Neurology and Psychiatry

Background Aluminum (AL) is a neurotoxic substance that plays an important role in the etiology, pathogenesis and development of Amyloid-β plaques. This study was carried out to evaluate neuroprotective effect of Aqueous Cinnamon Extract against aluminum chloride (ALCl3)-induced Alzheimer's disease. Materials and methods 40 adult male albino rats, randomly divided into four equal groups. Group I: control; Group 2 were administered 200 mg/kg b. w./day aqueous cinnamon extract (ACE) via oral tube; Group 3: received daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of ALCl3 (100 mg/kg body weight) for 60 days to induce neurotoxicity; Group 4 received a combination of ALCl3 and ACE in the same dose and route as group 2 & 3. Results AL administration significantly enhanced the memory impairment, Aβ burden and the cerebellum exhibited significant reduction in the number of Purkinje cells, marked decrease in the density of dendritic arborization and prominent perineuronal spaces in the molecular layer around basket and stellate cells, loss of dendritic spines, neurofibrillary degeneration and appearance of neuritic plaques. Concomitant administration of ACE with AL displayed an observable protection against these changes with progressive improvement in memory and in intellectual performance. It has also been suggested that the loss of astrocyte functions may precede neurodegeneration and that aluminum could be a contributing factor [1]. Astrocytes are the principal target of the toxic action of aluminum [2] and it can cause astrocyte death through apoptosis [3]. Conclusion: ACE may be considered an efficacious therapeutic strategy to alleviate Amyloid-β plaques. It is recommended that AL not be used in cooking utensils, water tubes, and to control occupational exposure.

This chapter provides a brief overview of the history of behavioral neurology, dividing it roughly into six eras. In the ancient and classical eras, emphasis is placed on two transitions: firstly, from descriptions of head trauma and attempted neurosurgical treatments to the exploratory dissections during the Hellenistic period and the replacement of cardiocentrism; and secondly, to the more systematic investigations of Galenus and the rise of pneumatic ventricular theory. In the medieval through post-Renaissance eras, the scholastic consolidation of knowledge and the role of compendia are emphasized, along with the use of new methods from within a mechanistic framework. With the discovery of electrical conductance and the rise of experimentalism, we frame the modern era as period of intense debate over localization, decomposition, and other mechanistic principles, and marked by rapid discovery about the brain. The chapter ends with a discussion of the contemporary era, focusing on the establishment of behavioral neurology research on aphasia, apraxia, and neuropsychiatric conditions.

It is precisely this new development that forms the core of my research as a Nickerson Fellow in Neuro-History, namely to determine the theoretical, methodological, and pragmatic factors that were merged in creation of new and ground-breaking forms of research organization in the neurosciences. The methodological and practical differentiation of such programs was reflected and 􏰋􏰅􏰉􏰋􏰀􏰏􏰌􏱁􏰌􏰃embedded in the architecture, organization, and function of 􏰉􏰌􏰊􏰏􏰈􏰇􏰃􏰂􏰌􏰉􏰍􏰂􏰑􏰃neuroscientific inquiry in new centres of research.  Centres such as the MNI were built to support the modern interdisciplinary 􏰅􏰖􏰖􏰏􏰈􏰅􏰃􏰁approach of neuroscientific research as  􏰉􏰌􏰊􏰏􏰈􏰇􏰃􏰂􏰌􏰉􏰍􏰂􏰑􏰃 􏰏􏰌􏰇􏰌􏰅􏰏􏰃􏰁"Gemeinschaftsarbeiten", or collaborative research projects, and in response to greater social demands in Montreal, Breslau, and elsewhere in North America and Europe.  My research will result in a new monograph 􏰒􏰌􏰏􏰂􏰃􏰅entitled "The Making of a New Research Field: On the Pursuit of Interdisciplinarity in the German Neuromorphological Sciences, 1910-1945", which describes some of the deep transformations during the formative decades that led to the emergence of neuroscience as a new research field. 􏰉􏰌􏰊􏰏􏰈􏰇􏰃􏰂􏰌􏰉􏰃􏰌 􏰅􏰇 􏰅 􏰉􏰌􏰀 􏰏􏰌

In general, people seeing a therapist are better off than those who do not seek treatment or on waitlists; the results of numerous studies consistently reveal those receiving therapy are better off than those on waitlists or not receiving treatment with effect sizes ranging between 0.8 and 1.2 [1-5]. Simply stated, psychotherapy works. However, results of recent studies suggest that psychological treatments have not significantly improved over the last four decades [6]. Although not extensively discussed, the failure to address dropouts in psychotherapy is one of the biggest challenges facing our field. Research to date suggests that premature termination or dropout averages about 47% [7]; for children and adolescents, the range varies from 28% to 85% [8-9]. Moreover, results of outcome research also reveal the following alarming statistics: 1. A significant percentage (30% to 50%) of clients do not benefit from therapy [2,10]. 2. Deterioration rates among adult client's range between 12% and 20% [11]. 3. It is estimated that the clients who do not benefit or deteriorate while in psychotherapy are responsible for 60-70% of the total expenditures in the health care system [6]. Perhaps most importantly, clinicians fail to identify those clients not progressing, deteriorating, or at risk for dropping out of treatment (Hannan et al., 2005). Thus, the challenge for the field and researchers alike is to better understand why we have not been able to improve on existing models and treatment conceptualizations to develop new paradigms for helping clients. The purpose of this commentary is to describe possible reasons for the lack of improvement based on our clinical and research experiences and provide recommendations for rethinking points of emphasis in the therapeutic process. Perhaps the stagnation of outcomes is related to the failure of the field to adapt to societal changes over time. The changing configuration of families has had tremendous implications for individuals and families as well as the therapists working with these clients. Two-parents working, single-parent families, same sex parents, and grandparents filling the role of primary caregivers have become increasingly common, with each creating its own unique challenges for family members and therapists in terms of engaging clients into treatment. In addition, the increased (and often excessive) use of technology has had unintended negative consequences on the development of socialization skills and resulted in increasing isolation and withdrawal, especially among children and adolescents. Moreover, increasingly more numbers of children and adolescents are reporting anxiety and depression, which may be in part be related to stressful home environments, increased standards and demands at school, and unhealthy uses of social media. Taken as a whole, perhaps these factors speak to a larger issue-a lack of meaningful connection with others. Psychotherapy has become more mainstream and accessible which is very encouraging; however, in some cases, it may also serve as a proxy for human connection. Many clients present without a clear focus and struggle to develop specific goals yet report that therapy is helpful or effective. Given the changing motivations for seeking help, it is imperative that therapists consistently reflect on their work and whether it is truly effective in a therapeutic and clinically

Si bien actualmente hay evidencia limitada sobre las consecuencias a largo plazo de las enfermedades cerebrales neurodegenerativas y mediadas por inflamación asociadas con COVID-19, sería fundamental seguir las investigaciones sobre si estas comorbilidades son factores de riesgo para COVID-19.

Humans were formed when their brains changed. They gained technical skills and lost communication skills. The result was violence far in excess of all other creatures and damage has been inflicted on everything from our planet to ourselves. At last, mass communication by technology may compensate for inherent inadequacy if we learn to manage ourselves. When Did It All Go Wrong? It has always been wrong. There were other hominids, Denisovans, Neandertals and so on and we did a bit of breeding with them and then killed them. Why live happily with others when you can kill them? We always kill. We kill each other, animals, plants and our planet. It's what we do. We are humans. We are very successful.

We present a case of a 19-year-old male who presented with history of headache and seizures of 3 years duration. There was unilateral lateral ventricle hydrocephalous. One of the two lateral ventricles was dilated. Idiopathic stenosis of foremen of Monro was found. It is one of the important causes, though it is a rare entity. Delayed clinical presentation may lead to delay in the diagnosis and thus causing delay in surgical planning if required.

Pharmacognostic evaluation of medicinal plants may assess their current applications and possibly results in finding new active components. In this study, ash and extractive values and high performance thin layer chromatography fingerprints of Alyssum homolocarpum (Brassicaceae) seed extracts were investigated to elucidate its composition. Differential scanning calorimetry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis were employed to determine the components of A. homolocarpum seed oil (AHO). Neurosphere assay, in vitro differentiation and immunofluorescence analysis were performed to evaluate the effects of oral administration of AHO (0.5 or 1 g/kg/day for 14 days) on proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in adult male BALB/c mice. Total, acid-insoluble and water-soluble ash values were determined as 45.83 ± 5.85, 6.67 ± 2.89 and 28.33 ± 2.89 mg/g, respectively. The extractive values were 4.90, 0.43 and 0.56 % (w/w) for n-hexane, dichloromethane and eth...

The "Rigid adherence to the arbitrary principle of quantification" excludes facts outside laboratory settings such as genocides generated by instincts connected with outgroups.
- And this at acritical time for America: "Polls estimate between 15 million and 26 million people participated in the United States, making these protests potentially the largest movement in terms of participation in U.S. history." (Wikipedia)   
As Claudia Nielsen pointed out, the psychiatrist McGilChrist astutely observed that “The scope of inquiry and understanding of the Materialist Doctrine with its rigid adherence to the actually arbitrary principle of quantification and over-emphasis on physiological characteristics is severely restricted and limited in the analyses that can be performed.” The inevitable result of the seriously restricted methodology of the Materialist Doctrine is that many observations, data, and outcomes will also needless to say, also be restricted.
Kay Deaux, in her analysis of group related studies and theories observed that the (Materialist) bias for quantification-laboratory experiments “precluded” “affective displays” because it is well known that emotions are notoriously subjective and not easily quantified. She goes on to emphasize that “In contrast, natural groups, whether family, fraternity, or nation, are often the arena for intense displays of emotion and strong affective ties.” (p. 794 Handbook) The end result is that none of social sciences’ analyses of racism include the characteristic of intense displays of emotion. However, even a precursory overview of intergroup conflict involving genocides and atrocities reveals horrifically powerful emotions connected group-related instincts which historically include the most extreme forms of violence known to mankind.

This preliminary quantitative EEG study explores the differences in cortical activation patterns of subjects immediately following art making and following rote motor tasks of coin tossing and pencil rotation. It is hypothesized that a sustained, statistically significant difference from baseline occurs in cortical activity patterns, in respect to power and frequency, after art making, and after the performance of non creative rote motor tasks, and that such differences can be detected and quantified with the electroencephalogram (EEG). Ten consenting study subjects underwent EEG recording prior to, during, and after art making and rote motor tasks. Baseline control recordings prior to either task showed minimal changes in EEG power. In comparison, recording made immediately following art making showed a consistent pattern of increased power over the baseline EEG in specific frequencies over both hemispheres, which persisted through the end of the 12 minutes that data was collected. Recordings made immediately following performance of the rote motor tasks also showed a consistent pattern of increased power over the baseline EEG in specific frequencies over both hemispheres. The increase in power seen after art making was greater than the increase in power seen after the rote motor tasks. These preliminary findings suggest that EEG may be a meaningful tool for quantifying cortical activation in the study of creative arts. This study will be expanded to include comparisons of the data during art-making and during motor tasks. It points to further exploration of this methodology and the expansion of more advanced techniques using Mobile Brain Body Imaging (MoBI) in experimental designs. This technique may provide an easily accessible method of quantitative measurement for evaluating aspects of brain activity and function in the study of the neuro scientific basis of creative arts, neuron aesthetics, and art therapy.

Significance: Dystonia is a dynamic and complex disorder. Real-time analysis of brain activity during motor tasks may increase our knowledge on its pathophysiology. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a noninvasive method that enables the measurement of cortical hemo-dynamic activity in unconstrained environments. Aim: We aimed to explore the feasibility of using fNIRS for the study of task-related brain activity in dystonia. Task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and resting-state functional connectivity were also analyzed. Approach: Patients with idiopathic right-upper limb dystonia and controls were assessed through nonsimultaneous fMRI and fNIRS during a finger-tapping task. Seed-based connectiv-ity analysis of resting-state fMRI was performed in both groups. Results: The fMRI results suggest nonspecific activation of the cerebellum and occipital lobe in dystonia patients during the finger-tapping task with the affected hand. Moreover, fNIRS data show lower activation in terms of oxyhemoglobin and total hemoglobin in the frontal, ipsilateral cortex, and somatosensory areas during this task. In dystonia, both fMRI and fNIRS data resulted in hypoactivation of the frontal cortex during finger tapping with both hands simultaneously. Resting-state functional connectivity analysis suggests that the cerebellar somatomotor network in dystonia has an increased correlation with the medial prefrontal cortex and the paracingulate gyrus. Conclusions: These data suggest that unbalanced activation of the cerebellum, somatosensory, and frontal cortical areas are associated with dystonia. To our knowledge, this is the first study using fNIRS to explore the pathophysiology of dystonia. We show that fNIRS and fMRI are complementary methods and highlight the potential of fNIRS for the study of dystonia and other movement disorders as it can overcome movement restrictions, enabling experiments in more naturalistic conditions.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the mental disorder experienced by children worldwide. ADHD when not treated at the childhood it can also exacerbate through the adulthood. Some of the symptoms includes hyperactivity, poor attention and impulsivity typical in children with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Occupational therapy is one of the most focused interventions for children with ADHD, the therapy techniques focus on play skills, sensory integrations, cognitive skills and motor functions. Moreover the occupational therapy interventions yield progressive results but however there were few limitations that has to be considered in terms of study design, interventional techniques used and the desired outcome measures. In this study occupational multi-dimensional model of practice is used as the primary intervention, which uses a multi-dimensional analysis and understanding of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and efficient management technique. The framework of the study was altered according to the specific co conditions experienced by the children in the study .The clinical study was carried out with occupational therapists with proper clinical analysis and study date was collected based on previous neurological condition of the children involved in the study. The analysis was carried out in three particular levels that include neurological level, psychological level and behavioral level.

A discussion of well-known German-American neurologist, psychiatrist, and psychologist Kurt Goldstein (1878-1965) as a prime example of eugenic thought—highlighting the interrelated nature of eugenic issues in the United States, Europe, and Canada at the beginning of the twentieth century—is quite paradoxical in several ways. By many scholars, Goldstein is regarded as an impressive interdisciplinary researcher who made numerous and lasting contributions to the fields of clinical neurology, brain psychiatry, experimental psychology, medical rehabilitation, and philosophical anthropology—in both the German-speaking and North American communities, following his forced emigration to the United States in 1935. Goldstein attempted to combine the analytical approach of classical neurology with a new holistic theory of brain function, while also integrating the insights of the contemporary “Gestalt theory” developed among clinical and experimental psychologists. In his clinical departments at the Universities of Frankfurt am Main and Berlin, Goldstein had educated hundreds of medical and psychology students and residents not only in basic brain research and neuropathology but in broader psychoanalytic and clinicopathological methodologies as well, emphasizing the distinct need for a more humanistic attitude in future generations of medical doctors. From the perspective of the history of eugenics, one might be quite astonished to find Goldstein an early representative of what later became a drastic and inhumane movement worldwide. This is particularly so given his major achievements in holist neurology just mentioned, but also because of his peculiar biography as a German-born physician-scientist with early eugenicist inclinations who later became a victim of the Nazi regime in Germany. After the seizure of power by the Nazi Party on January 1933, Goldstein—who was perceived as a Jewish physician, psychoanalyst, and medical doctor with socialist inclinations—was forced to leave Germany the same year.

Neurotic disorders (NDs) are among the most common mental diseases leading to a decrease in the quality of life, lack of socialization, and increased mortality. The diagnosis and treatment of all types of NDs are challenging. In the light of the ongoing search for an effective and safe therapeutic strategy influencing certain aspects of ND pathogenesis, technologically processed highly diluted antibodies to S100 protein (TP Abs to S100) seem to be a promising treatment option for patients with NDs. TP Abs to S100 possess stress-protective, anxiolytic, antidepressant, antiamnestic, and neuroprotective activities. In the current review, we describe the mechanisms of action and pharmacological effects of TP Abs to S100 demonstrated in nonclinical (preclinical) and clinical studies. Based on the data, we tried to evaluate the future prospects of the TP Abs to S100 as the drug of choice for ND treatment.

Der Aufbau des Organismus ist das Hauptwerk des deutsch-amerikanischen Neurologen und Psychiaters Kurt Goldstein (1878-1965). Erstmals seit 1934 erscheint es nun in einer neuen deutschsprachigen Ausgabe. Im Spannungsfeld von Neurologie, Psychologie und Philosophie entwarf Kurt Goldstein im niederländischen Exil eine ganzheitliche Theorie des Aufbaus und der Funktion des menschlichen Organismus, die eine völlig neue Sicht auf die menschliche Psyche und die Funktionsweise des Gehirns ermöglichte. Sein Werk zählt nicht nur zu den Klassikern der modernen Neuropsychologie, sondern prägte auch so unterschiedliche Strömungen wie die Phänomenologie in Frankreich (Merleau- Ponty), die humanistische Psychologie in den USA (Maslow, Rogers) und die Kulturhistorische Schule der russischen Psychologie (Wygotski, Luria, Leontjew). In der Nachkriegszeit in Deutschland weitgehend verdrängt und vergessen, wartete dieses Buch lange auf seine Wiederentdeckung. Angesichts der aktuellen Diskussion des Le...