Transcranial static magnetic stimulation for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a bicentric, randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled phase 2 trial.

Background: Enhanced glutamatergic transmission leading to motor neuron death is considered the major pathophysiological mechanism of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Motor cortex excitability can be suppressed by transcranial static magnetic stimulation (tSMS), thus tSMS can be evaluated as a potential treatment for ALS. The aim of present study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of tSMS in ALS.

Does Body Memory Exist? A Review of Models, Approaches and Recent Findings Useful for Neurorehabilitation.

Over the past twenty years, scientific research on body representations has grown significantly, with Body Memory (BM) emerging as a prominent area of interest in neurorehabilitation. Compared to other body representations, BM stands out as one of the most obscure due to the multifaceted nature of the concept of "memory" itself, which includes various aspects (such as implicit vs. explicit, conscious vs.

Quantitative EEG analysis of brivaracetam in drug-resistant epilepsy: A pharmaco-EEG study.

Objective: Brivaracetam (BRV) is a recent antiseizure medication (ASM) approved as an add-on therapy for people with focal epilepsy. BRV has a good efficacy and safety profile compared to other ASMs. However, its specific effects on resting-state EEG activity and connectivity are unknown.

An Overview of the Bodily Awareness Representation and Interoception: Insights and Progress in the Field of Neurorehabilitation Research.

In the last two decades, the scientific literature on so-called body representations has been increasing, and the notion of body awareness (BA) is particularly interesting for neurorehabilitation. In this article, we present results derived from recent studies on this representation, considering the different definitions and explicative models proposed as well as the empirical settings used to test it, providing an extensive overview of these issues. This article discusses the challenge of understanding how we integrate the sensory experiences of proprioception (knowing where our body is in space) and interoception (sensing internal bodily sensations, like hunger of thirst) with our perception of self.

Spectral exponent assessment and neurofilament light chain: a comprehensive approach to describe recovery patterns in stroke.

Introduction: Understanding the residual recovery potential in stroke patients is crucial for tailoring effective neurorehabilitation program We propose using EEG and plasmatic Neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels as a model to depict longitudinal patterns of stroke recovery.

Methods: We enrolled 13 patients (4 female, mean age 74.7 ± 8.

Resilience and psychosocial factors in adult with epilepsy: A longitudinal study.

Purpose: Resilience is conceptually characterized as a dynamic process encompassing positive adaptation in the context of significant adversity. Our goal was to assess the resilience in people with epilepsy (PWE) and how it impacts longitudinally on psychosocial factors, with a particular focus on the manifestation of stigmatization-related feelings.

Methods: We consecutively enrolled 78 adults PWE (42.

Overnight switch from carbamazepine to eslicarbazepine in a real-life clinical scenario: a retrospective study.

Background: Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a first-choice anti-seizure medication (ASM) whose efficacy is often invalidated by adverse effects (AEs). Eslicarbazepine (ESL) is a structural derivative of CBZ with better pharmacokinetic/tolerability profiles. We describe our experience of the overnight CBZ to ESL switch in people with epilepsy (PwE) to improve seizure control, AEs, and ASMs adherence.

Tackling seizures in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: In past years, a possible bidirectional link between epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been proposed: if AD patients are more likely to develop epilepsy, people with late-onset epilepsy evidence an increased risk of dementia. Furthermore, current research suggested that subclinical epileptiform discharges may be more frequent in patients with AD and network hyperexcitability may hasten cognitive impairment.

Areas Covered: In this narrative review, the authors discuss the recent evidence linking AD and epilepsy as well as seizures semeiology and epileptiform activity observed in patients with AD.

Resilience predicts and modulates anxiety severity in people with epilepsy.

Background: Anxiety is one of the most relevant psychiatric comorbidities in people with epilepsy (PwE). The role of resilience (RES) in the development of anxiety is not well understood. We purposed to better characterize RES impact on anxiety severity in PwE.

Erratum to 'A comparative study in type 2 von Willebrand disease patients using four different platelet-dependent von Willebrand factor assays.' [Research and Practice in Thrombosis and Haemostasis Volume 7, Issue 3, March 2023, 100139].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.rpth.

Evaluating the effect of calcifediol supplementation on seizure frequency in people with drug-resistant epilepsy.

The well-known neuroprotective role and involvement of vitamin D in the function of the central nervous system has raised the speculation about the possible antiseizure effect of vitamin D supplementation. This issue is crucial when considering people with epilepsy (PWE), who frequently display vitamin D deficiency, but nowadays data are still unconclusive. In our study, we enrolled 25 adult patients affected by drug-resistant epilepsy and hypovitaminosis D to test the effect of Calcifediol on seizure frequency after 6 months of supplementation.

A comparative study in patients with type 2 von Willebrand disease using 4 different platelet-dependent von Willebrand factor assays.

Background: Several assays are now available to evaluate platelet-dependent von Willebrand factor (VWF) activity.

Objective: To report the results obtained using 4 different assays in patients with von Willebrand disease (VWD) carrying variants mainly in the A1 domain, which is critical for VWF binding to glycoprotein Ib (GPIb) and ristocetin.

Methods: We evaluated 4 different assays, 2 gain-of-function mutant GPIb binding (VWF:GPIbM) and 2 ristocetin cofactor (VWF:RCo) assays, in 76 patients with type 2 VWD.

Flow-chamber device (T-TAS) to diagnose patients suspected of platelet function defects.

Background: Patients suspected of platelet function defects represent a diagnostic challenge for the clinical laboratory, mainly due to the complexity and poor standardization of screening methods. We compared a new flow-based chip-equipped point-of-care (T-TAS) device with lumi-aggregometry and other specific tests.

Materials And Methods: The study included 96 patients suspected of platelet function defects and 26 patients referred to hospital for an evaluation of residual platelet function while on antiplatelet therapy.

EPIAMNE: A New Scoring System for Differentiating Transient EPIleptic AMNEsia from Transient Global Amnesia.

Transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) is a rare cause of acute amnestic syndromes (AAS), often misdiagnosed as transient global amnesia (TGA). We proposed a scoring system—the EPIlepsy AMNEsia (EPIAMNE) score—using quantitative EEG (qEEG) analysis to obtain a tool for differentiating TEA from TGA. We retrospectively reviewed clinical information and standard EEGs (stEEG) of 19 patients with TEA and 21 with TGA.

Determinants of medication adherence in people with epilepsy: A multicenter, cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: Poor medication adherence in people with epilepsy (PwE) increases mortality, hospitalization, and poor quality of life, representing a critical challenge for clinicians. Several demographic, clinical, and neuropsychological factors were singularly found associated with medication adherence in several studies, but the literature lacks a comprehensive study simultaneously assessing all these variables.

Methods: We performed a multicenter and cross-sectional study using online questionnaires with the following clinical scales: Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8), Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory 31 (QoLIE-31), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and 14-item Resilience scale (RES14) in a population of 200 PwE.

Levetiracetam Modulates EEG Microstates in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

To determine the effects of Levetiracetam (LEV) therapy using EEG microstates analysis in a population of newly diagnosed Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) patients. We hypothesized that the impact of LEV therapy on the electrical activity of the brain can be globally explored using EEG microstates. Twenty-seven patients with TLE were examined.

Vagal nerve stimulation cycles alter EEG connectivity in drug-resistant epileptic patients: A study with graph theory metrics.

Objective: Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS) is an effective treatment for Drug-Resistant (DR) epilepsy. Albeit the corroborated effectiveness of VNS, little is known about how VNS works. We aim to leverage quantitative Electroencephalography (qEEG) to study how the brain responds to VNS cycles.

Lombardy diagnostic and therapeutic network of thrombotic microangiopathy.

Background: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare, life-threatening thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) requiring urgent treatment. Standardization of its diagnosis and optimal management is challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the role of centralized, rapid testing of ADAMTS13 in patients experiencing acute TMAs requiring plasma-exchange (PEX) and to estimate the incidence of TTP in a large Italian Region.

Understanding and managing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on patients with epilepsy.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represented a relevant issue for people with epilepsy (PwE). Medical care and social restrictions exposed PwE to a high risk of seizure worsening. Medical institutions answered to the pandemic assuring only emergency care and implementing a remote assistance that highlighted the technological obsolescence of the medical care paradigms for PwE.

Machine learning for predicting levetiracetam treatment response in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Objective: To determine the predictive power for seizure-freedom of 19-channels EEG, measured both before and after three months the initiation of the use of Levetiracetam (LEV), in a cohort of people after a new diagnosis of temporal-lobe epilepsy (TLE) using a machine-learning approach.

Methods: Twenty-three individuals with TLE were examined. We dichotomized clinical outcome into seizure-free (SF) and non-seizure-free (NSF) after two years of LEV.

Role of ADAMTS13, VWF and F8 genes in deep vein thrombosis.

Background: We previously described the association between rare ADAMTS13 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Moreover, DVT patients with at least one rare ADAMTS13 SNV had a lower ADAMTS13 activity than non-carriers.

Aims: To confirm ADAMTS13 variants association with DVT and reduced plasma ADAMTS13 activity levels in a larger population.

The effect of Perampanel on EEG spectral power and connectivity in patients with focal epilepsy.

Objective: Quantitative Encephalography (qEEG) depicts synthetically the features of EEG signal and represents a promising tool in the assessment of neurophysiological changes brought about by Anti-Seizure Medications (ASMs). In this study we characterized qEEG alterations related to add-on therapy with Perampanel (PER). PER is the only ASM presenting a direct glutamatergic antagonism, hence the characterization of PER induced EEG changes could help to better understand its large spectrum of efficacy.

Pro-coagulant imbalance in patients with community acquired pneumonia assessed on admission and one month after hospital discharge.

Objectives: Patients hospitalized because of community-acquired-pneumonia (CAP) are at risk of cardiovascular diseases. Although plasma procoagulant imbalance play a role, mechanisms are not completely understood. We aimed to investigate whether there is a measurable state of procoagulant imbalance following inflammation determined by CAP.

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Alzheimer's Disease: From Preclinical to Clinical Evidence of a Strong Association.

Increasing evidence coming from both experimental and humans' studies strongly suggest the existence of a link between epilepsy, in particular temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD are more prone to have seizures, and seizures seem to facilitate amyloid-β and tau deposits, thus promoting neurodegenerative processes. Consistent with this view, long-lasting drug-resistant TLE and AD have been shown to share several pathological and neuroimaging features.