Brain Sciences最新文献

Objectives: Lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity, cognitive engagement, social interaction, diet, sleep, and vascular risk management are increasingly recognized as contributors to cognitive aging and dementia risk. Although many middle-aged and older adults express interest in maintaining brain health, less is known about their beliefs about brain-healthy behaviors or their preferences for receiving multicomponent brain health interventions. This study examined adults' ratings of the usefulness of a wide range of lifestyle activities for brain health and their preferred formats for receiving support. Methods: A 60-item online survey was administered to compensated volunteers aged 40 years and older through a commercial provider. The questionnaire assessed perceived usefulness of lifestyle-based brain health activities and preferred intervention delivery formats. The analytic sample included 761 respondents. Descriptive statistics were computed for all ratings and differences by age group and gender were tested using MANOVA with post hoc comparisons adjusted for multiple testing. Results: Participants endorsed many lifestyle activities as helpful for brain health. Mentally stimulating activities, good sleep, stress management, and creative activities received the highest ratings, whereas strength training, meditation, language learning, and computer-based cognitive training were rated lower. Aerobic exercise and mentally stimulating activities were most frequently selected as the single most important activity. Significant effects of age, gender, and their interaction were observed, with younger men and older women generally rating activities more favorably. With respect to desire for services, over half of participants preferred receiving a cognitive assessment, and many favored online education or app-based tools. Conclusions: Middle-aged and older adults recognize a wide range of lifestyle factors as potentially beneficial for brain health and express strong interest in structured support, particularly assessments and digital resources. These findings can inform the design of flexible, multicomponent brain health interventions aligned with adults' preferences and priorities.

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is a frequent but under-recognized feature of fibromyalgia (FM). Its prevalence varies widely across studies, and independent clinical predictors remain uncertain. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cognitive dysfunction in FM patients compared with healthy controls and identify independent associated factors. Methods: We conducted a case-control study including 47 adult female patients with FM (2016 ACR criteria) and 19 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected. Cognitive function was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), with cognitive dysfunction defined as MoCA < 26. Pain (VAS), fatigue (VAS and FACIT-F), anxiety and depression (HADS), sleep quality (PSQI), and disease impact (FIQ-P) were assessed. Univariate analysis was followed by binary logistic regression to identify independent predictors of cognitive dysfunction and multiple linear regression to explore associations with MoCA score. Results: Cognitive dysfunction was present in 72.3% of FM patients versus 5.3% of controls (p < 0.001). FM patients had significantly worse pain scores, fatigue levels, psychological distress, sleep quality, and quality of life (all p < 0.001). In FM patients, MoCA scores correlated inversely with pain (r = -0.34), anxiety (r = -0.34), depression (r = -0.48), disease impact (r = -0.43), and sleep disturbance (r = -0.48), and positively with FACIT-F (r = 0.37) and EQ-5D-5L (ρ = 0.60). In multivariate analysis, higher FIQ-P scores were independently associated with cognitive dysfunction [adjusted OR1.18; 95% CI (1.06-1.30); p < 0.01]. Pain severity [adjusted B = -0.40; 95%CI (-0.64-0.15; p < 0.01)] and depression [adjusted B = -2.60; 95% CI (-4.12-1.04; p = 0.001)] were independently associated with lower MoCA scores. Conclusions: Cognitive dysfunction is highly prevalent in FM and is independently associated with pain severity, depressive symptoms, and disease impact.

Objective: This study aimed to provide a reliable estimate of early childhood autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence in Türkiye and to examine diagnostic stability and developmental trajectories through a ten-year longitudinal follow-up incorporating systematic early screening, structured parent-child observations, and repeated diagnostic assessments.

Methods: A total of 1981 children aged 18-48 months were screened using the M-CHAT-R/F. Children who screened positive underwent an initial clinical assessment, including a family interview and structured parent-child observation. Those identified as at risk were referred for DSM-5-TR-based diagnostic evaluation by expert clinicians. Children diagnosed with ASD or classified as at risk were enrolled in a structured ten-year follow-up program.

Results: Of the 1981 screened children, 27 (1.4%) were identified as at risk. Nine children (33.3% of at-risk; 0.45% of the total sample) received an ASD diagnosis following comprehensive evaluation. All retained their diagnosis during the 18-month follow-up. By the tenth year, two additional children from the at-risk group were diagnosed, bringing the total number of ASD cases to 11.

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that structured, multi-stage screening and diagnostic procedures are feasible and effective for early ASD identification in Türkiye. High diagnostic stability supports the reliability of early clinician-led assessments, while later-emerging cases highlight the importance of long-term monitoring of at-risk children.

Background/Objectives: Combined chromosome 7 gain and chromosome 10 loss (+7/-10) is the most frequent cytogenetic alteration and a defining diagnostic criterion for isocitrate dehydrogenase wild-type (IDHwt) glioblastoma. Despite the association with poor prognosis, its clinical and therapeutic significance remains unclear. We aim to systematically review its clinical significance, focusing on prevalence, prognostic value, and potential association with therapeutic resistance in adult patients. Methods: PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and Web of Science were searched from inception to April 2025, using controlled vocabulary and free-text terms. Eligible studies included adult glioblastoma with molecular confirmation of combined chromosome 7 gain and chromosome 10 loss and reported survival or treatment response. Quality was assessed qualitatively, and findings were synthesized descriptively. Results: Of 3249 records, 5 observational studies (523 patients) were included. The signature was present in 60% to 70% of glioblastoma cases and frequently co-occurred with epidermal growth factor receptor amplification and telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter mutations. This alteration was consistently associated with shorter survival (mean, 8-70 weeks) compared with tumors lacking the alteration (19-170 weeks). In one study, the signature was more common in radioresistant tumors (9/20 vs. 1/10). Molecular evidence suggests that this alteration arises early in tumorigenesis. Conclusions: The +7/-10 cytogenetic alteration, common in glioblastoma, is frequently associated with aggressive clinical behavior. While exploratory data suggest a possible association with radiotherapy response, current evidence is insufficient to establish a predictive or therapeutic role. Its principal clinical value lies in diagnosis, molecular classification, and risk stratification. Incorporating cytogenetic testing for this alteration into routine glioblastoma workup may improve risk stratification and guide individualized management.

Background: Our growing understanding of the brain basis of mind has seen an interest in evolutionarily ancient structures, most notably the brainstem. This paper offers an interesting example of this underexplored territory, by considering the mesencephalic component of the trigeminal nucleus. This largely uncelebrated brainstem structure is central to control of the jaw, and for the foundational acts of eating, oral exploration, and biting.

Objectives: This paper explores the interesting anatomy of the mesencephalic trigeminal: unique in the nervous system as a centrally located sensory ganglion, which combines sensory and motor function for the jaw. An unexplored aspect of its anatomy is that the mesencephalic component of the nucleus lies directly adjacent to the brain's core system for the experience of emotion, the peri-acqueductal gray (PAG).

Results: The data suggest a role for the jaw, and more broadly the oral cavity, in relation to a range of feeling states, from pleasure to aggression. This is supported by behavioural and classic neuropsychological findings, such as the Klüver-Bucy syndrome. However, the proposal is not well-supported by findings of direct connections between the trigeminal nucleus and the PAG.

Conclusions: While these contrasting findings present a conundrum, there may be a role for non-synaptic signalling, of the sort increasingly understood to be important for interoception and homeostasis.

Background: This study addresses a common challenge in music education: students' limited emotional engagement during music listening. Objectives: This study compared two teaching methods-externally guided augmented reality (AR) integration and internally generated simulation-in terms of their neural and behavioral differences in guiding students' visual mental imagery and influencing their musical affect processing. Methods: Using Chinese Pipa music appreciation as our experimental paradigm, we employed fNIRS hyperscanning to record inter-brain synchronization (IBS) during teacher-student interactions across three instructional conditions (AR group, n = 27; visual imagery group, n = 27; no-instruction group, n = 27), while simultaneously assessing students' performance in music-emotion processing tasks (emotion recognition and experience). Results: At the behavioral level, both instructional methods significantly enhanced students' ability to differentiate emotional valence in music compared to the control condition. Crucially, the AR approach demonstrated a unique advantage in augmenting emotional arousal. Neurally, both teaching methods significantly enhanced IBS in brain regions associated with emotion evaluation (lOFC) and imaginative reasoning (bilateral dlPFC). Beyond these shared neural correlates, AR instruction specifically engaged additional brain networks supporting social cognition (lFPC) and multisensory integration (rANG). Furthermore, we identified a significant positive correlation between lFPC-IBS and improved emotional arousal exclusively in the AR group. Conclusions: The visual imagery group primarily enhances emotional music processing through neural alignment in core emotional brain regions, while augmented reality instruction creates unique advantages by additionally activating brain networks associated with social cognition and cross-modal integration. This research provides neuroscientific evidence for the dissociable mechanisms through which different teaching approaches enhance music-emotion learning, offering important implications for developing evidence-based educational technologies.

Emerging evidence highlights a strong association between cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and major depressive disorder (MDD), mediated by immune dysregulation. Elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines, reduced adaptive immune responses, altered immune cell composition, and increased microglial activation characterize this bidirectional relationship. Microglial activation appears to be a central molecular mechanism linking CVA and MDD, underscoring the immune system's crucial role in disease pathogenesis. This interplay suggests that immune-driven processes not only exacerbate neurological damage but also contribute to psychiatric manifestations. Based on current literature, the role of proinflammatory processes, particularly microglial activation, in the relationship between CVA and MDD warrants special attention. In this context, the participation of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), a cytosolic adaptor protein, appears to play a key role in proinflammatory signaling pathways driving microglial activation. Thus, focusing on MyD88 emerges as a promising complementary strategy for future research and for advancing our understanding of the mechanisms underlying microglial homeostasis dysregulation and its link to the pathophysiology of MDD and CVA.

Treatment of neuropathic pain (NP) remains a challenge in clinical practice because the current treatment approaches produce satisfactory pain alleviation in only 30% of patients. This necessitates developing novel drugs or repurposing existing medications intended to manage other diseases. When the repurposing intendance is chosen, similarity in the pharmacological properties should be hosted by the candidate drugs. Herein, this review sheds light on the mechanisms of certain centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxants (CMRs), specifically tolperisone. So far, data indicate that tolperisone displays voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) blocking properties with modulatory effect on voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs). These properties have led to recent preclinical research initiatives testing tolperisone in NP, resulting in positive outcomes. Furthermore, the review highlights the currently available VGSC blockers and proposes a strategy based on combining them with VGCC blockers that have been proven for the treatment of NP. This proposal is supported by the fact that tolperisone, in combination with pregabalin, has recently been shown to acutely halt NP.

Background/Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder is associated with executive functioning (EF) challenges, yet the neural correlates of EF challenges in autistic youth remain unclear. This study aimed to examine EF performance and cortical activation in autistic versus non-autistic youth, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during a modified Flanker task. Methods: Thirty age-matched (11.6 ± 0.8 years) autistic (N = 15) and non-autistic youth (N = 15) completed congruent and incongruent conditions of a modified Flanker task while cortical activation in prefrontal, parietal, and temporal regions was recorded using fNIRS. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) was used to assess general EF impairments. Behavioral data (i.e., Flanker task mean reaction time/accuracy, and reaction time variability) and cortical activation were analyzed using ANCOVAs. Pearson correlations were used to determine the relationship between cortical activation, EF performance, and clinical measures. The significance level was set at p < 0.05, with FDR corrections for multiple comparisons. Results: While mean reaction time and accuracy were comparable across groups, autistic youth exhibited greater reaction time variability (autistic youth = 34.8 ± 10.36; controls = 26.4 ± 1.94, p = 0.02, Hedges' g = 0.85) and higher BRIEF index scores compared to controls (p_s < 0.001, Hedges' gs > 1.3; e.g., Global Executive Composite Score for autistic youth = 71.3 ± 3.7; controls = 47.8 ± 2.4), indicative of delayed EF development. During the incongruent condition, compared to non-autistic controls, autistic youth showed lower left inferior parietal lobe (IPL) activation (Mean HbO₂ in autistic youth = -0.02 ± 0.006 mmol.mm; controls = 0.01 ± 0.006 mmol.mm, p_s < 0.001, Hedges' g = 0.5) and a lack of left-lateralized activation (e.g., left vs. right STS activation, p < 0.001, Hedges' g = 0.41 in the non-autistic youth). In the ASD group, lower activation in the left STS was associated with lower EF performance (r = -0.28, p = 0.007), whereas greater activation in various right-hemispheric ROIs was associated with better EF performance (r = -0.31 to -0.35, p_s < 0.005), suggesting potential compensatory activation. Conclusions: The findings revealed ASD-specific differences in the neural correlates of EF performance and possible alternative compensatory activation patterns. These potential neural correlates of EF performance highlight the utility of fNIRS-based neural measures to better understand the neural bases of EF differences in autism. Study Registration: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Delaware (Protocol #: 1947455) on 4 October 2022.

This perspective piece discusses various facets of affect interpreted through the sensory modality of olfaction. Through a review of the terms "emotion", "hedonic valence", "mood" and "feelings" with theory, neurobiology and empirical evidence, I suggest the provocative argument that smell and emotion are fundamentally equivalent and that the essence of olfactory experience is emotion. It is hoped that this perspective piece will help broaden definitions and understanding in affective science, and inspire further research, and theoretical developments in olfaction, emotion and related clinical practices.