Global Rating, Symptoms, Behavior, and Cognitive Performance as Indicators of Efficacy in Clinical Studies with Nimodipine in Elderly Patients with Cognitive Impairment Syndromes

Nimodipine is a calcium antagonist which improves learning and memory in brain-lesioned or aged animals (LeVere & Sandin, 1989; Schuurman & Traber, 1989). It also accelerates the recovery of experimentally damaged sciatic nerves (van der Zee et al., 1987) and reduces age-associated gait abnormalities in aging rats (Schuurman et al., 1987). Selective action on cerebral vessels has also been proven. Vasoconstriction was prevented or reduced with nimodipine under experimental conditions (Toward, 1981) and cerebral blood flow could be increased (Kazda et al., 1982). The drug has been tested in subarachnoid hemorrhage, stroke, severe head injury, cerebral resuscitation after cardiac arrest, impaired brain function in old age, and dementia. Methodological aspects of clinical studies with this agent are examined in this paper.

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Topological Segmentation of Time-Varying Functional Connectivity Highlights the Role of Preferred Cortical Circuits

10.1101/2020.09.06.285130 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jacob Billings ◽

Manish Saggar ◽

Shella Keilholz ◽

Giovanni Petri

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Brain Function ◽

Persistent Homology ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Topological Data Analysis ◽

Time Varying ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Common Time ◽

Brain Imaging Data

Functional connectivity (FC) and its time-varying analogue (TVFC) leverage brain imaging data to interpret brain function as patterns of coordinating activity among brain regions. While many questions remain regarding the organizing principles through which brain function emerges from multi-regional interactions, advances in the mathematics of Topological Data Analysis (TDA) may provide new insights into the brain’s spontaneous self-organization. One tool from TDA, “persistent homology”, observes the occurrence and the persistence of n-dimensional holes presented in the metric space over a dataset. The occurrence of n-dimensional holes within the TVFC point cloud may denote conserved and preferred routes of information flow among brain regions. In the present study, we compare the use of persistence homology versus more traditional TVFC metrics at the task of segmenting brain states that differ across a common time-series of experimental conditions. We find that the structures identified by persistence homology more accurately segment the stimuli, more accurately segment volunteer performance during experimentally defined tasks, and generalize better across volunteers. Finally, we present empirical and theoretical observations that interpret brain function as a topological space defined by cyclic and interlinked motifs among distributed brain regions, especially, the attention networks.

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Methodological aspects and experimental conditions in the use of fluorescence as an index of water stress in cut leaves from genus Vitis

OENO One ◽

10.20870/oeno-one.1992.26.3.1195 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 163

Author(s):

Francesco Iacono ◽

Massimo Bertamini ◽

Tardáguila Javier

Keyword(s):

Water Stress ◽

Water Content ◽

Fluorescence Emission ◽

Leaf Water ◽

Leaf Water Content ◽

Variable Fluorescence ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Breeding Programmes ◽

Methodological Aspects ◽

Cut Leaves

Fluorescence emission is linked to leaf physiological conditions. In particular water stress modifies emission curves strongly. But fluorescence is also influenced by some factors which usually arise in experimental vine breeding programmes. The present research studies some variables that usually characterize the trials on genus Vitis: rootstocks and graftings.The time of measurement is very important and the fluorescence variables (absolute value) are not correlated with leaf water content. It needs a standardisation by time. The gross relation between fluorescence (after standardisation) and RWC is significant but it is modified by the rootstock behaviour. The Variable Fluorescence is strongly linked to leaf water content, even though the Maximum rate of Fluorescence Quenching shows a variable correlation with decreasing RWC. The genotype controls that variable better than Variable Fluorescence.

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Brain function after resuscitation from cardiac arrest

Current Opinion in Critical Care ◽

10.1097/01.ccx.0000127542.32890.fa ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 213-217 ◽

Cited By ~ 90

Author(s):

Christian Madl ◽

Michael Holzer

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Arrest ◽

Brain Function

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Neuromagnetic evaluation of residual brain function in comatose survivors after severe head injury

Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology ◽

10.1016/s0013-4694(97)88740-1 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 103 (1) ◽

pp. 159

Author(s):

N Nakasato

Keyword(s):

Head Injury ◽

Brain Function ◽

Severe Head Injury

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Demographics and Factors Associated with Post-Resuscitation Brain Function at Hospital Discharge in Patients with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Journal of Neuroscience and Neuroengineering ◽

10.1166/jnsne.2013.1079 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2 (5) ◽

pp. 470-476

Author(s):

Wei-Ting Chen ◽

Yan-Ren Lin

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Arrest ◽

Hospital Discharge ◽

Brain Function ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Hospital Cardiac Arrest

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Methodological Aspects of Interpretation (and Translation) Research

Target ◽

10.1075/target.3.2.03gil ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 153-174 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Daniel Gile

Keyword(s):

Research Training ◽

Scientific Research ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Translation Research ◽

Methodological Research ◽

Scientific Background ◽

Sampling Procedures ◽

Methodological Aspects

Abstract Very little actual scientific research has been carried out in I/T to date, essentially because of the lack of scientific background among I/T investigators. Major problems are found in the sampling procedures, materials, experimental conditions and tasks, quantification procedures and conclusion-drawing logic. In order to foster I/T research, methodological research training could be given to investigators, and interdisciplinary contacts and networking should be promoted. The input of I/T practitioners to I/T research can be valuable in spite of their lack of training provided they use simple methods and are supervised appropriately. Non I/T practitioners should work with practitioners.

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