Cognitive

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if sequential dual-site accelerated theta burst stimulation (SD-aTBS) targeting the frontoparietal network and default mode network works to improve cognitive function in adults with schizophrenia. It will also learn about the safety of SD-aTBS. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does SD-aTBS improve cognitive function in participants with schizophrenia? What are the neurobiological mechanisms (brain network and synaptic plasticity changes) underlying the effects of SD-aTBS? Researchers will compare real SD-aTBS to sham stimulation to see if SD-aTBS is effective and safe for treating cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Participants will: Receive real SD-aTBS or sham stimulation for 10 consecutive working days Complete clinical symptom assessments, cognitive function tests, MRI scans, and EEG recordings at baseline, after treatment, and 1 month after treatment Undergo SV2A-PET scans at baseline and 1 month after treatment

Branch atheromatous disease (BAD) is a distinct subtype of ischemic stroke that is particularly prevalent among Chinese and other Asian populations. Patients with BAD are prone to early neurological deterioration and poor functional outcomes, and BAD is increasingly recognized as an independent disease entity. However, the association between BAD and cognitive impairment remains unclear. This nationwide, multicenter, prospective observational study will prospectively collect epidemiological, clinical, neuroimaging, functional, and cognitive outcome data from patients with BAD. The study aims to investigate the occurrence of cognitive impairment after BAD and identify the clinical and neuroimaging characteristics associated with cognitive impairment. In particular, the relationship between early neurological deterioration (END) and cognitive impairment will be investigated. As an exploratory objective, this study will further explore the potential brain network mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment associated with END events.

Background: Recent electroencephalography (EEG) data indicate that the transition from clinical death to cellular death is marked by highly organized neurophysiological events, including significant surges in gamma-band power, cross-frequency coupling, and distinct spreading depolarization waves. This prospective, observational feasibility study utilizes rapid-deployment, high-density, noninvasive BCI hardware paired with proprietary AI analytics to detect, classify, and securely archive these terminal neurocognitive signals. Objectives: (1) Quantify transient gamma-band activity and cross-frequency connectivity post-clinical death; (2) Validate the efficacy of machine learning models for real-time signal classification in high-noise clinical environments; (3) Establish a highly secure, encrypted bio-informational archive of peri-life EEG data. Design: Prospective, open-label, multicenter, observational cohort (n\>20).

This investigator-initiated, single-center prospective study is designed to clarify how patent foramen ovale (PFO) relates to brain function abnormalities in patients with drug-refractory migraine with aura (MA), and whether percutaneous PFO closure is associated with measurable, longitudinal improvements in neurophysiological and neuroimaging markers as well as clinical symptoms. The study addresses two core questions: (1) Do MA patients with clinically significant right-to-left shunt due to PFO demonstrate distinct resting-state brain function patterns-captured by high-density EEG (hdEEG), resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI), and standardized cognitive testing-compared with MA patients without PFO? (2) In MA patients with PFO who undergo clinically indicated percutaneous PFO closure, do these multimodal brain function measures change over time after closure (pre-procedure vs 1, 6, and 12 months), and are such changes accompanied by improvement in migraine burden, quality of life, and mood/anxiety symptoms? The protocol includes two phases. In Phase 1 (cross-sectional comparison), two groups are evaluated at baseline: MA with PFO (PFO+/MA+) and MA without PFO (PFO-/MA+). Participants complete hdEEG and rs-fMRI to characterize whole-brain power spectral density and connectivity, and undergo MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) testing and validated symptom/psychological assessments (e.g., MIDAS, MSQ v2.1, PHQ-9, GAD-7, RoPE). In Phase 2 (prospective self-controlled cohort), eligible PFO+/MA+ participants who proceed to percutaneous PFO closure as part of routine clinical care are followed longitudinally with repeated multimodal assessments at pre-closure baseline and post-closure 1, 6, and 12 months. This phase evaluates within-person trajectories of resting-state brain function (hdEEG, rs-fMRI) and cognition/emotion measures, together with migraine diary-based outcomes and patient-reported quality of life/disability and mood/anxiety scales. Key eligibility focuses on adults aged 18-65 years with ICHD-3-defined migraine with aura and a history of frequent migraine (≥4 migraine days/month during screening) despite prior preventive therapy trials; the PFO group requires echocardiographic confirmation of PFO with at least moderate right-to-left shunt (e.g., during Valsalva on contrast TEE), consistent with the study's focus on clinically meaningful shunt physiology. The primary endpoints are multimodal brain function and cognition measures. In Phase 1, the main outcomes include between-group differences in MCCB composite score, rs-fMRI whole-brain functional connectivity strength, and hdEEG spectral power across frequency bands (delta/theta/alpha/beta/gamma) and theta-band connectivity quantified by whole-brain phase-lag index (PLI). In Phase 2, the primary outcome is the 12-month post-closure change in these multimodal resting-state brain function measures, reflecting dynamic neural recovery or reorganization after PFO closure. Secondary outcomes include changes in migraine clinical metrics (monthly migraine days, attack frequency and duration, and complete remission rate), migraine-specific quality of life (MSQ v2.1), disability (MIDAS), and depression/anxiety symptom scores (PHQ-9 and GAD-7) over follow-up. Safety outcomes include adverse events potentially related to the closure procedure and routine post-procedural anti-thrombotic therapy, captured throughout follow-up.