Mu rhythm: State of the art with special focus on cerebral palsy

Various specific early rehabilitation strategies are proposed to decrease functional disabilities in patients with cerebral palsy (CP). These strategies are thought to favour the mechanisms of brain plasticity that take place after brain injury. However, the level of evidence is low. Markers of brain plasticity would favour validation of these rehabilitation programs. In this paper, we consider the study of mu rhythm for this goal by describing the characteristics of mu rhythm in adults and children with typical development, then review the current literature on mu rhythm in CP. Mu rhythm is composed of brain oscillations recorded by electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG) over the sensorimotor areas. The oscillations are characterized by their frequency, topography and modulation. Frequency ranges within the alpha band (∼10Hz, mu alpha) or beta band (∼20Hz, mu beta). Source location analyses suggest that mu alpha reflects somatosensory functions, whereas mu beta reflects motor functions. Event-related desynchronisation (ERD) followed by event-related (re-)synchronisation (ERS) of mu rhythm occur in association with a movement or somatosensory input. Even if the functional role of the different mu rhythm components remains incompletely understood, their maturational trajectory is well described. Increasing age from infancy to adolescence is associated with increasing ERD as well as increasing ERS. A few studies characterised mu rhythm in adolescents with spastic CP and showed atypical patterns of modulation in most of them. The most frequent findings in patients with unilateral CP are decreased ERD and decreased ERS over the central electrodes, but atypical topography may also be found. The patterns of modulations are more variable in bilateral CP. Data in infants and young children with CP are lacking and studies did not address the questions of intra-individual reliability of mu rhythm modulations in patients with CP nor their modification after motor learning. Better characterization of mu rhythm in CP, especially in infants and young children, is warranted before considering this rhythm as a potential neurophysiological marker of brain plasticity

Low energy measurement of the 7Be(p,gamma)8B cross section

We have measured the cross section of the 7Be(p,gamma)8B reaction for E_cm = 185.8 keV, 134.7 keV and 111.7 keV using a radioactive 7Be target (132 mCi). Single and coincidence spectra of beta^+ and alpha particles from 8B and 8Be^* decay, respectively, were measured using a large acceptance spectrometer. The zero energy S factor inferred from these data is 18.5 +/- 2.4 eV b and a weighted mean value of 18.8 +/- 1.7 eV b (theoretical uncertainty included) is deduced when combining this value with our previous results at higher energies.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Comparison of low--energy resonances in 15N(alpha,gamma)19F and 15O(alpha,gamma)19Ne and related uncertainties

A disagreement between two determinations of Gamma_alpha of the astro- physically relevant level at E_x=4.378 MeV in 19F has been stated in two recent papers by Wilmes et al. and de Oliveira et al. In this work the uncertainties of both papers are discussed in detail, and we adopt the value Gamma_alpha=(1.5^{+1.5}_{-0.8})10^-9eV for the 4.378 MeV state. In addition, the validity and the uncertainties of the usual approximations for mirror nuclei Gamma_gamma(19F) approx Gamma_gamma(19Ne), theta^2_alpha(19F) approx theta^2_alpha(19Ne) are discussed, together with the resulting uncertainties on the resonance strengths in 19Ne and on the 15O(alpha,gamma)19Ne rate.Comment: 9 pages, Latex, To appear in Phys. Rev.

Opsoclonus in a child with neuroborreliosis: Case report and review of the literature

Opsoclonus consists of massive erratic rapid eye jerks. They may occur in isolation or in association with myoclonus and ataxia, i.e., opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS). We report the case of a 9-year-old girl who suffered from headaches for several days and was shown to have opsoclonus and left peripheral facial palsy. Work-up excluded the diagnosis of neuroblastoma, but CSF analysis showed aseptic meningitis, and serology for Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme) was positive. The outcome was favorable with complete regression of symptoms after treatment with ceftriaxone 2g/day for 3 weeks. Although rare, the diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis must be raised in the presence of isolated opsoclonus, particularly if the clinical picture is incomplete and if other features, such as peripheral facial palsy and pleocytosis in the CSF, are present

Ideal versus corrected body weight for dosage of sugammadex in morbidly obese patients

Summary To date, the dosing of sugammadex is based on real body weight without taking fat content into account. We compared the reversal of profound rocuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade in morbidly obese patients using doses of sugammadex based on four different weight corrections. One hundred morbidly obese patients, scheduled for laparoscopic bariatric surgery under propofolsufentanil anaesthesia, were randomly assigned four groups: ideal body weight; ideal body weight + 20%; ideal body weight + 40%; and real body weight. Patients received sugammadex 2 mg.k