Antonio Ivano Triggiani

National Institutes of Health | NIH · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

An awake person moves all the time. All these movements are characterized by different temporal and spatial patterns, often complex and influenced by both internal drive and external stimuli. This chapter reviews a series of classic neurophysiological experiments aimed at disentangling the neural activity underpinning the specific features of simpl...

What is free will? Can it exist in a determined universe? How can we determine who, if anyone, possesses it? Philosophers have been debating these questions for millennia. In recent decades neuroscientists have joined the fray with questions of their own. Which neural mechanisms could enable conscious control of action? What are intentional actions...

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second‐most common neurodegenerative disorder that affects 2–3% of the population ≥ 65 years of age and may belong to cognitive deficits and dementia in 50% of cases. Disease with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is emerging as another important cause of dementia in pathological aging. PD and DLB are both due to intra‐neuronal Lewy...

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second‐most common neurodegenerative disorder that affects 2–3% of the population ≥ 65 years of age and may belong to cognitive deficits and dementia in 50% of cases. Disease with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is emerging as another important cause of dementia in pathological aging. PD and DLB are both due to intra‐neuronal Lewy...

Objective Here we tested if cortical sources of resting state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms may differ in sub-groups of patients with prodromal and overt dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) as a function of relevant clinical symptoms. Methods We extracted clinical, demographic and rsEEG datasets in matched DLB patients (N = 60) and control A...

Schizophrenic patients often do not have the sense that they direct their own movements or author their own thoughts (passivity phenomena). As willing must precede movement to be causal and thus generate the sense of agency, it is possible that the timing between the senses of willing and movement is shortened in schizophrenia. We tested the subjec...

Objective This retrospective and exploratory study tested the accuracy of artificial neural networks (ANNs) at detecting Alzheimer’s disease patients with dementia (ADD) based on input variables extracted from resting-state electroencephalogram (rsEEG), structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) or both. Methods For the classification exercise,...

Background: Regular physical activity or aerobic exercise is well known to increase brain plasticity. Recent studies have reported that aerobic exercise enhances neuroplasticity and motor learning. The aim of this study was to investigate if 12 weeks' aerobic training can modify cortical excitability and motor evoked potential (MEP) responses. Me...

Compared with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) shows peculiar clinical manifestations related to vigilance (i.e., executive cognitive deficits and visual hallucinations) that may be reflected in resting state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms. To test this hypothesis, clinical and rsEEG rhythms in age-, sex-, and education-m...

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease, representing one of the most severe pathologies in developed countries. Based on a report of the World Health Organization (WHO), it affects about 300 million people worldwide. Few studies have analyzed the effects of daily life physical activity (PA) levels in patients with asthma: moreover, little...

Several heart rate variability (HRV) studies show abnormalities in autonomic nervous control in obese and overweight subjects. However, some of the results appear to be controversial. Here we investigate the HRV profile in seventy adult normotensive women and its association with general and visceral adiposity. Specifically, we recorded the electro...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00890.].

Background Previous evidence showed abnormal posterior sources of resting-state electroencephalographic (rsEEG) delta (<4 Hz) and alpha (about 8–12 Hz) rhythms in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) as cortical neural synchronization markers in quiet wakefulness. We hypothesized that a relatively short computerized cognitive training in PD patie...

Previous evidence has shown different resting-state eyes-closed electroencephalographic delta (<4 Hz) and alpha (8–10.5 Hz) source connectivity in subjects with dementia due to Alzheimer's (ADD) and Lewy body (DLB) diseases. The present study tested if the same differences may be observed in the prodromal stages of mild cognitive impairment (MCI)....

This study tested the hypothesis of cortical neural efficiency (i.e., reduced brain activation in experts) in the visuospatial information processing related to football (soccer) scenes in football players. Electroencephalographic data were recorded from 56 scalp electrodes in 13 football players and eight matched non-players during the observation...

Here, we tested that healthy elderly (Nold) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) individuals can be discriminated with a moderate accuracy using resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) markers. Eyes-closed rsEEG data were collected in 100 Nold and 120 AD subjects. eLORETA freeware estimated the source current density (SCD) and functional...

The original version of the chapter was inadvertently published without the author and the affiliation, “M Blūma and University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy” in the opening page of the chapter, which have now been included.

This study tested whether resting state alpha rhythms (8-13 Hz) may characterize mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (ADMCI) compared with MCI due to chronic kidney disease (CKDMCI). Clinical and resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms from 40 ADMCI, 29 CKDMCI, and 45 cognitively normal elderly (Nold) subj...

We hypothesized that dopamine neuromodulation might affect cortical excitability in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients set in quiet wakefulness, as revealed by resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms at alpha frequencies (8–12 Hz). Clinical and rsEEG rhythms in PD with dementia (N = 35), PD with mild cognitive impairment (N...

Emotional stability plays a key role in individual and team performance during both routine activities and management of unexpected emergencies. Using a psycho-physiological approach, the stress response was investigated in drone operators in service. Methods: Salivary α-amylase (sAA), galvanic skin response (GSR) and anxiety were assessed over a 2...

The present study tested the hypothesis that cortical sources of resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms reveal different abnormalities in cortical neural synchronization in groups of patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (ADMCI) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLBMCI) as compared to cognitively...

Objective: This study tested the hypothesis that markers of functional cortical source connectivity of resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms may be abnormal in subjects with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's (ADMCI) and Parkinson's (PDMCI) diseases compared to healthy elderly subjects (Nold). Methods: rsEEG...

Background Studies about the impact of developmental dyslexia (DD) on parenting are scarce. Our investigation aimed to assess maternal stress levels and mothers’ copying styles in a population of dyslexic children.MethodsA total of 874 children (500 boys, 374 girls; mean age 8.32 ± 2.33 years) affected by DD was included in the study. A total of 1,...

Previous evidence showed abnormal posterior sources of resting-state delta (<4 Hz) and alpha (8-12 Hz) rhythms in patients with Alzheimer's disease with dementia (ADD), Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD), and Lewy body dementia (DLB), as cortical neural synchronization markers in quiet wakefulness. Here, we tested the hypothesis of additional...

Aims: In women's life, menopause is characterized by significant physiological changes often associated with an increase in body mass and obesity-associated sicknesses. Numerous researches described interdependencies of estrogen deficiency, aging, and resting energy expenditure (REE) downfall in the obesity correlated with the menopause. The aim of...

Purpose: The mechanisms involved in the coordination of muscle activity are not completely known: to investigate adaptive changes in human motor cortex Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was often used. The sport models are frequently used to study how the training may affect the corticospinal system excitability: Karate represents a valuable...

Background: The role of heart rate variability (HRV) in the prediction of vasovagal syncope during head-up tilt testing (HUTt) is unclear. Aim: To evaluate the ability of the spectral components of HRV at rest to predict vasovagal syncope among patients with unexplained syncope referred for HUTt. Methods: Twenty-six consecutive patients with u...

The aim of this retrospective and exploratory study was that the cortical sources of resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms might reveal different abnormalities in cortical neural synchronization in groups of patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (ADMCI) and Parkinson's disease (PDMCI) as comp...

The aim of this retrospective exploratory study was that resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms might reflect brain arousal in patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD), Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD), and dementia with Lewy body (DLB). Clinical and rsEEG data of 42 ADD, 42 PDD, 34 DLB, and 40 h...

Introduction Cognitive dysfunctions concerning working memory, attention, psychomotor speed, and verbal memory are a disabling feature of the bipolar disorder (BD). According to scientific literature, cognitive disturbances are present not only in depressive and manic phases of BD, but also during the euthymic period, without regard to whether or n...

Introduction According to scientific literature, cognitive impairment is a disabling feature of the bipolar disorder (BD), present in all the phases of the disease. Obesity and metabolic disorders represent another risk factor for cognitive dysfunctions in BD, since the excess of weight could adversely influence several cognitive domains. Objectiv...

Adipose tissue, defined as white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT), is a biological caloric reservoir; in response to over-nutrition it expands and, in response to energy deficit, it releases lipids. The WAT primarily stores energy as triglycerides, whereas BAT dissipates chemical energy as heat. In mammals, the BAT is a key site...

Previous evidence showed a 75.5% best accuracy in the classification of 120 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with dementia and 100 matched normal elderly (Nold) subjects based on cortical source current density and linear lagged connectivity estimated by eLORETA freeware from resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms (Babil...

Since 1985, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been used for non-invasive exploration of motor control in humans and for a wide range of applications in all ages of life. This brief review examined briefly the potential interest in sport medicine.

Introduction: The action of zinc and chromium on the metabolism of carbohydrates and, consequently, on lipids and protein metabolism improves, on the one hand, the receptor membrane efficiency and, on the other hand, plays an important role in the regulation of secretion and insulin activity. Aim of the study is to gather preliminary data on the ef...

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between sensitivity to PROP, taste buds density and body composition in healthy adults.

The aim of this study was to verify the hypothesis that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) parameters over the hand region of the motor cortex, such as resting motor threshold (rMT) and motor evoked potential (MEP) latency, predict the behavioural performance of karate athletes in the response time (RT) test. Twenty-five male karate athletes (...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155998.].

Objectives: In taekwondo competitions, fatigue has a large influence on performance. Recent studies have reported that the excitability in the primary hand motor cortex, investigated with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), is enhanced at the end of a maximal exercise and that this improvement correlates with blood lactate. The aim of the pre...

Objectives: To investigate the involvement of the primary motor cortex (M1) in the coordination performance of karate athletes through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Methods: Thirteen right-handed male karate athletes (25.0±5.0 years) and 13 matched non-athlete controls (26.7±6.2 years) were enrolled. A single-pulse TMS was applied usi...

Background: The word "stress" describes the status of the body affected by external or internal forces, or "stressors", threatening to alter its dynamic balance or homeostasis. The adaptive changes which occur in reply to stressors are either behavioral or physical. Once a given threshold is surpassed, a systemic reaction takes place involving the...

Previous studies have shown abnormal power and functional connectivity of resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms in groups of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared to healthy elderly (Nold) subjects. Here we tested the best classification rate of 120 AD patients and 100 matched Nold subjects using EEG markers based on cortical sources of p...

Here we presented a single electroencephalographic (EEG) marker for a neurophysiological assessment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients already diagnosed by current guidelines. The ability of the EEG marker to classify 127 AD individuals and 121 matched cognitively intact normal elderly (Nold) individuals was tested. Furthermore, its relationship...

Aims: Menopause is a period of significant physiological change that may be associated with increased body weight and obesity-related diseases. Many studies have been carried out to determine influences of estrogen depletion, resting energy expenditure (REE) decline and aging during menopause-related obesity. Methodology: In the present experiment,...

To evaluate the effect of a solo ultra-endurance open-water swim upon autonomic and non-autonomic control of heart rate (HR). A male athlete (age: 48yr, height, 172 cm; body mass, 68 kg; BMI, 23 kg/m2) underwent the heart rate variability (HRV) and circulating catecholamine evaluations at different time intervals before and after an ultra-endurance...

Purpose: To get information on the effort during vigorous exercise there are different ways and, the most popular, is the scale to measure subjective exertion or the rating of perceived exertion (RPE), such as the Borg scale. This scale is an effective methods to quantify and monitor the intensity of the exercise The aims of this study were to inve...

Heart rate variability (HRV) is altered in obese subjects, but whether this is true also in underweight (UW) subjects is still under debate. We investigated the HRV profile in a sample of healthy adult women and its association with adiposity. Five minute resting state electrocardiographic activity was recorded in 69 subjects grouped according to t...

By using a psycho-physiological approach we investigated the stress response during parachute jumping, a well- characterized stress model to study emotional and physical stress in humans. Besides the observation of hormone reactivity in response to such a short-term stressful event, this study focused on the correlations among competitive state a...

To examine the differences between karate athletes and a control group in resting motor threshold (rMT) and in MEP response, by using single-pulse TMS, and to analyze the relationships between neural activity in M1 and interlimb coordination performance, assumed as a functional assessment of the corticospinal system excitability.

To examine the differences between karate athletes and a control group in resting motor threshold (rMT) and in MEP response, by using single-pulse TMS, and to analyze the relationships between neural activity in M1 and interlimb coordination performance, assumed as a functional assessment of the corticospinal system excitability.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) induces a widespread pathological extracellular accumulation of beta-amyloid (Aβ) peptides that affects cortical networks underpinning cognitive functions. This is related to abnormal functional and effective brain connectivity as revealed by graph markers of resting-state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms....

The aim of this study was to examine whether athletes are characterized by changes in the resting motor threshold (MT) and in the corticospinal response (MEP), demonstrating that M1 has an adaptive role in the consolidation of motor tasks of athletes practicing combat sports.

Objective: We evaluated the working hypothesis that the EEG activity associated to non-painful and painful stimuli in condition of waking state (no hypnotic procedure) was related to the hypnotizability level. Methods: Hypnotizability level was measured in 16 healthy subjects through the Italian version of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Sc...

Objective: Obese subjects without eating disorders were characterised by poor electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha rhythms during resting-state eye-closed condition (Babiloni et al., 2011b). Is this true also for the desynchronisation of alpha rhythms during resting-state eyes opening? Methods: EEG data were recorded in 15 underweight, 20 normal-...

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) are the most widely used symptomatic treatment for mild to severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, while N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist memantine is licensed for use in moderate to severe AD patients. In this article, the effect of these compounds on resting state eyes-closed electroen...

Here we tested the hypothesis that compared with normal weight non dieting (control) subjects, normal weight successful dieters submitted to a rigorous and continuous monitoring of body weight (i.e. karate athletes) are characterized by an increase of cortical responses to oddball visual stimuli depicting the enlargement of faces or foods, as neura...

It is well known that resting state regional cerebral blood flow is abnormal in obese when compared to normal-weight subjects but the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms are poorly known. To address this issue, we tested the hypothesis that amplitude of resting state cortical electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms differ among underweight, norm...

Resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms do not deteriorate with the increase of white matter vascular lesion in amnesic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects [1], although white matter is impaired along Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we tested whether this is true even in AD subjects. Closed-eye resting state EEG data were recorded i...

A previous electroencephalographic (EEG) study has shown that obese subjects are characterized by reduced attention frontal responses to food images, thus raising the hypothesis of attention deficits associated with abnormal body weight (Babiloni et al., 2009a,b). In this line, here we tested the hypothesis of reduced attention cortical responses i...