When neuromodulation met control theory.

The brain is a highly complex physical system made of assemblies of neurons that work together to accomplish elaborate tasks such as motor control, memory and perception. How these parts work together has been studied for decades by neuroscientists using neuroimaging, psychological manipulations, and neurostimulation. Neurostimulation has gained particular interest, given the possibility to perturb the brain and elicit a specific response.

Validation of the Brief Index of Sexual Functioning for women and men (BISF-W and BISF-M) in an Italian sample.

Introduction: The Brief Index of Sexual Functioning for Women (BISF-W) is an international 4-factors tool assessing qualitative and quantitative aspects of sexual experiences in women, both in clinical and experimental settings. The present research aims at validating an Italian version of the BISF-W, to develop a BISF version for men (BISF-M) to fill the gap in the existing sexual function evaluation tools in Italy and to analyze gender and age groups differences in the BISF factors.

Methods: The research included 6,355 women, aged from 18 to 65 ( = 34.

Investigating the effect of rTMS over the temporoparietal cortex on the Right Ear Advantage for perceived and imagined voices.

A Right Ear Advantage (REA) is well-established in perceptual tasks but it has been found also during imagery. It is ascribed to the left temporoparietal activity for language, and it can be absent/reversed in some clinical conditions including auditory hallucinations. We applied 1-Hz repetitive TMS over TP3/TP4 (left/right language areas) identified through neuronavigation in 18 healthy participants, before administering a modified white noise (WN) speech illusion paradigm: a voice was presented at one ear, at the same or lower intensities with respect to binaural WN.

Commit to your putting stroke: exploring the impact of quiet eye duration and neural activity on golf putting performance.

Introduction: There is a growing interest in characterizing the cognitive-motor processes that underlie superior performance in highly skilled athletes. The aim of this study was to explore neural markers of putting performance in highly skilled golfers by recording mobile EEG (electroencephalogram) during the pre-shot period.

Methods: Twenty-eight right-handed participants (20 males) with a mean age of 24.

The lived experience of mental disorders in adolescents: a bottom-up review co-designed, co-conducted and co-written by experts by experience and academics.

We provide here the first bottom-up review of the lived experience of mental disorders in adolescents co-designed, co-conducted and co-written by experts by experience and academics. We screened first-person accounts within and outside the medical field, and discussed them in collaborative workshops involving numerous experts by experience - representing different genders, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and continents - and their family members and carers. Subsequently, the material was enriched by phenomenologically informed perspectives and shared with all collaborators.

Encoding Manual Dexterity through Modulation of Intrinsic α Band Connectivity.

The human hand possesses both consolidated motor skills and remarkable flexibility in adapting to ongoing task demands. However, the underlying mechanisms by which the brain balances stability and flexibility remain unknown. In the absence of external input or behavior, spontaneous (intrinsic) brain connectivity is thought to represent a prior of stored memories.

Dual Inhibitors of Brain Carbonic Anhydrases and Monoamine Oxidase-B Efficiently Protect against Amyloid-β-Induced Neuronal Toxicity, Oxidative Stress, and Mitochondrial Dysfunction.

We report here the first dual inhibitors of brain carbonic anhydrases (CAs) and monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) for the management of Alzheimer's disease. Classical CA inhibitors (CAIs) such as methazolamide prevent amyloid-β-peptide (Aβ)-induced overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial dysfunction. MAO-B is also implicated in ROS production, cholinergic system disruption, and amyloid plaque formation.

Effect of Polyplex Size on Penetration into Tumor Spheroids.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecological cancers in the world. In recent years, nucleic acid (NA)-based formulations have been shown to be promising treatments for ovarian cancer, including tumor nodules. However, gene therapy is not that far advanced in clinical reality due to unfavorable physicochemical properties of the NAs, such as high molecular weight, poor cellular uptake, rapid degradation by nucleases, etc.

The lived experience of depression: a bottom-up review co-written by experts by experience and academics.

We provide here the first bottom-up review of the lived experience of depression, co-written by experts by experience and academics. First-person accounts within and outside the medical field were screened and discussed in collaborative workshops involving numerous individuals with lived experience of depression, family members and carers, representing a global network of organizations. The material was enriched by phenomenologically informed perspectives and shared with all collaborators in a cloud-based system.

How divergent are children's divergent movements? The role of cognition and expertise in a class-randomized cross-over trial.

This study aimed at investigating (1) the cognitive and motor predictors of divergent movement ability (DMA) in childhood and (2) the role of sport and enriched physical education (PE) experience. Participants were 165 fifth graders, aged 10-11 years, with different histories (onset and duration) of participation in enriched PE. They were assessed in cognitive/attentional and motor/sport skills and active play/sport habits at baseline, and six months later in DMA.

Parental relationships, emotion regulation and orthorexia: A study on adolescent athletes.

This study seeks to further our understanding of the factors associated with adolescent athletes and disordered eating, by expanding current research into a less-explored eating disorder known as orthorexia. The aim of the study is to explore the impact of parents' relationships and emotional regulation on the orthorexia nervosa (ON) tendencies of adolescent athletes. The participants were 303 adolescents, ranging from 15 to 17 years old, of which 139 participated in competitive sport, and 164 did not.

Perinatal diagnosis of congenital urogenital sinus abnormality.

Anomalies of the urogenital sinus, which is a transient feature of the early human embryological development, are rare birth defects. Urogenital sinus abnormalities commonly present as pelvic masses, hydrometrocolpos, or ambiguous genitalia and most commonly occur within the context of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Anomalies of the urogenital sinus requires surgical repair.

A New Generation of IMiDs as Treatments for Neuroinflammatory and Neurodegenerative Disorders.

The immunomodulatory imide drug (IMiD) class, which includes the founding drug member thalidomide and later generation drugs, lenalidomide and pomalidomide, has dramatically improved the clinical treatment of specific cancers, such as multiple myeloma, and it combines potent anticancer and anti-inflammatory actions. These actions, in large part, are mediated by IMiD binding to the human protein cereblon that forms a critical component of the E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. This complex ubiquitinates and thereby regulates the levels of multiple endogenous proteins.

Emotion Regulation in Toddlerhood: Regulatory Strategies in Anger and Fear Eliciting Contexts at 24 and 30 Months.

The study investigated the emergence of toddlers' regulatory strategies in aversive contexts. Forty-two toddlers were observed at 24 and 30 months of age using two paradigms designed to elicit fear and anger. We examined toddlers' use of regulatory strategies at these two stages of life regarding the frequency of self-versus other-oriented strategies and of reactive versus more controlled behaviors.

Analyzing the sensitivity of quantitative 3D MRI of longitudinal relaxation at very low field in Gd-doped phantoms.

Purpose: Recently, new MRI systems working at magnetic field below 10 mT (Very and Ultra Low Field regime) have been developed, showing improved T1-contrast in projected 2D maps (i.e. images without slice selection).

Proteomic Signature and mRNA Expression in Hippocampus of SAMP8 and SAMR1 Mice during Aging.

Aging is a complex process often accompanied by cognitive decline that represents a risk factor for many neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The molecular mechanisms involved in age-related cognitive decline are not yet fully understood, although increased neuroinflammation is considered to play a significant role. In this study, we characterized a proteomic view of the hippocampus of the senescence-accelerated mouse prone-8 (SAMP8), a model of enhanced senescence, in comparison with the senescence-accelerated-resistant mouse (SAMR1), a model of normal aging.

A developmental outlook on the role of cognition and emotions in youth volleyball and artistic gymnastics.

Developmental and cognitive psychology recently started to take an interest in the sports domain, exploring the role of either cognitive functions or emotions in youth sport. However, to the extent that cognition and emotions are inextricably linked, studying them jointly from a developmental perspective could inform on their interplay in determining performance in different sports. This research examined the role of general cognitive abilities, attentional style, and emotions (controlling for age and experience), in predicting performance in youth volleyball and artistic gymnastics.

The Effects of Physical Activity on the Gut Microbiota and the Gut-Brain Axis in Preclinical and Human Models: A Narrative Review.

Increasing evidence supports the importance of the gut microbiota (GM) in regulating multiple functions related to host physical health and, more recently, through the gut-brain axis (GBA), mental health. Similarly, the literature on the impact of physical activity (PA), including exercise, on GM and GBA is growing. Therefore, this narrative review summarizes and critically appraises the existing literature that delves into the benefits or adverse effects produced by PA on physical and mental health status through modifications of the GM, highlighting differences and similarities between preclinical and human studies.

Self-Perceived Employability of Workers With Disability: A Case Study in an Educational Farm.

Background: The job placement of persons with disability is often threatened by prejudices and stereotypes; even when they are employed, they have less qualified and less paid jobs. The aim of this study was to investigate the self-perceived employability in a sample of workers with disability, hypothesizing to find a good level of self-determination and positive meaning of work.

Materials And Methods: Ten semi-structured interviews have been conducted, applying a mix-method to the data analysis through qualitative interpretation and quantitative content analysis.

Bridging cognitive, phenomenological and psychodynamic approaches to eating disorders.

Cognitive, psychodynamic, and phenomenological scholars converged their attention on abnormal bodily phenomena as the core psychopathological feature of eating disorders (EDs). While cognitive approaches focus their attention on a need for "objective" (i.e.