The RGS is designed to scale Protease Inhibitor Library order task difficulty to the given performance level of the given subject or patient. Accordingly, we would expect similar activations as observed here whenever a patient works with the RGS, although recovery involved general motor abilities resulting from training with the RGS, as described after acute and chronic stroke (Cameirão et al., 2011, 2012). In conclusion, our results show that the VR-based RGS induces activation in brain regions associated with motor control,

including the SMA, the inferior frontal cortex, and the inferior parietal cortex. In agreement with our working hypothesis, these findings show the engagement of brain areas believed to represent the human mirror neuron system. As the RGS was shown to be an effective training tool for patients with acute and chronic

stroke (Cameirão et al., 2011, 2012), additional investigations are needed to address which brain areas become engaged when the RGS is applied to stroke patients. The study was supported by the consortium on the Rehabilitation Gaming System, AAL Joint Program 2008-1, AZD6244 chemical structure European Commission, and Microsystems 2004–2009, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, VDI-VDE, Germany. The authors thank Erika Rädisch for her assistance and support with the fMRI measurements. Our thanks also go to Albert Fabregat for his help with software programming, and to Klintsy Torres for translation. Abbreviations 3D three-dimensional ACC anterior cingulate cortex Tobramycin BOLD blood oxygenation level-dependent df degrees of freedom fMRI functional magnetic resonance imaging IFG inferior frontal gyrus

IPL inferior parietal lobule MRI magnetic resonance imaging RGS Rehabilitation Gaming System SD standard deviation SMA supplementary motor area VR virtual reality “
“During slow-wave sleep, the neocortex shows complex, self-organized spontaneous activity. Similar slow-wave oscillations are present under anesthesia where massive, persistent network activity (UP states) alternates with periods of generalized neural silence (DOWN states). To investigate the neuronal activity patterns occurring during UP states, we recorded simultaneously from populations of cells in neocortical layer V of ketamine/xylazine-anesthetized rats. UP states formed a diverse class. In particular, simultaneous-onset UP states were typically accompanied by sharp field potentials and 10–14 Hz modulation, and were often grouped in a 3 Hz (‘delta’) pattern. Longer, slow-onset UP states did not exhibit 10–14 Hz modulation, and showed a slow propagation across recording electrodes (‘traveling waves’). Despite this diversity, the temporal patterns of spiking activity were similar across different UP state types. Analysis of cross-correlograms revealed conserved temporal relationships among neurons, with each neuron having specific timing during UP states.