Acute effects of L-DOPA/carbidopa/buspirone (Spinalon™) on rhythmic electrical activity of the lumbosacral spinal cord in cats.

Discovered by Guertin and colleagues in 2004, Spinalon™ is a fixed-drug combination (L-DOPA, carbidopa, and buspirone) that can acutely induce temporary episodes of rhythmic locomotor-like activity in complete or near-complete spinal cord-injured (SCI) subjects. However, little is known about the mechanisms of action or the direct effects of Spinalon™ on neural elements of the central pattern generators (CPGs). Our study aims at characterizing the effects of Spinalon™ on electrical activity of the spinal cord in segmental areas known to contain key rhythmogenic elements of the CPGs (i.

The Geriatric Patient: Frailty, Prehabilitation, and Postoperative Delirium.

Historically and for ease of classification, the geriatric patient has received a chronologic definition of a person 65 years and older. Chronologic age remains an independent risk of postoperative complications and adverse surgical outcomes. Frailty is an expression of an individual's biological age and as such a more reliable determination of their vulnerabilities or resilience to stress.

Power spectral density and similarity analysis of COVID-19 mortality waves across countries.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) established a comprehensive database detailing daily mortality rates across countries. This dataset revealed fluctuating global mortality trends attributable to COVID-19; however, the specific differences and similarities in mortality patterns between countries remain insufficiently explored. Consequently, this study employs Fourier and similarity analyses to examine these patterns within the frequency domain, thereby offering novel insights into the dynamics of COVID-19 mortality waves across different nations.

Post-Hospitalization Home Monitoring Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Survey Results from the Hospital Medicine Re-engineering Network (HOMERuN).

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, hospitals and healthcare systems launched innovative responses to emerging needs. The creation and use of programs to remotely follow patient clinical status and recovery after COVID-19 hospitalization has not been thoroughly described.

Objective: To characterize deployment of remote post-hospital discharge monitoring programs during the COVID-19 pandemic METHODS: Electronic surveys were administered to leaders of 83 US academic hospitals in the Hospital Medicine Re-engineering Network (HOMERuN).

ADHD Adults Show Lower Interindividual Similarity in Ex-Gaussian Reaction Time Vectors for Congruent Stimuli Compared to Control Peers.

Objective: Interindividual similarity refers to how similarly individuals respond when receiving the same stimulus or intervention. In this study, we aimed to examine interindividual similarity in adults with ADHD.

Method: We used the cosine similarity index of ex-Gaussian reaction time (RT) vectors of mu, sigma, and tau parameters during a Stroop task.

Absence of Neuroplastic Changes in the Bilateral H-Reflex Amplitude following Spinal Manipulation with Activator IV.

Chiropractic spinal manipulation is an alternative medical procedure for treating various spinal dysfunctions. Great interest exists in investigating its neuroplastic effects on the central nervous system. Previous studies have found contradictory results in relation to the neuroplastic changes in the H-reflex amplitude as a response to manual spinal manipulation.

Pharmacological characterization and differential expression of NMDA receptor subunits in the chicken vestibular system during development.

Previous studies demonstrated that in vitro preparations of the isolated vestibular system of diverse animal species still exhibit stable resting electrical activity and mechanically evoked synaptic transmission between hair cells and primary afferent endings. However, there are no reports related to their neurodevelopment. Therefore, this research aimed to examine whether NMDA receptors mediate these electrical signals in an isolated preparation of the chicken vestibular system at three developmental stages, E15, E18, and E21.

Random noise stimulation in the treatment of patients with neurological disorders.

Random noise stimulation technique involves applying any form of energy (for instance, light, mechanical, electrical, sound) with unpredictable intensities through time to the brain or sensory receptors to enhance sensory, motor, or cognitive functions. Random noise stimulation initially employed mechanical noise in auditory and cutaneous stimuli, but electrical energies applied to the brain or the skin are becoming more frequent, with a series of clinical applications. Indeed, recent evidence shows that transcranial random noise stimulation can increase corticospinal excitability, improve cognitive/motor performance, and produce beneficial aftereffects at the behavioral and psychological levels.

Balanced Expression of G Protein-coupled Receptor Subtypes in the Mouse, Macaque, and Human Cerebral Cortex.

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) modulate brain function by signaling through heterotrimeric G, G, and G protein subtypes. Researchers frequently study neuromodulation via these GPCR-subtypes on a 'cell-by-cell' basis. Although useful to explore a small number of interactions among neuromodulatory systems under controlled settings, this approach fails to account for a global organization of GPCRs in the brain.

Low-field thoracic magnetic stimulation increases peripheral oxygen saturation levels in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients: A single-blind, sham-controlled, crossover study.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 may cause low oxygen saturation (SpO2) and respiratory failure in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Hence, increased SpO2 levels in COVID-19 patients could be crucial for their quality of life and recovery. This study aimed to demonstrate that a 30-minute single session of dorsal low-field thoracic magnetic stimulation (LF-ThMS) can be employed to increase SpO2 levels in COVID-19 patients significantly.

Modeling Post-Scratching Locomotion with Two Rhythm Generators and a Shared Pattern Formation.

This study aimed to present a model of post-scratching locomotion with two intermixed central pattern generator (CPG) networks, one for scratching and another for locomotion. We hypothesized that the rhythm generator layers for each CPG are different, with the condition that both CPGs share their supraspinal circuits and their motor outputs at the level of their pattern formation networks. We show that the model reproduces the post-scratching locomotion latency of 6.

Discharge Practices for COVID-19 Patients: Rapid Review of Published Guidance and Synthesis of Documents and Practices at 22 US Academic Medical Centers.

Background: There are currently no evidence-based guidelines that provide standardized criteria for the discharge of COVID-19 patients from the hospital.

Objective: To address this gap in practice guidance, we reviewed published guidance and collected discharge protocols and procedures to identify and synthesize common practices.

Design: Rapid review of existing guidance from US and non-US public health organizations and professional societies and qualitative review using content analysis of discharge documents collected from a national sample of US academic medical centers with follow-up survey of hospital leaders SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We reviewed 65 websites for major professional societies and public health organizations and collected documents from 22 Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) in the US participating in the HOspital MEdicine Reengineering Network (HOMERuN).

Noisy Light Augments the Na Current in Somatosensory Pyramidal Neurons of Optogenetic Transgenic Mice.

In previous reports, we developed a method to apply Brownian optogenetic noise-photostimulation (BONP, 470 nm) up to 0.67 mW on the barrel cortex of ChR2 transgenic mice. In such studies, we found that the BONP produces an increase in the evoked field potentials and the neuronal responses of pyramidal neurons induced by somatosensory mechanical stimulation.

Augmenting Global Coherence in EEG Signals with Binaural or Monaural Noises.

Internal stochastic resonance (internal SR) is a phenomenon of non-linear systems in which the addition of a non-zero level of noise produces an enhancement in the coherence between two or more signals. In a previous study, we found that the simultaneous administration of multisensory visual and auditory noise augments global coherence in electroencephalographic (EEG) signals via this phenomenon. Here, we examined whether such global coherence can also be augmented with at least one noisy acoustic source.

Changes in Serotonin Modulation of Glutamate Currents in Pyramidal Offspring Cells of Rats Treated With 5-MT during Gestation.

Changes in stimuli and feeding in pregnant mothers alter the behavior of offspring. Since behavior is mediated by brain activity, it is expected that postnatal changes occur at the level of currents, receptors or soma and dendrites structure and modulation. In this work, we explore at the mechanism level the effects on Sprague-Dawley rat offspring following the administration of serotonin (5-HT) agonist 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MT).

The Hemodynamic Mass Action of a Central Pattern Generator.

The hemodynamic response is a neurovascular and metabolic process in which there is rapid delivery of blood flow to a neuronal tissue in response to neuronal activation. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), for instance, are based on the physiological principles of such hemodynamic responses. Both techniques allow the mapping of active neuronal regions in which the neurovascular and metabolic events are occurring.

Afterdischarges of Spinal Interneurons Following a Brief High-Frequency Stimulation of Ia Afferents in the Cat.

Spinal motoneurons exhibit sustained afterdischarges and plateau potentials following a brief high-frequency stimulation of Ia afferents. Also, there is evidence that spinal cord interneurons exhibit plateau potentials. However, to our knowledge, there are no reports about the possible afterdischarge behavior of lumbar spinal interneurons activated by Ia afferents.