An exploratory study of the damage markers NfL, GFAP, and t-Tau, in cerebrospinal fluid and other findings from a patient cohort enriched for suspected autoimmune psychiatric disease.

There is growing evidence suggesting that immunological mechanisms play a significant role in the development of psychiatric symptoms in certain patient subgroups. However, the relationship between clinical red flags for suspected autoimmune psychiatric disease and signs of central nervous system (CNS) pathology (e.g.

Evoked potentials after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiple sclerosis.

Objective: To investigate the effect of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) on functional aspects of the nervous system assessed by visual (VEP), somatosensory (SEP), and motor (MEP) evoked potentials in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of AHSCT on inflammatory activity and disability progression in patients with multiple sclerosis. However, the impact of AHSCT on evoked potentials has not been evaluated before.

Monitoring transcranial direct current stimulation induced changes in cortical excitability during the serial reaction time task.

The measurement of the motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitudes using single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a common method to observe changes in motor cortical excitability. The level of cortical excitability has been shown to change during motor learning. Conversely, motor learning can be improved by using anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Increasing human leg motor cortex excitability by transcranial high frequency random noise stimulation.

Purpose: Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) can increase the excitability of hand area of the primary motor cortex (M1). The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of tRNS and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the leg motor cortex.

Method: Ten healthy subjects received anodal, cathodal tDCS, tRNS and sham stimulation for 10 min using 2 mA intensity during separate experimental sessions.

Minocycline exerts acute inhibitory effects on cerebral cortex excitability in humans.

Minocycline has efficacy to alleviate seizure activity in animal models of epilepsy. Among other mechanisms it has been postulated that minocycline can inhibit microglial activation and develop beneficial effects by decreasing glutamate excitotoxicity. To explore acute effects of minocycline on human motor cortex excitability we used single- and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation in 12 healthy subjects 4h after a single oral dose of 200mg minocycline or placebo was administered in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design.

Effects of lacosamide and carbamazepine on human motor cortex excitability: a double-blind, placebo-controlled transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

Purpose: Lacosamide (LCM) and carbamazepine (CBZ) are antiepileptic drugs both acting on neuronal voltage-gated sodium channels. Patch-clamp studies demonstrated significant differences in how LCM and CBZ affect neuronal membrane excitability. Despite valuable information patch-clamp studies provide, they also comprise some constraints.

Mechanisms of human motor cortex facilitation induced by subthreshold 5-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Our knowledge about the mechanisms of human motor cortex facilitation induced by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is still incomplete. Here we used pharmacological conditioning with carbamazepine, dextrometorphan, lorazepam, and placebo to elucidate the type of plasticity underlying this facilitation, and to probe if mechanisms reminiscent of long-term potentiation are involved. Over the primary motor cortex of 10 healthy subjects, we applied biphasic rTMS pulses of effective posterior current direction in the brain.

Opposite optimal current flow directions for induction of neuroplasticity and excitation threshold in the human motor cortex.

Background: Directional sensitivity is relevant for the excitability threshold of the human primary motor cortex, but its importance for externally induced plasticity is unknown.

Objective: To study the influence of current direction on two paradigms inducing neuroplasticity by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).

Methods: We studied short-lasting after-effects induced in the human primary motor cortex of 8 healthy subjects, using 5 Hz rTMS applied in six blocks of 200 pulses each, at 90% active motor threshold.

Carbamazepine reduces short-interval interhemispheric inhibition in healthy humans.

Objective: We sought to elucidate the influence of centrally active drugs on interhemispheric inhibition (IHI) between primary motor cortices in healthy humans.

Methods: We therefore studied IHI before and 2h after intake of a single oral dose of carbamazepine, dextrometorphane, lorazepam, or placebo and compared it with the well known results for short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF). Drugs were tested in separate sessions and in random order.

Circadian modulation of GABA-mediated cortical inhibition.

Circadian rhythms exert powerful influence on various aspects of human physiology and behavior. Here, we tested changes of human cerebral cortex excitability over the course of the day with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). At different times of the day, intracortical and corticospinal excitability of the primary motor cortex (M1) was evaluated in 15 healthy subjects by TMS of left M1.

Right-shift for non-speech motor processing in adults who stutter.

Introduction: In adults who do not stutter (AWNS), the control of hand movement timing is assumed to be lateralized to the left dorsolateral premotor cortex (PMd). In adults who stutter (AWS), the network of speech motor control is abnormally shifted to the right hemisphere. Motor impairments in AWS are not restricted to speech, but extend to non-speech orofacial and finger movements.

Efficacy of EMG-triggered electrical arm stimulation in chronic hemiparetic stroke patients.

Purpose: EMG-triggered electrostimulation (EMG-ES) may improve the motor performance of affected limbs of hemiparetic stroke patients even in the chronic stage. This study was designed to characterize cortical activation changes following intensified EMG-ES in chronic stroke patients and to identify predictors for successful rehabilitation depending on disease severity.

Methods: We studied 9 patients with severe residual hemiparesis, who underwent 8 weeks of daily task-orientated multi-channel EMG-ES of the paretic arm.

H-coil: Induced electric field properties and input/output curves on healthy volunteers, comparison with a standard figure-of-eight coil.

Objective: To acquire information about the physical properties and physiological effects of the H-coil.

Methods: We used a robotized system to measure the electric field (E-field) generated by a H-coil prototype and compared it with a standard figure-of-eight coil. To explore the physiological properties of the coils, input/output curves were recorded for the right abductor digiti minimi muscle (ADM) as target muscle.

Training effects outweigh effects of single-session conventional rTMS and theta burst stimulation in PD patients.

Background: Focal single-session repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the primary motor cortex has been claimed to be capable of improving motor function in Parkinson's disease.

Objective: The authors sought to determine which type of rTMS protocol holds the highest potential for future therapeutic application.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with Parkinson's disease received 5 different rTMS protocols on 5 consecutive days in a pseudorandomized and counterbalanced order either in the defined OFF condition or with their usual medication.

The effect of rTMS over left and right dorsolateral premotor cortex on movement timing of either hand.

It has been suggested that the left dorsolateral premotor cortex (dPMC) controls timing abilities of either hand. To further clarify its functional significance for movement timing, low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was applied over the left and right dPMC, respectively, while subjects performed an auditorily paced finger-tapping task with each hand. rTMS over the left dPMC decreased tapping accuracy of both hands, whereas no behavioural effects occurred following right dPMC stimulation.

Dopaminergic potentiation of rTMS-induced motor cortex inhibition.

Background: Experiments in animal models suggest that neuronal plasticity can be enhanced by dopaminergic receptor activation. The present study tested whether stimulation-induced plasticity of human motor cortex after low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could be potentiated by a single oral dose of the combined D1/D2 receptor agonist pergolide.

Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over design, nine healthy young volunteers received .