Neuroscience Journal of Shefaye Khatam
Year:2017 | Volume:5 | Issue:3|Papers Count:10

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating autoimmune disease with an unclear mechanism. MS is characterized by axonal damage, demyelination, and increased inflammation. Cytokines play important roles in the pathogenesis of MS. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between some cytokines with fatigue and aerobic capacity in women with MS.Materials and Methods: 45 women with MS participated in this study. The levels of serum leptin, TNFα, and IL-10 were measured by ELISA method. Fatigue and aerobic capacity were evaluated by fatigue severity scale questionnaire and ergometer cycle incremental test, respectively.Results: Leptin had a significant positive correlation with TNFα, body mass index and fatigue in these patients. Furthermore, leptin had a significant negative correlation with aerobic capacity and aerobic capacity had a significant negative correlation with fatigue and disability scale. While TNFa had a significant positive correlation with fatigue, interlukin-10 had no correlation with other factors.Conclusion: Improvement on aerobic capacity and regular physical activity can be accompanied with decrease in production of inflammatory cytokines and fatigue. This may increase the quality of life in people with MS.

Introduction: Autism is characterized by behavioral impairments in social interaction, language and communication as well as restricted interests and activities. The present study examined stereotypical repetitive behaviors, anxiety, and locomotor as well as exploratory activities in rat model of valproic acid-induced autism.Materials and Methods: Pregnant Spraque dawley rats were administered by either valproic acid (VPA group, 500 mg/kg, n=10) or saline (control group, n=10) during fetal neural tube development on embryonic day 12.5. All male or female offspring were investigated in this study. Stereotypical and anxiety-exploratory behaviors were assessed using Y-maze and open field tests, respectively.Results: A single intra-peritoneal injection of VPA to pregnant rats produced severe autistic-like symptoms in the offspring. The results showed significant behavioral impairments including enhanced stereotyped repetitive behaviors, increased anxiety, and decreased exploratory activities in male rats at postnatal day 30 and 60 compared to female rats.Conclusion: Our data suggest that early embryonic exposure to VPA in rats provides an appropriate model for autism in male offspring.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders. The progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNPC) is the principal cause of symptoms of PD. It has been suggested that ghrelin, a peptide transgenic arc, may play an important role in protecting neurons in SNPC. Furthermore, exercise improves the brain function and upregulates the expression of neurotrophic factor in the striatum. Nicotine affects different types of nicotinic receptors within the nigrostriatal-dopaminergic pathway. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of ghrelin, exercise, and nicotine on catalepsy in reserpine-induced PD model in rats.Materials and Methods: 114 Wistar rats were divided into 19 groups. To induce PD model, reserpine (1 mg/Kg; dissolved in glacial acetic acid solvent 0.03 ml) was injected intrapritoneally (i.p.) and catalepsy was assessed by test bars. Rats in exercise group were forced to have treadmill exercise (5 days a week for 20 minutes at a speed of 24 meters per minute at zero slope). Ghrelin was injected (i.p., 0.1 mg/Kg) for 21 days and nicotine (i.p., 0.002 mg / kg) was injected for 21 days.Results: The catalepsy was significantly reduced in PD rats treated with ghrelin, exercise, and nicotine.Conclusion: A combined treatment with ghrelin, exercise, and nicotine could be a potential treatment for catalepsy in patient with PD.

Introduction: Using analytical hierarchy process (AHP), the aim of this study was to identify and prioritize the factors affecting neuromarketing in sports.Materials and Methods: Societies and statistical samples in qualitative section were including 9 doctors of neurologists and neuroscience professionals and 8 marketers and experts in the field of marketing and neuromarketing. To this end, by preparing the couple scale questionnaires using AHP and confirm its validity by six experts, weighting and ranking of different factors were analyzed by the Expert choice software.Results: Software output analysis revealed that stimulation of the consumer feeling using their five senses (with weight of 0.303) is the most important factor that influence neuromarketing in sports followed by metaphor and memories associative as the second crucial factor. In addition, quality with grade importance was the most important factor in attracting trust component.Conclusion: Identify and prioritize the factors affecting neuromarketing can help the managers and sport marketers to know how human brain reacted to the messages designed by the sport advertising and the methods that increase the likelihood of consumer to purchase sport products. In addition, neuromarketing could be helpful to decrease costs of advertisements in sport.

Introduction: Neurofibromatosis is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disease causing range of symptoms, especially skin lesions, and seriously affects the patients’ quality of life. The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of living with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).Case Description: This qualitative case report examined the experiences of living with NF1 in a 25-year-old woman. The data were collected through interactive semi-structured interviews and analyzed by Van Manen phenomenological approach. Strategies to ensure the rigor of study were prolonged engagement, triangulation, and member checking.Results: Data analysis revealed two main issues, including "fear of the unknown", and "try to cope with". Hiding, dependent on my family, joining social networks, and hope for a cure were other important issues for this patient.Conclusion: Family and social support groups could help the patients in dealing with loneliness, fear and anxiety, and find herself in caring climate with mutual understanding and empathetic connection.

Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a nervous system disorder that often results in loss of motor, sensory, and autonomic functions. There is no definite treatment for SCI. However, cell replacement therapy has shown the potential for the spinal cord repair in SCI animal models. Different types of stem cells, such as mesenchymal and neural stem cells, were utilized for cell therapy in SCI. Stem cells achieved through trophic and immunomodulatory factors. These cells can provide appropriate microenvironment for axon regeneration.Conclusion: Stem cell therapy in SCI lead to reduce the acute inflammatory responses and improve the motor function. Cell therapy is a promising strategy in the treatment of SCI. However, clinical trials are needed to test the efficacy and safety of this treatment.

Introduction: Considering the prevalence of epilepsy and its great impact on patients’ lives, diverse diagnostic and therapeutic techniques have been developed. Long term monitoring (LTM), simultaneous recordings of seizure attack and electroencephalograms, facilitates achieving definite diagnosis and appropriate treatment.Conclusion: Therefore, understanding the foundations of this technique helps neurologists and other interested parties to apply it appropriately.

Introduction: Inflammation is a physiological response of immune system against internal and external harmful stimulus. However, inflammation is a double-edged sword and can be harmful if it is not properly controlled. Nowadays inflammation is considered as an important factor in the pathophysiology of neurological diseases. Neuroinflammation can be as a result of direct damage to the brain tissues or induced by systemic inflammation. This process is characterized by microglial activation, stimulates astrocytes, blood - brain barrier breakdown and consequent increase in the permeability, penetration of peripheral immune cells into parenchyma of the central nervous system, excessive production of cytokines, nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species as well as prostaglandins and finally, neuronal damage and death. In this study, neuroinflammation and its role in the pathophysiology of brain diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, depression, anxiety, epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism are outlined and discussed.Conclusion: Although inflammation has a prominent role in the pathogenesis of neurological diseases, there are no effective and safe treatments to control deregulated inflammatory processes in the brain. The medications usually used to control inflammation are not fully effective in the brain due to lack of BBB penetration. Since many inflammatory processes in the brain is beneficial, modulation of inflammatory responses will be a more efficient therapeutic approach than suppression of inflammatory processes.

Introduction: Deliberate bio-terrorism is deliberated use of bacteria, viruses, toxins or other biological agents (in the form of natural or modified forms) that causes destruction or damage to human, animal, vegetable, natural resources and environmental, industrial or agricultural infrastructure. A wide range of factors can potentially be used as weapons, however, only some of those substances are used as weapon. Various neurological symptoms could be caused by exposure to different biological warfare. Early detection of biological contamination reduces their destructive effects. Early access to appropriate treatment is essential for prevention of damages to the nervous system. Training of medical staffs on the management of neurological symptoms of victims exposed to biological warfare is a crucial for favorable prognosis.Conclusion: Improving our knowledge of clinical syndromes and diseases caused by bio-terrorism is helpful to differentiate from other neurological disorders.

Introduction: Improvement in health and social situations increased life expectancy. The elderly are more likely experience psychological problems, including loss of cognitive functions.Materials and Methods: The aim of this study was to evaluate current cognitive status among the healthy elderly and those with dementia and to compare that with the recent decade. Accordingly, 230 healthy elderlies from the Jahandidegan center and 98 patients with dementia in Tehran were selected by convenience sampling method. In order to test the status of their current cognitive, the RUDAS and MMSE scales and for the assessment of cognitive status last ten years, IQCDE tool were used.Results: The results showed significant differences between the two healthy and dementia groups in current cognitive status as well as in the last ten years. The mean scores of dementia groups were lower than the healthy group.Conclusion: The results suggest that the elderly with dementia experience significant changes in their cognitive statues and they are faced with effective loss in their cognitive status.