NeuroSci最新文献

In ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE), the degree of neuropathic changes, the sensitivity of needle electromyography (EMG) in individual ulnar muscles, and the utility of individual EMG parameters are controversial. I compared qualitative needle EMG findings in two ulnar-innervated hands muscles and two ulnar-innervated forearm muscles in a group of previously reported UNE patients. Altogether, 170 UNE patients (175 arms) were studied. I found spontaneous denervation activity (SDA) most frequently in the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) (62%) and neuropathic changes in the abductor digiti minimi (ADM) muscle (88%). In the forearm muscles, SDA was more common (29% vs. 20%; p = 0.02), and neuropathic changes were similar in the flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) and the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) muscles. SDA and neuropathic changes were more common in the ulnar hand (88% and 77%) than in the ulnar forearm muscles (71% and 68%). Needle EMG is sensitive to diagnose UNE. For the detection of SDA FDI and neuropathic changes, ADM is the best muscle. Ulnar forearm muscles are less useful than ulnar hand muscles for UNE diagnosis.

At the cortical level, the central auditory neural system (CANS) includes primary and secondary areas. So far, much research has focused on recording fronto-central auditory evoked potentials/responses (P1-N1-P2), originating mainly from the primary auditory areas, to explore the neural processing in the auditory cortex. However, less is known about the secondary auditory areas. This review aimed to investigate and compare fronto-central and T-complex responses in populations at risk of auditory dysfunction, such as individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. After searching the electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Ovid), ten studies encompassing six neurodevelopmental disorders were included for the analysis. All experimental populations had atypical T-complexes, manifesting as an absence of evoked responses, shorter latency, and/or smaller amplitude. Moreover, in two experimental groups, dyslexia and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), abnormal T-complex responses were observed despite the presence of normal fronto-central responses. The presence of abnormal T-complex responses in combination with normal fronto-central responses in the same population, using the same experiment, may highlight the advantage of the T-complex for indexing deficits in distinct auditory processes or regions, which the fronto-central response may not track.

Exposure to valproic acid (VPA) during embryogenesis has become a valuable tool for modeling neurodevelopmental disorders in animal models such as zebrafish (Danio rerio). This article examines the effects of embryonic exposure to VPA in zebrafish on the basis of 39 articles sourced from PubMed and Google Scholar. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to elucidate the common impacts of VPA exposure and reported that VPA significantly altered development at various levels. Behaviorally, zebrafish exposed to VPA exhibit notable changes in their social interaction patterns. Physiologically, VPA exposure leads to significant alterations, including decreased heart rates, increased mortality rates, and pronounced morphological abnormalities. Pharmacological exposure has been linked to neuroanatomical and neurochemical changes. At the genetic level, VPA exposure is associated with the differential expression of genes involved in neurodevelopment and neuronal function. The synthesized data from these studies underscore the utility of zebrafish as a model organism for investigating the effects of teratogen exposure on neurodevelopment.

Cauda equina nerve roots may become damaged during neuraxial anesthesia, and post-puncture headache may appear in the case of cerebrospinal fluid leakage if needle tips are deformed due to bone contact when several attempts are needed. Our aim was to verify the correlation between skin-transverse process distance (st) and skin-dural sac distance (d) for calculation of optimal angles in a free visual guide and as a reference for the maximal depth to be traversed by the needle. Randomly selected ex vivo samples (n = 10) were flexed to reproduce the position of the lumbosacral spine during spinal anesthesia. Spinal needles were inserted perpendicular to the skin either blindly or following the inferred paramedian angle corresponding to ultrasound-measured (d). After computed tomography and three-dimensional reconstruction, both (st) and (d) were measured, and the Pearson correlation index was calculated. A free 3D-PDF tool was used to illustrate the potential affectation of nerve cuffs by needles located lateral to the dural sac. Correlation between (d) and (st) was 0.84-0.93 at L4L5-L3L4 intervertebral levels, and most needle tips were located within the spinal canal, but some traversed the zone where nerve cuffs emerge. In conclusion, ultrasound may determine if a perpendicular needle insertion is viable at midline. If not, the optimal paramedian angle and maximal depth may be determined by measuring (st).

Volatile organic compounds, colloquially referred to as "terpenes", have been proposed to impact the therapeutic qualities that are traditionally ascribed to cannabis. However, the contribution of these terpenes in anxiety, at relevant levels and exposure methods common with cannabis use, is lacking empirical assessment. We tested the anxiolytic properties of two prominent cannabis terpenes, linalool and β-myrcene, in male and female mice using short duration vapor pulls to model human inhalation when combusting flower or vaping cannabis oil. We observed sex differences in the locomotor effects in the open field and anxiolytic properties in the elevated plus maze of these terpenes that depended on their exposure characteristics. Both linalool and β-myrcene had anxiolytic effects in female mice when delivered in discrete vapor pulls over the course of 30 min. In male mice, only a single vapor hit containing linalool or β-myrcene had anxiolytic effects. The combination of sub-effective levels of linalool and the phytocannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD), had synergistic anxiolytic effects in females, but these entourage effects between CBD and terpenes were absent with β-myrcene for females and for either terpene in males. Together, our findings reveal sex differences in the anxiolytic properties of common cannabis terpenes and highlight the potential benefits of unique combinations of CBD and terpenes in expanding the therapeutic dose window.

This study aimed to assess the immediate effects of transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) on pain outcomes, measured using the visual analog scale (VAS) and pressure pain thresholds in a cohort of 55 participants experiencing chronic pain using a controlled, randomized trial with 55 participants allocated into 2 groups: 2 mA and 0.5 mA of tsDCS for 20 min. Anodal stimulation was applied on the 12th thoracic vertebra, with the cathode positioned on the 7th cervical vertebra. Pain outcomes were assessed before and post intervention using the VAS and pressure algometry. Between- and within-group differences, along with chi-square tests, were used to determine the differences and responsiveness. Significance was established at p < 0.05. Findings showed significant temporal effects for both VAS (p < 0.001) and pressure algometry (p = 0.04). However, no between-group differences were noted for the time × group factor for VAS (p = 0.46) and pressure algometry (p = 0.78). No significant between-group differences were observed for the responsiveness analysis. The results indicate that a single 20-min session of 2 and 0.5 mA tsDCS improves pain scores for both intensities equally. However, there were no statistically significant between-group differences in pain perception or pressure pain threshold.

Classification of disease and healthy volunteer cohorts provides a useful clinical alternative to traditional group statistics due to individualized, personalized predictions. Classifiers for neurodegenerative disease can be trained on structural MRI morphometry, but require large multi-scanner datasets, introducing confounding batch effects. We test ComBat, a common harmonization model, in an example application to classify subjects with Parkinson's disease from healthy volunteers and identify common pitfalls, including data leakage. We used a multi-dataset cohort of 372 subjects (216 with Parkinson's disease, 156 healthy volunteers) from 11 identified scanners. We extracted both FreeSurfer and the determinant of Jacobian morphometry to compare single-scanner and multi-scanner classification pipelines. We confirm the presence of batch effects by running single scanner classifiers which could achieve wildly divergent AUCs on scanner-specific datasets (mean:0.651 ± 0.144). Multi-scanner classifiers that considered neurobiological batch effects between sites could easily achieve a test AUC of 0.902, though pipelines that prevented data leakage could only achieve a test AUC of 0.550. We conclude that batch effects remain a major issue for classification problems, such that even impressive single-scanner classifiers are unlikely to generalize to multiple scanners, and that solving for batch effects in a classifier problem must avoid circularity and reporting overly optimistic results.

Purpose: Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability with life-long implications requiring assessment and treatment of several functional domains. This review identifies the results from research into music-based interventions (MBIs), including music therapy (MT), for executive functions (EFs) and emotional well-being (EWB) in adults with stroke and highlights opportunities for clinical practice and future research.

Methods: APA PsycInfo (EBSCOhost), and CINAHL (EBSCOhost) were searched, in addition to grey literature.

Results: A total of 49 studies were included and encompassed experimental, analytic, and descriptive observational studies, and case reports, involving a total of 1663 participants. In total, 32 studies included MT interventions, and 17 were MBIs. EFs were an outcome in 20.41%, and EWB in 61.22% of studies, for which active interventions were the most utilized. Overall, 73.47% of the studies reported positive results.

Conclusions: This scoping review indicates that music interventions can be beneficial for the improvement of different aspects of EFs and EWB at different stages of stroke recovery. Further research may benefit clinical practice by including standardized protocols, outcome and self-reported measures, and brain imaging data to determine the effects of interventions and support evidence-based decisions for treatment policies for stroke survivors.

Age-related decline in episodic memory is often linked to structural and functional changes in the brain. Here, we investigated how these alterations might affect functional connectivity during memory retrieval following exposure to emotional stimuli. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), participants viewed images with varying emotional valences (positive, negative, and neutral) followed by unrelated non-arousing videos and were then asked to retrieve an episodic detail from the previously shown video. We conducted Multivariate Pattern Analysis (MVPA) to identify regions with divergent responses between age groups, which then served as seeds in Seed-Based Connectivity (SBC) analyses. The results revealed an age-related decline in behavioural performance following exposure to negative stimuli but preserved performance following positive stimuli. Young adults exhibited increased functional connectivity following negative valence. Conversely, old adults displayed increased connectivity more scarcely, and only following positive valence. These findings point to an adaptive response of the impact of emotions on task performance that depends on neural adaptations related to ageing. This suggests that age-related changes in functional connectivity might underlie how emotions influence memory, highlighting the need to tailor memory support strategies in older adulthood.

This paper suggests a statistical framework for describing the relations between the physical and conceptual entities of a brain-like model. Features and concept instances are put into context, where the paper suggests that features may be the electrical wiring; although, chemical connections are also possible. With this idea, the actual length of the connection is important, because it is related to firing rates and neuron synchronization, but the signal type is less important. The paper then suggests that concepts are neuron groups that link feature sets and concept instances are determined by chemical signals from those groups. Therefore, features become the static horizontal framework of the neural system and concepts are vertically interconnected combinations of these. With regards to functionality, the neuron is then considered to be functional, and the more horizontal memory structures can even be glial. This would also suggest that features can be distributed entities and not concentrated to a single area. Another aspect could be signal 'breaks' that compartmentalise a pattern and may help with neural binding.