Alpha rhythm slowing in temporal lobe epilepsy across scalp EEG and MEG.

EEG slowing is reported in various neurological disorders including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Epilepsy. Here, we investigate alpha rhythm slowing in individuals with refractory temporal lobe epilepsy compared with healthy controls, using scalp EEG and magnetoencephalography. We retrospectively analysed data from 17 (46) healthy controls and 22 (24) individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy who underwent scalp EEG and magnetoencephalography recordings as part of presurgical evaluation.

Plant-Derived and Synthetic Nicotine in E-Cigarettes: Is Differentiation with NMR Spectroscopy Possible?

To circumvent regulatory frameworks, many producers start to substitute plant-derived nicotine (tobacco-derived nicotine, TDN) by synthetic nicotine (tobacco-free nicotine, TFN) in e-cigarette products. Due to the higher costs of enantiomeric synthesis and purification of TFN, there is a need to develop an analytical method that clearly distinguishes between the two sources. To trace nicotine's origin, its enantiomeric purity can be postulated by H NMR spectroscopy using ()-(-)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diyl hydrogen phosphate (BNPPA) as a chiral complexing agent.

Diminished circadian and ultradian rhythms of human brain activity in pathological tissue in vivo.

Chronobiological rhythms, such as the circadian rhythm, have long been linked to neurological disorders, but it is currently unknown how pathological processes affect the expression of biological rhythms in the brain. Here, we use the unique opportunity of long-term, continuous intracranially recorded EEG from 38 patients (totalling 6338 hours) to delineate circadian (daily) and ultradian (minute to hourly) rhythms in different brain regions. We show that functional circadian and ultradian rhythms are diminished in pathological tissue, independent of regional variations.

The influence of temperature and genomic variation on intracranial EEG measures in people with epilepsy.

Heatwaves have serious impacts on human health and constitute a key health concern from anthropogenic climate change. People have different individual tolerance for heatwaves or unaccustomed temperatures. Those with epilepsy may be particularly affected by temperature as the electroclinical hallmarks of brain excitability in epilepsy (inter-ictal epileptiform discharges and seizures) are influenced by a range of physiological and non-physiological conditions.

Brain gray matter changes in children at risk for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Background: Potential failing adult brain sites, stratified by risk, mediating Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) have been described, but are unknown in children.

Methods: We examined regional brain volumes using T1-weighted MRI images in 21 children with epilepsy at high SUDEP risk and 62 healthy children, together with SUDEP risk scores, calculated from focal seizure frequency. Gray matter tissue type was partitioned, maps normalized, smoothed, and compared between groups (SPM12; ANCOVA; covariates, age, sex, and BMI).