About this Research Topic

Background

Oscillatory brain activities reflect and affect network activities in the brain. They support many physiological functions from motor control to cognition and emotion. Abnormal oscillatory brain activities are commonly observed in neurological and psychiatric disorders including epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, anxiety/trauma-related disorders, major depressive disorders, addiction, etc. Therefore, these disorders can be considered as common oscillation defects “oscillopathies” despite having distinct behavioral manifestations. Recent advances in brain activity measurements and analyses have allowed us to study the pathological oscillations of each disorder as a possible biomarker of symptoms. Furthermore, novel brain stimulation technologies will enable time- and space-targeted interventions of the pathological oscillations of both neurological and psychiatric disorders as possible therapeutic targets for regulating their symptoms.

This Research Topic focused on understanding and controlling pathological oscillations in the brain will provide a comprehensive overview of pathological oscillations in neurological and psychiatric disorders. This Research Topic will also examine correlations or causal relationships between pathological oscillations and the symptoms of disorders with a view to the possible use of oscillations as biomarkers or therapeutic targets. Good animal models that accurately reflect neurological and psychiatric symptoms of patients are necessary for providing the proof-of-concept toward future translational research. Large-scale recording and reliable decoding technologies are crucial for discovering the correlations between pathological oscillations and some symptoms, while time- and space-targeted intervention technologies are necessary for studying their causal relationships, Such data will eventually allow the development of neuroprosthesis devices for pathological oscillations. Revealing the mechanisms of physiological oscillations is also important for the direction of this topic.

We seek Original Research, Review, Mini-Review, Hypothesis and Theory, Perspective, Clinical Trial, Case Report, and Opinion that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:

1. Phenomenology of oscillopathies: description of oscillations in animal models or patients of neurological and psychiatric disorders, preferentially with correlations or causal relationships with symptoms. Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, anxiety/trauma-related disorders, depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, addiction, etc.
2. Mapping of oscillopathy: animal models, case reports, recording technologies, algorithms for unbiasedly extracting specific oscillations, and decoding symptoms.
3. Modelling and theory on the relationship between oscillations and behavioral phenotypes
4. Brain stimulation or brain activity interventions that could alleviate symptoms of neurological and psychiatric disorders of animal models or patients.
5. Time-targeted brain stimulation technologies: closed-loop interventions, real-time computation, signal processing algorithm, etc.
6. Space-targeted brain stimulation technologies: electrical, magnetic, ultrasonic stimulations, etc.
7. Non-invasive brain stimulation technologies: transcranial stimulations, non-contact stimulations (e.g. radio wave).
8. Neuroprosthesis for real-time control of pathological oscillations: Technologies for implementation of wearable or implantable medical devices such as miniaturized electrical circuit design, power management, data compression, dimension reduction, efficient data transfer, etc.

Keywords: Oscillations, Neurological disorders, Psychiatric disorders, Large-scale recording, Closed-loop, Real-time signal processing, Deep brain stimulation, Non-invasive stimulation, Neuroprosthesis

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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