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Background: It was found that the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic contributed to changes in the epidemiologic and symptomatic pattern of some neurologic disorders. Objectives: The present study investigated the frequency of seizures and their characteristics from February to August 2020 (the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic) compared to the same period the year before. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional-analytical study was performed on patients with seizures in Poursina hospital in Guilan province, Iran, between February and August 2020 and the same period the year before. Patients with seizures at the beginning or during hospitalization with at least one seizure in the desired period were included in the study. Results: The increase in seizure frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic versus last year was statistically significant (P=0.014). It also observed a significant difference in seizure etiology (P=0.032), types (P<0.005), and history of seizure (P<0.001). The most prevalent causes of seizures and stroke before and during the COVID-19 pandemic are unknown. The convulsive status epilepticus increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period by 4-fold. Before the pandemic, the patients had a higher prevalence of seizure history. Conclusion: The frequency of seizures, their types, and etiology changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, signifying that COVID-19 can influence on hospital burden of the seizure population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insomnia is a serious problem after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and partially improves via sleeping pills. We investigated the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with a focus on the role of age and gender. In a randomized double-blind clinical trial, 60 eligible TBI-induced insomnia patients were assigned to real and sham tDCS groups and were treated for three weeks. Sham but not real tDCS took sleeping pills for the first three weeks of the study and then used the placebo until the end of the study. The placebo was used by the real-tDCS group throughout the study. Sleep quality and insomnia severity were respectively evaluated by Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) at three time points. Real tDCS group reported lower mean ISI and PSQI scores at 3 weeks post treatment onset and maintained this decline for six weeks post treatment onset (P < 0.001). In younger participants and those identified as men, the treatment-induced attenuation of the mean PSQI score was reported higher and more lasting in real than sham tDCS groups. Gender and age-specific tDCS protocols may be warranted to optimize the therapeutic effect of tDCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We investigated the therapeutic effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with routine physiotherapy on the neurological and upper limb motor function in ischemic stroke patients with hemiplegia., Methods: In a Randomized double-blind controlled trial study, 52 eligible stroke patients were assigned to real tDCS receiving bihemispheric electrical current with 1.5 mA for 30 minutes over the primary motor cortex, and sham tDCS with a current intensity of 0.5 mA for 30 seconds. Both groups received routine physiotherapy, 5 sessions per week for two weeks. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the Medical Research Council Scale for Muscle Strength were used to assess the neurological and upper limb motor functions, respectively., Results: Both therapeutic approaches begot a significant improvement in upper limb motor function and neurological impairment at the last session of therapy and follow-up study. However, the treatment-induced neurological amelioration at the last session of therapy in real tDCS was significantly more than sham, especially in those identified as female and under 60 years old., Conclusions: A gender and age-specific protocol of real tDCS combined with routine physiotherapy might be beneficial to improve neurological impairment but not upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)