Neuropsychiatry

Polypharmacy (the concurrent use of more than one psychoactive drug) and other combination interventions are increasingly common for treatment of severe psychiatric problems only partly responsive to monotherapy. This practice and research on it raise scientific, clinical, and ethical issues such as additive side effects, interactions, threshold for adding second drug, appropriate target measures, and (for studies) timing of randomization. One challenging area for treatment is severe child aggression. Com

The current view in numerical cognition research is that multiplication facts are stored and retrieved in a phonological code. Consistent with this view, it was found that multiplication could be impaired by a phonological but not by a visuo-spatial loading task. However, because the authors used an active production task, it remained unclear whether concurrent articulation impaired either access to multiplication facts or their retrieval.|The current view in numerical cognition research is that multiplica

Search the BMJ. Search this site. An international peer-reviewed journal for health professionals and researchers in all areas of neurology and neurosurgery. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2011; 82: 569-573 doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2010.217489. Research

The current view in numerical cognition research is that multiplication facts are stored and retrieved in a phonological code. Consistent with this view, it was found that multiplication could be impaired by a phonological but not by a visuo-spatial loading task. However, because the authors used an active production task, it remained unclear whether concurrent articulation impaired either access to multiplication facts or their retrieval.|The current view in numerical cognition research is that multiplica

Because regulatory approval of cognitive enhancement drugs is likely, physicians may want to consider whether they would condone the practice for restoration of function only or for enhancement purposes as well. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.|Because regulatory approval of cognitive enhancement drugs is likely, physicians may want to consider whether they would condone the practice for restoration of function only or for enhancement purposes as

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is widely used as a plasticizer in plastics. Its reproductive toxicity and teratogenic effects are well known. DEHP can cause liver damage and peroxisome proliferation, as well as carcinogenesis. Animal study has shown that DEHP causes neurodegeneration in rat brain. Prenatal exposure to DEHP disrupts brain development and decreases brain weight in rats. But its mechanism of action in the brain is not clear. This study used a neuroblastoma cell line, Neuro-2a cells, to investigate the toxic effect of DEHP. The results revealed that DEHP inhibits cell proliferation, activate caspase-3, induce apoptosis in a dose and time dependent manner, and activate expression of the PPAR and Trim17 protein. Administration of the PPAR agonist (troglitazone) enhanced DEHP-induced Trim17 protein expression and this enhancement could be reversed by the PPAR antagonist (GW9662). These results suggest that DEHP activates the Trim17 protein via PPAR leading to

The paper gives the results of studying heart rhythm variability in medical students during their study at a higher educational establishment with regard to the typological features of the autonomic nervous system. Significant diferences have been found in both the temporal and spectral parameters of heart rhythm in relation to the dominance of the autonomic nervous system and the time of their studies. Analysis of heart rhythm variability could estimate the total activity of regulatory mechanisms and the ratio between the sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic nervous systems in the students during their study.

Autoimmune retinopathies and optic neuropathies are complex disorders of the retina and the optic nerve, in which patients develop autoantibodies (AAbs) against retinal and optic nerve proteins. Autoimmunity might significantly influence the outcome of retinal and optic nerve degenerative process but the pathogenic process is not fully elucidated. To better understand the role of AAbs in pathogenicity of these suspected autoimmune visual disorders, we focused on unique AAbs specificities associated with the syndrome to identify their antigenic targets in the optic nerve and retina.|Serum samples were obtained from patients, whose visual disorders were potentially autoimmune in nature, including patients with cancer with possible paraneoplastic syndrome. Autoantibodies were tested against human optic nerve and retinal antigens for specificity by Western blotting and immunofluorescence.|Out of 209 tested for anti-optic nerve autoantibodies, 55% showed specific neuronal autoantibodies.

Neuro-endocrine hormone secretion is characterized by circadian rhythmicity. Melatonin, GRH and GH are secreted during the night, CRH and ACTH secretion peak in the morning, determining the circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion, TRH and TSH show circadian variations with higher levels at night. Thyroxine levels do not change with clear circadian rhythmicity. In this paper we have considered a possible influence of cortisol and melatonin on hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis function in humans. Melatonin, cortisol, TRH, TSH and FT4 serum levels were determined in blood samples obtained every four hours for 24 hours from ten healthy males, aged 36-51 years. We correlated hormone serum levels at each sampling time and evaluated the presence of circadian rhythmicity of hormone secretion. In the activity phase (06:00 h-10:00 h-14:00 h) cortisol correlated negatively with FT4, TSH correlated positively with TRH, TRH correlated positively with FT4 and melatonin correlated positively with

Report of an EFNS task force on management of sleep disorders in neurologic disease (degenerative neurologic disorders and stroke).

Care of the patient with conjunctivitis. 2nd edition.

Assessment: botulinum neurotoxin in the treatment of autonomic disorders and pain (an evidence-based review). Report of the Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology.