Neurophysiology

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease. Primary symptoms of PD arise with the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta, but PD also affects the hippocampus and cortex, usually in its later stage. Approximately 15% of PD cases are familial with a genetic mutation. Two of the most associated genes with autosomal recessive (AR) early-onset familial PD are PINK1 and PRKN. In vitro studies of these genetic mutations are needed to understand the neurophysiological changes in patients' neurons that may contribute to neurodegeneration...

We investigated the effects of one-week quercetin ingestion on motor unit (MU) behavior and muscle contractile properties before, during, and after a single session of resistance exercise in older adults. Twenty-four older adults were divided into two groups: those receiving quercetin glycosides (QUE) or placebo (PLA), and they performed a single session of resistance exercise. MU behavior before and during resistance exercise and electrically elicited contraction before and after resistance exercise were measured (Day 1), and the same measurements were conducted again after 7 days of placebo or quercetin glycoside ingestion (Day 8)...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop artificial intelligence-based deep learning models and assess their potential utility and accuracy in diagnosing and predicting the future occurrence of diabetic distal sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN) among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and prediabetes. METHODS: In 394 patients (T2DM=300, Prediabetes=94), we developed a DSPN diagnostic and predictive model using Random Forest (RF)-based variable selection techniques, specifically incorporating the combined capabilities of the Clinical Toronto Neuropathy Score (TCNS) and nerve conduction study (NCS) to identify relevant variables...

OBJECTIVE: Within the continuum of consciousness, patients in a Minimally Conscious State (MCS) may exhibit high-level behavioral responses (MCS+) or may not (MCS-). The evaluation of residual consciousness and related classification is crucial to propose tailored rehabilitation and pharmacological treatments, considering the inherent differences among groups in diagnosis and prognosis. Currently, differential diagnosis relies on behavioral assessments posing a relevant risk of misdiagnosis...

Platelet activation of protease-activated receptor 4 (PAR4) and thrombin are at the top of a chain of events leading to fibrin deposition, microinfarcts, blood-brain barrier disruption, and inflammation. We evaluated mRNA expression of the PAR4 gene F2RL3 in human brain and global cognitive performance in participants with and without cognitive impairment or dementia. Data were acquired from the Religious Orders Study (ROS) and the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP). F2RL3 mRNA was elevated in AD cases and was associated with worse retrospective longitudinal cognitive performance...

In this paper we look at non-pharmaceutical treatments for intractable epilepsy based on neurophysiological methods especially with EEG analysis. In summary, there are a number of limbic and thalamo-cortical related structures involved in the processing of musical emotion (exposure), including the amygdala (arousal, expression of mood, fear), hippocampus (memory, regulation of HPA axis, stress), parahippocampal gyrus (recognition, memory retrieval), insula (valence), temporal poles (connectivity), ventral striatum (expectation and experience of reward), orbitofrontal cortex (valence) and cingulate cortex (autonomic regulation)...

Substantial evidence highlights the role of the cerebellum in the pathophysiology of tremor in essential tremor (ET), although its potential involvement in altered movement execution in this condition remains unclear. This study aims to explore potential correlations between the cerebellum and basal ganglia functional connectivity and voluntary movement execution abnormalities in ET, objectively assessed with kinematic techniques. A total of 20 patients diagnosed with ET and 18 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study...

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Recently, criteria have been drawn up for Large Muscle group Movements during sleep (LMM), defined as movements lasting for 3-45 seconds in adults, which are often accompanied by changes in sleep stage, arousals, and increases in heart rate. The aim of this study was to characterize LMM in RLS, in order to better evaluate their impact on the neurophysiology of the disorder and, therefore, the possible clinical implications. METHODS: Consecutive, drug-free patients diagnosed with RLS and controls, aged 18 years or more, were retrospectively enrolled...

The hereditary cerebellar ataxias (HCAs) are rare, progressive neurologic disorders caused by variants in many different genes. Inheritance may follow autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked or mitochondrial patterns. The list of genes associated with adult-onset cerebellar ataxia is continuously growing, with several new genes discovered in the last few years. This includes short-tandem repeat (STR) expansions in RFC1, causing cerebellar ataxia, neuropathy, vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS), FGF14-GAA causing spinocerebellar ataxia type 27B (SCA27B), and THAP11...

Chronic pain is a common disorder with enormous sociomedical importance. A major part of primary and secondary costs of illness is caused by the various pain syndromes. Nociception - the sensory perception of a painful stimulus - is a complex process relying on an intricate system of anatomical, neurophysiological and biochemical networks. This applies even more so to pain - the state of experiencing a nociceptive event, of interpreting it in terms of meaning for the affected individual and of suffering a range of emotions it elicits...

5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a potent classical psychedelic known to induce changes in locomotion, behaviour, and sleep in rodents. However, there is limited knowledge regarding its acute neurophysiological effects. Local field potentials (LFPs) are commonly used as a proxy for neural activity, but previous studies investigating psychedelics have been hindered by confounding effects of behavioural changes and anaesthesia, which alter these signals. To address this gap, we investigated acute LFP changes in the hippocampus (HP) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of freely behaving rats, following 5-MeO-DMT administration...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The balance between a comprehensive intraoperative-neuromonitoring (IONM) for both upper and lower limb while ensuring the reliability of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) is paramount in motor area surgery. It's commonly hard to obtain a good simultaneous stimulation of both upper/lower limb, a series of factors can bias MEP accuracy and inappropriate stimulation intensity can result in unreliable monitoring. The presented IONM technique is based on the concurrent use of both transcranial and strip electrodes to facilitate a simultaneous monitoring of both upper and lower limb at optimized stimulation intensities, increasing IONM accuracy, during motor-area surgery...

OBJECTIVE: Infant hypersensitivity affects daily challenges and parental stress. Although the crucial role of tactile sensation in infants' brain function has been highlighted, hypersensitive infants and their families lack support. Electroencephalography may be useful for understanding hypersensitivity traits. We investigated the relationship between infant perceptual hypersensitivity and parental stress, somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP), and magnitude-squared coherence (MSC) in the general population...

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to evaluate if event-related potentials (ERPs) can be a relevant tool for cognitive dysfunction diagnosis in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). METHODS: Four databases were consulted (PubMed, Embase, Scielo, and Web of Science). The included studies should include adults with clear MS diagnoses, independently of having cognitive complaints, and all should have been submitted to ERPs (P300, N400 or mismatch negativity (MMN)). The main outcomes evaluated were ERPs' amplitude and/or latency...

Early life events can have long-lasting effects that may impact the quality of life into adulthood. The link between childhood adversities and adult mental and physical health is well documented, however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Executive functions are assumed to be a key factor in successfully dealing with cognitive-emotional challenges thereby contributing to stress resilience and mental health across the lifespan. Here, we examined whether cognitive control moderates the link between early life adversity and depression...

Botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT-A) has several therapeutic indications such as spasticity and dystonia. Although its use is generally considered safe, a systemic diffusion can lead to systemic complications, and a botulism-like syndrome can occur after intramuscular injections. Herein, two adult cases who developed general muscle weakness after a BoNT-A intramuscular injection are reported. Both presented with a progressive decrement on low-frequency (LF) repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS). It is suggested that a progressive decrement on LF-RNS in muscles distant from the injection site strongly supports the diagnosis of iatrogenic botulism...

BACKGROUND: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and plasmapheresis (PLEX) are recommended in moderate to severe Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), but there is paucity of studies evaluating its effect on nerve conduction studies (NCS). We report the effect of IVIg and PLEX on the NCS parameters and clinical outcomes compared to natural course (NC) of GBS patients. METHOD: Moderate to severe GBS patients were included based on clinical, cerebrospinal fluid, and NCS finding...

Physical and chemical signals in the central nervous system yield crucial information that is clinically relevant under both physiological and pathological conditions. The emerging field of bioelectronics focuses on the monitoring and manipulation of neurophysiological signals with high spatiotemporal resolution and minimal invasiveness. Significant advances have been realized through innovations in materials and structural design, which have markedly enhanced mechanical and electrical properties, biocompatibility, and overall device performance...

OBJECTIVES: To validate a recently published study in which skin biopsy was reported as a valuable alternative to brain biopsy in diagnosing CSF1R -related disorder ( CSF1R -RD). METHODS: Blinded evaluation of skin samples was performed by independent reviewers using light and electron microscopy collected from a group of CSF1R variant carriers (n = 10) with various genotypes (mono and biallelic), different stages of the disease (asymptomatic and symptomatic), and exposed to different therapies (glucocorticoids, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and TREM2 agonist), and from a group of healthy controls (n = 5)...