Movement-related activity in the internal globus pallidus of the parkinsonian macaque.

Although the basal ganglia (BG) plays a central role in the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, few studies have investigated the influence of parkinsonism on movement-related activity in the BG. Here, we studied the perimovement activity of neurons in globus pallidus internus (GPi) of non-human primates before and after the induction of parkinsonism by administration of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Neuronal responses were equally common in the parkinsonian brain as seen prior to MPTP and the distribution of different response types was largely unchanged.

An open-source MRI compatible frame for multimodal presurgical mapping in macaque and capuchin monkeys.

Background: High-precision neurosurgical targeting in nonhuman primates (NHPs) often requires presurgical anatomical mapping with noninvasive neuroimaging techniques (MRI, CT, PET), allowing for translation of individual anatomical coordinates to surgical stereotaxic apparatus. Given the varied tissue contrasts that these imaging techniques produce, precise alignment of imaging-based coordinates to surgical apparatus can be cumbersome. MRI-compatible stereotaxis with radiopaque fiducial markers offer a straight-forward and reliable solution, but existing commercial options do not fit in conformal head coils that maximize imaging quality.

A cerebro-cerebellar network for learning visuomotor associations.

Consensus is rapidly building to support a role for the cerebellum beyond motor function, but its contributions to non-motor learning remain poorly understood. Here, we provide behavioral, anatomical and computational evidence to demonstrate a causal role for the primate posterior lateral cerebellum in learning new visuomotor associations. Reversible inactivation of the posterior lateral cerebellum of male monkeys impeded the learning of new visuomotor associations, but had no effect on movement parameters, or on well-practiced performance of the same task.

Effect of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization combined with exercise therapy on pain and muscle endurance in patients with chronic neck pain: a randomized controlled study.

Objectives: The use of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) has been documented to be effective for improving pain and function, but it is unclear whether it helps improve muscle performance in musculoskeletal diseases. This study investigated the effects of IASTM combined with exercise therapy on muscle endurance and pain intensity in patients with chronic neck pain.

Methods: Forty-eight individuals with chronic neck pain were randomly divided into exercise therapy (ET,  = 24) and combined therapy (CT,  = 24) groups.

Diagnosis of dizziness in the emergency department: A 1-year prospective single-center study.

Background: The management of dizziness and vertigo can be challenging in the emergency department (ED). It is important to rapidly diagnose vertebrobasilar stroke (VBS), as therapeutic options such as thrombolysis and anticoagulation require prompt decisions.

Objective: This study aims to assess the rate of misdiagnosis in patients with dizziness caused by VBS in the ED.