Efficacy of melatonin for prolonged disorders of consciousness: a double-blind, randomized clinical trial.

Background: Sleep is essential for the recovery of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC). However, few approaches targeting sleep were applied. Melatonin has been shown to enhance sleep efficiency with virtually no side effects.

Assessing consciousness in acute coma using name-evoked responses.

Detecting consciousness in clinically unresponsive patients remains a significant challenge. Existing studies demonstrate that electroencephalography (EEG) can detect brain responses in behaviorally unresponsive patients, indicating potential for consciousness detection. However, most of this evidence is based on chronic patients, and there is a lack of studies focusing on acute coma cases.

Endovascular Recanalization in Patients With Vertebral Artery Stump Syndrome: A Single-Center Experience.

Background: To evaluate the feasibility, success rate, and safety of endovascular revascularization of patients with vertebral artery stump syndrome (VASS).

Methods: This single-center retrospective study analyzed clinical and imaging data from consecutive patients with VASS who underwent endovascular recanalization from January 2020 until June 2023.

Results: Our study enrolled 30 patients [mean age 69 (range 51-84) years; 26 men].

Diagnostic value of isolated plasma biomarkers and its combination in neurodegenerative dementias: A multicenter cohort study.

Background: Plasma amyloid-β (Aβ), phosphorylated tau-181 (p-tau181), neurofilament light (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) potentially aid in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative dementias. We aim to conduct a comprehensive comparison between different biomarkers and their combination, which is lacking, in a multicenter Chinese dementia cohort consisting of Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

Methods: We enrolled 92 demented patients [64 AD, 16 FTD, and 12 PSP with dementia] and 20 healthy controls (HC).

How well do neural signatures of resting-state EEG detect consciousness? A large-scale clinical study.

The assessment of consciousness states, especially distinguishing minimally conscious states (MCS) from unresponsive wakefulness states (UWS), constitutes a pivotal role in clinical therapies. Despite that numerous neural signatures of consciousness have been proposed, the effectiveness and reliability of such signatures for clinical consciousness assessment still remains an intense debate. Through a comprehensive review of the literature, inconsistent findings are observed about the effectiveness of diverse neural signatures.

DiffMDD: A Diffusion-Based Deep Learning Framework for MDD Diagnosis Using EEG.

Major Depression Disorder (MDD) is a common yet destructive mental disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Making early and accurate diagnosis of it is very meaningful. Recently, EEG, a non-invasive technique of recording spontaneous electrical activity of brains, has been widely used for MDD diagnosis.

NODDI Identifies Cognitive Associations with In Vivo Microstructural Changes in Remote Cortical Regions and Thalamocortical Pathways in Thalamic Stroke.

The roles of cerebral structures distal to isolated thalamic infarcts in cognitive deficits remain unclear. We aimed to identify the in vivo microstructural characteristics of remote gray matter (GM) and thalamic pathways and elucidate their roles across cognitive domains. Patients with isolated ischemic thalamic stroke and healthy controls underwent neuropsychological assessment and magnetic resonance imaging.

Identification of Candidate Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease via Multiplex Cerebrospinal Fluid and Serum Proteomics.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia among elderly people worldwide. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the optimal fluid source for AD biomarkers, while serum biomarkers are much more achievable. To search for novel diagnostic AD biomarkers, we performed a quantitative proteomic analysis of CSF and serum samples from AD and normal cognitive controls (NC).

Effect of topographic comparison of electroencephalographic microstates on the diagnosis and prognosis prediction of patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness.

Aims: The electroencephalography (EEG) microstates are indicative of fundamental information processing mechanisms, which are severely damaged in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDoC). We aimed to improve the topographic analysis of EEG microstates and explore indicators available for diagnosis and prognosis prediction of patients with pDoC, which were still lacking.

Methods: We conducted EEG recordings on 59 patients with pDoC and 32 healthy controls.

Acoustic-electric trigeminal-nerve stimulation enhances functional connectivity in patients with disorders of consciousness.

Aim: Disruption of functional brain connectivity is thought to underlie disorders of consciousness (DOC) and recovery of impaired connectivity is suggested as an indicator of consciousness restoration. We recently found that rhythmic acoustic-electric trigeminal-nerve stimulation (i.e.

Phase Property of Envelope-Tracking EEG Response Is Preserved in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness.

When listening to speech, the low-frequency cortical response below 10 Hz can track the speech envelope. Previous studies have demonstrated that the phase lag between speech envelope and cortical response can reflect the mechanism by which the envelope-tracking response is generated. Here, we analyze whether the mechanism to generate the envelope-tracking response is modulated by the level of consciousness, by studying how the stimulus-response phase lag is modulated by the disorder of consciousness (DoC).

Cortical responses to auditory stimulation predict the prognosis of patients with disorders of consciousness.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prognosis of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) using auditory stimulation with electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings.

Methods: We enrolled 72 patients with DoC in the study, which involved subjecting patients to auditory stimulation while EEG responses were recorded. Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) scores and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) were determined for each patient and followed up for three months.

The changes of central auditory processing function and its electroencephalogram in patients with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease.

Background: The aim of this study is to assess the central auditory processing (CAP) function and its electroencephalogram (EEG) in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: In this study, 25 patients with early AD, 22 patients with MCI, and 22 matched healthy controls (HC) were included. After cognitive assessment, binaural processing function was assessed using the staggered spondaic word (SSW) test, and auditory working memory was assessed by auditory n-back paradigm, while EEG was recorded.

Consformer: Consciousness Detection Using Transformer Networks With Correntropy-Based Measures.

Consciousness detection is important in diagnosis and treatment of disorders of consciousness (DOC). Recent studies have demonstrated that electroencephalography (EEG) signals contain effective information for consciousness state evaluation. We propose two novel EEG measures: the spatiotemporal correntropy and the neuromodulation intensity, to reflect the temporal-spatial complexity in brain signals for consciousness detection.

Estimated Burden of Stroke in China in 2020.

Importance: Stroke is the leading cause of death in China. However, recent data about the up-to-date stroke burden in China are limited.

Objective: To investigate the urban-rural disparity of stroke burden in the Chinese adult population, including prevalence, incidence, and mortality rate, and disparities between urban and rural populations.

Negative regulation of TREM2-mediated C9orf72 poly-GA clearance by the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Expansion of the hexanucleotide repeat GGGGCC in the C9orf72 gene is the most common genetic factor in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Poly-Gly-Ala (poly-GA), one form of dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs) produced from GGGGCC repeats, tends to form neurotoxic protein aggregates. The C9orf72 GGGGCC repeats and microglial receptor TREM2 are both associated with risk for ALS/FTD.

The role of purinergic receptors in neural repair and regeneration after spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury is a serious injury of the central nervous system that results in neurological deficits. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying spinal cord injury, as well as the mechanisms involved in neural repair and regeneration, are highly complex. Although there have been many studies on these mechanisms, there is no effective intervention for such injury.

Salivary Aβ may be a quick-tested biomarker for clinical use in Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis.

Objective: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia among the aging population. Cumulative studies aim to find non-invasive biomarkers in the early stages of AD. Saliva can be obtained easily, and salivary biomarkers have been proven effective in detecting neurodegenerative diseases.