Frameless Stereotactic Targeting of the Cerebellar Dentate Nucleus in Nonhuman Primates: Translatable Model for the Surgical Delivery of Gene Therapy.

Background: Stereotactic targeting techniques in nonhuman primate (NHP) models are often utilized in the preclinical investigation of new drug therapies with the goal of demonstrating accurate and reliable delivery of a therapy to the target tissue. However, targeting certain neuroanatomical structures can be challenging. The deep cerebellar nuclei, specifically the dentate nucleus, are potential stereotactic targets for the treatment of certain ataxias.

Survival and failure trends of cerebrospinal fluid shunts with distal slit valves: comparative study and literature review.

Objective: The malfunction rates of and trends in various cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt designs have been widely studied, but one area that has received little attention is the comparison of the peritoneal distal slit valve (DSV) shunt to other conventional valve (CV) type shunts. The literature that does exist comes from older case series that provide only indirect comparisons, and the conclusions are mixed. Here, the authors provide a direct comparison of the overall survival and failure trends of DSV shunts to those of other valve type shunts.

Double Fascicular Nerve Transfer to Musculocutaneous Branches for Restoration of Elbow Flexion in Brachial Plexus Injury.

Background Restriction of elbow flexion significantly limits upper extremity function following brachial plexus injuries. In recent years, the double fascicular nerve transfer procedure utilizing ulnar and median nerve transfer to musculocutaneous branches has shown promising functional outcomes. Objective To evaluate restoration of elbow flexion following a double fascicular transfer in patients with brachial plexus injuries and identify predictors of poor outcomes.

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy versus shunt for pediatric hydrocephalus: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Background: Optimized management of pediatric hydrocephalus remains the subject of debate. Ventriculoperitoneal shunt is largely considered the standard of care. However, the advancements and introduction of new cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion approaches including the use of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) offer appealing alternatives that have been reported in numerous observational series.

Comparative safety and efficacy of percutaneous approaches for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Percutaneous treatments for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) include glycerol rhizotomy (GR), radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF), and balloon compression (BC), which aim to provide pain relief by targeted injury to the trigeminal nerve pain fibers. All three techniques are well established and can provide immediate pain relief; however each of them can be associated with a range of complications. Our objective was to compare the safety and efficacy of GR, RF and BC in patients with TN.

Clinical evaluation and surveillance imaging of children with myelomeningocele and shunted hydrocephalus: a follow-up study.

OBJECTIVEThe majority of children with myelomeningocele undergo implantation of CSF shunts. The efficacy of adding surveillance imaging to clinical evaluation during routine follow-up as a means to minimize the hazard associated with future shunt failure has not been thoroughly studied.METHODSA total of 300 spina bifida clinic visits during the calendar years between 2012 and 2016 were selected for this study (defined as the index clinic visit).

Unusual cause of encephalopathy after brain surgery.

For patients who have had a recent neurosurgical procedure, a visit to the emergency department for encephalopathy may automatically prompt a neurosurgical consult. We present a case of a patient with a history of Chiari malformation decompressed 6 months prior who presented with a 2-week history of slowly progressive altered mental status, headache and imbalance-symptoms consistent with her initial Chiari symptoms, so neurosurgery was consulted. Imaging showed no acute abnormality, but laboratory results revealed metabolic acidosis with high salicylate levels.

Clot Strength as Measured by Thrombelastography Correlates with Platelet Reactivity in Stroke Patients.

Objective: Platelet reactivity may be important in the management of patients with stroke. However, degree of platelet reactivity has not been correlated with Thrombelastography (TEG(®)) parameters in stroke. We sought to detect a correlation between TEG(®) values and clot platelet reactivity in ex vivo clots of stroke patients.

The dopamine response in the nucleus accumbens core-shell border differs from that in the core and shell during operant ethanol self-administration.

Background: Ethanol self-administration has been shown to increase dopamine in the nucleus accumbens; however, dopamine levels in the accumbal subregions (core, shell, and core-shell border) have not yet been measured separately in this paradigm. This study was designed to determine if dopamine responses during operant ethanol self-administration are similar in the core, core-shell border, and shell, particularly during transfer from the home cage to the operant chamber and during consumption of the drinking solution.

Methods: Six groups of male Long-Evans rats were trained to lever-press for either 10% sucrose (10S) or 10% sucrose + 10% ethanol (10S10E) (with a guide cannula above the core, core-shell border, or shell of the accumbens).