Challenges and insights of transferring animal maze studies principles to human spatial learning research.

Maze tasks, originally developed in animal research, have become a popular method for studying human cognition, particularly with the advent of virtual reality. However, these experiments frequently rely on simplified environments and tasks, which may not accurately reflect the complexity of real-world situations. Our pilot study aims to transfer a multi-alternative maze with a complex task structure, previously demonstrated to be useful in studying animal cognition, to studying human spatial cognition.

Closed-Loop Automated Control System of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Left Ventricular Assist Device Support in Cardiogenic Shock.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) benefits patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) but can increase left ventricular afterload and exacerbate pulmonary edema. Adding a percutaneous left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to VA-ECMO can optimize the hemodynamics. Because managing VA-ECMO and LVAD simultaneously is complex and labor-intensive, we developed a closed-loop automated control system for VA-ECMO and LVAD.

Short-term sensorimotor training incorporating cognitive tasks for pediatric survivors of posterior fossa tumors: a pilot study.

Purpose: Posterior fossa tumors account for half of all childhood brain tumors, prompting the search for effective and affordable interventions to combat the neurocognitive and motor sequelae of the tumor and its treatment. The main aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and effects of sensorimotor training incorporating cognitive tasks for a group of pediatric survivors of posterior fossa tumors.

Materials And Methods: A total of 48 participants (M= 12.

Prescription trends in Japanese advanced Parkinson's disease patients with non-motor symptoms: J-FIRST.

Background: Non-motor symptoms (NMS) are important factors when selecting treatments for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). We sought to elucidate the prescribing practices for advanced PD patients with NMS in Japanese clinical practice.

Methods: We examined the prescription rates and doses of anti-PD drugs, and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in post hoc analyses of a 52-week observational study of 996 PD patients with wearing-off on levodopa-containing therapy and ≥1 NMS.

Symptomatic Vasospasm Refractory to Clazosentan after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage of Ruptured Vertebral Artery Dissecting Aneurysm: Clinical Implications from Two Contrasting Cases.

Clazosentan prevents vasospasms after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, clinical data on patients with SAH with ruptured vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms (VADAs) are limited. We report the case of a 49-year-old male patient with mild-grade (WFNS grade 1) thick and diffuse (modified Fisher grade 3) SAH who underwent endovascular trapping of a ruptured VADA, resulting in a poor functional outcome with a modified Rankin Scale score of 4 due to severe symptomatic vasospasm refractory to clazosentan, requiring repeated rescue endovascular therapies and chronic communicating hydrocephalus.

Involvement of Subinsular Territory Stroke as Predictor of Outcome after Successful Endovascular Recanalization of Left Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion.

Subinsular stroke (subIS) can occur between the penetrating middle cerebral artery (MCA) branches, which clinical and radiological findings sometimes encounter in patients after the recanalization of left proximal MCA occlusion. However, no supportive data are available to clarify this relationship. This study investigated whether the involvement of subIS can impact outcomes after successful reperfusion therapy.

Genotype-relevant neuroimaging features in low-grade epilepsy-associated tumors.

Introduction: Low-grade epilepsy-associated tumors are the second most common histopathological diagnoses in cases of drug-resistant focal epilepsy. However, the connection between neuroimaging features and genetic alterations in these tumors is unclear, prompting an investigation into genotype-relevant neuroimaging characteristics.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed neuroimaging and surgical specimens from 46 epilepsy patients with low-grade epilepsy-associated neuroepithelial tumors that had genetic mutations identified through panel sequencing to investigate their relationship to genotypes.

Dual-Energy Computed Tomography Virtual Noncalcium Imaging of Intracranial Arteries in Acute Ischemic Stroke: Differentiation Between Acute Thrombus and Calcification.

Objective: Hyperdense artery sign (HAS) on noncontrast brain computed tomography (CT) indicates an acute thrombus within the cerebral artery. It is a valuable imaging biomarker for diagnosing large-vessel occlusion; however, its identification may be challenging with the presence of vascular calcification. Dual-energy CT virtual noncalcium (VNCa) imaging using a 3-material decomposition algorithm is helpful for differentiating between calcification and hemorrhage.

Picture naming test through the prism of cognitive neuroscience and linguistics: adapting the test for cerebellar tumor survivors-or pouring new wine in old sacks?

A picture naming test (PNT) has long been regarded as an integral part of neuropsychological assessment. In current research and clinical practice, it serves a variety of purposes. PNTs are used to assess the severity of speech impairment in aphasia, monitor possible cognitive decline in aging patients with or without age-related neurodegenerative disorders, track language development in children and map eloquent brain areas to be spared during surgery.

Diffusion MRI Fiber Tractography and Benzodiazepine SPECT Imaging for Assessing Neural Damage to the Language Centers in an Elderly Patient after Successful Reperfusion Therapy.

Background: Intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy are the first-line reperfusion therapies for acute ischemic stroke. Here, we describe the utility of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fiber tractography and I-iomazenil benzodiazepine receptor single-photon emission computed tomography to estimate the prognosis of post-stroke aphasia after successful reperfusion therapy.

Case Report: An 81-year-old man was admitted to the hospital approximately 3.

Effects of cognitive-motor intervention for pediatric posterior fossa tumor survivors: results of a pilot study.

The purpose of this prospective pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and effects of cognitive-motor intervention on the cognitive and motor abilities of pediatric survivors of posterior fossa tumors. The study involved patients aged 7 to 18 years with cognitive deficits who had completed primary treatment for posterior fossa tumors. 25 participants (M=11.

Factors Influencing Discontinuation of Clazosentan Therapy in Elderly Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Retrospective Study from a Japanese Single Center.

BACKGROUND Clazosentan is an endothelin receptor antagonist approved in Japan for preventing cerebral vasospasm and vasospasm-associated cerebral ischemia and infarction. This study included elderly patients aged ≥75 years with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and aimed to evaluate the factors associated with discontinuing anti-vasospasm therapy with clazosentan. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this single-center retrospective observational study, we extracted diagnostic and therapeutic work-up data of consecutive 40 patients with SAH treated with clazosentan infusion (10 mg/h) as first-line anti-vasospasm therapy between May 2022 and August 2023.

[Neuropathology of Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: A Study of Three Autopsy Cases and a Literature Review].

We present neuropathological findings in three autopsy brains from patients diagnosed clinically with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) in Japan; still, specific findings of iNPH remain unclear. Comorbid atherosclerosis and hypertensive microvascular diseases, including arterio- and arteriolosclerosis and ischemic changes in the brain parenchyma, are frequently (65%) observed in autopsy brain tissue from patients with iNPH, which has drawn attention to the clinicopathological similarities and differences between iNPH and Binswanger's disease. Additionally, Aβ protein deposition and phosphorylated tau-positive neurofibrillary tangles and neuropil threads are observed in cerebral cortical biopsy specimens obtained during intracranial pressure monitoring or shunt surgery among a subset of patients with iNPH.

Cardiopulmonary Events of the Elderly (≥75 Years) during Clazosentan Therapy after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Retrospective Study from a Tertiary Stroke Center in Japan.

Clazosentan has been shown to prevent vasospasm and reduce mortality in patients after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and has been approved for clinical use in Japan; however, its systemic events in the elderly (aged ≥ 75 years) have not been well-documented. Here, we report serious/intolerable cardiopulmonary complications requiring discontinuation of drug therapy in elderly SAH patients. In this single-center case series study, medical records of consecutive SAH patients treated postoperatively with clazosentan (10 mg/h) between June 2022 and May 2023 were reviewed retrospectively.

Transcriptional features of low-grade neuroepithelial tumors with the BRAF V600E mutation associated with epileptogenicity.

Low-grade neuroepithelial tumors are major causes of drug-resistant focal epilepsy. Clinically, these tumors are defined as low-grade epilepsy-associated neuroepithelial tumors (LEATs). The BRAF V600E mutation is frequently observed in LEAT and linked to poor seizure outcomes.

Effects of Hippotherapy on Health-Related Quality of Life in Caregivers of Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Quasi-Experimental Study in Japan.

Background: Despite accumulating data regarding the beneficial effects of hippotherapy on gait and balance skills in children with cerebral palsy (CP), its effects on caregivers' quality of life (QOL) are limited, presumably due to a lack of reliable and valid measurement tools. This study aims to evaluate the impact of hippotherapy on the health-related QOL of primary caregivers using the Japanese version of the Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life for Children (CP QOL) questionnaire.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design embedded within our existing cohort was utilized.

Simple procedure for assessing diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage successfully created using filament perforation method in mice.

The murine model of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a valuable experimental tool for investigating molecular and cellular mechanisms, and the endovascular filament perforation technique can be used to simulate prominent pathophysiological features observed after human SAH; however, current validation methods for assessing an appropriate SAH model are limited. Here, we introduce a simple procedure for selecting a mouse model of diffuse SAH. SAH was induced in 24 mice using a standard filament perforation method.

Effect of medium-chain triglycerides supplements and walking on health-related quality of life in sedentary, healthy middle-aged, and older adults with low BMIs: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial.

Introduction: To extend individuals' healthy life expectancies, the improvement of subjective health and quality of life (QOL) has been increasingly prioritized, alongside the improvement of their physical functioning. Reports have indicated that intake of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) benefits the physical health of older individuals requiring nursing care, and athletes, and healthy individuals. But there are few studies investigating the effects of MCTs on subjective health and QOL.

Visualization of small brain nuclei with a high-spatial resolution, clinically available whole-body PET scanner.

Objective: To verify the visibility of physiological F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) uptake in nuclei in and around the brainstem by a whole-body (WB) silicon photomultiplier positron emission tomography (SiPM-PET) scanner with point-spread function (PSF) reconstruction using various iteration numbers.

Methods: Ten healthy subjects (5 men, 5 women; mean age, 56.0 ± 5.

Pretreatment with tadalafil attenuates cardiotoxicity induced by combretastatin A4 disodium phosphate in rats.

Combretastatin A4 disodium phosphate (CA4DP) is a prodrug of combretastatin A4 (CA4), a microtubule-disassembling agent that exhibits antitumor effects by inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and inducing morphological changes and apoptosis in vascular endothelial cells in tumors. However, cardiotoxicity induced by ischemia and hypertension is a severe adverse event. In this study, we focused on the fact that phosphodiesterase (PDE) 5 inhibitors dilate the heart and peripheral blood vessels and aimed to investigate whether co-administration of tadalafil, a PDE5 inhibitor, can attenuate cardiotoxicity without altering the antitumor effect of CA4DP.

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial Assessing If Medium-Chain Triglycerides in Combination with Moderate-Intensity Exercise Increase Muscle Strength in Healthy Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

An adequate nutritional intake is recommended for the prevention of physical frailty and sarcopenia. In particular, medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) are reportedly important for muscle strength in nursing home residents. However, the effects of MCFAs on healthy adults at risk for frailty remain unknown.

Functional outcomes and associated factors of cerebral infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage in an area with aging populations in change over time: Evidence from the Akita Stroke Registry.

Aim: To examine secular change in functional outcomes and associated factors of stroke in a rapidly aging region.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed cerebral infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage incidence registered cases in the Akita Stroke Registry from 1985 to 2014, divided into three of 10 years each. Functional outcome was defined as good with a modified Rankin scale score of 0-1 and poor with a score of 3-6 at discharge.