Synapsin III gene silencing redeems alpha-synuclein transgenic mice from Parkinson's disease-like phenotype

1. Download : Download high-res image (134KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

抽动障碍患儿的执行功能缺陷

抽动障碍(TD)患儿执行功能的多种成分存在缺陷,表现在工作记忆能力下降,持续性注意和反应抑制、认知灵活性、思维组织性、计划性等方面存在障碍,非语言能力和社交功能损害等。TD患儿如果伴有注意缺陷多动障碍(ADHD)、强迫障碍(OCD)以及孤独症谱系障碍(ASD)等共患病,其执行功能缺陷常常更严重。TD患儿执行功能的某些缺陷与其抽动症状的严重性相关,完整的执行功能发展与抽动症状的缓解过程有关,通过改善TD患儿的执行功能缺陷可以间接地减少TD患儿的抽动症状。     

Do painters need their whole brain to excel?

ABSTRACT

Skilled professional artists are sometimes able to maintain their talents while other cognitive functions deteriorate due to brain diseases. The objective of this study is to asses the preserved artistry of a professional painter in spite of the presence of strokes affecting brain areas implicated in art expression. She had a neurologic evaluation and brain imaging after the stroke; painter-curators analyzed and compared the painter’s pictorial artwork created before and after the stroke. In spite of cerebellar, visuospatial, motor, cognitive, and functional deficits likely related to strokes affecting bilateral cerebellar, left occipital, and right temporal-occipital areas, the patient was able to maintain most of their artistic painting skills.. After a short period of functional recovery, our patient showed discrepancy among their impaired cerebellar cerebral functions in day activities and their preserved painting abilities.     

Three-year outcome after anterior component separation repair of giant ventral hernias: A retrospective analysis of the original technique without mesh

IntroductionIn this study we presented our results with anterior component separation technique utilized in the repair of giant ventral hernias. Our primary endpoints were the rates of surgical site occurrences and recurrence at three years. Besides we investigated the impact of components separation repair on abdominal wall functions.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the prospectively-collected data of 40 patients that were operated on between April 2004 and February 2012 for their median ventral hernias sizing larger than 15 cm in width. Our inclusion criteria for component separation program excellently corresponded today's “giant ventral hernia” standards. The method used for components separation was identical to the original Ramirez technique, and did not comprise of any mesh reinforcement. The ICU stays, prolonged intubation, early and late complications, mortality and recurrences at three years were recorded. We used a curl-up test to demonstrate the amelioration of the abdominal wall functions postoperatively.ResultsThe older age and larger defect size were the significant risk factors necessitating prolonged intensive care. Surgical site occurrences were recorded in 18 patients (45.0%). A total of 7 recurrences (17.5%) were detected at three years. Patients showed a significant improvement in raising their trunks after repair (p < 0.001).ConclusionsOur findings demonstrated that components separation technique in the original form caused excessive wound complications including skin necrosis which in turn caused delayed discharge from the hospital. The 17.5% recurrence rate seemed higher than those of more recent papers. The already-established newer modifications should be integrated in the repair method. The components separation repair clearly improves abdominal wall functions.     

立体定向与神经导航技术在少量大脑半球出血患者中的应用

目的对于少量自发性脑出血伴明显功能障碍的患者是采取保守治疗还是手术,通常有争议性,探讨通过立体定向技术清除血肿对患者预后的改善作用。方法选取近5 a大脑半球出血患者150例(出血量20~30 mL),其中50例采用立体定向技术给予血肿清除术,50例采用导航技术给予血肿清除术,分别为手术组1、手术组2,另50例为药物保守治疗组,对比3组患者的改良Barthel指数评分及mRS评分。结果入组患者单侧肢体肌力<3级,出血量≤30 mL,出血部位为基底节区或丘脑。通过6个月随访,手术组改良Barthel指数评分、mRS评分显著优于保守治疗组。手术组相对保守组有更好的功能改善,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论对于少量自发性脑出血伴明显功能障碍的患者,通过立体定向手术、神经导航技术能显著改善患者的日常生活功能,其中立体定向技术并发症及血肿清除率优于神经导航技术。     

Deciphering the roles of caveolin in neurodegenerative diseases: The good,the bad and the importance of context

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), which contribute to progressive and irreversible impairments of both the structure and function of the nervous system, pose a substantial socioeconomic burden on society. Mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, membrane damage, DNA damage, and abnormal protein degradation pathways play pivotal roles in the etiology of NDDs. Recently, growing evidence has demonstrated that caveolins are important in the pathology of NDDs due to their cellular functions in signal transduction, endocytosis, transcytosis, cholesterol transport, and lipid homeostasis. Given the significance of caveolins, here we review the literature to clarify their molecular mechanisms and roles in NDDs. We first briefly introduce the general background on caveolins. Next, we focus on the various important functions of caveolins in the brain. Finally, we emphasize recent progress regarding caveolins, especially Cav-1, which exert both benefit and unfavorable effects in NDDs such as AD and PD. Collectively, the data presented here should advance the investigation of caveolins for the future development of innovative strategies for the treatment of NDDs.     

Partitioning heritability analyses unveil the genetic architecture of human brain multidimensional functional connectivity patterns

Resting‐state functional connectivity profiles have been increasingly shown to be important endophenotypes that are tightly linked to human cognitive functions and psychiatric diseases, yet the genetic architecture of this multidimensional trait is barely understood. Using a unique sample of 1,704 unrelated, young and healthy Chinese Han individuals, we revealed a significant heritability of functional connectivity patterns in the whole brain and several subnetworks. We further proposed a partitioned heritability analysis for multidimensional functional connectivity patterns, which revealed the common and unique enrichment patterns of the genetic contributions to brain connectivity patterns for several gene sets linked to brain functions, including the genes expressed preferentially in the central nervous system and those associated with intelligence, educational attainment, attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. These results for the first time reveal the genetic architecture of multidimensional brain connectivity patterns across different networks and advance our understanding of the complex relationship between gene sets, neural networks, and behaviors.     

Visuospatial working memory underlies choice-impulsivity in boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

The present study examined the directional relationship between choice-impulsivity and separate indices of phonological and visuospatial working memory performance in boys (aged 8–12 years) with (n = 16) and without ADHD (n = 19). Results indicated that high ratings of overall ADHD, inattention, and hyperactivity were significantly associated with increased impulsivity and poorer phonological and visuospatial working memory performance. Further, results from bias-corrected bootstrapped mediation analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of visuospatial working memory performance, through choice-impulsivity, on overall ADHD, inattention, and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Collectively, the findings suggest that deficits of visuospatial working memory underlie choice-impulsivity, which in turn contributes to the ADHD phenotype. Moreover, these findings are consistent with a growing body of literature that identifies working memory as a central neurocognitive deficit of ADHD.