Congenital Mirror Movements: Behavioral, Neural, Genetic, and Clinical Issues

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (Fall 2018) ◽  
pp. 23-33
Author(s):  
Jordan R. Gardner ◽  
Elizabeth A. Franz
Keyword(s):  
Somatosensory System ◽  
Clinical Importance ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Mirror Movements ◽  
Corticospinal Tracts ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature ◽  
Causal Genes

Non-syndromic congenital mirror movements (CMM) is a rare neurological condition, either inherited or sporadic, in which affected individuals lack independent dexterity of hand and finger movements. With all volitional movements of the hands and fingers, unintentional mirroring occurs in the opposite-side homologous effectors. A hallmark neural mechanism of CMM is abnormal, active, extra ipsilateral corticospinal tracts. Mutations in four different causal genes have been identified so far. The present review considers the physiology underlying CMM, including its implicated neural mechanisms and clinical relevance. The heterogeneous nature of the condition is highlighted, particularly in terms of the clinical importance of factors associated with the mirroring phenotype or phenotypes. Speculation about the possible effects of CMM on the somatosensory system is also included as a prospective direction for further study. Despite some inconvenience and occasional discomfort associated with CMM, the potential for highly positive life outcomes is illuminated. Lastly, CMM management is discussed as a key goal toward which future research should stride.

Recognition of Fungal Components by the Host Immune System

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 245-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura C. García-Carnero ◽  
José A. Martínez-Álvarez ◽  
Luis M. Salazar-García ◽  
Nancy E. Lozoya-Pérez ◽  
Sandra E. González-Hernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Histoplasma Capsulatum ◽  
Paracoccidioides Brasiliensis ◽  
Sporothrix Schenckii ◽  
Clinical Importance ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Host Immune System ◽  
Fungal Antigens

: By being the first point of contact of the fungus with the host, the cell wall plays an important role in the pathogenesis, having many molecules that participate as antigens that are recognized by immune cells, and also that help the fungus to establish infection. The main molecules reported to trigger an immune response are chitin, glucans, oligosaccharides, proteins, melanin, phospholipids, and others, being present in the principal pathogenic fungi with clinical importance worldwide, such as Histoplasma capsulatum, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Blastomyces dermatitidis, and Sporothrix schenckii. Knowledge and understanding of how the immune system recognizes and responds to fungal antigens are relevant for the future research and development of new diagnostic tools and treatments for the control of mycosis caused by these fungi.

Neural Mechanisms of Negative Symptoms

1989 ◽  
Vol 155 (S7) ◽  
pp. 93-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy C. Andreasen
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Brain Dysfunction ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Dementia Praecox ◽  
Intellectual Abilities ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Psychic Mechanisms

When Kraepelin originally defined and described dementia praecox, he assumed that it was due to some type of neural mechanism. He hypothesised that abnormalities could occur in a variety of brain regions, including the prefrontal, auditory, and language regions of the cortex. Many members of his department, including Alzheimer and Nissl, were actively involved in the search for the neuropathological lesions that would characterise schizophrenia. Although Kraepelin did not use the term ‘negative symptoms', he describes them comprehensively and states explicitly that he believes the symptoms of schizophrenia can be explained in terms of brain dysfunction:“If it should be confirmed that the disease attacks by preference the frontal areas of the brain, the central convolutions and central lobes, this distribution would in a certain measure agree with our present views about the site of the psychic mechanisms which are principally injured by the disease. On various grounds, it is easy to believe that the frontal cortex, which is specially well developed in man, stands in closer relation to his higher intellectual abilities, and these are the faculties which in our patients invariably suffer profound loss in contrast to memory and acquired ability.” Kraepelin (1919, p. 219)

Gender Differences in Grief Reactions following the Death of a Parent

2006 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 323-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Lawrence ◽  
Elizabeth L. Jeglic ◽  
Laura T. Matthews ◽  
Carolyn M. Pepper
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Psychological Functioning ◽  
Clinical Importance ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Death Of A Parent ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Grief Reactions

This study examined gender differences in psychological functioning in a sample of college students who lost a parent to death. Male and female students ( n = 65) who had a parent that had died were asked to complete a series of self report questionnaires to assess psychological distress, feelings of grief and bereavement, and coping strategies. Overall, no gender differences were found between bereaved students on measures of psychological distress. However an avoidant coping style was related to symptoms of depression in females, but not in males. Students who lost a mother were more likely to report symptoms of depression, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation as compared to students who lost a father. Future research implications and the clinical importance of these findings are discussed.

How Can Speech-Language Pathologists Think About Sensation During Swallowing Evaluation and Intervention?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Aarthi Madhavan ◽  
Nicole M. Etter
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Treatment ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Clinical Importance ◽  
Functional Results ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Swallowing Evaluation ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Swallowing Assessment

Purpose Both the enjoyment of foods and safe swallowing revolve around incorporating multiple streams of sensory feedback to form a positive sensory experience; these include information about the taste, smell, texture, temperature, and even the sight of food. Traditional swallowing assessment and treatment paradigms have primarily focused on the motor aspects of swallowing. However, sensory information is vital for not only enjoying foods while eating but also coordinating safe and efficient swallow behaviors. The purpose of this clinical focus article is to discuss the clinical importance of sensation in swallowing evaluation and intervention. Conclusions During their clinical assessments of swallowing, speech-language pathologists are already documenting the functional results of oropharyngeal sensorimotor impairments (e.g., residue). A combination of sensory and motor aspects is already integrated within current behavioral treatment strategies for dysphagia. Focused attention to the salient sensory features of swallowing has the potential to improve swallowing evaluation and intervention efforts. A discussion of potential future research in improved measurement and documentation of altered sensation is provided.

Neurorehabilitation in Adults With Traumatic Upper Extremity Amputation: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 154596832110702
Author(s):  
Jake Rydland ◽  
Stephanie Spiegel ◽  
Olivia Wolfe ◽  
Bennett Alterman ◽  
John T Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Upper Extremity ◽  
Upper Limb ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Limb Amputation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Prosthetic Devices ◽  
Scoping Reviews ◽  
Extremity Amputation

Background Most of the current literature around amputation focuses on lower extremity amputation or engineering aspects of prosthetic devices. There is a need to more clearly understand neurobehavioral mechanisms related to upper extremity amputation and how such mechanisms might influence recovery and utilization of prostheses. Objective This scoping review aims to identify and summarize the current literature on adult traumatic upper limb amputation in regard to recovery and functional outcomes and how neuroplasticity might influence these findings. Methods We identified appropriate articles using Academic Search Complete EBSCO, OVID Medline, and Cochrane databases. The resulting articles were then exported, screened, and reviewed based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Results Eleven (11) studies met the study criteria. Of these studies, 7 focused on sensory involvement, 3 focused on neuroplastic changes post-amputation related to functional impact, and 1 study focused on motor control and learning post-amputation. Overall, these studies revealed an incomplete understanding of the neural mechanisms involved in motor rehabilitation in the central and peripheral nervous systems, while also demonstrating the value of an individualized approach to neurorehabilitation in upper limb loss. Conclusions There is a gap in our understanding of the role of neurorehabilitation following amputation. Overall, focused rehabilitation parameters, demographic information, and clarity around central and peripheral neural mechanisms are needed in future research to address neurobehavioral mechanisms to promote functional recovery following traumatic upper extremity amputation.

scholarly journals Measurement issues when assessing quality of life outcomes for different types of hernia mesh repair

2011 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andras Zaborszky ◽  
Rita Gyanti ◽  
John A Barry ◽  
Brian K Saxby ◽  
Panchanan Bhattacharya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Hernia Surgery ◽  
Recurrence Rates ◽  
Quality Of Life Outcomes ◽  
Inguinal Hernia Surgery ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Different Types

INTRODUCTION The NHS is required to collect data from patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) for inguinal hernia surgery. We explored the use of one such measure, the Carolinas Comfort Scale® (CCS), to compare long-term outcomes for patients who received two different types of mesh. The CCS questionnaire asks about mesh sensation, pain and movement limitations, and combines the answers into a total score. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 684 patients were treated between January 2007 and August 2008 and were followed up in November 2009. RESULTS Data on 215 patients who met the inclusion criteria were available (96 patients who received Surgipro™ mesh and 119 who received Parietene™ Progrip™ mesh). Recurrence rates were similar in the Surgipro™ group (2/96, 2.1%) and Progrip™ group (3/118, 2.5%) (Fisher's exact test = 1.0). Chronic pain occurred less frequently in the Surgipro™ group (11/95, 11.6%) than in the Progrip™ group (22/118, 18.6%) (p<0.157). Overall, 90% of CCS total scores indicated a good outcome (scores of 10 or less out of 115). A principal component analysis of the CCS found that responses clustered into two subscales: ‘mesh sensation’ and ‘pain+movement limitations’. The Progrip™ group had a slightly higher mesh sensation score (p<0.051) and similar pain+movement limitations scores (p<0.120). CONCLUSIONS In this study of quality of life outcomes related to different mesh types, the CCS subscales were more sensitive to differences in outcome than the total CCS score for the whole questionnaire. Future research should consider using the CCS subscales rather than the CCS total score.

scholarly journals The neural mechanism of aesthetic judgments of dynamic landscapes: an fMRI study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueru Zhao ◽  
Junjing Wang ◽  
Jinhui Li ◽  
Guang Luo ◽  
Ting Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Processing ◽  
Occipital Lobe ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Aesthetic Judgment ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Dynamic Stimuli ◽  
Dynamic Landscapes ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Aesthetic Judgments

AbstractMost previous neuroaesthetics research has been limited to considering the aesthetic judgment of static stimuli, with few studies examining the aesthetic judgment of dynamic stimuli. The present study explored the neural mechanisms underlying aesthetic judgment of dynamic landscapes, and compared the neural mechanisms between the aesthetic judgments of dynamic landscapes and static ones. Participants were scanned while they performed aesthetic judgments on dynamic landscapes and matched static ones. The results revealed regions of occipital lobe, frontal lobe, supplementary motor area, cingulate cortex and insula were commonly activated both in the aesthetic judgments of dynamic and static landscapes. Furthermore, compared to static landscapes, stronger activations of middle temporal gyrus (MT/V5), and hippocampus were found in the aesthetic judgments of dynamic landscapes. This study provided neural evidence that visual processing related regions, emotion-related regions were more active when viewing dynamic landscapes than static ones, which also indicated that dynamic stimuli were more beautiful than static ones.

Do Links Between Personality and Life Outcomes Generalize? Testing the Robustness of Trait–Outcome Associations Across Gender, Age, Ethnicity, and Analytic Approaches

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Soto
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Big Five Personality Traits ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Representative Samples

The Big Five personality traits have been linked with a broad range of consequential life outcomes. The present research systematically tested whether such trait–outcome associations generalize across gender, age, ethnicity, and analytic approaches that control for demographic and personality covariates. Analyses of nationally representative samples from the Life Outcomes of Personality Replication project ( N = 6,126) indicated that (a) most trait–outcome associations do generalize across gender, age, and ethnicity; (b) controlling for overlap between personality traits substantially reduces the strength of many associations; and (c) several dozen trait–outcome associations proved highly generalizable across all analyses. These findings have important implications for evaluating the robustness of the personality–outcome literature, updating the canon of established trait–outcome associations, and conducting future research.

scholarly journals Cooperative defence operates by social modulation of biogenic amine levels in the honey bee brain

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1871) ◽  
pp. 20172653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgane Nouvian ◽  
Souvik Mandal ◽  
Charlène Jamme ◽  
Charles Claudianos ◽  
Patrizia d'Ettorre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Honey Bees ◽  
Alarm Pheromone ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Isoamyl Acetate ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Response Threshold ◽  
Defensive Behaviour ◽  
Personal Risk ◽  
Main Component

The defence of a society often requires that some specialized members coordinate to repel a threat at personal risk. This is especially true for honey bee guards, which defend the hive and may sacrifice their lives upon stinging. Central to this cooperative defensive response is the sting alarm pheromone, which has isoamyl acetate (IAA) as its main component. Although this defensive behaviour has been well described, the neural mechanisms triggered by IAA to coordinate stinging have long remained unknown. Here we show that IAA upregulates brain levels of serotonin and dopamine, thereby increasing the likelihood of an individual bee to attack and sting. Pharmacological enhancement of the levels of both amines induces higher defensive responsiveness, while decreasing them via antagonists decreases stinging. Our results thus uncover the neural mechanism by which an alarm pheromone recruits individuals to attack and repel a threat, and suggest that the alarm pheromone of honey bees acts on their response threshold rather than as a direct trigger.

Cumulative Disadvantage in the American Criminal Justice System

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 291-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan C. Kurlychek ◽  
Brian D. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Case Processing ◽  
Cumulative Disadvantage ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Criminal Case Processing

Research on inequality in punishment has a long and storied history, yet the overwhelming focus has been on episodic disparity in isolated stages of criminal case processing (e.g., arrest, prosecution, or sentencing). Although theories of cumulative disadvantage exist in criminology, they are seldom adapted to account for treatment in the criminal justice system. We provide an overview of the concept of cumulative disadvantage in the life course and review evidence on the development of cumulative disadvantages across stages of the criminal justice system. In doing so, we appraise the empirical research on policing, prosecution, and the courts and consider how these largely separate bodies of scholarship are inherently connected. We conclude with a call for future research that focuses more explicitly on the ways that life-course disadvantages shape contact with the criminal justice system and how these processes work to perpetuate patterns of disadvantage within the system and in subsequent life outcomes.

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