Restorative neurology and neuroscience
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Restor. Neurol. Neurosci. · Jan 2013
Plastic changes in lumbar segments after thoracic spinal cord injuries in adult rats: an integrative view of spinal nociceptive dysfunctions.
Spinal cord injuries (SCI) cause motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions as well as neuropathic pain. We investigated plastic changes occurring in cord segments caudal to the lesion to assess their potential contribution to pain states after SCI. ⋯ The existence of hyperalgesia despite the boost of inhibitory elements in the spinal cord confirms the dysbalance between excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms, leading to a general disinhibition. Widespread dysfunctions in remote segments after central injuries contribute to the appearance of pain, and they may be new targets for therapies aimed to modulate spinal dysfunctions after injury.
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Restor. Neurol. Neurosci. · Jan 2013
The impact of enriched environment and transplantation of murine cortical embryonic stem cells on recovery from controlled cortical contusion injury.
The effectiveness of embryonic stem cell (eSC) therapy has been explored in many models of neurological disease and several research groups have shown that eSC treatment leads to improved outcomes in pre-clinical models of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Though functional recovery occurs, few surviving eSCs appear to develop neuronal characteristics; instead the majority of the surviving eSC express glial phenotypes. Additionally, researchers have shown that enriching the post-surgical environment of the subject promotes functional recovery following TBI. The purpose of the current project was to determine if post-surgical environmental enrichment (EE) impacts the survival, migration, and integration of eSCs in a rodent model of TBI and if the presence of these cells lead to improved outcomes. ⋯ Combing therapeutic strategies with enriching the post-injury environment is likely to be an important addition to determining the efficacy of pre-clinical therapies.
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Restor. Neurol. Neurosci. · Jan 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyCounteracting tinnitus by acoustic coordinated reset neuromodulation.
Subjective tinnitus is associated with pathologic enhanced neuronal synchronization. We used a model based desynchronization technique, acoustic coordinated reset (CR) neuromodulation, to specifically counteract tinnitus-related neuronal synchrony thereby inducing an unlearning of pathological synaptic connectivity and neuronal synchrony. ⋯ The CR-induced reduction of tinnitus and underlying neuronal characteristics indicates a new non-invasive therapy which might also be applicable to other conditions with neuronal hypersynchrony.
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Restor. Neurol. Neurosci. · Jan 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialThe impact of rhythm complexity on brain activation during simple singing: an event-related fMRI study.
Since rhythmical aspects of singing have been neglected up to now our objective was to investigate if it was possible to specify areas concerned with rhythm processing during simple singing. ⋯ Rhythm structure is a decisive factor concerning lateralization as well as activation of specific areas during simple singing. This finding suggests a directed use of the singing voice e.g., in order to support language rehabilitation in patients.
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Restor. Neurol. Neurosci. · Jan 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on post-stroke dysphagia.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with swallowing training might improve swallowing function in patients with post-stroke dysphagia. We investigate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with swallowing training on post-stroke dysphagia. ⋯ Anodal tDCS applied over the affected pharyngeal motor cortex can enhance the outcome of swallowing training in post-stroke dysphagia. Our results suggest that non-invasive cortical stimulation has a potential role as an adjuvant strategy during swallowing training in patients with post-stroke dysphagia.