Systematic review of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of epilepsy identifies common risk variants and associated genes.

Objective: The aetiology of epilepsy is known to have genetic contributions, yet results from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have not always been consistent. We undertook a systematic review in order to identify risk variants for epilepsy.

Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA protocol.

Neuro-Behçet's Disease Masquerading as Multiple Sclerosis in a Young Male.

This case highlights the importance of considering Neuro-Behçet's disease (NBD) in the differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly in patients presenting with neurological manifestations, abnormal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, and systemic symptoms consistent with Behçet's disease (BD).

Mortality of chronic disorders of consciousness in adults and adolescents - a retrospective community based study from Salzburg, Austria.

Introduction: Epidemiological data on disorders of consciousness (DoC) is rare and very heterogeneous due to difficulties in case ascertainment and differences in health care pathways between countries. This study reports data on mortality and survival time for DoC patients in Salzburg, Austria.

Methods: All patients with DoC were registered in the health care region of Salzburg North, Austria between 2007 and 2022 and their death data retrieved from the Statistik Austria.

AM-PAC 6-Clicks Basic Mobility and Daily Activities Scores Predict 90-Day Modified Rankin Score in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke Secondary to Large Vessel Occlusion.

The relative level of functional impairment in stroke patients is a significant determinant of post-acute care. The Activity Measure for Post Acute Care 6-Clicks (AM-PAC) scores for basic mobility and daily activity are rapid standardized assessments whose utilities in predicting long-term stroke outcomes have not yet been studied. We performed a retrospective analysis of acute ischemic stroke patients and their outcomes.

The Frontiers of Smart Healthcare Systems.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionize numerous aspects of human life, with healthcare among the most critical fields set to benefit from this transformation. Medicine remains one of the most challenging, expensive, and impactful sectors, with challenges such as information retrieval, data organization, diagnostic accuracy, and cost reduction. AI is uniquely suited to address these challenges, ultimately improving the quality of life and reducing healthcare costs for patients worldwide.

Hypoxic Human Microglia Promote Angiogenesis Through Extracellular Vesicle Release.

Microglia, the brain-resident immune cells, orchestrate neuroinflammatory responses and are crucial in the progression of neurological diseases, including ischemic stroke (IS), which accounts for approximately 85% of all strokes worldwide. Initially deemed detrimental, microglial activation has been shown to perform protective functions in the ischemic brain. Besides their effects on neurons, microglia play a role in promoting post-ischemic angiogenesis, a pivotal step for restoring oxygen and nutrient supply.

Interaural level difference sensitivity in neonatally deafened rats fitted with bilateral cochlear implants.

Bilateral cochlear implant (CI) patients exhibit significant limitations in spatial hearing. Their ability to process interaural time differences (ITDs) is often impaired, while their ability to process interaural level differences (ILDs) remains comparatively good. Clinical studies aiming to identify the causes of these limitations are often plagued by confounds and ethical limitations.

Social and nonsocial environmental loss have differential effects on ventral hippocampus-dependent behavior and inhibitory synaptic markers in adult male mice.

In humans, psychological loss, whether social or nonsocial, can lead to clinical depression, anxiety disorders, and social memory impairments. Researchers have modeled combined social and nonsocial loss in rodents by transitioning them from social, enriched environments (EE) to individual housing, affecting behaviors related to avoidance, stress coping, and cognitive function. However, it remains unclear if these effects are driven by social or nonsocial loss.

Schwann Cell-Specific Ablation of Beclin 1 Impairs Myelination and Leads to Motor and Sensory Neuropathy in Mice.

The core component of the class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase complex, Beclin 1, takes part in different protein networks, thus switching its role from inducing autophagy to regulating autophagosomal maturation and endosomal trafficking. While assessed in neurons, astrocytes, and microglia, its role is far less investigated in myelinating glia, including Schwann cells (SCs), responsible for peripheral nerve myelination. Remarkably, the dysregulation in endosomal trafficking is emerging as a pathophysiological mechanism underlying peripheral neuropathies, such as demyelinating Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) diseases.

Unsupervised discovery of family specific vocal usage in the Mongolian gerbil.

In nature, animal vocalizations can provide crucial information about identity, including kinship and hierarchy. However, lab-based vocal behavior is typically studied during brief interactions between animals with no prior social relationship, and under environmental conditions with limited ethological relevance. Here, we address this gap by establishing long-term acoustic recordings from Mongolian gerbil families, a core social group that uses an array of sonic and ultrasonic vocalizations.

Behaviorally-relevant features of observed actions dominate cortical representational geometry in natural vision.

We effortlessly extract behaviorally relevant information from dynamic visual input in order to understand the actions of others. In the current study, we develop and test a number of models to better understand the neural representational geometries supporting action understanding. Using fMRI, we measured brain activity as participants viewed a diverse set of 90 different video clips depicting social and nonsocial actions in real-world contexts.

Reliability and Validity of the Persian Version of the Disaster Resilience Measuring Tool for Health care Rescuers in Iran.

Objectives: This study evaluated the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Disaster Resilience Measuring Tool (DRMT-C19).

Methods: The research was a methodological, psychometric study. Standard translation processes were performed.

The Spatial Organization of Ascending Auditory Pathway Microstructural Maturation From Infancy Through Adolescence Using a Novel Fiber Tracking Approach.

Auditory perception is established through experience-dependent stimuli exposure during sensitive developmental periods; however, little is known regarding the structural development of the central auditory pathway in humans. The present study characterized the regional developmental trajectories of the ascending auditory pathway from the brainstem to the auditory cortex from infancy through adolescence using a novel diffusion MRI-based tractography approach and along-tract analyses. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) to quantify the magnitude and timing of auditory pathway microstructural maturation.

Neoadjuvant clinical trials in adults with newly diagnosed high-grade glioma: A systematic review.

Background: High-grade gliomas are devastating cancers that remain incurable with standard surgical resection and radiochemotherapy. Although beneficial against neoplasms, radiation lowers lymphocyte counts, weakens immune activation, and recruits suppressive myeloid cells impairing immune responses. Tumor environments treated with radiation experience long-term immunosuppression, reducing immunotherapy effectiveness and contributing to recurrence.

Spatiotemporal spinal cord stimulation with real-time triggering exoskeleton restores walking capability: a case report.

Objective: Motor recovery is challenging for spinal cord injury (SCI), especially in low-level SCI.

Methods: A 16-year-old patient with complete SCI at T12 presented flaccid paralysis and inability to control defecation and was scored as ASIA A at admission. The patient underwent spinal cord stimulation (SCS) implantation at the T11-L1, followed by an innovative algorithm combining spatiotemporal SCS with real-time triggered exoskeleton training (EXS-SCS).

Stress and parental behaviors.

In nearly all mammalian species, newborn pups are weak and vulnerable, relying heavily on care and protection from parents for survival. Thus, developmentally hardwired neural circuits are in place to ensure the timely expression of parental behaviors. Furthermore, several neurochemical systems, including estrogen, oxytocin, and dopamine, facilitate the emergence and expression of parental behaviors.

The 5-factor modified frailty index as a prognostic factor following stereotactic radiosurgery for metastatic disease to the brain from non-small cell lung cancer: A multi-center cohort analysis.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients often develop brain metastases (BMs), complicating management. We have shown that increasing frailty is associated with decreased overall survival (OS) and central nervous system progression free survival (PFS) for patients undergoing stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to BMs. Leveraging the International Radiosurgery Research Foundation, we sought to expand upon these findings, in NSCLC specifically.

Routine machine quality assurance tests for a self-shielded gyroscopic radiosurgery system.

Purpose: This report describes routine machine quality assurance (QA) (daily, monthly, and annual QA) tests for the Zap-X Gyroscopic Radiosurgery platform.

Methods: Following the recommendations of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group (AAPM TG)-142 and Medical Physics Practice guideline (MPPG) 8.b, routine machine QA tests for the Zap-X system were implemented.