Brain research
-
Neuropathic pain is relatively common and occurs in approximately 6-8% of the population. It is associated with allodynia and hyperalgesia. Thus, non-pharmacological treatments, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be useful for relieving pain. ⋯ The antiallodynic effect of tDCS was associated with different neurotransmitters systems; the duration of these after-effects depended on the time exposure to tDCS.
-
Autophagy alterations have been observed in a variety of neurological disorders, however, very few studies have focused on autophagy alterations in epilepsy. The ketogenic diet (KD) likely ameliorates neuronal loss in several seizure models. However, whether this neuroprotective function occurs via starvation-induced autophagy and its prevalence in chronic kindled seizures remains unknown. ⋯ The results showed that mitochondrial cytochrome c was up-regulated, cytosolic cytochrome c and the downstream cleaved caspase-3 was down-regulated in KD-fed rats, indicating a decrease in mitochondrial apoptosis. Taken together, our results indicated that KD activates autophagic pathways and reduces brain injury during PTZ-kindled seizures. The neuroprotective effect of KD is likely exerted via a reduction of mitochondrial cytochrome c release.
-
The effects of the oxygen concentration as a carrier gas and long duration anesthesia exposure on neuroapoptosis and cognitive impairments in the developing brain are not fully understood. This study shows that long-duration sevoflurane anesthesia with or without additional oxygen induces neuroapoptosis and long-term cognitive dysfunction in neonatal rats. Seven-day-old rats were exposed to sevoflurane anesthesia for 2, 4, and 6 h with 21% or 30% oxygen. ⋯ No difference was found with regard to freezing time among the groups in the fear conditioning test. The number of NeuN-positive cells in the CA1 region of the hippocampus in the control group was increased compared with the other groups. These findings indicate that long-duration sevoflurane exposure with 30% oxygen as a carrier gas would ameliorate neuronal apoptosis and improve long-term cognitive function in neonatal rats.
-
To complete a retrospective comparison of endoscope-assisted burr-hole craniostomy (EBHC) and ordinary burr-hole craniostomy (OBHC) in the treatment of septated chronic subdural hematoma (SCSH). ⋯ Comparing two minimally invasive procedure protocols for treatment of SCSH, EBHC is a safe and effective surgical technique. It significantly surpasses the results obtained in OBHC in lowering recurrence rate, morbidity rate, placement time of drainage tube, and length of hospital stay for neurosurgery. We recommend EBHC technique to be widely used in the treatment of SCSH, even common chronic subdural hematoma (CSH), subacute and acute subdural hematomas, acute epidural hematomas and empyemas to avoid large craniotomies, particularly in elderly patients, so that patients can receive the best treatment on the basis of minimal trauma.
-
The inferior longitudinal fascicle (ILF) is one of the major occipital-temporal association pathways. Several studies have mapped its hierarchical segmentation to specific functions. There is, however, no consensus regarding a detailed description of ILF fibre organisation. ⋯ ILF volume was significantly lateralised to the right. The examined indices of ILF subcomponents did not show any significant difference in lateralisation. The connectivity pattern and the quantitative distribution of ILF subcomponents suggest a pivotal role for this bundle in integrating information from highly specialised modular visual areas with activity in anterior temporal territory, which has been previously shown to be important for memory and emotions.