Original article: adolescent dietary patterns derived using principal component analysis and neuropsychological functions: a cross-sectional analysis of Walnuts Smart Snack cohort.

A balanced diet is relevant for neuropsychological functioning. We aimed to analyze the association between dietary patterns and neuropsychological outcomes in a sample of healthy adolescents of the Walnuts Smart Snack (WSS) cohort from Barcelona city. We performed principal components analysis (PCA) to determine dietary patterns in the adolescent sample using a food frequency questionnaire (60 items).

Multifocal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Primary Progressive Aphasia Does Not Provide a Clinical Benefit Over Speech Therapy.

Background: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a group of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia characterized by language deterioration. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive intervention for brain dysfunction.

Objective: To evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of tDCS combined with speech therapy in the three variants of PPA.

Adaptation to tonic heat in healthy subjects and patients with sensory polyneuropathy.

Background Adaptation to a constant sensory stimulus involves many sites along the path of sensory volleys towards perception. The evaluation of such phenomenon may be of clinical interest. We studied adaptation to a constant temperature stimulus in healthy subjects to set normative data and in patients with sensory polyneuropathy (SPN), as proof of concept.

Prognostic value of cutaneous reinnervation with GAP-43 in oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy.

Background And Purpose: Oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy (OIN) implies axonal damage of both small and large sensory nerve fibers. We aimed at comparing the neurophysiological changes occurred after treatment and the capability to recovery based on histological marker of re-innervation GAP-43.

Methods: 48 patients with cancer were assessed before and after chemotherapy (at 3 months and 12 months if available).

Electrodiagnostic Testing of Small Fiber Neuropathies: A Review of Existing Guidelines.

This article reviews the literature on neurophysiological techniques for the diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy. The review is focused on clinical approach to suspected small fiber neuropathy, letting aside techniques whose clinical applicability is doubtful. We include, however, the special techniques required to examine C and Aδ fibers, which cannot be evaluated directly with conventional neurophysiological methods.

Acute lumbar polyradiculoneuropathy as early sign of methotrexate intrathecal neurotoxicity: Case report and literature review.

Acute paraplegia after treatment with intrathecal methotrexate requires a complete spinal cord neuroimaging as well as electrodiagnostic examination. The absence of lumbosacral F waves motor responses without demyelinating findings may indicate early direct root toxicity. Early electromyography (EMG) screening could be a valuable tool for detecting peripheral neurotoxicity.

Thermoalgesic stimuli induce prepulse inhibition of the blink reflex and affect conscious perception in healthy humans.

All sensory stimuli produce transient excitability changes in various central nervous system circuits. One example is prepulse inhibition (PPI), which is the inhibition generated by a preceding weak stimulus (prepulse) over the reflex response to a subsequent suprathreshold stimulus. The PPI is a ubiquitous phenomenon, common to many different sensory modalities.

Clinical utility of contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) in a case of mentalis nerve lesion.

Objective: Nociceptive evoked potentials are still infrequently used in electrodiagnostic studies of single patients. We report a case in which the results of contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) provided unique information for the diagnosis.

Methods: After biopsy for a local cementoma, a 21-year-old woman presented with neuropathic pain in the distribution of her left mentalis nerve.

Evidence of neurophysiological improvement of early manifestations of small-fiber dysfunction after liver transplantation in a patient with familial amyloid neuropathy.

Introduction: Small fiber polyneuropathy (SFP) is a common heralding clinical manifestation of damage to the nervous system in patients with familial amyloidosis. The diagnosis of SFP is a significant factor in the decision to treat a previously asymptomatic gene carrier, as treatment would prevent irreversible nerve damage. This requires detection of the earliest but unequivocal signs of peripheral nerve involvement.

Motor preparation in picture naming tasks.

In certain circumstances, words can be uttered as an involuntary action. We hypothesize that, once pronunciation of a word is fully prepared it can be triggered as a reflex with no need for cortical processing. We used modified protocols of picture naming tasks, with different levels of cognitive demands, to measure reaction time to word pronunciation (RTWP).

Influence of Mitochondrial Genetics on the Mitochondrial Toxicity of Linezolid in Blood Cells and Skin Nerve Fibers.

The antibiotic linezolid is a ribosomal inhibitor with excellent efficacy. Although the administration period has been reduced to 28 days, side effects, usually of hematologic or neuropathic origin, are still reported due to secondary inhibition of mitochondrial protein synthesis. Susceptibility to linezolid toxicity remains unknown.

Motor polyradiculopathy during pembrolizumab treatment of metastatic melanoma.

Introduction: Pembrolizumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the immune checkpoint programmed cell death-1 receptor (PD-1), has improved survival in patients with advanced melanoma. Neuromuscular immune-mediated side effects have been rarely reported.

Methods: We describe a 44-year-old man with metastatic melanoma who presented with progressive muscle weakness after 23 doses of pembrolizumab.

Neuropathic pain in cancer patients treated with bortezomib.

Introduction: The neuropathic pain is the most habitual problem in the neuropathy induced by chemotherapy (NIQ) and the one that more interferes in the quality of life of the patients. His precocious detection turns out to be fundamental to reduce or to eliminate the problems that from this one stem. The aims of this study were: 1) determine the incident and NIQ's characteristics and neuropathic pain in patients with mieloma multiple (MM) treated with bortezomib, and 2) to evaluate the impact of the neuropathic pain in the activities of the daily life (AVD).

Stimulus waveform determines the characteristics of sensory nerve action potentials.

Objective: In routine nerve conduction studies supramaximal electrical stimuli generate sensory nerve action potentials by depolarization of nerve fibers under the cathode. However, stimuli of submaximal intensity may give rise to action potentials generated under the anode. We tested if this phenomenon depends on the characteristics of stimulus ending.

Effects of postural and voluntary muscle contraction on modulation of the soleus H reflex by transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Modulation of spinal reflexes depends largely on the integrity of the corticospinal tract. A useful method to document the influence of descending tracts on reflexes is to examine the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the soleus H reflex elicited by posterior tibial nerve electrical stimuli (PTS). In 12 healthy volunteers, we investigated how postural or voluntary muscle contraction modified such descending modulation.

Cutaneous autonomic denervation in Parkinson's disease.

Numerous studies have detailed involvement of the peripheral autonomic nervous system (PANS) in Parkinson's disease (PD). We assessed autonomic innervation of dermal annexes through quantitative fluorescence measurement from skin obtained via punch biopsies at distal leg region in PD and control subjects. We defined a ratio between the area corresponding to protein gen product (PGP) immunoreactivity and the area corresponding to blood vessel or sweat gland as a quantitative measure of autonomic innervation.

Defective sensorimotor integration in preparation for reaction time tasks in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Slowness of voluntary movements in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be due to various factors, including attentional and cognitive deficits, delays in motor conduction time, and impairment of specific central nervous system circuits. In 13 healthy volunteers and 20 mildly disabled, relapsing-remitting MS patients, we examined simple reaction time (SRT) tasks requiring sensorimotor integration in circuits involving the corpus callosum and the brain stem. A somatosensory stimulus was used as the imperative signal (IS), and subjects were requested to react with either the ipsilateral or the contralateral hand (uncrossed vs.

Disturbed sensory perception of changes in thermoalgesic stimuli in patients with small fiber neuropathies.

The assessment of functional deficits in small fibre neuropathies (SFN) requires using ancillary tests other than conventional neurophysiological techniques. One of the tests with most widespread use is thermal threshold determination, as part of quantitative sensory testing. Thermal thresholds typically reflect one point in the whole subjective experience elicited by a thermal stimulus.

Impaired small fiber conduction in patients with Fabry disease: a neurophysiological case-control study.

Background: Fabry disease is an inborn lysosomal storage disorder which is associated with small fiber neuropathy. We set out to investigate small fiber conduction in Fabry patients using pain-related evoked potentials (PREP).

Methods: In this case-control study we prospectively studied 76 consecutive Fabry patients for electrical small fiber conduction in correlation with small fiber function and morphology.

Small fibre pathology in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome.

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a clinically well-characterized chronic pain condition of high socio-economic impact. Although the pathophysiology is still unclear, there is increasing evidence for nervous system dysfunction in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. In this case-control study we investigated function and morphology of small nerve fibres in 25 patients with fibromyalgia syndrome.

Neurophysiological assessment of painful neuropathies.

Nociceptive inputs reach the CNS by means of small myelinated and unmyelinated fibers. Owing to this, conventional nerve conduction studies and electromyography are less likely to demonstrate abnormalities in neuropathies affecting nociceptive fibers than in those involving large myelinated fibers. Therefore, to characterize painful neuropathies, clinicians evaluate the features of the lesion that cause pain rather than the feeling of pain itself.