Biomedical subjects

Koichiro Kobayashi

Publications and source records attributed to Koichiro Kobayashi.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Construction of a three-dimensional outline of the heart and conduction pathway by means of a 64-channel magnetocardiogram in patients with atrial flutter and fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Magnetocardiography (MCG) has the potential for collecting three-dimensional (3D) intracardiac electric information, because the magnetic field is unaffected by the shape of the lungs and torso. In the present study, we report on the generation of a 3D heart outline and conduction pathway by means of a current density map using a 64-channel SQUID system, and an evaluation of its significance in patients with atrial flutter (AFL) and atrial fibrillation (AFIB). METHODS: The subjects consisted of 20 healthy volunteers, and 3 patients with AFL and 4 patients with AFIB. A 64-channel MCG was recorded after digitization at 500 Hz, and a 3D current density was reconstructed from the magnetic fields using a space filter in conjunction with the minimum normalization method of Tikhonov. A 3D heart outline was generated from the integrated current density by the space filter. The conduction pathway was superimposed on a heart outline generated by a magnetic field. The heart outline was verified by the silhouette on the magnetic resonance (MR) images. An MCG was recorded pre- and post interventional therapy, and therapeutic efficacy was evaluated. RESULTS: The 3D heart outline of the atrium and ventricle corresponded to the silhouette of the right atrium and left ventricle, respectively, on an MR image. The serial conduction pathway of the QRS segment superimposed on the 3D heart outline map demonstrated the conduction pattern generated within the heart. The MCG revealed a counter-clockwise rotation in patients with AFL, and random micro-reentry in the case of AFIB. After interventional therapy, restoration of the sinus rhythm was verified in patients with both AFL and AFIB. CONCLUSIONS: A 64-channel MCG was used to evaluate the 3D heart outline and conduction pathway in patients with AFL and AFIB without the need for MR images. Condensed Abstract A 64-channel MCG was used to evaluate the 3D heart out line and conduction pathway in patients with AFL and AFIB.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Long-range EEG phase synchronization during an arithmetic task indexes a coherent cortical network simultaneously measured by fMRI.

An open question lies in whether or not distributed activities in the distant brain regions are integrated into a coherent ensemble for cognitive information processing. Long-range phase synchronization is often observed by scalp EEG measurements during cognitive tasks and is considered to provide a possible neural principle for the functional integration of distributed neural activities. Synchronization could be reflected at the neuron firing level or at the local field potential and could appear in the scalp EEG under certain conditions on neural spatial and temporal coherence. To examine if phase synchronization is concerned with the integration of distant regions, we proposed a method to extract brain activities associated with task-dependent phase synchronization by combining simultaneous fMRI and EEG. By applying this method in a mental arithmetic task, we found a dominant task-dependent increase of phase synchronization around 14 Hz (in beta frequency) across bilateral parietal sites that were associated with both negative and positive BOLD responses. Functional connectivity analyses of these regions demonstrated that an increase in hemispheric beta synchronization was associated with a linking between the cross-hemispheric regions (left angular gyrus and right superior parietal gyrus) and also among the anterior-posterior regions (right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, putamen, and right superior temporal gyrus). These findings indicate that the positive BOLD regions (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and superior parietal lobule) are linked with other negative BOLD regions. We also discussed the possible importance of beta synchronization in the formation of a working memory network.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

A long-range cortical network emerging with theta oscillation in a mental task.

Human scalp EEG has demonstrated that global coherence among distant areas increases during cognitive tasks, suggesting that oscillating neural activities work to generate global neuronal assemblies for cognitive functions. The theta oscillation in a frequency range of 4-8 Hz with large amplitudes which emerges during mental tasks around the frontal midline region is called fm theta. If theta oscillation concerns the global neuronal assemblies, fm theta should be associated with regional activities that depend on task conditions. In the present study, we examine the EEG-related brain activities by developing simultaneous EEG and fMRI during a mental calculation task. EEG-related negative BOLD was dominant over anterior medial regions, suggesting a major contribution of negative BOLD to fm theta. Negative and positive BOLD were found over distant regions. Functional connectivity analyses revealed that the connectivity varied remarkably according to mental conditions. In the rest condition, the connectivity was localized, whereas in the task condition, a long-range coherent network was formed by the anterior midline, posterior cingulate and right middle temporal cortices with linking between the right middle temporal and left lateral cortices during numerical processing. Further EEG analyses indicate that the long-range coherent network executing cognitive functions is coordinated in the time window of theta oscillations.

Action Potentials↗