Multimodal therapy and use of adjunctive therapies to BoNT-A in spasticity management: defining terminology to help enhance spasticity treatment.

Spasticity management should be provided within the context of a comprehensive person-centered rehabilitation program. Furthermore, active goal setting for specific spasticity interventions is also important, with a well-established "more is better" approach. It is critical to consider adjunctive therapy and multimodal approaches if patients are not attaining their treatment goals.

Tactile sensory processing deficits in genetic mouse models of autism spectrum disorder.

Altered sensory processing is a common feature in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Although altered responses to tactile stimuli are observed in over 60% of individuals with ASD, the neurobiological basis of this phenomenon is poorly understood. ASD has a strong genetic component and genetic mouse models can provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying tactile abnormalities in ASD.

The +/+) mouse model of autism spectrum disorder displays auditory avoidance in a novel behavioral test.

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in communication and social interaction, restricted interests, repetitive behaviors, and sensory alterations, with auditory hypersensitivity being one of the most commonly reported sensory-perceptual abnormalities. Several candidate genes for involvement in this disorder have emerged from patient studies, including , a gene that encodes a protein (SHANK3) in the postsynaptic density of excitatory synapses. Previous work has shown that mutant mice carrying a human ASD mutation in the gene () exhibit repetitive behaviors and social interaction deficits, indicating important construct and face validity for this genotype as an animal model of ASD.

Chronic stress causes striatal disinhibition mediated by SOM-interneurons in male mice.

Chronic stress (CS) is associated with a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, and it may also contribute to or exacerbate motor function. However, the mechanisms by which stress triggers motor symptoms are not fully understood. Here, we report that CS functionally alters dorsomedial striatum (DMS) circuits in male mice, by affecting GABAergic interneuron populations and somatostatin positive (SOM) interneurons in particular.

Ultrasensitive dopamine detection with graphene aptasensor multitransistor arrays.

Detecting physiological levels of neurotransmitters in biological samples can advance our understanding of brain disorders and lead to improved diagnostics and therapeutics. However, neurotransmitter sensors for real-world applications must reliably detect low concentrations of target analytes from small volume working samples. Herein, a platform for robust and ultrasensitive detection of dopamine, an essential neurotransmitter that underlies several brain disorders, based on graphene multitransistor arrays (gMTAs) functionalized with a selective DNA aptamer is presented.

Shaping social behavior in an enriched environment.

Access to vital needs shapes social orders. In rats, social systems tend to maintain a certain stability, but alterations in the physical environment can change inter-individual relations, which consequently can alter social orders. Principles governing social systems are, however, difficult to study and most analyses have been restricted to dyads of animals over short periods of time, hardly capturing the complexity and temporal dynamics of social interactions.

Hybrid Multisite Silicon Neural Probe with Integrated Flexible Connector for Interchangeable Packaging.

Multisite neural probes are a fundamental tool to study brain function. Hybrid silicon/polymer neural probes combine rigid silicon and flexible polymer parts into one single device and allow, for example, the precise integration of complex probe geometries, such as multishank designs, with flexible biocompatible cabling. Despite these advantages and benefiting from highly reproducible fabrication methods on both silicon and polymer substrates, they have not been widely available.

Botulinum Neurotoxin-A Injection in Adult Cervical Dystonia and Spastic Paresis: Results From the INPUT (INjection Practice, Usage and Training) Survey.

Botulinum toxin-A (BoNT-A) is an effective treatment for cervical dystonia (CD) and spastic paresis (SP), but it requires in-depth knowledge of anatomy and injection techniques. The Ixcellence Network® is an educational programme to provide neurology, neuropaediatrics, and physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) specialists with access to best clinical practices and innovations regarding SP and CD management with BoNT-A. To assess the benefits of such educational programmes and identify unmet needs, a multidisciplinary scientific committee designed INPUT (INjection Practice, Usage & Training), an international multicentric survey describing training and practices among this trained and experienced population.

COVID-19 pandemic. What should Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine specialists do? A clinician's perspective.

COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly spreading all over the world, creating the risk for a healthcare collapse. While acute care and intensive care units are the main pillars of the early response to the disease, rehabilitative medicine should play an important part in allowing COVID-19 survivors to reduce disability and optimize the function of acute hospital setting. The aim of this study was to share the experience and the international perspective of different rehabilitation centers, treating COVID-19 survivors.

Efficacy and Safety of AbobotulinumtoxinA for the Treatment of Hemiparesis in Adults with Lower Limb Spasticity Previously Treated With Other Botulinum Toxins: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To examine the safety and efficacy of abobotulinumtoxinA in patients previously treated with botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) products other than abobotulinumtoxinA.

Design: Secondary analysis from a phase 3, double-blind, single-cycle, randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Setting: Fifty-two centers (11 countries).

Management of Spastic Paresis and Cervical Dystonia: Access to Therapeutic Innovations Through an International Program of Practical Courses.

Purpose: Our purpose was to determine satisfaction and confidence of the Ixcellence Network training program on health care practitioners using botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) for neurologic disorders, including spastic paresis and cervical dystonia.

Methods: The Ixcellence Network training program was designed by a scientific committee of 6 experts and then tested at centers in Europe, and Latin America. The training, provided by 16 experienced neurologists and rehabilitation specialists, consisted of theoretic and practical sessions that covered the different stages of the patient's journey from diagnosis to tailored treatment and rehabilitation.

Ixcellence Network®: an international educational network to improve current practice in the management of cervical dystonia or spastic paresis by botulinum toxin injection.

Botulinum toxin is a well-established treatment for a number of conditions involving muscle hyperactivity, such as focal dystonia and spastic paresis. However, current injection practice is not standardized and there is a clear need for structured training. An international group of experts in the management of patients with cervical dystonia (CD) and spastic paresis created a steering committee (SC).

The habenula as a critical node in chronic stress-related anxiety.

The habenula is activated in response to stressful and aversive events, resulting in exploratory inhibition. Although possible mechanisms for habenula activation have been proposed, the effects of chronic stress on the habenular structure have never been studied. Herein, we assessed changes in volume, cell density and dendritic structure of habenular cells after chronic stress exposure using stereological and 3D morphological analysis.

Patterns of Theta Activity in Limbic Anxiety Circuit Preceding Exploratory Behavior in Approach-Avoidance Conflict.

Theta oscillations within the hippocampus-amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex (HPC-AMY-mPFC) circuit have been consistently implicated in the regulation of anxiety behaviors, including risk-assessment. To study if theta activity during risk-assessment was correlated with exploratory behavior in an approach/avoidance paradigm we recorded simultaneous local field potentials from this circuit in rats exploring the elevated-plus maze (EPM). Opposing patterns of power variations in the ventral hippocampus (vHPC), basolateral amygdala (BLA), and prelimbic (PrL) mPFC, but not in the dorsal hippocampus (dHPC), during exploratory risk-assessment of the open arms preceded further exploration of the open arms or retreat back to the safer closed arms.

Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A in Neurology: Update.

This paper reviews the current and most neurological (central nervous system, CNS) uses of the botulinum neurotoxin type A. The effect of these toxins at neuromuscular junction lends themselves to neurological diseases of muscle overactivity, particularly abnormalities of muscle control. There are seven serotypes of the toxin, each with a specific activity at the molecular level.

Age effects on EEG correlates of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.

Body and brain undergo several changes with aging. One of the domains in which these changes are more remarkable relates with cognitive performance. In the present work, electroencephalogram (EEG) markers (power spectral density and spectral coherence) of age-related cognitive decline were sought whilst the subjects performed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).

Stress affects theta activity in limbic networks and impairs novelty-induced exploration and familiarization.

Exposure to a novel environment triggers the response of several brain areas that regulate emotional behaviors. Here, we studied theta oscillations within the hippocampus (HPC)-amygdala (AMY)-medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) network in exploration of a novel environment and subsequent familiarization through repeated exposures to that same environment; in addition, we assessed how concomitant stress exposure could disrupt this activity and impair both behavioral processes. Local field potentials (LFP) were simultaneously recorded from dorsal and ventral hippocampus (dHPC and vHPC, respectively), basolateral amygdala (BLA) and mPFC in freely behaving rats while they were exposed to a novel environment, then repeatedly re-exposed over the course of 3 weeks to that same environment and, finally, on re-exposure to a novel unfamiliar environment.

Chronic stress disrupts neural coherence between cortico-limbic structures.

Chronic stress impairs cognitive function, namely on tasks that rely on the integrity of cortico-limbic networks. To unravel the functional impact of progressive stress in cortico-limbic networks we measured neural activity and spectral coherences between the ventral hippocampus (vHIP) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in rats subjected to short term stress (STS) and chronic unpredictable stress (CUS). CUS exposure consistently disrupted the spectral coherence between both areas for a wide range of frequencies, whereas STS exposure failed to trigger such effect.