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While the impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behavior is increasingly recognized, human studies examining this question are still scarce. The primary objective of the current study was to explore the potential relationships between the gut microbiota composition, motor cortical excitability at rest and during inhibitory control, as well as behavioral inhibition, in healthy volunteers and in patients suffering from alcohol use disorder. Motor cortical excitability was examined using a range of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) measures probed at rest, including the recruitment curve, short and long intracortical inhibition, and intracortical facilitation within the primary motor cortex. Moreover, TMS was applied during a choice reaction time task to assess changes in motor excitability associated with inhibitory control. Finally, behavioral inhibition was investigated using a neuropsychological task (anti-saccade). Overall, our results highlight several interesting correlations between microbial composition and brain measures. Hence, higher bacterial diversity, as well as higher relative abundances of UGC-002 and Christensenellaceae R-7 group were correlated with stronger changes in motor excitability associated with inhibitory control. Also, higher abundance of Anaerostipes was associated with higher level of corticospinal excitability. Finally, relative abundances of Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium were positively related to performance in the neuropsychological task, suggesting that they might have a positive impact on behavioral inhibition. Although correlation is not causation, the present study suggests that excitatory and inhibitory brain processes might be related to gut microbiota composition.

There is limited convergence in neuroimaging investigations into volumes of subcortical brain regions in social anxiety disorder (SAD). The inconsistent findings may arise from variations in methodological approaches across studies, including sample selection based on age and clinical characteristics. The ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group initiated a global mega-analysis to determine whether differences in subcortical volumes can be detected in adults and adolescents with SAD relative to healthy controls. Volumetric data from 37 international samples with 1115 SAD patients and 2775 controls were obtained from ENIGMA-standardized protocols for image segmentation and quality assurance. Linear mixed-effects analyses were adjusted for comparisons across seven subcortical regions in each hemisphere using family-wise error (FWE)-correction. Mixed-effects d effect sizes were calculated. In the full sample, SAD patients showed smaller bilateral putamen volume than controls (left: d = −0.077, pFWE = 0.037; right: d = −0.104, pFWE = 0.001), and a significant interaction between SAD and age was found for the left putamen (r = −0.034, pFWE = 0.045). Smaller bilateral putamen volumes (left: d = −0.141, pFWE < 0.001; right: d = −0.158, pFWE < 0.001) and larger bilateral pallidum volumes (left: d = 0.129, pFWE = 0.006; right: d = 0.099, pFWE = 0.046) were detected in adult SAD patients relative to controls, but no volumetric differences were apparent in adolescent SAD patients relative to controls. Comorbid anxiety disorders and age of SAD onset were additional determinants of SAD-related volumetric differences in subcortical regions. To conclude, subtle volumetric alterations in subcortical regions in SAD were detected. Heterogeneity in age and clinical characteristics may partly explain inconsistencies in previous findings. The association between alterations in subcortical volumes and SAD illness progression deserves further investigation, especially from adolescence into adulthood.

OBJECTIVE: The European Reference Network on Rare Endocrine Conditions (Endo-ERN) aims to organize high-quality healthcare throughout Europe, including care for pituitary adenoma patients. As surgery is the mainstay of treatment, we aimed to describe the current surgical practice and published surgical outcomes of pituitary adenoma within Endo-ERN. DESIGN AND METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting surgical outcomes of pituitary adenoma patients within Endo-ERN MTG6 pituitary reference centers between 2010 and 2019. A survey was completed by reference centers on their current surgical practice. RESULTS: A total of 18 out of 43 (42%) reference centers located in 7 of the 20 (35%) MTG6-represented countries published 48 articles. Remission rates were 50% (95% CI: 42-59) for patients with acromegaly, 68% (95% CI: 60-75) for Cushing's disease, and 53% (95% CI: 39-66%) for prolactinoma. Gross total resection was achieved in 49% (95% CI: 37-61%) of patients and visual improvement in 78% (95% CI: 68-87). Mortality, hemorrhage, and carotid injury occurred in less than 1% of patients. New-onset hypopituitarism occurred in 16% (95% CI: 11-23), transient diabetes insipidus in 12% (95% CI: 6-21), permanent diabetes insipidus in 4% (95% CI: 3-6), syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) in 9% (95% CI: 5-14), severe epistaxis in 2% (95% CI: 0-4), and cerebrospinal fluid leak in 4% (95% CI: 2-6). Thirty-five (81%) centers completed the survey: 54% were operated endoscopically and 57% were together with an ENT surgeon. CONCLUSION: The results of this study could be used as a first benchmark for the outcomes of pituitary adenoma surgery within Endo-ERN. However, the heterogeneity between studies in the reporting of outcomes hampers comparability and warrants outcome collection through registries.

Different surgical approaches have been described for selective amygdalohippocampectomy in patients with pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy. The aim of this study was to report the results of the innovative anterior trans-superior temporal gyrus approach in a single-center series. Patients' characteristics, postoperative outcomes, and complications were reviewed in a series of 8 consecutive patients with temporal lobe epilepsy operated on using the anterior trans-superior temporal gyrus approach between November 2015 and April 2017. Over a mean 2.5-year follow-up, 7 of 8 patients (87.5%) remained seizure-free (Engel class I). Only 1 patient (12.5%) was not cured (Engel class III) with no clear explanation for treatment failure. Mean operative time was 237 minutes, which was 80 minutes shorter compared with the classic transsylvian approach. No perioperative deaths were recorded and there were no visual field defects or visual acuity impairments secondary to the approach. One patient experienced a left posterior thalamocapsular stroke. The anterior trans-superior temporal gyrus approach is feasible, fast, and safe for selective amygdalohippocampectomy in patients with drug-refractory temporal lobe epilepsy. This approach allows preservation of the optic radiation but cuts part of the uncinate fasciculus and potentially the anterior aspect of the anterior bundle of the middle longitudinal fasciculus.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing disease associated with malnutrition, metabolic disturbances, and gut microbiota alterations that are correlated with the severity of psychological symptoms. This study aims at supplementing AUD patients with prebiotic fiber during alcohol withdrawal, in order to modulate the gut microbiota composition and to evaluate its effect on gastrointestinal tolerance, metabolism, and patient’s behavior. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study included 50 AUD patients assigned to inulin versus maltodextrin daily supplementation for 17 days. Biological measurements (fecal microbial 16S rDNA sequencing, serum biology), dietary intake, validated psychological questionnaires, and gastrointestinal tolerance assessment were performed before and after the intervention. Inulin significantly decreased the richness and evenness and induced changes of 8 genera (q < 0.1) including Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides. Prebiotic had minor effects on gastrointestinal symptoms and nutritional intakes compared to placebo. All patients showed an improvement in depression, anxiety, and craving scores during alcohol withdrawal regardless of the intervention group. Interestingly, only patients treated with inulin significantly improved the sociability score and had an increased serum level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This pilot study shows that inulin is well tolerated and modulates the gut microbiota and the social behavior in AUD patients, without further improving other psychological and biological parameters as compared to placebo. Gut2Brain study, clinicaltrial.gov: NCT03803709, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03803709

Introduction Major Depression Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) often co-occur, but the neurocognitive mechanisms of this co-occurrence remain unknown. Prominent views have pointed to attentional processes as potent mechanisms at play in MDD and GAD, respectively. Yet uncertainty remains regarding the very nature of attentional impairments in patients with co-occurring MDD and GAD. Methods Inspired by contemporary models of attentional networks, we compared the three main attentional networks, namely the orienting, alerting, and executive networks of the Attention Network Task's model, in four groups of patients with, respectively, co-occurring DSM-5 MDD and GAD (n = 30), DSM-5 MDD only (n = 30), DSM-5 GAD only (n = 30), or free from any DSM-5 diagnosis (n = 30). To capture the multivariate nature of our data, we examined between-group differences in the attentional networks through a multivariate analysis of variance. Results Patients with co-occurring MDD and GAD exhibited more severe impairments in the executive control network than those with only one of the disorders. Although patients with MDD or GAD solely did not differ in terms of attentional impairments, both groups showed significantly more impairments in the executive control network than those free from any DSM-5 diagnosis (all Bonferonni-corrected post-hoc ps < 0.05). Conclusions Our findings align with a longstanding staging approach to comorbidity whereby, via synergistic effects, co-occurring disorders produce more damages than the sum of each disorder. Here, for the first time, we extended this approach to the executive network of attention in the context of the co-occurrence between MDD and GAD.

Different surgical approaches have been described for selective amygdalohippocampectomy in patients with pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy. The aim of this study was to report the results of the innovative anterior trans-superior temporal gyrus approach in a single-center series. Patients' characteristics, postoperative outcomes, and complications were reviewed in a series of 8 consecutive patients with temporal lobe epilepsy operated on using the anterior trans-superior temporal gyrus approach between November 2015 and April 2017. Over a mean 2.5-year follow-up, 7 of 8 patients (87.5%) remained seizure-free (Engel class I). Only 1 patient (12.5%) was not cured (Engel class III) with no clear explanation for treatment failure. Mean operative time was 237 minutes, which was 80 minutes shorter compared with the classic transsylvian approach. No perioperative deaths were recorded and there were no visual field defects or visual acuity impairments secondary to the approach. One patient experienced a left posterior thalamocapsular stroke. The anterior trans-superior temporal gyrus approach is feasible, fast, and safe for selective amygdalohippocampectomy in patients with drug-refractory temporal lobe epilepsy. This approach allows preservation of the optic radiation but cuts part of the uncinate fasciculus and potentially the anterior aspect of the anterior bundle of the middle longitudinal fasciculus.

Posterior staphyloma, typically found in highly myopic eyes, may rarely be present in the absence of high myopia, in the context of various inherited degenerative diseases such as rod-cone dystrophy, Leber’s congenital amaurosis or retinitis pigmentosa. However, to our knowledge, the association between posterior staphyloma without high myopia and congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) has never been described in the literature. CSNB is a genetically and clinically heterogenous retinal disorder, and it can be inherited in an autosomal dominant (AD), recessive (AR) or X-linked (XL) mode. Over 360 variants involving 17 genes, which affects signal processing within photoreceptors, retinoid recycling in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and signal transmission via retinal bipolar cells have been associated with CSNB. CSNB is characterized by a nonprogressive nyctalopia, not always described (notably in children), a variable decrease in visual acuity (especially in the autosomal recessive and X-linked modes), and myopia. In addition, in autosomal recessive and X-linked forms, CSNB is also often associated with strabismus and nystagmus. Furthermore, CSNB is classified as being complete or incomplete, depending on the extent to which an electronegative electroretinogram is observed. This electro-physiologic presentation, as well as the mode of inheritance, are associated with specific mutated genes. For instance, the TRPM1 gene, which is mutated in this case, is affected in the autosomal recessive complete CSNB. This case aims at describing the clinical presentation of the homozygous variant c.1730A > T in the TRPM1 gene. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description in the literature of this variant.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an adjunctive therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy. Noninvasive evoked potential recordings in laryngeal muscles (LMEPs) innervated by vagal branches may provide a marker to assess effective vagal nerve fiber activation. We investigated VNS-induced LMEPs in patients with epilepsy in acute and chronic settings.

The purpose of this study is to localize the seizure onset zone of patients suffering from drug-resistant epilepsy. During the last two decades, multiple studies proposed the use of Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to analyze ictal electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. This study aims at evaluating ICA potential with quantitative measurements. In particular, we address the challenging step where the components extracted by ICA of an ictal nature must be selected. We considered a cohort of 10 patients suffering from extratemporal lobe epilepsy who were rendered seizure-free after surgery. Different sets of pre-processing parameters were compared and component features were explored to help distinguish ictal components from others. Quantitative measurements were implemented to determine whether some of the components returned by ICA were located within the resection zone and thus likely to be ictal. Finally, an assistance to the component selection was proposed based on the implemented features. For every seizure, at least one component returned by ICA was localized within the resection zone, with the optimal pre-processing parameters. Three features were found to distinguish components localized within the resection zone: the dispersion of their active brain sources, the ictal rhythm power and the contribution to the EEG variance. Using the implemented component selection assistance based on the features, the probability that the first proposed component yields an accurate estimation reaches 51.43% (without assistance: 24.74%). The accuracy reaches 80% when considering the best result within the first five components. This study confirms the utility of ICA for ictal EEG analysis in extratemporal lobe epilepsy, and suggests relevant features to analyze the components returned by ICA. A component selection assistance is proposed to guide clinicians in their choice for ictal components.

It is currently unknown whether motor skill learning (MSkL) with the paretic upper limb is possible during the acute phase after stroke and whether lesion localization impacts MSkL. Here, we investigated MSkL in acute (1-7 days post) stroke patients compared with healthy individuals (HIs) and in relation to voxel-based lesion symptom mapping. Twenty patients with acute stroke and 35 HIs were trained over 3 consecutive days on a neurorehabilitation robot measuring speed, accuracy, and movement smoothness variables. Patients used their paretic upper limb and HI used their nondominant upper limb on an MSkL task involving a speed/accuracy trade-off. Generalization was evaluated on day 3. All patients underwent a 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging used for VSLM. Most patients achieved MSkL demonstrated by day-to-day retention and generalization of the newly learned skill on day 3. When comparing raw speed/accuracy trade-off values, HI achieved larger MSkL than patients. However, relative speed/accuracy trade-off values showed no significant differences in MSkL between patients and HI on day 3. In patients, MSkL progression correlated with acute motor and cognitive impairments. The voxel-based lesion symptom mapping showed that acute vascular damage to the thalamus or the posterior limb of the internal capsule reduced MSkL. Despite worse motor performance for acute stroke patients compared with HI, most patients were able to achieve MSkL with their paretic upper limb. Damage to the thalamus and posterior limb of the internal capsule, however, reduced MSkL. These data show that MSkL could be implemented into neurorehabilitation during the acute phase of stroke, particularly for patients without lesions to the thalamus and posterior limb of the internal capsule. URL: https://www. gov; Unique identifier: NCT01519843.

Neuroplasticity following deafness has been widely demonstrated in both humans and animals, but the anatomical substrate of these changes is not yet clear in human brain. However, it is of high importance since hearing loss is a growing problem due to aging population. Moreover, knowing these brain changes could help to understand some disappointing results with cochlear implant, and therefore could improve hearing rehabilitation. A systematic review and a coordinate-based meta-analysis were realized about the morphological brain changes highlighted by MRI in severe to profound hearing loss, congenital and acquired before or after language onset. 25 papers were included in our review, concerning more than 400 deaf subjects, most of them presenting prelingual deafness. The most consistent finding is a volumetric decrease in gray matter around bilateral auditory cortex. This change was confirmed by the coordinate-based meta-analysis which shows three converging clusters in this region. The visual areas of deaf children is also significantly impacted, with a decrease of the volume of both gray and white matters. Finally, deafness is responsible of a gray matter increase within the cerebellum, especially at the right side. These results are largely discussed and compared with those from deaf animal models and blind humans, which demonstrate for example a much more consistent gray matter decrease along their respective primary sensory pathway. In human deafness, a lot of other factors than deafness could interact on the brain plasticity. One of the most important is the use of sign language and its age of acquisition, which induce among others changes within the hand motor region and the visual cortex. But other confounding factors exist which have been too little considered in the current literature, such as the etiology of the hearing impairment, the speech-reading ability, the hearing aid use, the frequent associated vestibular dysfunction or neurocognitive impairment

Network analyses have become increasingly common within the field of psychology, and temporal network analyses in particular are quickly gaining traction, with many of the initial articles earning substantial interest. However, substantial heterogeneity exists within the study designs and methodology, rendering it difficult to form a comprehensive view of its application in psychology research. Since the field is quickly growing and since there have been many study-to-study variations in terms of choices made by researchers when collecting, processing, and analyzing data, we saw the need to audit this field and formulate a comprehensive view of current temporal network analyses. To systematically chart researchers’ practices when conducting temporal network analyses, we reviewed articles conducting temporal network analyses on psychological variables (published until March 2021) in the framework of a scoping review. We identified 43 articles and present the detailed results of how researchers are currently conducting temporal network analyses. A commonality across results concerns the wide variety of data collection and analytical practices, along with a lack of consistency between articles about what is reported. We use these results, along with relevant literature from the fields of ecological momentary assessment and network analysis, to formulate recommendations on what type of data is suited for temporal network analyses as well as optimal methods to preprocess and analyze data. As the field is new, we also discuss key future steps to help usher the field’s progress forward and offer a reporting checklist to help researchers navigate conducting and reporting temporal network analyses.

To compare the effects of Narrow band CE-Chirps (NB CE-Chirps) and tone bursts (TBs) at 500 Hz and 1000 Hz on the amplitudes and latencies in cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs). Thirty-one healthy adult volunteers of varying ages were tested by air conduction at 95 dB nHL. Recording conditions were randomized for each participant and each modality was tested twice. NB CE-Chirps showed larger corrected amplitudes than TBs at 500 Hz (p < 0.001) which were themselves larger than NB CE-Chirps and TBs at 1000 Hz (p < 0.001). In older volunteers, NB CE-Chirps 500 and 1000 Hz had significantly higher response rates than TBs 500 Hz (p = 0.039). A negative correlation was observed between the corrected amplitudes and the age of the participants regardless of the stimulus and the frequency studied. The p13 and n23 latencies were not correlated with the age of the subjects. NB CE-Chirps at 500 Hz improved the corrected amplitudes of waveforms in cVEMPs as a result of a better frequency specificity compared with TBs. In the elderly, eliciting cVEMPs at a frequency of 1000 Hz might not be necessary to improve response rates with NB CE-Chirps. Additional studies including a higher number of healthy participants and patients with vestibular disorders are required to confirm these observations.

The authors aim to review available reports on the potential effects of masks on voice and speech parameters. A literature search was conducted using MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases through July 2021. Several targeted populations, mask scenarios and methodologies were approached. The assessed voice parameters were divided into self-reported, acoustic and aerodynamic. It was observed that the wearing of a face mask has been shown to induce several changes in voice parameters: (1) self-reported-significantly increased vocal effort and fatigue, increased vocal tract discomfort and increased values of voice handicap index (VHI) were observed; (2) acoustics-increased voice intensity, altered formants frequency (F2 and F3) with no changes in fundamental frequency, increased harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR) and increased mean spectral values in high-frequency levels (1000-8000 Hz), especially with KN95 mask; (3) aerodynamics-maximum phonatory time was assessed in only two reports, and showed no alterations. Despite the different populations, mask-type scenarios and methodologies described by each study, the results of this review outline the significant changes in voice characteristics with the use of face masks. Wearing a mask shows to increase the perception of vocal effort and an alteration of the vocal tract length and speech articulatory movements, leading to spectral sound changes, impaired communication and perception. Studies analyzing the effect of masks on voice aerodynamics are lacking. Further research is required to study the long-term effects of face masks on the potential development of voice pathology.

Liver disease, occurring during pediatric or adult age, is often of undetermined cause. Some cases are probably related to undiagnosed inherited metabolic disorders. Hepatic disorders associated with fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase deficiency, a gluconeogenesis defect, are not reported in the literature. These symptoms are mainly described during acute crises, and many reports do not mention them because hypoglycemia and hyperlactatemia are more frequently in the forefront. Herein, the liver manifestations of 18 patients affected with fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase deficiency are described and the corresponding literature is reviewed. Interestingly, all 18 patients had liver abnormalities either during follow-up (hepatomegaly [n = 8/18], elevation of transaminases [n = 6/15], bright liver [n = 7/11]) or during acute crises (hepatomegaly [n = 10/17], elevation of transaminases [n = 13/16], acute liver failure [n = 6/14], bright liver [n = 4/14]). Initial reports described cases of liver steatosis, when liver biopsy was necessary to confirm the diagnosis by an enzymatic study. There is no clear pathophysiological basis for this fatty liver disease but we postulate that endoplasmic reticulum stress and de novo lipogenesis activation could be key factors, as observed in FBP1 knockout mice. Liver steatosis may expose patients to severe long-term liver complications. As hypoglycemia becomes less frequent with age, most adult patients are no longer monitored by hepatologist. Signs of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase deficiency may be subtle and can be missed in childhood. We suggest that fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase deficiency should be considered as an etiology of hepatic steatosis, and a liver monitoring protocol should be set up for these patients, during lifelong follow-up.

Extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) results in severe portal hypertension (PHT) leading to severely compromised quality of life. Often, pharmacological and endoscopic management are unable to solve this problem. Restoring hepatic portal flow using meso-Rex bypass (MRB) may solve it. This procedure, uncommon in adult patients, is considered the treatment of choice for EHPVO in children. From 1997 to 2018, 8 male and 6 female adults, with a median age of 51 years (range 22-66) underwent MRB procedure for EHPVO at the University Hospitals Saint-Luc in Brussels, Belgium. Symptoms of PHT were life altering in all but one patient and consisted of repetitive gastro-intestinal bleedings, sepsis due to portal biliopathy, and/or severe abdominal discomfort. The surgical technique consisted in interposition of a free venous graft or of a prosthetic graft between the superior mesenteric vein and the Rex recess of the left portal vein. Median operative time was 500 min (range 300-730). Median follow-up duration was 22 months (range 2-169). One patient died due to hemorrhagic shock following percutaneous transluminal intervention for early graft thrombosis. Major morbidity, defined as Clavien-Dindo score ≥ III, was 35.7% (5/14). Shunt patency at last follow-up was 64.3% (9/14): 85.7% (6/7) of pure venous grafts and only 42.9% (3/7) of prosthetic graft. Symptom relief was achieved in 85.7% (12/14) who became asymptomatic after MRB. Adult EHPVO represents a difficult clinical condition that leads to severely compromised quality of life and possible life-threatening complications. In such patients, MRB represents the only and last resort to restore physiological portal vein flow. Although successful in a majority of patients, this procedure is associated with major morbidity and mortality and should be done in tertiary centers experienced with vascular liver surgery to get the best results.

Background Major Depression Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) often co-occur, but uncertainty remains regarding the neurocognitive mechanisms linked to this co-occurrence. In this study, we applied network analytic methods to characterize the associations of the attention control (AC) components, as assessed using laboratory-based measurement tools, with MDD and GAD symptoms. Of critical interest was identifying whether AC components were primarily associated with symptoms unique or common to MDD and GAD. Methods We computed a regularized partial correlation network to examine the associations between attention control with symptoms specific to MDD, specific to GAD, and symptoms common to MDD and GAD (n = 371). Results Symptoms that are common to MDD and GAD emerged as highly influential nodes in the network. In particular, our findings pointed to sleep problems as a hub bridging attention control components to hallmark symptoms of MDD and GAD. Limitations The present results should not be interpreted as definitive but instead as hypothesis-generating and highlighting the utility of rethinking the conceptualization of the associations between attention control, MDD, and GAD through the lens of sleep problems. Future studies would especially want to consider the temporal unfolding of the network structure. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify sleep problems as a potential pathway bridging together components of attention control with symptoms of GAD and MDD.

Very few studies have investigated whether unilateral choanal atresia is associated with permanent olfactory deficits. This study aimed to evaluate the olfactory performance of patients with unilateral choanal atresia postsurgically. Three patients with unilateral atresia were examined in terms of olfactory performance with the Sniffin' Sticks test (odor identification, threshold, and discrimination), size of the olfactory bulb, and volumetric brain changes. All patients demonstrated significantly lower olfactory performance in terms of odor threshold on the same side with the choanal atresia. Grey matter reductions were found ipsilaterally in the hippocampus. This pilot study indicates that persistent olfactory deficits and volumetric brain changes are present in patients with unilateral choanal atresia.

Invited Inaugural Keynote Lecture

Parental burnout results from chronic stress in parenting, and it can be accompanied by harmful behaviors such as parental neglect and violence (Mikolajczak & Roskam, 2018). Network analysis examines psychological phenomena within a system of its constituents, and thus it is promising for understanding the distinct features of parental burnout and behaviors related to it. Recently, Blanchard et al. (2021) conducted the first network analysis of parental burnout and related harmful behaviors in the family context, but did so using an outdated measure and conceptualization of parental burnout. In the present study, in a sample of French-speaking parents (N = 3144, from five different previous studies), we aimed to investigate how each of the four features in the new conceptualization of parental burnout (i.e., emotional exhaustion, feeling fed up, emotional distance, and contrast with the previous parental self) interact with one another and with parental neglect and violence in a network system. In this preregistered reanalysis, we generated two network models commonly used with cross-sectional data: a Graphical Gaussian Model and a Directed Acyclic Graph. Our results point to emotional exhaustion and feeling fed up as key driving forces of the network structure, while emotional distance appears as a critical feature tying parental burnout with parental neglect and violence.

Jamais auparavant, les chercheurs n'ont eu accès à autant de données. Les plateformes de stockage en ligne destinées à la recherche scientifiques universitaires, telles que l’Open Science Framework, permettent de partager gratuitement des données entre laboratoires, pays et continents. Cependant, malgré cette abondance de données, la recherche en psychologie part souvent du principe que les chercheurs (se) doivent collecter de nouvelles données pour chaque question de recherche qu'ils se posent. Ceci est frappant au vu du cout, tant humain que financier de la collecte de données en psychologie. Qui plus, cet usage unique des données est particulièrement questionnant dans domaine de la recherche en psychologie clinique, souvent péniblement financée mais requérant toutefois souvent de lourdes procédures de collecte de données auprès de patients hospitalisées pour qui la participation à la recherche n’est pas sans difficulté. Dans cette présentation, je présenterai comment l’analyse de données secondaires (ou préexistantes) peut, en partie, constituer une solution à ces difficultés. Après une introduction des enjeux de la réutilisation de données en recherche, je présenterai comment des pratiques de sciences ouvertes et transparence, telles que le pré-enregistrement d’une ré- analyse de données préexistantes, permet de faciliter l’implémentation d’une telle démarche. Des exemples issus de travaux récents réalisés au sein de mon équipe permettront d’illustrer le propos. Enfin, je conclurai en discutant des écueils et des possibles risques de dérive de cette démarche et tenterai d’offrir quelques pistes de moyens par lesquels les domaines de recherche et les institutions scientifiques pourraient s’y prémunir.

The notion of climate anxiety has gained traction in the last years. Yet uncertainty remains regarding the variations of climate anxiety across demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age) and its associations with adaptative (i.e., pro-environmental) behaviors. Moreover, the point-estimate proportion of people frequently experiencing climate anxiety has seldom been probed. In this study, we assessed climate anxiety (including its related functional impairments), along with demographic characteristics, climate change experience, and pro-environmental behaviors, in 2,080 French-speaking participants from eight African and European countries. 11.64% of the participants reported experiencing climate anxiety frequently, and 20.72% reported experiencing daily life functional consequences (e.g., impact on the ability to go to work or socialize). Women and younger people exhibited significantly higher levels of climate anxiety. There was no difference between participants from African and European countries, although the sample size of the former was limited, thus precluding any definite conclusion regarding potential geographic differences. Concerning adaptation, climate anxiety was associated with pro-environmental behaviors. However, this association was significantly weaker in people reporting frequent experiences of climate anxiety (i.e., eco-paralysis) than in those with lower levels. Although this observation needs to be confirmed in longitudinal and experimental research, our results suggest that climate anxiety can impede daily life functioning and adaptation to climate change in many people, thus deserving a careful audit by the scientific community and practitioners.

Recent research has indicated that emotional perception of climate change can lead to different emotional responses (aka, eco-emotions), which also correlated with general distress (e.g., depression or anxiety) and, in turn, may influence one’s behaviors. Unfortunately, despite great efforts, there is a lack of longitudinal research shedding light on the potential link between eco-emotions (i.e., eco-anxiety, eco-depression, eco-anger), general emotions (i.e., anxiety, depression, anger), and pro-environmental behaviors. The research question of this study is: how are eco-emotions, general distress and eco-responsible behaviors related over time? Given the lack of longitudinal studies, we aim to study the dynamic interplay over time between eco-emotions, general negative emotions and pro-environmental intentions and behaviors via intensive time-series data, collected via experience sampling method (ESM). An estimated sample of 40 individuals will report daily assessment of three negative eco-emotions and three general emotions, as well as, behaviors and intentions related to the environmental crisis over a 60-day period. Data is currently being collected and we will present the results from applying a temporal network approach, that is, a methodological tool derived from the network theory that allows us to apply multilevel autoregressive model to time-series data. This approach allows us to estimate models (i.e., network structure) including all the variables mentioned above and conceptualize them as a dynamic complex system of elements influencing each other at different points in time. We expect eco-emotions and general emotions to be embedded within a network system wherein they are strongly associated. Also, we expect them to be differently related with both eco-friendly intentions and behaviors. During the talk, a general model derived from this computational approach will be presented and discussed.

Introduction: The exploration of cognitive impairments associated with tobacco use disorder has expanded during the last decades, centrally showing working memory and executive deficits among smokers. Despite their critical role in everyday life and in the smoking cessation process, attentional abilities have seldom been explored. Previous studies yielded discordant results, and the involvement of attentional deficits in smoking habits remains unclear. Aims and Methods: Capitalizing on the Attention Network Test, a theory-grounded task allowing the simultaneous but distinct evaluation of three attentional networks (alerting, orienting, executive control), we explored attentional abilities in three groups of 25 college students (nonsmokers, light smokers, heavy smokers), matched for demographic and psychopathological characteristics. Results: While light smokers did not present any deficit compared with nonsmokers, heavy smokers showed a specific impairment of the executive control subcomponent of attention, contrasting with preserved alerting and orienting attentional abilities. The executive control deficit was not related to current craving or to smoking duration. Conclusions: Beyond the already explored memory and executive deficits, tobacco use disorder is associated with attentional impairments, characterized by a reduced ability to focus attentional resources on pertinent stimuli and resist to distractors interference. Given the assumed role of attentional impairments in smoking, our findings suggest that a critical step in future translational iterations is to develop neuropsychological rehabilitation programs tapping into the executive network of attention among smokers. Implications: This study clarifies the presence and extent of attentional impairments in tobacco use disorder. We measured three attention networks (alerting, orienting, executive control) in light smokers, heavy smokers and matched healthy controls through a theory-grounded task (Attention

The literature regarding clinical olfaction, olfactory loss, and olfactory dysfunction has expanded rapidly over the past two decades, with an exponential rise in the past year. There is substantial variability in the quality of this literature and a need to consolidate and critically review the evidence. It is with that aim that we have gathered experts from around the world to produce this International Consensus on Allergy and Rhinology: Olfaction (ICAR:O). Using previously described methodology, specific topics were developed relating to olfaction. Each topic was assigned a literature review, evidence-based review, or evidence-based review with recommendations format as dictated by available evidence and scope within the ICAR:O document. Following iterative reviews of each topic, the ICAR:O document was integrated and reviewed by all authors for final consensus. The ICAR:O document reviews nearly 100 separate topics within the realm of olfaction, including diagnosis, epidemiology, disease burden, diagnosis, testing, etiology, treatment, and associated pathologies. This critical review of the existing clinical olfaction literature provides much needed insight and clarity into the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with olfactory dysfunction, while also clearly delineating gaps in our knowledge and evidence base that we should investigate further.

This presentation presents possible central mechanisms involved in parosmia

Parosmies: mécanismes et traitement

Amblyopia results from an abnormal binocular interaction, in the context of strabismus or uncorrected refractive errors, or from visual deprivation. Screening is important during pre-school years in order to start treatment while cerebral plasticity is optimal. Screening practices vary a lot between developed countries, with consequences on public health policies. Screening is based on the measure of visual acuity in young children. The technique of sweep visual evoked potentials allows an objective measure of visual acuity, without requiring participants to name optotypes, which is useful in pre-verbal children. Along with decreased visual acuity, amblyopia is associated with an absence of improvement with age of the characteristics of saccades. With respect to motor skills, altered binocular vision affects catching skills and balance. A better understanding of these deficits will allow for better treatment of amblyopia, which is the first cause of monocular vision loss in children., (MED - Sciences médicales) -- UCL, 2022

Dizziness is one of the most frequent complaints of patients and up to 20% consult physicians for it every year. Patients can suffer from dif- ferent types of symptoms, including spontaneous vertigo spells, head-movement-induced vertigo spells and chronic dizziness. All of these symptoms are highly relevant while driving and may put the patient and their surroundings in significant danger. This paper highlights the impact of aspects relevant to the dizzy patient on driving ability (incl. the impact of medication and surgery).

Numerous risk factors have been involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The contribution of psychological factors, including post-traumatic stress disorder, remains largely underexplored, despite their potential role in hypertension. We compared the prevalence of trauma, post-traumatic stress and other psychological disorders between hypertensive and normotensive patients from Bukavu (Democratic Republic of Congo), a 25-year war-exposed city. In this case-control study, we assessed past traumatic events with the Stressful-Events-Scale, post-traumatic stress disorder through the post-traumatic diagnostic scale, depression and alcohol use disorder through the MINI-International-Neuropsychiatric-Interview, and emotion regulation through the Emotion-Regulation-Questionnaire in 106 hypertensive and 106 normotensive patients, enrolled at the Bukavu General Hospital. Compared with normotensive controls (73% women, age: 43 ± 14 years, BP: 121 ± 10/75 ± 8 mmHg), hypertensive patients (57% women, age: 42 ± 13 years, BP: 141 ± 12/82 ± 7 mmHg, on a median of two antihypertensive drugs) were exposed to more man-made traumas (61 vs. 13%, P < 0.001), used more expressive suppression (P = 0.05) and less cognitive reappraisal (P = 0.02) as emotional regulation strategies. They developed more frequent post-traumatic stress disorder (36 vs. 7%, P < 0.001) and major depressive disorder (37 vs. 13%, P = 0.001), often in association with alcohol use disorder (23 vs. 4%, P < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression, post-traumatic stress disorder [OR = 3.52 (1.23-6.54)], man-made trauma [OR = 2.24 (1.15-4.12)], family history of hypertension [OR = 2.24 (1.06-4.44)], fasting blood glucose [OR = 1.85 (1.07-3.08)], BMI [OR = 1.28 (1.12-2.92)], expressive suppression [OR = 1.23 (1.11-2.23)] and cognitive reappraisal [OR = 0.76 (0.63-0.98)] were independent predictors of hypertension. In Congolese populations exposed to war, man-made trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder

Documentation is important for quality improvement, education, and research. There is currently a lack of recommendations regarding key aspects of documentation in regional anesthesia. The aim of this study was to establish recommendations for documentation in regional anesthesia. Following the formation of the executive committee and a directed literature review, a long list of potential documentation components was created. A modified Delphi process was then employed to achieve consensus amongst a group of international experts in regional anesthesia. This consisted of 2 rounds of anonymous electronic voting and a final virtual round table discussion with live polling on items not yet excluded or accepted from previous rounds. Progression or exclusion of potential components through the rounds was based on the achievement of strong consensus. Strong consensus was defined as ≥75% agreement and weak consensus as 50%-74% agreement. Seventy-seven collaborators participated in both rounds 1 and 2, while 50 collaborators took part in round 3. In total, experts voted on 83 items and achieved a strong consensus on 51 items, weak consensus on 3 and rejected 29. By means of a modified Delphi process, we have established expert consensus on documentation in regional anesthesia.

The role of neuroinflammation in epileptogenesis is extensively investigated, but short-term effects of seizures on established CNS pathologies are less studied and less predictable. We describe the case of a woman with previous recurrent episodes of focal cerebral haemorrhage of unknown cause who developed a pseudo-tumoural oedema triggered by provoked focal status epilepticus. A brain biopsy revealed that the underlying condition was primary angiitis of the CNS. Ictal-induced blood-brain barrier dysfunction allows the entry of water and inflammatory molecules that, in the context of CNS inflammatory diseases, may trigger a self-reinforcing process. Caution should be observed when tapering antiepileptic drugs in patients with such conditions.

The classical surgical approach for superior semicircular canal dehiscences (SSCD) is via the extradural middle cranial fossa. This pathway is used to resurface or to plug the SSC. In this paper, we present long-term data on an alternative route: the transmastoid pathway. The predictive factors for a successful surgery are equally presented in this paper. Thirty reports of patients operated between September 2007 to January 2020 were analysed. SSCD was confirmed by the association of concordant complaints, audiometric data, cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP) responses and computerized tomography findings. Before and after surgery, the following factors were analysed: auditory and vestibular subjective symptoms, Tullio phenomenon, pure-tone audiometry thresholds for air and bone conduction, air-bone gap, cVEMP threshold, and computerized tomography data, for instance the size of the dehiscence. The follow-up is 21 months on average. The transmastoid approach significantly improves all symptoms (although there were less probing results for the vestibular symptoms). Objectively, we can observe, a closure of the audiometric air-bone gap on the low frequencies and an improvement in the cVEMP. The only correlation that was identified was between the preoperative cVEMP results and the postoperative air conduction. The originality of this study is the long postoperative follow-up. It allowed us to evaluate the symptoms in the long term and to determine a predictive factor of postoperative complication, which has not yet been described until today.The transmastoid plugging technique is safe and effective. Additional long-term data with a larger cohort are needed to confirm our results and correlation studies.

no abstract available

Visuospatial impairments have long been reported in Severe Alcohol Use Disorder but remain poorly understood, notably regarding the involvement of magnocellular (MC) and parvocellular (PC) pathways. This empirical gap hampers the understanding of the implications of these visual changes, especially since the MC and PC pathways are thought to sustain central bottom-up and top-down processes during cognitive processing. They thus influ- ence our ability to efficiently monitor our environment and make the most effective decisions. To overcome this limitation, we measured PC-inferred spatial and MC-inferred temporal resolution in 35 individuals with SAUD and 30 healthy controls. We used Landolt circles displaying small apertures outside the sensitivity range of MC cells or flickering at a temporal frequency exceeding PC sensitivity. We found evidence of preserved PC spatial resolution combined with impaired MC temporal resolution in SAUD. We also measured how spatial and tem- poral sensitivity is influenced by the prior presentation of fearful faces – as emotional content could favor MC processing over PC one – but found no evidence of emotional modulation in either group. This spatio-temporal dissociation implies that individuals with SAUD may process visual details efficiently but perceive rapidly updating visual information at a slower pace. This deficit has implications for the tracking of rapidly changing stimuli in experimental tasks, but also for the decoding of crucial everyday visual incentives such as faces, whose micro-expressions vary continuously. Future studies should further specify the visual profile of individuals with SAUD to incorporate disparate findings within a theoretically grounded model of vision.

Visuo-perceptive deficits in severe alcohol use disorder (SAUD) remain little understood, notably regarding the respective involvement of the two main human visual streams, i.e., magnocellular (MC) and parvocellular (PC) pathways, in these deficits. Besides, in healthy populations, low-level visual perception can adapt depending on the nature of visual cues, among which emotional features, but this MC and PC pathway adaptation to emotional content is unexplored in SAUD. To assess MC and PC functioning as well as their emotional modulations in SAUD. We used sensitivity indices (d') and repeated-measures analyses of variance to compare orientation judgments of Gabor patches sampled at various MC- and PC-related spatial frequencies in 35 individuals with SAUD and 38 matched healthy controls. We then explored how emotional content modulated performances by introducing neutral or fearful face cues immediately before the Gabor patches and added the type of cue in the analyses. SAUD patients showed a general reduction in sensitivity across all spatial frequencies, indicating impoverished processing of both coarse and fine-scale visual content. However, we observed selective impairments depending on facial cues: individuals with SAUD processed intermediate spatial frequencies less efficiently than healthy controls following neutral faces, whereas group differences emerged for the highest spatial frequencies following fearful faces. Altogether, SAUD was associated with mixed MC and PC deficits that may vary according to emotional content, in line with a flexible but suboptimal use of low-level visual content. Such subtle alterations could have implications for everyday life's complex visual judgments.

Les céphalées représentent un motif fréquent de consultation médicale, environ 2% de toutes les admissions en salle d’urgence, plus de 5 % en médecine générale (1,2). Elles s’intègrent dans des tableaux cliniques très variés, parfois bénins et parfois graves. Il est dès lors particulièrement important de détecter les patients qui présentent des céphalées secondaires et chez lesquels des examens complémentaires sont indispensables pour faire le diagnostic, voire pour choisir le traitement optimal et de les distinguer des patients qui présentent des céphalées primaires pour lesquelles aucun bilan complémentaire n’est indiqué. Dans le cas des céphalées secondaires, il est également important de choisir le bilan complémentaire adéquat et de définir la fenêtre de temps optimale pour le réaliser, la précocité du diagnostic et du traitant pouvant influencer le pronostic du patient.

The vagus nerve is considered to play a key role in the circadian rhythm. Chronic continuous analysis of the vagus nerve activity could contribute to a better understanding of the role of the vagus nerve in light-dark modulations. This paper presents a continuous analysis of spontaneous vagus nerve activity performed in four rats.We analyzed the vagus electroneurogram (VENG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) over a recording period of 28 d. Spike activity and heart rate estimation were derived from the VENG, and slow-wave activity was derived from the EEG. The presence of repetitive patterns was investigated with periodograms, cosinor fitting, autocorrelation, and statistical tests. The light-dark variations derived from the VENG spikes were compared with EEG slow waves, an established metric in circadian studies.Our results demonstrate that light-dark variations can be detected in long-term vagus nerve activity monitoring. A recording period of about 7 d is required to characterize accurately the VENG light-dark variations.As a major outcome of this study, vagus nerve recordings hold the promise to help understand circadian regulation.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an established treatment for drug resistant epilepsy (DRE), which affects about 30% of epilepsy patients. On-demand triggering of VNS is known to improve its efficacy in DRE. Automatic on-demand VNS needs an effective and reliable seizure detection method. As seizures are commonly associated with autonomic manifestations and the vagus nerve carries parasympathetic and sensory information from and to the viscera we hypnotize that seizure biomarker can be recorded from vagus nerve electroneurogram (VENG) recording. In this thesis we established a method to reliably record VENG signals in anesthetized animals during acute pentylenetetrazol induced seizures and confirmed the neural origin of those signals. Furthermore, we confirmed the existence of seizure related signals in the VENG recording and developed a seizure detection method based on them., (BIFA - Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques) -- UCL, 2022

Research has pointed to startling worldwide rates of people reporting considerable anxiety vis-à-vis climate change. Yet, uncertainties remain regarding how climate anxiety’s cognitive-emotional features and daily life functional impairments interact with one another and with climate change experience, pro-environmental behaviors, and general worry. In this study, we apply network analyses to examine the associations among these variables in an international community sample (n = 874). We computed two network models, a graphical Gaussian model to explore network structure, potential communities, and influential nodes, and a directed acyclic graph to examine the probabilistic dependencies among the variables. Both network models pointed to the cognitive-emotional features of climate anxiety as a potential hub bridging general worry, the experience of climate change, pro-environmental behaviors, and the functional impairments associated with climate anxiety. Our findings offer data‐driven clues for the field’s larger quest to establish the foundations of climate anxiety.

The scope of this thesis was to develop novel human biomarkers to optimise Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) for epilepsy, which is currently ineffective in up to one third of the implanted patients. The research addressed two axes: the peripheral activation of vagal fibres and the central effects of VNS on the brain. The explorations were aimed at understanding the acute effects in epileptic patients, with particular regard to their intensity-dependency. Hence, both dosing biomarkers – aiming to optimize the choice of stimulation parameters – and response biomarkers – which could correlate with a successful clinical success – were sought. Experiments involving peripheral electrophysiology research were conducted, with the aim to develop and validate the novel technique of VNS-induced Laryngeal Motor Evoked Potentials (LMEPs), a potential marker of effective nerve activation. At central level, electroencephalography was applied to search for VNS response biomarkers, by means of connectivity and network analyses. Furthermore, a proof-of-concept research led to the characterisation of acute VNS-induced pupillary responses., Cette thèse a pour but de développer de nouveaux biomarqueurs pour l’amélioration de la thérapie par stimulation du nerf vague (VNS) dans l’épilepsie, qui est à présent inefficace jusqu’à un tiers des patients implantés. La recherche porte sur deux axes : au niveau périphérique, sur l’exploration de l’activation des fibres nerveuses vagales ; au niveau central, sur les effets de la VNS sur le cerveau. Cette thèse a abordé les effets aigus de la VNS, en insistant particulièrement sur l’influence de l’intensité de stimulation. Ainsi, tant des biomarqueurs visant à optimiser le choix des paramètres de stimulation, que des biomarqueurs de réponse ont été explorés. Les expériences d’électrophysiologie périphérique ont mené au développement des potentiels évoqués moteurs du larynx (LMEPs), qui sont proposés comme marqueur d’activation nerveuse induite par la VNS. Sur le plan central, l’électroencéphalographie a été étudiée afin d’extraire des biomarqueurs de réponse à la VNS, moyennant des analyses de connectivité fonctionnelle et de réseau. En outre, des réponses pupillaires induites par la VNS ont été prouvées et proposées comme biomarqueurs centraux., (BIFA - Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques) -- UCL, 2022

It can be challenging to disentangle human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related infectious optic neuropathy and secondary triggered auto-immune disease when an HIV positive patient presents with vision loss. We report a 44-year-old untreated HIV positive Congolese woman who presented with two episodes of vision loss associated with pain in first her left eye and then her right eye and was diagnosed with a relapsing optic neuropathy. A correlation was observed between the clinical activity and cerebrospinal fluid viral load, CD4-count in the blood and magnetic resonance imaging signs of blood - optic nerve barrier breakdown. CD4 cell counts and viral loads are great clinical features to identify the type of acute optic neuropathy since differential diagnosis between an infectious optic neuropathy or an auto-immune induced optic neuropathy such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder or immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome can be puzzling.

OBJECTIVES: Frailty has been suggested to take part in the recently demonstrated link between olfactory dysfunction and overall mortality risk. Preoperative assessment of frailty is essential to detect the most vulnerable patients scheduled for surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether olfactory dysfunction is a reliable predictor of preoperative frailty and postoperative outcome. DESIGN: This was a single-center prospective observational study conducted between July and October 2020 in Brussels, Belgium. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 155 preoperative patients aged from 65 years old and scheduled for elective non-cardiac surgery. MEASUREMENTS: Olfactory function was examined using the Sniffin’ Sticks 12-item identification test. Frailty was assessed using the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) and handgrip strength. The clock drawing test (CDT) from the EFS was also analyzed separately to evaluate cognitive function. Patients were followed for postoperative complications and mortality over one year. RESULTS: Olfactory dysfunction was significantly associated with the EFS score, anosmic patients having a higher median EFS score than normosmic patients (6[4-7] vs 4[2-5], p = .025). Anosmic patients had an increased odds of being frail after adjusting for possible confounding factors (OR: 6.19, 95% CI: 1.65-23.20, p = .007) and were more at risk of poor postoperative outcome (including complications and death) (OR: 4.33, 95% CI: 1.28-14.67, p = .018). CONCLUSIONS: Olfactory dysfunction is associated with preoperative frailty determined by the EFS and with poor post-surgical outcome at one-year.

This work presents a setup for chronic monitoring of spontaneous epileptic seizures in rats under kainic acid. The system allows to record the vagus nerve electroneurogram at 40 kS/s and the electroencephalogram at 250 S/s using an USB-6212 multifunction I/O-device. The system includes a video channel (20 fps) controlled by a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. A slipring allows the rat to move freely. Quick cage cleaning is possible through a movable base. The chronic setup was tested on a Wistar rat after status epilepticus induction, using kainic acid. The system appears to be robust and reliable enough to record status epilepticus, making it suitable for more extended experiments in epileptic rats.