Shut Up and Run: The Never-ending Quest for Social Fitness

In this paper we explore possible negative drawbacks in the use of wearable sensors, i.e., wearable devices used to detect different kinds of activity, e.g., from step and calories counting to heart rate and sleep monitoring. These technologies, which in the latter years witnessed a rapid development in terms of accuracy and diffusion, are now available on different platforms at reasonable prices and can lead to an healthier behavior in people using them. Nevertheless, we will try to investigate possibly harming behaviors related to these devices. We will provide different scenarios in which wearable sensors, in connection with social media, data mining, or other technologies, could prove harmful for their users

Locomotor speed control circuits in the caudal brainstem

Locomotion is a universal behaviour that provides animals with the ability to move between places. Classical experiments have used electrical microstimulation to identify brain regions that promote locomotion, but the identity of neurons that act as key intermediaries between higher motor planning centres and executive circuits in the spinal cord has remained controversial. Here we show that the mouse caudal brainstem encompasses functionally heterogeneous neuronal subpopulations that have differential effects on locomotion. These subpopulations are distinguishable by location, neurotransmitter identity and connectivity. Notably, glutamatergic neurons within the lateral paragigantocellular nucleus (LPGi), a small subregion in the caudal brainstem, are essential to support high-speed locomotion, and can positively tune locomotor speed through inputs from glutamatergic neurons of the upstream midbrain locomotor region. By contrast, glycinergic inhibitory neurons can induce different forms of behavioural arrest mapping onto distinct caudal brainstem regions. Anatomically, descending pathways of glutamatergic and glycinergic LPGi subpopulations communicate with distinct effector circuits in the spinal cord. Our results reveal that behaviourally opposing locomotor functions in the caudal brainstem were historically masked by the unexposed diversity of intermingled neuronal subpopulations. We demonstrate how specific brainstem neuron populations represent essential substrates to implement key parameters in the execution of motor programs

Minimal surgery for a cerebellopontine angle lipoma

A 46-year-old man presented with a left cerebellopontine angle lipoma of unusual size. The patient also complained of hearing loss and left trigeminal neuralgia, which were triggered on the same side as the lesion in the resting posture. Surgical treatment with simple debridement of the arachnoid membranes to reduce internal tension in the tumour resulted in stable pain remission and hypoacusia without additional deficit

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy in previously shunted children: a retrospective study.

Abstract PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the mid-term results, success rates, and time-to-failure of secondary endoscopic third ventriculostomy (secondary ETV), as well as the complex management of preoperative and postoperative cares. METHODS: To this purpose, a retrospective analysis of a pediatric population of 22 children who underwent endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) after shunt malfunction (secondary ETV) was performed. RESULTS: The failure rate, given by the percentage of new shunt replacement in the first 3 months after ETV, was 36%, with a mean time to failure of 14.3 days. All the failures were evident within 1 month after the ETV. Despite the small number of patients in our series, we found no significant correlation between ETV failure and both patient age and hydrocephalus etiology (p = 0.47 and p = 0.78, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, ETV secondary to shunt malfunction in pediatric patients has a success rate of 64%. As it is a safe and rapid treatment option even in emergency conditions, it is worth performing this procedure in previously shunted children