NeuroSci最新文献

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is a cytosolic DNA sensor that activates type I interferon (IFN) signaling, which plays a key role in neuroinflammation. Although the role of STING in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of multiple sclerosis (MS), remains debated, its involvement in the development of CNS lesions, particularly within localized pathology, modeled here by targeting the corpus callosum, has yet to be explored. Using a focal EAE model, we compared the induction of lesions in wild-type and STING-deficient (STING^gt/gt) mice. Lesions were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and transcriptomics. STING-deficient mice had significantly larger demyelinated lesions, reduced ISG expression, and modified immune cell infiltration. STING signaling limits lesion severity in focal EAE by promoting IFN responses and regulating immune infiltration. These findings position STING as a potential target for MS therapy.

Since its introduction, the construct of executive functions (EFs) has been associated with a set of tests to assess these functions and a brain network centered in the associative frontal brain regions. While the majority of perspectives have endorsed these associations, some studies have started casting doubts on them. In this article, the association between the construct of EFs, the tests used to assess them, and the involvement of frontal regions is examined. A sample of 28 patients with brain injuries was divided into three subgroups according to the region of the injury (anterior, posterior, antero-posterior). Patients were assessed with a battery of tests, including 25 measures of EFs and 6 control measures. A series of regression models revealed no significant differences in performance across the three groups. Findings indicate that the EF tests are not specific enough to differentiate EFs and brain injuries. The alleged reference of EFs to the frontal areas of the brain should attribute a higher role to other associative areas. The present study provides recommendations about how the EFs concept could be improved through methodological refinements and/or its dissemination.

Background: Neural efficiency theory proposes that expert athletes optimize brain resource allocation and functioning. Beta band oscillations are associated with attention, motor preparation, and emotional control, reflecting adaptive patterns of reduced cortical energy expenditure (absolute power) and greater temporal precision (peak frequency). Slow cortical potential (SCP) neurofeedback has emerged as a method to train voluntary cortical regulation, yet its application in sports-particularly in precision-demanding disciplines such as golf-remains underexplored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of SCP neurofeedback on beta band activity in competitive golfers.

Methods: Forty-two golfers were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 21), which completed 16 SCP neurofeedback sessions (2560 trials), or a control group (n = 21). SCP activity was measured during activation and deactivation trials, while EEG beta oscillations were analyzed in terms of peak frequency and absolute power at C3, O2, F8, and T5. These sites were chosen for their relevance to golf: C3 (motor execution), O2 (visual processing), F8 (inhibitory and emotional control), and T5 (visuospatial integration).

Results: The intervention group showed significant increases in positive SCP trials, reflecting improved voluntary cortical inhibition. Peak frequency increased in Beta 1 (C3) and Beta 2 (O2), while absolute power decreased at F8 and T5, which seems to indicate a reduced cortical overload and enhanced visuospatial integration.

Conclusions: SCP neurofeedback modulated beta activity in golfers, enhancing neural efficiency and supporting its potential as an innovative tool to optimize performance in precision sports.

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that entails high costs, progressive disability, and reduced quality of life (QoL). Telerehabilitation (TR), supported by new technologies, is emerging as an alternative or complement to in-person rehabilitation, potentially lowering socioeconomic impact and improving QoL.

Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of TR on the QoL of people with MS compared with in-person rehabilitation or no intervention.

Materials and methods: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials was conducted (March-May 2025) following PRISMA guidelines. Searches were run in the PubMed-Medline, EMBASE, PEDro, Web of Science, and Dialnet databases. Methodological quality was assessed with the CASP scale, risk of bias with the Risk of Bias 2 tool, and evidence level and grade of recommendation with the Oxford Classification. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251110353).

Results: Of the 151 articles initially found, 12 RCTs (598 total patients) met the inclusion criteria. Interventions included (a) four studies employing video-controlled exercise (one involving Pilates to improve fitness, another involving exercise to improve fatigue and general health, and two using exercises focused on the pelvic floor muscles); (b) three studies using a monitoring app to improve manual dexterity, symptom control, and increased physical activity; (c) two studies implementing an augmented reality system to treat cognitive deficits and sexual disorders, respectively; (d) one platform with a virtual reality headset for motor and cognitive training; (e) one study focusing on video-controlled motor imagery, along with the use of a pain management app; (f) a final study addressing cognitive training and pain reduction. Studies used eight different scales to assess QoL, finding similar improvements between groups in eight of the trials and statistically significant improvements in favor of TR in four. The included trials were of good methodological quality, with a moderate-to-low risk of bias and good levels of evidence and grades of recommendation.

Conclusions: TR was more effective in improving the QoL of people with MS than no intervention, was as effective as in-person treatment in patients with EDSS ≤ 6, and appeared to be more effective than in-person intervention in patients with EDSS between 5.5 and 7.5 in terms of QoL. It may also eliminate some common barriers to accessing such treatments.

Different neurodegenerative diseases display varying etiologies and phenotypes, reflecting region-specific neurodegeneration [...].

Background: The Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) is the gold standard for diagnosing chronic disorders of consciousness (DoC); however, its clinical utility is limited by lengthy administration and the need for specialized training. The Simplified Evaluation of Disorders of Consciousness (SECONDs) provides a faster and more user-friendly alternative.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Argentine adaptation of the SECONDs scale in adults with chronic DoC due to acquired brain injury.

Methods: Twenty-nine patients were evaluated over two consecutive days by three blinded raters. On day one, rater A administered the SECONDs (A1) and rater B administered the CRS-R (B) to assess concurrent validity. On day two, rater A repeated the SECONDs (A2), and rater C performed an additional SECONDs assessment (C), permitting evaluation of intra-rater (A1 vs. A2) and inter-rater (A vs. C) reliability.

Results: The SECONDs demonstrated excellent intra-rater (ICC = 0.98) and inter-rater (ICC = 0.86) reliability. Concurrent validity with the CRS-R was strong (r = 0.73, p < 0.001). Diagnostic agreement was high between A1 and B (κ = 0.75) and between both A1-A2 and A1-C (κ = 0.82). The median administration time was significantly shorter for the SECONDs (10 vs. 15 min; p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The Argentine SECONDs is a valid, reliable, and efficient tool for the clinical assessment of DoC patients in rehabilitation settings.

Background/objectives: The glymphatic system is a recently characterized glial-dependent waste clearance pathway in the brain, which makes use of perivascular spaces for cerebrospinal fluid exchange. Diffusion tensor imaging analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) offers a non-invasive method for estimating perivascular flow, but its biological specificity and susceptibility to methodological variation, particularly head position during MRI acquisition, remain as threats to the validity of this technique. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of current DTI-ALPS practices, evaluate the impact of head orientation on ALPS index calculation, and propose a novel computational approach to improve measurement validity.

Methods: We briefly reviewed DTI-ALPS literature to determine the use of head-orientation correction strategies. We then analyzed diffusion MRI data from 172 participants in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) to quantify the influence of head orientation on ALPS indices computed using the conventional Unrotated-ALPS, a vecrec-corrected ALPS, and the new LD-ALPS method proposed within.

Results: A majority of studies employed Unrotated-ALPS, which does not correct for head orientation. In our sample, Unrotated-ALPS values were significantly associated with absolute head pitch (r₁₆₉ = -0.513, p < 0.001), indicating systematic bias. This relationship was eliminated using either vecreg or LD-ALPS. Additionally, LD-ALPS showed more sensitivity to cognitive status as measured by Mini-Mental State Examination scores.

Conclusions: Correcting for head orientation is essential in DTI-ALPS studies. The LD-ALPS method, while computationally more demanding, improves the reliability and sensitivity of perivascular fluid estimates, supporting its use in future research on aging and neurodegeneration.

This study aims to investigate whether a combined action observation-motor imagery practice may enhance the effects of conventional physical rehabilitation in a stroke survivor population. A total of 8 (7 male, 1 female) post-stroke patients with upper limb hemiparesis were enrolled into a single-blinded, randomised, study. Five times per week for three weeks, four patients experienced 60' conventional physical therapy, while the other 4 experienced 30' conventional physical therapy and 30' action observation-motor imagery practice. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity and the Wolf Motor Function Test scores from the baseline and post-physiotherapy were used to evaluate upper extremity motor function. Patients who received the AO + MI alongside conventional physical rehabilitation benefitted more than those who received only conventional physical rehabilitation. However, the sample size was very small (only eight participants), which reduces both the statistical power and the ability to generalise the results. Moreover, there was no follow-up; therefore, it is unclear whether the observed improvements lasted over time. Finally, some potentially confounding factors, such as stroke type or lesion site, were not statistically controlled. Notwithstanding these limitations, our findings may serve as a basis for future large-scale, well-controlled studies on AO + MI in stroke rehabilitation.

Until recently, research on the pathobiological substrate of psychosis has been focused on neurotransmitter perturbations. However, this scope has expanded to include new fields, such as the immune/redox/metabolic/neuroendocrine/stress systems. Indeed, basic research in the stress field showed that the systems above can represent components of a general inflammatory process as tightly interconnected as a Gordian knot. Based on the inflammatory hypothesis concerning the psychosis etiopathology, the findings from psychotic cohort studies on each one of the immune/redox/metabolic/neuroendocrine/stress systems have started to accumulate. The evidence favors the involvement of these systems in the formation of the pathobiological psychotic substrate, yet little is known concerning their interplay. This review attempts to establish a frame of reference for the evidence concerning intersystemic interactions, starting with the basic research on the stress field and expanding to clinical studies with psychosis cohorts, hoping to instigate new avenues of research.

The extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass is a complex neurosurgical procedure performed for cerebral flow augmentation or flow replacement. Anesthetic management of these patients poses significant challenges due to the delicate balance required to maintain cerebral perfusion, often complicated by extensive cardiovascular comorbidities. Despite the complexity of these cases, current literature offers limited guidance on optimal anesthetic strategies. At our high-volume academic institution, we developed a standardized multimodal anesthetic protocol aimed at achieving intraoperative hemodynamic stability and facilitating timely postoperative emergence. A dedicated team of neuroanesthesiologists manages these cases in constant communication with the surgical team, ensuring real-time adjustments aligned with surgical needs and patient physiology. Our experience highlights the importance of individualized anesthetic planning and interdisciplinary coordination. Given the scarcity of published data and the specialized nature of EC-IC bypass procedures, we believe our institutional approach may serve as a useful reference for other centers, particularly those with limited exposure to this complex patient population, and lay the foundation for future prospective trials on optimal anesthetic care for this patient population.