Transition of Topical Therapy Formulation in Psoriasis: Insights from a Canadian Practice Reflective.

Patient preferences for psoriasis treatment may affect treatment adherence and disease control; changing topical formulation may improve adherence and patient acceptance of treatment. This study explored dermatologists' reasons for transitioning psoriasis patients from an ointment or gel (Dovobet®) formulation to an aerosol foam (Enstilar®) formulation of calcipotriol and betamethasone dipropionate (Cal/BD), and to assess the success of this transition. Medical records of 81 Canadian patients from 9 dermatologists were retrospectively reviewed for symptoms affecting quality of life, reasons for transitioning treatment, and whether transition was successful.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of cortical perfusion in response to thalamic deep brain stimulation.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has revolutionized the treatment of movement disorders. The parameters of electrical stimulation are important to its therapeutic effect and remain a source of clinical controversy. DBS exerts its actions not only locally at the site of stimulation but also remotely through afferent and efferent connections, which are vital to its clinical effects.

CMOS Image Sensor and System for Imaging Hemodynamic Changes in Response to Deep Brain Stimulation.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a therapeutic intervention used for a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders, but its mechanism of action is not well understood. It is known that DBS modulates neural activity which changes metabolic demands and thus the cerebral circulation state. However, it is unclear whether there are correlations between electrophysiological, hemodynamic and behavioral changes and whether they have any implications for clinical benefits.

Time and frequency-dependent modulation of local field potential synchronization by deep brain stimulation.

High-frequency electrical stimulation of specific brain structures, known as deep brain stimulation (DBS), is an effective treatment for movement disorders, but mechanisms of action remain unclear. We examined the time-dependent effects of DBS applied to the entopeduncular nucleus (EP), the rat homolog of the internal globus pallidus, a target used for treatment of both dystonia and Parkinson's disease (PD). We performed simultaneous multi-site local field potential (LFP) recordings in urethane-anesthetized rats to assess the effects of high-frequency (HF, 130 Hz; clinically effective), low-frequency (LF, 15 Hz; ineffective) and sham DBS delivered to EP.

Persistent cocaine-induced reversal learning deficits are associated with altered limbic cortico-striatal local field potential synchronization.

Repeated exposure to cocaine is known to produce persistent deficits in behavioral flexibility. Evidence suggests that these deficits are mediated in part by a circuit involving the medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices (PFC and OFC), nucleus accumbens (NAC), and basolateral amygdala (BLA). To assess the effects of cocaine on this circuit, we treated rats with cocaine daily for 14 d, followed by 4 weeks of abstinence.

Motivation on the Mediterranean: reward, compulsions and habit formation.

The 2007 Motivational Neuronal Networks meeting, held in Porquerolles, France was organized to generate debate and discussion on issues relating to reward, compulsion, and habit formation. The conference consisted primarily of four workshops that brought researchers from a wide variety of fields together in an informal atmosphere designed to facilitate interaction. This report is based on the detailed notes taken during the wide-ranging discussions, and summarizes major areas of both consensus and disagreement, as well research topics that are likely to be high priorities in the years to come.

Nucleus accumbens deep brain stimulation produces region-specific alterations in local field potential oscillations and evoked responses in vivo.

Deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens (NAC) region is an effective therapeutic avenue for several psychiatric disorders that are not responsive to traditional treatment strategies. Nonetheless, the mechanisms by which DBS achieves therapeutic effects remain unclear. We showed previously that high-frequency (HF) NAC DBS suppressed pyramidal cell firing and enhanced slow local field potential (LFP) oscillations in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) via antidromic activation of corticostriatal recurrent inhibition.

High-frequency deep brain stimulation of the nucleus accumbens region suppresses neuronal activity and selectively modulates afferent drive in rat orbitofrontal cortex in vivo.

High-frequency deep-brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) region is an effective therapeutic avenue for patients with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Imaging studies suggest that DBS acts by suppressing the aberrant metabolism in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) that is a hallmark of OCD; however, little is known about the mechanisms by which this occurs. We examined the effects of 30 min NAc DBS at 130 Hz on spontaneously active OFC neurons and local field potentials (LFPs) in addition to evoked responses elicited by single-pulse stimulation of the NAc or mediodorsal thalamus (MD) in urethane-anesthetized rats.

A single evoked afterdischarge produces rapid time-dependent changes in connexin36 protein expression in adult rat dorsal hippocampus.

Gap junctions between neurons contribute to synchronous neuronal firing and may play a role in the pathophysiology of epilepsy. We examined the expression of a number of gap junction subunits, including the neuronal gap junction forming protein connexin36 (Cx36), in the hippocampus at various time points following an electrically stimulated afterdischarge (AD) in freely-moving animals. Once recovered from electrode implantation, animals were tested with an escalating series of stimulations until an AD was evoked.

Extended cocaine self-administration and deprivation produces region-specific and time-dependent changes in connexin36 expression in rat brain.

Cocaine addiction is a disease that develops over time, and it is thought that drug-induced neuro-adaptations underlie the changes in behavior seen across the addictive process. While a number of alterations in synaptic transmission have been identified, little is currently known regarding cocaine's effects on gap junctional communication between neurons. Here we examine the effects of a cocaine self-administration regimen, previously shown to increase the reinforcing efficacy of cocaine, on the expression of the neuron-specific gap junction-forming protein connexin36 (C x 36).