Malfunctional Reorganization in the Developing Limbo-Prefrontal System in Animals: Implications for Human Psychoses?

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-14
Author(s):  
Gertraud Teuchert-Noodt ◽  
Ralf R. Dawirs

Abstract: Neuroplasticity research in connection with mental disorders has recently bridged the gap between basic neurobiology and applied neuropsychology. A non-invasive method in the gerbil (Meriones unguiculus) - the restricted versus enriched breading and the systemically applied single methamphetamine dose - offers an experimental approach to investigate psychoses. Acts of intervening affirm an activity dependent malfunctional reorganization in the prefrontal cortex and in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and reveal the dopamine position as being critical for the disruption of interactions between the areas concerned. From the extent of plasticity effects the probability and risk of psycho-cognitive development may be derived. Advance may be expected from insights into regulatory mechanisms of neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus which is obviously to meet the necessary requirements to promote psycho-cognitive functions/malfunctions via the limbo-prefrontal circuit.

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 279-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitry A. Kulikov ◽  
Alexey A. Glazkov ◽  
Yulia A. Kovaleva ◽  
Natalia V. Balashova ◽  
Alexander V. Kulikov

This review includes results of scientific and clinical use of laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) in patients with diabetes mellitus. LDF is a non-invasive method for the quantitative evaluation of microcirculation, which can assess microcirculatory rhythms and conduct functional tests with various impacts, allowing the exploration of regulatory mechanisms of microcirculation. LDF reveals specific diabetes changes in the regulatory function of microcirculation. Microcirculation disturbances, which are traditionally associated with the pathogenesis of complications, also occur in patients with early disorders of carbohydrate metabolism and may precede the manifestation of diabetes. However, this method is still not applied in clinical practice. In this review, we analysed factors limiting the implementation of LDF in practical medicine and suggest ways to improve its clinical significance.


Author(s):  
Lee Peyton ◽  
Alfredo Oliveros ◽  
Doo-Sup Choi ◽  
Mi-Hyeon Jang

AbstractPsychiatric illness is a prevalent and highly debilitating disorder, and more than 50% of the general population in both middle- and high-income countries experience at least one psychiatric disorder at some point in their lives. As we continue to learn how pervasive psychiatric episodes are in society, we must acknowledge that psychiatric disorders are not solely relegated to a small group of predisposed individuals but rather occur in significant portions of all societal groups. Several distinct brain regions have been implicated in neuropsychiatric disease. These brain regions include corticolimbic structures, which regulate executive function and decision making (e.g., the prefrontal cortex), as well as striatal subregions known to control motivated behavior under normal and stressful conditions. Importantly, the corticolimbic neural circuitry includes the hippocampus, a critical brain structure that sends projections to both the cortex and striatum to coordinate learning, memory, and mood. In this review, we will discuss past and recent discoveries of how neurobiological processes in the hippocampus and corticolimbic structures work in concert to control executive function, memory, and mood in the context of mental disorders.


Author(s):  
Patrick Veit-Haibach ◽  
Martin W. Huellner ◽  
Martin Banyai ◽  
Sebastian Mafeld ◽  
Johannes Heverhagen ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was the assessment of volumetric CT perfusion (CTP) of the lower leg musculature in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) before and after interventional revascularisation. Methods Twenty-nine consecutive patients with symptomatic PAD of the lower extremities requiring interventional revascularisation were assessed prospectively. All patients underwent a CTP scan of the lower leg, and hemodynamic and angiographic assessment, before and after intervention. Ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) was determined. CTP parameters were calculated with a perfusion software, acting on a no outflow assumption. A sequential two-compartment model was used. Differences in CTP parameters were assessed with non-parametric tests. Results The cohort consisted of 24 subjects with an occlusion, and five with a high-grade stenosis. The mean blood flow before/after (BFpre and BFpost, respectively) was 7.42 ± 2.66 and 10.95 ± 6.64 ml/100 ml*min−1. The mean blood volume before/after (BVpre and BVpost, respectively) was 0.71 ± 0.35 and 1.25 ± 1.07 ml/100 ml. BFpost and BVpost were significantly higher than BFpre and BVpre in the treated limb (p = 0.003 and 0.02, respectively), but not in the untreated limb (p = 0.641 and 0.719, respectively). Conclusions CTP seems feasible for assessing hemodynamic differences in calf muscles before and after revascularisation in patients with symptomatic PAD. We could show that CTP parameters BF and BV are significantly increased after revascularisation of the symptomatic limb. In the future, this quantitative method might serve as a non-invasive method for surveillance and therapy control of patients with peripheral arterial disease. Key Points • CTP imaging of the lower limb in patients with symptomatic PAD seems feasible for assessing hemodynamic differences before and after revascularisation in PAD patients. • This quantitative method might serve as a non-invasive method, for surveillance and therapy control of patients with PAD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (Suppl. 1) ◽  
pp. 127-136
Author(s):  
Hazel Gaile  Barrozo ◽  
Maria Anna De Guzman ◽  
Jose  Navarro ◽  
Narayanaswamy Venketasubramanian

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is a non-invasive method for assessing cerebral hemodynamics in the acute phase of stroke. We report a case of a 33-year-old man who presented with a massive left hemispheric infarct developing into “malignant” MCA infarction. TCD was utilized to monitor intracranial hemodynamics while the clinical and neuroimaging findings were used to help us in the decision to proceed with decompressive craniectomy (DC). Pre-operatively, there was reduced mean flow velocities (MFV) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) with increasing pulsatility index (PI) ipsilateral to the infarct. The subsequent but smaller rise in the PI in the contralateral MCA was suggestive of very high intracranial pressure (ICP) from massive brain swelling. Serial TCD examinations post-operatively showed normalization of the PI, and subsequent rise in the left MCA MFV. Clinical improvement was also noted as the TCD findings improved. The asymmetry in TCD findings can be attributed to occlusion of the MCA with subsequent spontaneous recanalisation, occlusion of the MCA with subsequent recanalisation due to the DC, or initial occlusion and subsequent pressure effects on the arterioles of the MCA due to the “malignant” edema of that hemisphere that was relieved by DC. This case illustrates the value of TCD as a useful modality in monitoring intracranial hemodynamics in acute stroke.


Author(s):  
Bo-wen Zheng ◽  
Shu-hong Yi ◽  
Tao Wu ◽  
Mei Liao ◽  
Ying-cai Zhang ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Biliary ischaemia is an important factor in the pathogenesis of non-anastomotic biliary stricture (NAS) after liver transplantation (LT). Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can be used to detect biliary ischaemia, but no study has examined the utility of CEUS in predicting NAS. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether repeated CEUS as a non-invasive method of biliary ischaemia can identify NAS. METHODS: Consecutive LT patients who underwent CEUS examinations at 1–4 weeks after LT from September 2012 to December 2015 at our institution were included. The CEUS images and clinical data were analysed. RESULTS: Among 116 eligible LT patients, 39 (33.6%) were diagnosed with NAS within 1 year after LT. The patients with NAS had a significantly higher CEUS score at weeks 2–4 (all P <  0.05) and a higher slope of CEUS score progression (0.480 vs –0.044, P <  0.001). The accuracy of CEUS in identifying NAS improved over time after LT, reaching its maximum at week 4, with a sensitivity of 66.7%, a specificity of 87.9%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 75.9%, a negative predictive value (NPV) of 82.3%, and an accuracy of 80.2%in the full cohort when a CEUS score≥3 was used as the cut-off. Multivariate analysis identified gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), alanine transaminase (ALT) and the CEUS score at week 4 as independent predictors of NAS. In the task of identifying NAS, an NAS score combining the above 3 variables at week 4 showed areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.88 (95%CI, 0.78–0.99) in the estimation group (n = 60) and 0.82 (95%CI, 0.69–0.96) in the validation group (n = 56). An NAS score cut-off of 0.396 identified 87.2%of NAS cases in the estimation group, with a PPV of 93.3%; and 75.0%of NAS cases in the validation group, with a PPV of 58.8%. CONCLUSIONS: CEUS examination during the first 4 weeks is useful in assessing the risk of NAS within 1 year after LT. In particular, an NAS score combining the CEUS score, GGT level, and ALT level at week 4 can be used to accurately predict the risk of NAS in LT patients.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Maria Jesus Rodrigo ◽  
Amaya Pérez del Palomar ◽  
Alberto Montolío ◽  
Silvia Mendez-Martinez ◽  
Manuel Subias ◽  
...  

Intravitreal injection is the gold standard therapeutic option for posterior segment pathologies, and long-lasting release is necessary to avoid reinjections. There is no effective intravitreal treatment for glaucoma or other optic neuropathies in daily practice, nor is there a non-invasive method to monitor drug levels in the vitreous. Here we show that a glaucoma treatment combining a hypotensive and neuroprotective intravitreal formulation (IF) of brimonidine–Laponite (BRI/LAP) can be monitored non-invasively using vitreoretinal interface imaging captured with optical coherence tomography (OCT) over 24 weeks of follow-up. Qualitative and quantitative characterisation was achieved by analysing the changes in vitreous (VIT) signal intensity, expressed as a ratio of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) intensity. Vitreous hyperreflective aggregates mixed in the vitreous and tended to settle on the retinal surface. Relative intensity and aggregate size progressively decreased over 24 weeks in treated rat eyes as the BRI/LAP IF degraded. VIT/RPE relative intensity and total aggregate area correlated with brimonidine levels measured in the eye. The OCT-derived VIT/RPE relative intensity may be a useful and objective marker for non-invasive monitoring of BRI/LAP IF.


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