Behavioural Neurology最新文献

This randomized controlled trial investigates the efficacy of thread-embedding acupuncture (TEA) compared to sham TEA in treating drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Fifty-four DRE outpatients were randomly divided into two groups: TEA (27 patients) and sham TEA (27 patients). Both groups received four sessions of TEA or sham TEA, spaced four weeks apart, targeting GV20, GV14, BL15, BL18, ST40, and GB34 acupoints. Antiseizure medications were maintained at consistent doses throughout the study. Outcome measures included satisfactory seizure control, seizure freedom, and heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) measurements. TEA demonstrated a significantly higher rate of satisfactory seizure control at follow-up compared to the sham TEA group (37% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.003). While no significant intergroup differences were observed in HR, HRV, and HRV components at each stage, the TEA group experienced a significant decrease in HR and a significant increase in HRV posttreatment. This study demonstrates TEA's effectiveness in managing DRE and suggests its impact may relate to heightened parasympathetic nerve activity. Further research with extended follow-up periods is necessary to validate these findings.

Objective: There is a need to develop optimized, evidence-based parent training programs tailored for preschoolers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The objective of this study was to explore a behavioral management training program aimed at the parents of preschool children with ADHD, which directly analyzes parent-child interaction from the perspective of system theory, and the intervention effect on ADHD in preschool children.

Methods: A multicenter randomized controlled study was conducted using system-based group therapy with 62 parents of preschool children with ADHD aged four to six years. ADHD symptoms, behavioral and emotional problems, and social functioning were compared with 61 control children whose parents did not receive training by applying the ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD-RS), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and Questionnaire-Children with Difficulties (QCD) at the time of subject entry and at two and six months of entry, respectively.

Results: The results of the ADHD-RS assessment showed that children in the intervention group had significantly lower factor scores for attention deficit, hyperactivity, and impulsivity than the children in the control group after parental training and at follow-up (P < 0.05). Total scores on the SDQ scale, as well as character problems, hyperactivity, and peer interaction scores, significantly decreased with statistically significant differences (all P < 0.05), and emotional symptoms and prosocial behavior did not notable decline (P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the total scores of the QCD scale and the scores of each factor in the intervention group remained significantly higher at the follow-up (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: After continuous intervention for eight weeks, parents were able to help the children with preschool ADHD to improve their ADHD symptoms and emotional behavioral and social functioning significantly, and the efficacy was maintained at the four-month follow-up; the systemic-based parent training in behavior management (PTBM) is applicable to the treatment of preschool ADHD and is worth promoting.

Introduction: Suicide is one of the leading causes of death across different age groups. The persistence of suicidal ideation and the progression of suicidal ideations to action could be related to impulsivity, the tendency to act on urges with low temporal latency, and little forethought. Quantifying impulsivity could thus help suicidality estimation and risk assessments in ideation-to-action suicidality frameworks.

Methods: To model suicidality with impulsivity quantification, we obtained questionnaires, behavioral tests, heart rate variability (HRV), and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging measurements from 34 participants with mood disorders. The participants were categorized into three suicidality groups based on their Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview: none, low, and moderate to severe.

Results: Questionnaire and HRV-based impulsivity measures were significantly different between the suicidality groups with higher subscales of impulsivity associated with higher suicidality. A multimodal system to characterize impulsivity objectively resulted in a classification accuracy of 96.77% in the three-class suicidality group prediction task.

Conclusions: This study elucidates the relative sensitivity of various impulsivity measures in differentiating participants with suicidality and demonstrates suicidality prediction with high accuracy using a multimodal objective impulsivity characterization in participants with mood disorders.

Background: Dementia is a severe neurodegenerative disorder and it is a group of acquired symptoms associated with impaired cognitive functions. In low-income settings particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), it is often seen as part of normal aging. Environmental, behavioral, and lifestyle interventions have the potential to alter the disease course of dementia.

Objective: This study is aimed to synthesize the literature/evidence(s) on the management practice and treatment outcomes of dementia in SSA.

Method: Comprehensive literature was searched in PubMed database, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Eligibility has been set, and based on the criteria, initially, a total of 442 results were obtained, and from those around 183 articles were duplicated. After examining titles and abstracts of records 26 articles were identified. Finally, five randomized clinical trials (RCT) and three prospective cohort studies that were reported on the management practice and treatment outcome of dementia in SSA were eligible for analysis. RCT and prospective cohort studies were used to strengthen the quality of evidence. The quality of the included RCT studies was assessed by using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool.

Result: A total of 2781 patient data were included in the final analysis. Of these, 2354 patients were obtained from 5 RCTs and 427 patients from 3 prospective cohort studies, which were conducted in SSA countries. RCT studies were done on the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) showed improvements in language memory domains and physical health. In addition, studies that focus on the management of human immunodeficiency virus-associated dementia (HIVAD) were reported to improve neurocognitively.

Conclusion: CST is applicable in low-resource settings and it shows improvements in cognitive function and quality of life. Early initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings has been associated with improvement in the cognitive function of HIVAD.

Background: One of the most prevalent medical problems affecting kids is epilepsy, which is the most prevalent chronic neurological condition in kids in both developed and developing nations. The spectrum of diseases that make up childhood epilepsy syndromes ranges from mild to potentially fatal. Children may experience seizures due to a variety of illnesses, such as infection, severe brain injury, and anatomical deformity. It is the foremost visit calculates in neurological and cognitive impedance in children in low-income countries as well as the foremost common reason for pediatric clinic confirmations in children from destitute countries. All things considered, constrained things have been conducted in Ethiopia. Hence, this ponder points to survey the size and related variables of pediatric seizures among children conceded to Tikur Anbessa pediatric emergency.

Methods: By looking through 256 patient charts, an institution-based retrospective cross-sectional analysis was done. Data collection utilized a systematic checklist that had been evaluated beforehand. The EpiData version 4.4.2.2 was used to enter the data, which was then exported for analysis to the SPSS version 25. Binary logistic regression and descriptive statistics were employed. Variables from the bivariate analysis that had a p-value of less than 0.25 were carried over to multivariate analysis. The strength and existence of the link were assessed using adjusted odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval and a p-value of 0.05, respectively.

Result: Patients' ages ranged from 3.7 to 2.8 years on average. 4.5% of patients had seizures, and 155 of them (60.5%) were men, with a male-to-female ratio of (1.5 : 1). Males and females experienced seizures on average at 1.3 (95% CI: 1.1, 1.5) and 2 (95% CI: 1.6, 2.5) years old, respectively. AOR: 2.68 (95% CI: 1.192, 6.68, p = 0.02) and AOR: 2.8 (95% CI: 2.576, 5.302, p = 0.04) both demonstrated statistically significant correlations with pediatric seizure.

Conclusion: A vast number of children experienced convulsions, with generalized seizures being the most prevalent form. The chances of a child having a seizure were linked to their family history and where they were born. Therefore, health workers and other people who are involved in healthcare need to work harder on the factors that they have already identified.

Neural plasticity promotes the reorganization of language networks and is an essential recovery mechanism for poststroke aphasia (PSA). Neuroplasticity may be a pivotal bridge to elucidate the potential recovery mechanisms of acupuncture for aphasia. Therefore, understanding the neuroplasticity mechanism of acupuncture in PSA is crucial. However, the underlying therapeutic mechanism of neuroplasticity in PSA after acupuncture needs to be explored. Excitotoxicity after brain injury affects the activity of neurotransmitters and disrupts the transmission of normal neuron information. Thus, a helpful strategy of acupuncture might be to improve PSA by affecting the availability of these neurotransmitters and glutamate receptors at synapses. In addition, the regulation of neuroplasticity by acupuncture may also be related to the regulation of astrocytes. Considering the guiding significance of acupuncture for clinical treatment, it is necessary to carry out further study about the influence of acupuncture on the recovery of aphasia after stroke. This study summarizes the current research on the neural mechanism of acupuncture in treating PSA. It seeks to elucidate the potential effect of acupuncture on the recovery of PSA from the perspective of synaptic plasticity and integrity of gray and white matter.

The current study was planned to assess the neuropharmacological benefits of the Cucurbita maxima seed. These seeds have been conventionally used for the nutritional as well as amelioration of various diseases. However, there was a need to provide a pharmacological basis for such use. Four central nervous system-related functions, that is, anxiety, depression, memory, and motor coordination, were evaluated, and the levels of brain biogenic amines were also assessed. Anxiety was evaluated through selected experimental models, such as light and dark apparatus, elevated plus maze, head dip, and open field test. The head dip test was mainly used to assess exploratory behavior. Depression was assessed by two animal models, that is, the forced swim test and tail suspension test. Memory and learning ability were assessed by the passive avoidance test, stationary rod apparatus, and Morris's water maze test. Motor skilled learning was assessed by stationary rod and rotarod apparatus. Reversed phase high-pressure liquid chromatography was used to determine biogenic amine levels. Results reveal that C. maxima exhibited anxiolytic and antidepressant effects with memory improvement. There was a reduction in the weight of the animal following chronic administration. Furthermore, no remarkable effects were observed on motor coordination. Norepinephrine was found elevated, which may be linked to its antidepressant effects. These biological effects of C. maxima may be due to the presence of secondary metabolites, such as cucurbitacin, beta-sitosterol, polyphenolic compounds, citrulline, kaempferol, arginine, β-carotene, quercetin, and other antioxidants. The outcomes of the present study authenticate that the chronic use of C. maxima seeds reduces the intensity of neurological problems like anxiety and depression.

It is widely known that COVID-19 has a number of prolonged effects on general health, wellbeing, and cognitive functioning. However, studies using differentiated performance measures of cognitive functions are still not widely spread making it hard to assess the exact functions that get impaired. Taking into account the similarities between post-COVID 'brain fog' and chemofog, we hypothesized that executive functions (EF) would be impaired. Literature search yielded six studies with 14 effect sizes of interest; pooled effect size was small to medium (d = -0.35). Combined with a narrative synthesis of six studies without a comparison group, these results show that EF get impaired after COVID-19; although, in most cases the impairment is transient and does not seem to be severe. These results specify the picture of 'brain fog' and may help to discover its mechanisms and ways of helping people with long COVID.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/4279346.].

In nicotine withdrawal (NW) conditions, molecular changes, such as increasing corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in the amygdala, and melanocortin signaling in the hypothalamus, can occur in the brain, leading to increased feeding behavior and body weight as somatic changes as well as high anxiety-like behavior as an affective changes. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the largest component in green tea, on CRF, pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), and melanocortin four receptor gene expression in the brain under NW conditions. The 24 Balb/c male mice used were randomly divided into four groups. The doses used included normal saline 1.0 mL/kg as a control group, and nicotine 3.35 mg/kg that was administered subcutaneously three times a day. After NW conditions, EGCG 50 mg/kg was administered intraperitoneally two times a day. Behavior evaluation was performed to measure somatic and affective changes, and the animal was sacrificed for molecular analysis. The results showed that NW conditions significantly increased food intake, body weight, and anxiety-like behavior compared with the normal group. Meanwhile, EGCG significantly decreased food intake, body weight, and anxiety-like behavior compared with NW conditions in mice without EGCG. The polymerase chain reaction results also showed that EGCG decreased the CRF mRNA expression in the amygdala and increased the POMC. This indicated that EGCG improved somatic and affective behavior in NW conditions by decreasing CRF mRNA expression in the amygdala and increasing POMC mRNA expression in the hypothalamus.