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The depressions are a heterogeneous group of conditions. This is particularly true when depressive symptoms are experienced in the setting of coarse brain disease. Here the clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, [...]

Byline: Ishita. Desai, Niraj. Kumar, Vinay. Goyal Tic disorders (TDs) are a group of common neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood and adolescence. TDs may impact the physical, emotional, and social well-being [...]

This study examined performance on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neurological Status (RBANS), a brief neuropsychological test battery of cognitive function, in participants with two levels of sub-clinical autistic symptoms as quantified by the Autism Spectrum Quotient (ASQ). Participants were non-clinical college participants classified as displaying either Low (0-15 ASQ score, n = 183) ASQ traits or High (16 or higher ASQ score, n = 91) ASQ traits. Participants were given the ASQ and the RBANS. High ASQ subjects scored lower on Picture Naming (p < .02), Semantic Fluency (p < .05), Story Recall (p < .04) and the Language Index (p < .01)., Author(s): F. Richard Ferraro [sup.1], Rachel Hansen [sup.1], Lindsey Deling [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.266862.e, 0000 0004 1936 8163, Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, , 2921 Columbia Hall [...]

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) affect essential functions not only in the CNS, but also cause persistent gut dysfunctions, suggesting that they have an impact on both CNS and gut- innervating neurons. Although the CNS biology of NDs continues to be well studied, how gut-innervating neurons, including those that connect the gut to the brain, are affected by or involved in the etiology of these debilitating and progressive disorders has been understudied. Studies in recent years have shown how CNS and gut biology, aided by the gut-brain connecting neurons, modulate each other's functions. These studies underscore the importance of exploring the gut-innervating and gut-brain connecting neurons of the CNS and gut function in health, as well as the etiology and progression of dysfunction in NDs. In this Review, we discuss our current understanding of how the various gut-innervating neurons and gut physiology are involved in the etiology of NDs, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, to cause progressive CNS and persistent gut dysfunction., Neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) are chronic and progressive disorders that disproportionately affect the elderly and have been characterized by selective loss of neurons in the CNS (1). Their prevalence is increasing--partly [...]

Background Cannabinoid-based medicines (CBMs) are being used widely in the elderly. However, their safety and tolerability in older adults remains unclear. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of safety and tolerability of CBMs in adults of age [greater than or equal to]50 years. Methods and findings A systematic search was performed using MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL PsychInfo, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov (1 January 1990 to 3 October 2020). Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) of CBMs in those with mean age of [greater than or equal to]50 years for all indications, evaluating the safety/tolerability of CBMs where adverse events have been quantified, were included. Study quality was assessed using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) criteria and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Two reviewers conducted all review stages independently. Where possible, data were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. Effect sizes were calculated as incident rate ratio (IRR) for outcome data such as adverse events (AEs), serious AEs (SAEs), and death and risk ratio (RR) for withdrawal from study and reported separately for studies using tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), THC:cannabidiol (CBD) combination, and CBD. A total of 46 RCTs were identified as suitable for inclusion of which 31 (67%) were conducted in the United Kingdom and Europe. There were 6,216 patients (mean age 58.6 ± 7.5 years; 51% male) included in the analysis, with 3,469 receiving CBMs. Compared with controls, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing CBMs significantly increased the incidence of all-cause and treatment-related AEs: THC alone (IRR: 1.42 [95% CI, 1.12 to 1.78]) and (IRR: 1.60 [95% CI, 1.26 to 2.04]); THC:CBD combination (IRR: 1.58 [95% CI,1.26 to 1.98]) and (IRR: 1.70 [95% CI,1.24 to 2.33]), respectively. IRRs of SAEs and deaths were not significantly greater under CBMs containing THC with or without CBD. THC:CBD combination (RR: 1.40 [95% CI, 1.08 to 1.80]) but not THC alone (RR: 1.18 [95% CI, 0.89 to 1.57]) significantly increased risk of AE-related withdrawals. CBD alone did not increase the incidence of all-cause AEs (IRR: 1.02 [95% CI, 0.90 to 1.16]) or other outcomes as per qualitative synthesis. AE-related withdrawals were significantly associated with THC dose in THC only [QM (df = 1) = 4.696, p = 0.03] and THC:CBD combination treatment ([QM (df = 1) = 4.554, p = 0.033]. THC-containing CBMs significantly increased incidence of dry mouth, dizziness/light-headedness, and somnolence/drowsiness. Study limitations include inability to fully exclude data from those Conclusions This pooled analysis, using data from RCTs with mean participant age [greater than or equal to]50 years, suggests that although THC-containing CBMs are associated with side effects, CBMs in general are safe and acceptable in older adults. However, THC:CBD combinations may be less acceptable in the dose ranges used and their tolerability may be different in adults over 65 or 75 years of age., Author(s): Latha Velayudhan 1, Katie McGoohan 1, Sagnik Bhattacharyya 2,* Introduction The cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa L.) has been used worldwide both for recreational and medicinal purposes for thousands of [...]

Individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are thought to encounter planning difficulties, but experimental research regarding the mastery of planning in ASD is inconsistent. By means of a meta-analysis of 50 planning studies with a combined sample size of 1755 individuals with and 1642 without ASD, we aim to determine whether planning difficulties do exist and which factors contribute to this. Planning problems were evident in individuals with ASD (Hedges'g = 0.52), even when taking publication bias into account (Hedges'g = 0.37). Neither age, nor task-type, nor IQ reduced the observed heterogeneity, suggesting that these were not crucial moderators within the current meta-analysis. However, while we showed that ASD individuals encounter planning difficulties, the bias towards publishing positive findings restricts strong conclusions regarding the role of potential moderators., Author(s): Linda M. E. Olde Dubbelink [sup.1] [sup.2] , Hilde M. Geurts [sup.1] [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) Dr. Leo Kannerhuis, Houtsniplaan 1, 6865 XZ, Doowerth, The Netherlands (2) 0000000084992262grid.7177.6Dutch Autism [...]

Byline: Sulakshana. Sulakshana, Shashi. Prakash Hyponatremia causing seizure is a common cause for admission in the critical care unit. Here, we describe a peculiar case of seizure due to hyponatremia, [...]

Byline: Paresh. Doshi It has been three decades since the first application of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for tremors was described by Benabid. Over the years, the indications for the [...]

Using a modified version of the Virtual Errands Task (VET; McGeorge et al. in Presence-Teleop Virtual Environ 10(4):375-383, 2001), we investigated the executive ability of multitasking in 18 high-functioning adolescents with ASD and 18 typically developing adolescents. The VET requires multitasking (Law et al. in Acta Psychol 122(1):27-44, 2006) because there is a limited amount of time in which to complete the errands. ANCOVA revealed that the ASD group completed fewer tasks, broke more rules and rigidly followed the task list in the order of presentation. Our findings suggest that executive problems of planning inflexibility, inhibition, as well as difficulties with prospective memory (remembering to carry out intentions) may lie behind multitasking difficulties in ASD. Keywords Autism * ASD * Multitasking * Executive functions Virtual environment, Introduction In recent years, one of most influential cognitive theories of autism has been the executive dysfunction hypothesis. Despite a substantive body of research, however, findings have been mixed as [...]

Purpose: This article reports a study in which referential communication in 11 individuals with Asperger syndrome (AS) and 11 controls was compared between text chat and telephone, using a route-solving task. Method: Participants deduced routes by asking closed questions, and the dependent variables were (a) accuracy in working out the route, (b) number of questions posed (turns taken), and (c) time taken to complete the task. Results: Generally, individuals with AS were equally competent in solving the task in both media but less efficient than the typically developing comparison group. Individuals with AS who had higher measured executive ability adopted a similar approach to the comparison group, asking about landmarks on the map to deduce the route taken. In contrast, AS participants with lower executive ability used an inefficient left/right questioning strategy, which occupied more time, required more conversational turns, and was associated with a higher rate of error. Conclusion: Individuals with AS, who also have problems of executive functioning, may have difficulty communicating with others to use a route-solving task. KEY WORDS: Asperger syndrome, referential communication, computer, text chat, telephone, Asperger syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is part of the spectrum of autistic disorders. It is a diagnostic label that has been used synonymously with higher functioning autism [...]

Computer-mediated communication in individuals with Asperger syndrome, Tourette syndrome and normal controls was explored with a program called Bubble Dialogue (Gray, Creighton, McMahon, & Cunninghamn (1991)) in which the users [...]

Byline: Kamble. Harsha, Jeevan. Nair Sir, A boy with apparently normal birth and developmental history started having repeated abnormal involuntary movements at 5 years of age. As noticed by his [...]

Byline: Saiju. Jacob Immune-mediated encephalitis (often described as “limbic encephalitis” [LE]) has been described for nearly 50 years, although this was always thought to be paraneoplastic with a progressive course, [...]

Byline: Marina. Jovanovic, Bosanka. Jocic-Jakubi, Dejan. Stevanovic Background: In pediatric epilepsy, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) may be affected across the physical, psychological, social, and school domains. Studies have shown [...]

Byline: Akin. Akakin, Baran. Yilmaz, Kamran. Urgun, Murat. Eksi, Nazire. Afsar, Turker. Kilic Sir, Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. [sup][1] The cardinal symptoms [...]