Language and music share a number of characteristics. Crucially, both domains depend on both rules and memorized representations. Double dissociations between the neurocognition of rule-governed and ...memory-based knowledge have been found in language but not music. Here, the neural bases of both of these aspects of music were examined with an event-related potential (ERP) study of note violations in melodies. Rule-only violations consisted of out-of-key deviant notes that violated tonal harmony rules in novel (unfamiliar) melodies. Memory-only violations consisted of in-key deviant notes in familiar well-known melodies; these notes followed musical rules but deviated from the actual melodies. Finally, out-of-key notes in familiar well-known melodies constituted violations of both rules and memory. All three conditions were presented, within-subjects, to healthy young adults, half musicians and half non-musicians. The results revealed a double dissociation, independent of musical training, between rules and memory: both rule violation conditions, but not the memory-only violations, elicited an early, somewhat right-lateralized anterior-central negativity (ERAN), consistent with previous studies of rule violations in music, and analogous to the early left-lateralized anterior negativities elicited by rule violations in language. In contrast, both memory violation conditions, but not the rule-only violation, elicited a posterior negativity that might be characterized as an N400, an ERP component that depends, at least in part, on the processing of representations stored in long-term memory, both in language and in other domains. The results suggest that the neurocognitive rule/memory dissociation extends from language to music, further strengthening the similarities between the two domains.
Although sex differences have been observed in various cognitive domains, there has been little work examining sex differences in the cognition of music. We tested the prediction that women would be ...better than men at recognizing familiar melodies, since memories of specific melodies are likely to be learned (at least in part) by declarative memory, which shows female advantages. Participants were 24 men and 24 women, with half musicians and half non-musicians in each group. The two groups were matched on age, education, and various measures of musical training. Participants were presented with well-known and novel melodies, and were asked to indicate their recognition of familiar melodies as rapidly as possible. The women were significantly faster than the men in responding, with a large effect size. The female advantage held across musicians and non-musicians, and across melodies with and without commonly associated lyrics, as evidenced by an absence of interactions between sex and these factors. Additionally, the results did not seem to be explained by sex differences in response biases, or in basic motor processes as tested in a control task. Though caution is warranted given that this is the first study to examine sex differences in familiar melody recognition, the results are consistent with the hypothesis motivating our prediction, namely that declarative memory underlies knowledge about music (particularly about familiar melodies), and that the female advantage at declarative memory may thus lead to female advantages in music cognition (particularly at familiar melody recognition). Additionally, the findings argue against the view that female advantages at tasks involving verbal (or verbalizable) material are due solely to a sex difference specific to the verbal domain. Further, the results may help explain previously reported cognitive commonalities between music and language: since declarative memory also underlies language, such commonalities may be partly due to a common dependence on this memory system. More generally, because declarative memory is well studied at many levels, evidence that music cognition depends on this system may lead to a powerful research program generating a wide range of novel predictions for the neurocognition of music, potentially advancing the field.
Special issue of DARPA NEST proceedings Thakor, Nitish V; Moore, David F; Miranda, Robbin A ...
IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering
20, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Guest Editorial Special Issue of DARPA NEST Proceedings Thakor, Nitish V.; Moore, David F.; Miranda, Robbin A. ...
IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering,
2012-March, Volume:
20, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The 11 papers in this special issue were originally presented at the Defense Advanced Research Agency's (DARPA) first annual Neural Engineering, Science, and Technology (NEST) Forum in November 2010. ...The papers focus primarily on the multiscale modeling and restoration of dynamic sensorimotor and memory functions, as well as the development of novel neural interfaces.
•DARPA's programs foster multi-disciplinary collaborations.•DARPA's BCI programs span four major challenges: detect, emulate, restore, & improve.•Aims: restore function after injury; improve ...performance of healthy individuals.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has funded innovative scientific research and technology developments in the field of brain–computer interfaces (BCI) since the 1970s. This review highlights some of DARPA's major advances in the field of BCI, particularly those made in recent years. Two broad categories of DARPA programs are presented with respect to the ultimate goals of supporting the nation's warfighters: (1) BCI efforts aimed at restoring neural and/or behavioral function, and (2) BCI efforts aimed at improving human training and performance. The programs discussed are synergistic and complementary to one another, and, moreover, promote interdisciplinary collaborations among researchers, engineers, and clinicians. Finally, this review includes a summary of some of the remaining challenges for the field of BCI, as well as the goals of new DARPA efforts in this domain.
•Recent DARPA investment in peripheral nerve interfaces has focused on prosthetics, bioelectronic medicine, and neuroplasticity for learning.•Peripheral interface systems may be tailored differently ...depending on the application with particular attention to form factor, resolution and specificity, and evaluation of efficacy.•System development goes hand in hand with the consideration of ethical implications such as enhancement, safety, and data security.
Background. Peripheral nerve interfaces have emerged as alternative solutions for a variety of therapeutic and performance improvement applications. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has widely invested in these interfaces to provide motor control and sensory feedback to prosthetic limbs, identify non-pharmacological interventions to treat disease, and facilitate neuromodulation to accelerate learning or improve performance on cognitive, sensory, or motor tasks. In this commentary, we highlight some of the design considerations for optimizing peripheral nerve interfaces depending on the application space. We also discuss the ethical considerations that accompany these advances.
Stability of Sunitinib in Oral Suspension Navid, Fariba; Christensen, Robbin; Minkin, Patton ...
The Annals of pharmacotherapy,
07/2008, Volume:
42, Issue:
7
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Background:
Sunitinib Is a novel, oral, multitargeted tyrosine kinase Inhibitor with antiangiogenic and antitumor activity. No liquid formulation of sunitinib malate is commercially available for ...pediatric administration.
Objective:
To prepare extemporaneously an oral liquid formulation of sunitinib malate from commercially available capsules and study its chemical and physical stability in suspension at room temperature and under refrigeration at 4 °C.
Methods:
Six Independent samples were prepared by mixing the contents of 3 sunitinib malate capsules (each equivalent to 50 mg of sunitinib) with 15 mL of a 1:1 mixture of Ora-Plus; Ora-Sweet solution to yield a final concentration of 10 mg/mL Suspensions were stored in amber plastic bottles with child-resistant caps. Three samples were refrigerated at 4 °C and 3 were stored at room temperature. Aliquots from each bottle were obtained on days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, 30, and 60 and diluted to a final concentration of 300 ng/mL with 500 ng/mL of clozapine in 50% acetonttrile. Sunitinib concentrations were then measured by a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry assay validated in our laboratory.
Results:
At room temperature and under refrigeration at 4 °C, sunitinib in a 10-mg/mL suspension of sunitinib malate with Ora-Plus:Ora-Sweet 1:1 maintained greater than 96% of its initial concentration for 60 days, Visual appearance (color and consistency) and odor of drug suspension remained unchanged during the study.
Conclusions:
Sunitinib is stable in an oral suspension prepared from commercially available capsules for at least 60 days al room temperature and refrigeration at 4 °C. This liquid formulation is better suited for administration to children and adults with cancer who cannot swallow sunitinib capsules.
Both language and music depend on rules and memorized representations. Double dissociations between the neurocognition of rule-governed and memory-based knowledge have been found in language but not ...music. Moreover, previous evidence suggests a female advantage in the use of memorized knowledge, but not of rules. Here, both rule- and memory-based aspects of music were examined in two studies: a behavioral study investigating sex differences in long-term memory for music, and an event-related potential (ERP) study investigating brain responses to rule and memory violations in melodies. In the first study of melody recognition, females were faster than males at recognizing familiar melodies, regardless of musical training. This result was not explained by response biases or by verbal knowledge of lyrics, and is the first demonstration of a sex difference in the recognition of melodies. The results are not easily explained by a female advantage limited to the verbal domain. Rather, the data appear to be consistent with a more general female advantage at long-term memory that may specifically depend on the declarative memory brain system. The second study examined ERPs in response to note violations in melodies. Rule-only violations consisted of out-of-key deviant notes that violated tonal harmony rules in novel (unfamiliar) melodies. Memory-only violations consisted of in-key deviant notes in familiar well-known melodies; these notes followed musical rules but deviated from the actual melodies. Finally, out-of-key notes in familiar well-known melodies constituted violations of both rules and memory. The results revealed a double dissociation between rules and memory: both rule violation conditions, but not the memory-only violations, elicited an early right-lateralized anterior-central negativity (ERAN), consistent with previous studies of rule violations in music, and analogous to the early left-lateralized anterior negativities elicited by rule violations in language. In contrast, both memory violation conditions, but not the rule-only violation, elicited a posterior negativity that can be characterized as an N400, an ERP component that seems to depend, at least in part, on the processing of representations stored in long-term memory. The results suggest that the neurocognitive rule/memory dissociation extends from language to music, further strengthening the similarities between the two domains.
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