@article {4574,
	title = {Graded decisions in the human brain.},
	journal = {Nat Commun},
	volume = {15},
	year = {2024},
	month = {2024 May 21},
	pages = {4308},
	abstract = {<p>Decision-makers objectively commit to a definitive choice, yet at the subjective level, human decisions appear to be associated with a degree of uncertainty. Whether decisions are definitive (i.e., concluding in all-or-none choices), or whether the underlying representations are graded, remains unclear. To answer this question, we recorded intracranial neural signals directly from the brain while human subjects made perceptual decisions. The recordings revealed that broadband gamma activity reflecting~each individual{\textquoteright}s decision-making process, ramped up gradually while being graded by the accumulated decision evidence. Crucially, this grading effect persisted throughout the decision process without ever reaching a definite bound at the time of choice. This effect was most prominent in the parietal cortex, a brain region traditionally implicated in decision-making. These results provide neural evidence for a graded decision process in humans and an analog framework for flexible choice behavior.</p>},
	keywords = {Adult, Brain, Choice Behavior, Decision Making, Female, Humans, Male, Parietal Lobe, Uncertainty, Young Adult},
	issn = {2041-1723},
	doi = {10.1038/s41467-024-48342-w},
	author = {Xie, Tao and Adamek, Markus and Cho, Hohyun and Adamo, Matthew A and Ritaccio, Anthony L and Willie, Jon T and Brunner, Peter and Kubanek, Jan}
}
@article {4583,
	title = {A novel theta-controlled vibrotactile brain-computer interface to treat chronic pain: a pilot study.},
	journal = {Sci Rep},
	volume = {14},
	year = {2024},
	month = {2024 Feb 10},
	pages = {3433},
	abstract = {<p>Limitations in chronic pain therapies necessitate novel interventions that are effective, accessible, and safe. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide a promising modality for targeting neuropathology underlying chronic pain by converting recorded neural activity into perceivable outputs. Recent evidence suggests that increased frontal theta power (4-7~Hz) reflects pain relief from chronic and acute pain. Further studies have suggested that vibrotactile stimulation decreases pain intensity in experimental and clinical models. This longitudinal, non-randomized, open-label pilot study{\textquoteright}s objective was to reinforce frontal theta activity in six patients with chronic upper extremity pain using a novel vibrotactile neurofeedback BCI system. Patients increased their BCI performance, reflecting thought-driven control of neurofeedback, and showed a significant decrease in pain severity (1.29 {\textpm} 0.25 MAD, p = 0.03, q = 0.05) and pain interference (1.79 {\textpm} 1.10 MAD p = 0.03, q = 0.05) scores without any adverse events. Pain relief significantly correlated with frontal theta modulation. These findings highlight the potential of BCI-mediated cortico-sensory coupling of frontal theta with vibrotactile stimulation for alleviating chronic pain.</p>},
	keywords = {brain-computer interfaces, Chronic Pain, Electroencephalography, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Neurofeedback, Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Pilot Projects},
	issn = {2045-2322},
	doi = {10.1038/s41598-024-53261-3},
	author = {Demarest, Phillip and Rustamov, Nabi and Swift, James and Xie, Tao and Adamek, Markus and Cho, Hohyun and Wilson, Elizabeth and Han, Zhuangyu and Belsten, Alexander and Luczak, Nicholas and Brunner, Peter and Haroutounian, Simon and Leuthardt, Eric C}
}
