Taha Hanoglu

and 6 more

Background: Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) is a prototype phenomenon for investigating complex visual hallucination. Our research focuses on resting-state neural networks features of CBS patients with a comparison of patients with equally matched visual loss and healthy subjects in order to investigate the mechanism behind complex visual hallucinations. Methods: Four CBS patients CBS(+), 3 patients with visual loss but no visual hallucinations CBS(-) and 15 healthy controls (HC) undergo resting-state fMRI recordings and their resting-state data is analyzed. Cognitive functions of the participants were also evaluated through MMSE and um-PDHQ Results: Although we found no difference in DMN between CBS(-) and CBS(+), and between CBS(-) and HC groups, we detected decreased connectivity in CBS(+) compared to the HC group especially in visual hetero-modal association centers (bilateral lateral occipital and lingual gyrus, occipital pole, right medial temporal and temporo-occipital cortex) when left angular gyrus was selected as ROI. Similarly, we detected decreased connectivity in CBS(+) compared to HC in right medial frontal, posterior cingulate, supramarginal, left inferior temporal, and angular gyrus when selected right superior frontal gyrus as ROI. In contrast, increased connectivity was detected in CBS+ compared to HC, in bilateral occipital poles, occipital fusiform gyrus, intra-calcarine cortex, right lingual gyrus and precuneus regions when left medial temporal gyrus was selected as ROI. Conclusion: Our findings suggest a combined mechanism in CBS related to increased internal created images caused by decreased visual external input causing visual hallucinations along with impaired frontotemporal resource tracking system that together impairs cognitive processing.

Halil Aziz Velioglu

and 5 more

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a promising alternative therapy for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) due to its ability to modulate neural networks and enhance cognitive function. This treatment offers the unique advantage of enabling real-time monitoring of immediate cognitive effects and dynamic brain changes through electroencephalography (EEG). Objective: This study focused on exploring the effects of left parietal rTMS stimulation on visual evoked potentials (VEP) and visual event-related potentials (VERP) in AD patients. Methods: Sixteen AD patients were recruited for this longitudinal study. EEG data were collected within a Faraday cage both pre and post-rTMS to evaluate its impact on potentials. Results: Significant alterations were found in both VEP and VERP oscillations. Specifically, delta power in VEP decreased while theta power in VERP increased post-rTMS, indicating a modulation of brain activities. Discussion: These findings confirm the positive modulatory impact of rTMS on brain activities in AD, evidenced by improved cognitive scores. They align with previous studies highlighting the potential of rTMS in managing hyperexcitability and oscillatory disturbances in the AD cortex. Conclusion: Cognitive improvements post-rTMS endorse its potential as a promising neuromodulatory treatment for cognitive enhancement in AD, thereby providing critical insights into the neurophysiological anomalies in AD and possible therapeutic avenues.