Behavioural neurology
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Behavioural neurology · Jan 2015
Neurophysiological Indicators of Residual Cognitive Capacity in the Minimally Conscious State.
The diagnostic usefulness of electrophysiological methods in assessing disorders of consciousness (DoC) remains to be established on an individual patient level, and there is need to determine what constitutes robust experimental paradigm to elicit electrophysiological indices of covert cognitive capacity. ⋯ ERP paradigms involving actively counting SON represent a robust paradigm in probing for volitional cognition in minimally conscious patients and add important diagnostic information in some patients.
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Behavioural neurology · Jan 2015
Loss in Executive Functioning Best Explains Changes in Pain Responsiveness in Patients with Dementia-Related Cognitive Decline.
There is ample evidence that dementia changes the processing of pain. However, it is not known whether this change in pain processing is related to the general decline in cognitive functioning or whether it may be related to specific domains of cognitive functioning. With the present study we tried to answer this question. ⋯ Variance in pain responsiveness (NFR and facial expressions) was best explained by those items assessing executive functioning even when controlling for overall cognitive performance and memory functioning. The close association between executive functioning and pain responsiveness suggests that dementia-related neurodegeneration in prefrontal areas might result not only in reduced executive functioning but also in a loss of pain inhibitory potency, rendering the patient more vulnerable to pain. Our findings also suggest that pain assessment in dementia should be regularly completed by tests of cognitive functions.
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Behavioural neurology · Jan 2015
Attitudes toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration in Pediatric Workers and Undergraduate Medical/Nursing Students.
The purpose of this study was to compare the attitudes of pediatric workers and undergraduate medical/nursing students toward collaboration. Attitude toward collaboration was measured using an adaptation of the Jefferson Scale of Attitude toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration. ⋯ Among the participants of PIS, the pediatricians obtained the highest mean scores, while, among the participants of NIS, the pediatric nurses got higher mean scores than nursing interns. It is desirable that medical and nurse schools should include interprofessional education in their curriculum to increase the understanding of the complementary roles of physicians and nurses and to encourage establishment of an interdependent relationship between them.
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Behavioural neurology · Jan 2015
Feasibility and safety of continuous and chronic bilateral deep brain stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle in the naïve Sprague-Dawley rat.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the superolateral branch of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) has provided rapid and dramatic reduction of depressive symptoms in a clinical trial. Early intracranial self-stimulation experiments of the MFB suggested detrimental side effects on the animals' health; therefore, the current study looked at the viability of chronic and continuous MFB-DBS in rodents, with particular attention given to welfare issues and identification of stimulated pathways. ⋯ Bilateral continuous chronic MFB-DBS is feasible, safe, and without impact on the rodent's health. MFB-DBS results in temporary increase in exploration, which could explain the initial weight loss, and does not produce any apparent behavioral abnormalities. This platform represents a powerful tool for further preclinical investigation of the MFB stimulation in the treatment of depression.