received: 27 May 2022;  Published: 04 October 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2204139

Human–robot interactions require the ability of the system to determine if the user is paying attention. However, to train such systems, massive amounts of data are required. In this study, we addressed the issue of data scarcity by constructing a large dataset (containing ~120,000 photographs) for the attention detection task. Then, by using this dataset, we established a powerful baseline system. In addition, we extended the proposed system by adding an auxiliary face detection module and introducing a unique GAN [...]

by Abdulmalik A. Lawan  and Nadire Cavus

Received: 31 May 2022;  Published: 30 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203138

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder associated with critical challenges related to social, communication, and behavioral issues. Recent studies have proposed machine learning (ML) techniques for rapid and accurate assessment of ASD. However, the mismatch between the ML techniques and the clinical basis of ASD assessment reduces the effectiveness of ML-based assessment tools. The present study proposed an approach that utilized the potential of ML modeling and preserved the clinical relevan [...]

by Igor Val Danilov  , Sandra Mihailova  and Araksia Svajyan

Received: 05 July 2022;  Published: 28 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203137

This study aims to observe the differences in the shared intentionality magnitude in mother-child dyads with neurotypical (NT) children and neurodivergent (ND) children aged 3-6 years. The quality of shared intentionality in infancy is associated with cognitive development. Our results showed that ND children scored six times higher (on average) in quiz-test than NT children. Children with difficulties in interaction (ND children) are more likely to use shared intentionality in conversation than NT children. We bel [...]

by OBM Neurobiology Editorial Office

Received: 22 September 2022;  Published: 26 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203136

by Omotayo B. Ilesanmi  , Rosephine Enadeghe  , Chinenyenwa U. Aleneme  , Esther F. Adeogun  and Ufuoma J. Okotie

Received: 29 May 2022;  Published: 26 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203135

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that is deleterious to brain development as it increases brain aging. Trévo is a multi-herbal supplement that provides various health benefits, including boosting the immune system and detoxification. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of Trévo against the neurotoxic effects of cadmium chloride (CdCl2). Thirty male Wistar rats were equally divided into three groups: Group I (normal control), Group II (administered CdCl2), and Group III (administered Trévo and Cd [...]

by Sergey Yu. Udovichenko  , Alexander D. Pisarev  , Alexander N. Busygin  , Abdulla H. Ebrahim  , Andrey N. Bobylev  and Alexey A. Gubin

Received: 14 June 2022;  Published: 22 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203134

In the present study, we present the results of the modeling of incoming information processing in a neuroprocessor that implements a biomorphic spiking neural network with numerous neurons and trainable synaptic connections between them. Physico-mathematical models of processes of encoding information into biomorphic pulses and their decoding following a neural block into a binary code were developed as well as models of the process of routing the output pulses of neurons by the logic matrix to the synapses of oth [...]

by Damiana Scuteri  , Paolo Tonin  , Maria Tiziana Corasaniti  and Giacinto Bagetta

Received: 05 July 2022;  Published: 14 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203133

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) accounts for 50–70% of cases of dementia worldwide and is a social burden to the affected population. Although several pathogenetic hypotheses have been proposed, evidence favoring the role of aberrant neuroplasticity in the development of the neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with dementia is increasing. Specifically, agitation is resistant to treatment and affects the quality of life, also because of the lack of safe and effective treatment for AD. Alterations in pain processing due to [...]

by Tyrone Pretorius  and Anita Padmanabhanunni

Received: 01 May 2022;  Published: 17 August 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203132

An important mental health concern arising from the COVID-19 pandemic was the loneliness resulting from the lockdown measures taken by many countries due to the outbreak. Thus, loneliness needs to be studied in detail for intervention purposes. The UCLA Loneliness Scale is the most widely used measure of loneliness. However, the 20-item measure has some drawbacks, including questionnaire fatigue, especially when used with other measures, and a lack of accurate responses to all items. In this study, we evaluated two [...]

by Johannes Drescher  , Charly Gaul  , Peter Kropp  , Yannic Siebenhaar  , Dirk Reinel  and Jörg Scheidt

Received: 18 May 2022;  Published: 16 August 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203131

This citizen science project CLUE compared the attack frequency between school and vacation periods among adolescents. The data collection process adopted in citizen science projects opens up the possibility of conducting analyses by including a large number of participants over a long period and across different regions. The data on 684 migraine attacks reported by 68 adolescents aged 16 to 19 years were collected using an online platform and smartphone apps. A Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the distribut [...]

by Anita Padmanabhanunni  , Serena Ann Isaacs  , Tyrone Pretorius  and Brendon Faroa

Received: 30 April 2022;  Published: 15 August 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203130

Fear has been the most common emotional response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and excessive fear is associated with various indices of psychological distress, particularly loneliness. Although most people have experienced pandemic-related fear and distress, certain groups who are on the front of service provision have experienced the pandemic in distinct ways, owing to its impact on the nature of their work. Schoolteachers represent one such group; therefore, it is imperative to identify resources that can safeguard a [...]