Neuroscience Journal of Shefaye Khatam
Year:2016 | Volume:4 | Issue:3|Papers Count:11

Introduction: Decision process is an accumulation-to-bound mechanism, in which momentary sensory evidence is accumulated over time toward a criterion level. This bounded evidence accumulation is represented in the activity of neurons in the lateral intraparietal (LIP) cortex. Whether the firing rate of LIP neuron contains post decision information (PDI) or returns to baseline level as soon as decision made needs to be clarified.Materials and Methods: To investigate this issue, we conducted behavioral experiments based on the two forced-choice discrimination of motion direction. Human subjects reported the net direction of stochastic random dot motion by pressing a key of specified keys associated with the two possible directions of motion. Trials were separated by different time gaps.Results: Results showed that there is a preference in subjects to make a same decision as their pervious decision, especially in weak stimuli.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the value of decision variable (DV) after crossing the bound (named PDI) may accumulate with DV for the next decisions.

Introduction: Feeling stressed is common during pregnancy and some pregnant women experience some level of anxiety. Prenatal Stress alters the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of infants and affects glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus. Many researchers have described the deacetylase histone inhibitors as a new group of drugs that improve the longterm memory formation. These drugs can improve memory in normal animals as well as in animal with brain disorders. The objective of this study was to study the neuroprotective effects of sodium butyrate, as a histone deacetylase inhibitor, on improving cognitive functions in new born rats born of stressed mother.Materials and Methods: 15 pregnant female rats received foot shock (5 times per day and at the current intensity of 1 mA and frequency of 50 MHz with 3 Minutes intervals for 2 seconds) between day 12 to day 18 of pregnancy. Infants born to these mothers were classified in three treatment groups, including Shock, shock+sodium butyrate 0.35 grams per liter, and shock +sodium butyrate 3.5 grams per liter. Infants born to mothers who were not under any shock during their pregnancy were used as the control group. To assess the working memory, Y maze test was performed on postnatal 30 and 60 days. Then, serum level of neural growth factor was measured by ELISA.Results: Periodic behaviors were significantly decreased in shock group. A significant increase in the group receiving sodium butyrate was observed compared to the control group. Besides, sodium butyrate administration increased serum level of neural growth factor. Working memory and serum level of neural growth factor in foot shock stress model were decreased.Conclusion: Administration of sodium butyrate revealed a neuroprotective effect probably via increase of neural growth factor and may improve the cognitive function of infants with prenatal stress.

Introduction: cognitive flexibility and self-differentiation are the appropriate models for understanding psychological problems through which people can meet various challenges. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive flexibility and self-differentiation with psychological problems among female students in Allameh Tabataba’i University.Materials and Methods: The method of this study was descriptive-correlational and statistical population was comprised of all female students at Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran who have been studying between 2014-2015. Using random multiple cluster sampling method, a group of 380 students were selected. Tools were questionnaires of cognitive flexibility, self-differentiation and symptoms checklist (SCL-90-R). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistical parameters, correlation coefficient, and regression analysis.Results: Analysis revealed a significant correlation between total score of psychological problems with cognitive flexibility and self-differentiation. In addition, the results of multiple regression analysis showed that cognitive flexibility and self-differentiation can explain different kinds and levels of psychological problems in students.Conclusion: study of cognitive flexibility and self-differentiation are efficient methods to understand the underlying factors associated with psychological problems. Evaluation of these factors can lead to a new approach in prevention and treatment of psychological problems.

Introduction: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disease in young adults. In addition to physical problems, MS is associated with significant psychological effects, such as cognitive, mood, and behavioral deficits. Given the high prevalence of this disorder and effects on cognitive and psychological functions, the aim of the present research was to evaluate the effect of cognitive rehabilitation on cognitive function, memory, depression, and anxiety in patients with MS.Materials and Methods: Six patients with diagnostic criteria for MS, both men and women with the age between 20 and 40 years, at least high school diploma education and having participation motivation were selected. Research tools were included DASS scale, Wechsler Memory scale, and Wisconsin Card Sorting test. The Patients were trained for cognitive rehabilitation for three months. Clinical Results were compared before and after the treatment, and finally, the obtained data were analyzed.Results: Cognitive rehabilitation induced significant and considerable improvement in cognitive functions, memory, anxiety, and depression of all patients.Conclusion: This study suggested the possibility of improvement in the cognitive abilities and psychological health of MS patients by cognitive rehabilitation. This finding emphasizes the necessity of new rehabilitation methods for treatment of patients with MS.

Emotional intelligence is considered as a most important component of mental and physical health. The main aim of the present study was to study the effects of emotional intelligence training on mental health among patients hospitalized in caediology department of Shahid Modares Hospital, Tehran, Iran.Materials and Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental design and the corpus was all hospitalized women with coronary artery disease. Of these, 30 were selected by accessible sampling and were randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control groups. After evaluatation of mental health by general health questionnaire (GHQ), Emotional intelligence training course was taught to the experimental group in seven Ninety - minute sessions. After completion of the training process, both experimental and control groups were evaluated by the GHQ questionnaires again.Results: The findings revealed that emotional intelligence training course increased the rate of mental health as well as different components of social performance and reduced the rate of depression and physical symptoms in experimental group. However, this training had no effect on anxiety level in these patients.Conclusion: The emotional intelligence training has an important role in increase the rate of mental health among women with coronary artery disease. This training can be used in revention and remedial interventions programs, like educational programs for patients with cardiovascular disease.

Introduction: In recent years, the thought patterns in emotional disorders and its role in the continuance of these disorders has greatly drawn attention of the clinical professionals and researchers. The purpose of this study was to offer a causal model for rumination based on positive and negative psychological variables.Materials and Methods: The statistical population in this study included all the students of the Islamic Azad University of Garmsar in the academic year of 2014-2015. Out of these students, 300 persons were selected through an accessible sampling method. First, the instrument of the research was Response Styles Scale of Nolen-Hoeksema, self-compassion scale of Neff, mindfulness scale of Brown & Ryan, and test of Self-Conscious Affect-2 of Tangney and et al. The structural components of the variables were determined using factor analysis and a conceptual model was developed based on psychological variables, then hypothetical model tested by path analysis.Results: Mindfulness directly had a negative effect on rumination and could predict it positively via brooding. Self-compassion directly had a negative effect on rumination and could predict it negatively via brooding. Shame directly had a positive effect on rumination and could predict it positively via brooding. Guilt directly had a positive effect on rumination and could predict it positively via reflection.Conclusion: Among different variables and subfactors, brooding subfactor directly and self-compassion indirectly had the highest share in predicting rumination.

Introduction: An effort to establish phylogenetic values for the major gamma-Aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptor subunit mRNAs a, b, g, d, e, q, p could be improved our knowledge on their classification and function. In addition, the similarities and divergences between different species can be important to determine the function of these receptors.Materials and Methods: After alignment of mRNA complete gene sequences of GABAA subunits in homosapinse and rattus norvegicus species, the phylogenetic tree were constructed with CLC Main Workbench 5.5 software.Results: The results revealed highly similarities between GABAA subunits of homosapience and rattus norvegicus. In addition, these findings illustrated some divergences between b1, b2, b3, g1, g2, e and q subunits with other subunits.Conclusion: The similarities and divergences among various GABAA subunits may be an important cause of different distribution and function of GABAA subunits in different region of the central nervous system.

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is described by structural and functional disturbances of the human brain. The amyloid fibril proteins are located and deposited inside neurons as neurofibrillary tangles. These are also deposited extracellular compartment as amyloid plaques. These changes are accompanied by the progressive disorder and loss of nerve cells that are accountable for the loading and managing of information. Finally, AD patients are suffering from loss of memory and cognitive abilities with intense behavior changes. The world’s population is getting older; an estimated 35 million have dementia worldwide and it is predicted to increase to 65 million by 2030.Conclusion: Nowadays, the certain diagnosis of AD in the early stages is difficult. Although definite early diagnosis can be obtained by biopsy, probable diagnosis through clinical symptoms is crucial. Unexpected numbers of people are at the risk of AD. This issue needs more effort to finding the effective preventive-therapeutic measures. Improving our knowledge on the exact mechanism of AD is important in designing of these approaches.

Introduction: Pain is a major symptom in many medical conditions and is significantly associated with alteration of the quality of life and individual as well as overall performance. Pain is one of the main problems in patient with spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injury is one of the causes of chronic pain that occurs due to temporary or permanent changes in spinal cord function. Traffic accidents, war injuries and sports injuries are the major reasons. Clinical decision support system separates intelligently expert’s information and knowledge for physician, health professionals, and patients as well as other individuals and represents the knowledge in right time to provide more efficient treatment and health care. Automated health information systems are gathering data and information to support the integration of managerial decisionmaking processes.Conclusion: Paper-based systems are not suitable for repetitive clinical evaluations of patients with spinal cord injury. Design and implementation of automated systems for gathering information in pain management and physician assistant to medical decision making for pain diagnosis in patients with spinal cord injury are very effective. This system may use different artificial intelligence techniques, including Bayesian networks, artificial neural network, decision trees, and fuzzy logic.

Introduction: Parkinson disease (PD) is a severe and progressive neurodegenerative disorder in the central nervous system. The most features of this disease are several parts-substantia nigra compacta cell-loss, and accumulation of aggregated a-synuclein in specific brain stem, spinal cord, and cortical regions. The main risk factors are age and environmental factors. Several genes have been identified for inheritance PD. Identification of these genes had been leaded to provide new solutions. Dopamine replacement therapy and commonly used drugs significantly reduce motor handicaps and had a positive effect on the quality of life improvement. Animal models are important in investigation of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of PD and therapeutic strategies.Conclusion: Despite numerous models to induce PD, MPTP and 6-OHDA models have been more frequently used. In this study, the most important factors involved in the pathophysiology of PD as well as the most current animal models, are described.

Brain injuries occur as a result of sudden and severe collision of head to hard object which can be mild, moderate, or severe. Epilepsy, persistent headaches, brain hemorrhage, infection, stroke, dementia, mental retardation, brain death, psychological and mood disorders as well as hormonal disorders are the consequences of brain injuries which sometimes remain persistent throughout the whole life. The leading causes of traumatic brain injury are car accidents, falls, physical violence, accidents during work, accidents inside the home, and sport accidents. The most important cause of head trauma in Iran is traffic accidents. Each year more than 700 thousand people injured in road accidents that most of them are suffering from head trauma. Each year several thousand people kill in road accident that imposes a large economic burden on the national healthcare system In Iran. The number of road accidents in Iran is about 20 times more than the global average norm. Each nineteen minutes, one person dies in a traffic accident. Given the high rate of mortalities due to the brain injuries, Shefa Neuroscience Research Center, Khatam Alanbia Hospital affiliated with the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs has begun to have some preventive measures on the brain and spinal cord injuries. These activities include holding international congresses, publishing books and brochures as well as holding scientific workshops. The main purpose of holding international road safety congress is to present a plan to prevent the brain injuries which was fulfilled with the cooperation of different national and international organizations during the last five years.Conclusion: Prevention of traffic accidents and improving public knowledge are the main missions for our program. Shefa Neuroscience Research Center is trying to gather responsible groups and organizations during annual international congresses. It is also aimed to decrease the number of accidents using the experiences of leading successful countries.