A inferência do curso temporal da atividade neural a partir do efeito BOLD é um importante problema, ainda em aberto. A forma da curva BOLD não reflete diretamente as características temporais da atividade eletrofisiológica dos neurônios. Nessa tese, é introduzido o conceito de tempo de processamento neural (TPN) como um dos parâmetros do modelo biofísico da função de resposta hemodinâmica (HRF). O objetivo da introdução desse conceito é obter estimativas mais acuradas da duração da atividade neural a partir do efeito BOLD, que possui auto grau de nãolinearidade. Duas formas de estimar os parâmetros do modelo do efeito BOLD foram desenvolvidas. A validade e aplicabilidade do conceito de TPN e das rotinas de estimação foram avaliadas por simulações computacionais e análise de séries temporais experimentais. Os resultados das simulações e da aplicação foram comparados com medidas da forma da HRF. O experimento analisado consistiu em um paradigma de tomada de decisão na presença de distratores emocionais. Esperase que o TPN em áreas sensoriais primárias seja equivalente ao tempo de apresentação de estímulos. Por outro lado, o TPN em áreas relacionadas com a tomada de decisão deve ser menor que a duração dos estímulos. Além disso, o TPN deve depender da condição experimental em áreas relacionadas ao controle de distratores emocionais. Como predito, o valores estimados do TPN no giro fusiforme foram equivalentes à duração dos estímulos e o TPN no giro do cíngulo dorsal variou com a presença de distrator emocional. Observou-se ainda lateralidade do TPN no córtex pré-frontal dorsolateral. As medidas da forma da HRF obtidas por um método convencional não dectectaram as variações observadas no TPN / The extraction of information about neural activity dynamics related to the BOLD signal is a challenging task. The temporal evolution of the BOLD signal does not directly reflect the temporal characteristics of electrical activity of neurons. In this work, we introduce the concept of neural processing time (NPT) as a parameter of the biophysical model of the hemodynamic response function (HRF). Through this new concept we aim to infer more accurately the duration of neuronal response from the highly nonlinear BOLD effect. We describe two routines to estimate the parameters of the HRF model. The face validity and applicability of the concept of NPT and the estimation procedures are evaluated through simulations and analysis of experimental time series. The results of both simulation and application were compared with summary measures of HRF shape. We analysed an experiment based on a decision-making paradigm with simultaneous emotional distracters. We hypothesize that the NPT in primary sensory areas is approximately the stimulus presentation duration. On the other hand, the NPT in brain areas related to decisionmaking processes should be less than the stimulus duration. Moreover, in areas related to processing of an emotional distracter, the NPT should depend on the experimental condition. As predicted, the NPT in fusiform gyrus is close to the stimulus duration and the NPT in dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus depends on the presence of an emotional distracter. Interestingly, the estimated NPTs in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex indicate functional laterality of this region. The analysis using standard measures of HRF did not detect the variations observed in our method (NPT)

To investigate the roles of different dorsal spinal pathways in controlling movements in rats, I performed lesions of specific spinal pathways and measured the behaviour abilities of rats using different sensorimotor behavioural tests. The first experiment was designed to understand the contribution of sensory pathways traveling in the dorsal funiculus during locomotion and skilled movements using sensitive behavioural tests. I demonstrated that ascending sensory fibers play an important role during overground locomotion and contribute to skilled forelimb movements. The second experiment compared the differences in sensorimotor abilities caused by dorsal funicular lesions performed at two different levels of rat spinal cord. My results showed that the pathways present in the cervical and thoracic dorsal funiculus exert different functional effects over control of limb movement during locomotion. The third experiment investigated the compensatory potential of dorsal funicular pathways after dorsolateral funicular injuries in rats. My results showed that dorsal funicular pathways do not compensate for loss of dorsolateral pathways during the execution of locomotor tasks, though there is indirect evidence that rats with dorsolateral funicular lesions might rely more on ascending sensory pathways in the dorsolateral funiculus during skilled forelimb movements. Finally, the fourth experiment was designed to investigate the compensation from dorsolateral funicular pathways after injuries to pyramidal tract in rats. I demonstrated that pathways running in the spinal dorsolateral funiculus do provide compensatory input to spinal circuitry to maintain skilled reaching abilities after lesions of the pyramidal tract but these same pathways do not appear to compensate during either overground locomotion or skilled locomotion. Thus, this compensatory response is task-specific. These results highlight the fact that behavioural context determines the nature of compensation from spared pathways after spinal cord injuries.

To investigate the roles of different dorsal spinal pathways in controlling movements in rats, I performed lesions of specific spinal pathways and measured the behaviour abilities of rats using different sensorimotor behavioural tests. The first experiment was designed to understand the contribution of sensory pathways traveling in the dorsal funiculus during locomotion and skilled movements using sensitive behavioural tests. I demonstrated that ascending sensory fibers play an important role during overground locomotion and contribute to skilled forelimb movements. The second experiment compared the differences in sensorimotor abilities caused by dorsal funicular lesions performed at two different levels of rat spinal cord. My results showed that the pathways present in the cervical and thoracic dorsal funiculus exert different functional effects over control of limb movement during locomotion. The third experiment investigated the compensatory potential of dorsal funicular pathways after dorsolateral funicular injuries in rats. My results showed that dorsal funicular pathways do not compensate for loss of dorsolateral pathways during the execution of locomotor tasks, though there is indirect evidence that rats with dorsolateral funicular lesions might rely more on ascending sensory pathways in the dorsolateral funiculus during skilled forelimb movements. Finally, the fourth experiment was designed to investigate the compensation from dorsolateral funicular pathways after injuries to pyramidal tract in rats. I demonstrated that pathways running in the spinal dorsolateral funiculus do provide compensatory input to spinal circuitry to maintain skilled reaching abilities after lesions of the pyramidal tract but these same pathways do not appear to compensate during either overground locomotion or skilled locomotion. Thus, this compensatory response is task-specific. These results highlight the fact that behavioural context determines the nature of compensation from spared pathways after spinal cord injuries.

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Submitted by Marta Toyoda (1144061@mackenzie.br) on 2017-01-26T20:44:46Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Lucas Murrins Marques.pdf: 2701879 bytes, checksum: b5f36d94a292fe4b15b65a9807ae4616 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Eliezer Santos (eliezer.santos@mackenzie.br) on 2017-02-01T19:27:27Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Lucas Murrins Marques.pdf: 2701879 bytes, checksum: b5f36d94a292fe4b15b65a9807ae4616 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-01T19:27:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Lucas Murrins Marques.pdf: 2701879 bytes, checksum: b5f36d94a292fe4b15b65a9807ae4616 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-11-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / Emotions can be understood as behavioral, physiological, and subjective individual’s alteration due to a given situation. Several times, an efficient regulation of these emotions can promote psychological and social survival. In this sense, recent publication demonstrate that the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) present a relevant role in cognitive control, especially during emotion regulation strategies. At the same time, the Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to be an efficient technique neuromodulation in causal study between cortical structures and cognitive functions such as emotion regulation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of inter-hemispheric balancing two regions of the PFC (Dorsolateral and Ventrolateral region) using different montages of tDCS on different strategies of emotional reapprasisal during the observation of negative images. The study purpose was to understand the specificity of the involvement of both structuresin healthy participants, with respect to the inter-hemispheric balance during emotion regulation, with respect to emotional experience, namely the behavioral aspect (valence and arousal judgement), and psychophysiological aspect (skin conductance response, and the cardiac interbeat interval). 180 undergraduate student (mean age 21,75±3,38) participated in this study, divided in two experiments (Dorsolateral PFC = n90; Ventrolateral PFC = n90). The result showed: i) the experimental task efficacy on the modulation of negative and positive affect; ii) cognitive reappraisal strategy efficacy on both emotional experience, behavioral (both experiments), and cardiac (only experiment 1); iii) Effect of anodal tDCS applied over left Ventrolateral PFC on increased valence evaluation of negative images, as well as on the decreased cardiac interbeat interval on earlier momentos of emotional processment. The findings suggest a main left Ventrolateral PFC role on selection and inhibition of negative content. Furthermore, the present study demonstrate for the very first time, modulation of cardiac recruitment due to: i) the cognitive reappraisal strategy used (experiment 1); and ii) the tDCS condition applied (experiment 2). Further studies are needed to confirm the hypotheses raised here. / Entende-se emoção por uma alteração comportamental, fisiológica e subjetiva do indivíduo em resposta a uma dada situação. Muitas vezes uma eficiente regulação destas emoções pode promover a sobrevivência social e psicológica do sujeito emocionado. Neste sentido, estudos recentes apontam que o Córtex Pré-frontal (CPF) apresenta relevante papel no controle cognitivo das emoções, principalmente durante a estratégia de reavaliação emocional. Paralelamente, a Estimulação Transcraniana por Corrente Contínua tem se mostrado uma eficiente técnica de neuromodulação no estudo causal entre estruturas corticais e funções cognitivas, tais como a regulação emocional. Sendo assim, o presente estudo teve como objetivo geral investigar o efeito do balanceamento inter-hemisférico de duas regiões do CPF (região Dorsolateral e Ventrolateral) com uso de diferentes montagens de ETCC, em diferentes estratégias de reavaliação cognitiva durante a avaliação de imagens de conteúdo negativo. Desta forma, buscou-se investigar a especificidade do envolvimento de ambas as estruturas em participantes saudáveis, com relação ao balanceamento inter-hemisférico durante a reavaliação cognitiva, sobre a experiência emocional comportamental (julgamento de valência e intensidade das imagens) e psicofisiológica (níveis da resposta de condutância da pele e o tempo do intervalo inter-batidas da resposta cardíaca). Participaram do estudo 180 estudantes universitários (média de idade 21,75±3,38) dividos em dois experimentos (CPF Dorsolateral = n90; CPF Ventrolateral = n90).Os resultados apontam: i) eficácia da tarefa na modulação de afetos positivos e negativos; ii) eficácia das estratégias de reavaliação cognitiva na modulação da experiência emocional comportamental (ambos os experimentos), e cardíaca (apenas experimento 1); iii) efeito de ETCC anódica em CPF Ventrolateral esquerdo no aumento do julgamento de valência emocional de imagens negativas, bem como na diminuição do intervalo inter-batidas nos primeiros momentos do processamento das imagens emocionais. Os achados sugerem influência do CPF Ventrolateral esquerdo no processo de seleção e inibição de conteúdo emocional negativo. Além disso, o presente trabalho demonstrou pela primeira vez modulação no recrutamento cardíaco em relação: i) a estratégia de reavaliação cognitiva utilizada (Experimento 1), e ii) a condição de ETCC aplicada (Experimento 2). Novos estudos se fazem necessários para confirmar as hipóteses aqui levantadas.