Journal of neurosurgical anesthesiology
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Apr 2019
Development of a Novel Self-administered Cognitive Assessment Tool and Normative Data for Older Adults.
Preexisting cognitive impairment in surgical patients is one of the leading risk factors for adverse cognitive outcomes such as postoperative delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction. We developed a self-administered tablet computer application intended to assess the individual risk for adverse postoperative cognitive outcomes. This cross-sectional study aimed to establish normative data for the tool. ⋯ This study provides normative data for a novel self-administered tablet computer application that is ultimately designed to measure the individual risk for adverse postoperative cognitive outcomes in elderly patients.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Apr 2019
Effects of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation on Spontaneous Seizures and Neuronal Viability in a Model of Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.
The essential branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine, and valine have recently emerged as a potential novel treatment for medically refractory epilepsy. Blood-derived BCAAs can readily enter the brain, where they contribute to glutamate biosynthesis and may either suppress or trigger acute seizures. However, the effects of BCAAs on chronic (ie, spontaneous recurrent) seizures and epilepsy-associated neuron loss are incompletely understood. ⋯ Acute BCAA supplementation reduces seizure propagation, whereas chronic oral supplementation with BCAAs worsens seizure propagation and causes neuron loss in rodents with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. These findings raise the question of whether such supplementation has a similar effect in humans.