Lancet neurology
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Network-based analysis of structural and functional connections has provided a new technique to study the brains of healthy people and patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Graph theory provides a powerful method to quantitatively describe the topological organisation of brain connectivity. ⋯ These assessments have improved understanding of the clinical manifestations noted in these patients, including disability and cognitive impairment. Future network-based research might enable indentification of different stages of disorders, subtypes for cognitive impairment, and connectivity profiles associated with different clinical outcomes.
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Comparative Study
Regional brain volume abnormalities in Lesch-Nyhan disease and its variants: a cross-sectional study.
Lesch-Nyhan disease is a rare, X-linked, neurodevelopmental metabolic disorder that is caused by abnormalities in the levels of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase enzyme activity. The neural substrates associated with Lesch-Nyhan disease remain poorly understood. We aimed to use voxel-based morphometry to identify affected brain regions in classic Lesch-Nyhan disease and Lesch-Nyhan variant disease, and to identify regions that differ between the two disease types. ⋯ National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Therapeutic Cognitive Neuroscience Fund, and Benjamin and Adith Miller Family Endowment on Aging, Alzheimer's and Autism Research.
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Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS) is an inflammatory disorder caused by mutations in any of six genes (TREX1, RNASEH2A, RNASEH2B, RNASEH2C, SAMHD1, and ADAR). The disease is severe and effective treatments are urgently needed. We investigated the status of interferon-related biomarkers in patients with AGS with a view to future use in diagnosis and clinical trials. ⋯ European Union's Seventh Framework Programme; European Research Council.
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Research in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is challenging for several reasons; in particular, the heterogeneity between patients regarding causes, pathophysiology, treatment, and outcome. Advances in basic science have failed to translate into successful clinical treatments, and the evidence underpinning guideline recommendations is weak. Because clinical research has been hampered by non-standardised data collection, restricted multidisciplinary collaboration, and the lack of sensitivity of classification and efficacy analyses, multidisciplinary collaborations are now being fostered. ⋯ These approaches can increase statistical power in clinical trials by up to 50% and are also relevant to other heterogeneous neurological diseases, such as stroke and subarachnoid haemorrhage. Rather than trying to limit heterogeneity, we might also be able to exploit it by analysing differences in treatment and outcome between countries and centres in comparative effectiveness research. This approach has great potential to advance care in patients with TBI.
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Biography Historical Article
Claudia Trenkwalder: from bench to bedside (and back again). Interview by Dara Mohammadi.