Neurocognitive and Psychosocial Effects of Repeated Concussions in Children and Adolescents

In the United States, an estimated 1.7 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) annually. About 75% of these TBIs are mild, which are referred to as “concussions.” This study assessed the neurocognitive and psychosocial effects of repeated concussions in children and adolescents and their interactions with age and gender. It also assessed the correlation between psychosocial functioning and neurocognitive functioning. Given the paucity of research on the effects of concussion in the developing brain, the current study characterized the neurocognitive and psychosocial effects of concussion in young populations. The overarching hypothesis stated that repeated concussions would induce more severe neurocognitive and psychosocial deficits than a single concussion. Concussion-induced effects were hypothesized to be worse in females and adolescents. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that pre- and post-morbid impairment would be negatively correlated with post-morbid neurocognitive functioning. The results showed that those who performed worse on tasks of executive function also experienced more post-morbid depression. Additionally, data trends suggested that repeated concussions induced more anxiety and depression than a single concussion. In addition, children performed worse on tasks of executive function and demonstrated more hyperactivity following concussion than adolescents. Females performed better on the spatial Rey-O Copy and verbal WASI-II Vocabulary tasks than males following concussion, and males endorsed a greater increase in depression and hyperactivity following concussion. Since some of the subjects’ recovery from concussion was atypical (i.e., experienced persistent concussion-induced effects past the typical range of recovery), these findings may not translate to typically recovering individuals. Nevertheless, these findings clarify understanding and increase awareness of the specific complications associated with concussion in young people and can be used as a baseline of reference as to how repeated concussion-induced effects compare to those following single concussion in the younger aged population. These findings may lead to modifications in the return-to-play guidelines and safety measures of physical activities, with the hopes of diminishing the prevalence of repeated concussions and mitigating the resulting adverse effects

Phenotyping Double Transgenic Mouse Models of Alzheimer’s that Express Human APP and ApoE3 or ApoE4

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes progressive cognitive and behavioral problems resulting from a build-up of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques in the brain. The degree of neuropathology is partially related to apolipoprotein E (apoE), a fat-binding protein involved in transporting cholesterol to neurons. The APOE gene, which codes for the production of apoE, has several alleles in humans, including APOE3 (E3; the most common) and APOE4 (E4; which is associated with a high risk for developing AD). Transgenic mouse models of AD are commonly used to study the neuropathological processes behind the development of Aβ plaques, neurodegeneration, and associated behavioral deficits. The current study was designed to determine whether expression of E4 in a transgenic mouse model of AD (the PDAPP mouse) alters these processes in a way that replicates the effects observed in humans with E4. The brains of male PDAPP x APOE3 mice (PDAPP:E3; n=5) were compared to those of PDAPP x APOE4 mice (PDAPP:E4; n=4) by staining tissue sections with HJ3.4, thioflavin-S, and 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) to quantify diffuse Aβ, fibrillar Aβ, and cellular count, respectively. PDAPP:E4 mice had more total Aβ in the CA1 of the hippocampus and dorsal cortex. Also, a trend suggested PDAPP:E4 mice had a lower cellular density in the CA1 and dorsal cortex than PDAPP:E3 mice. Importantly, more Alzheimer’s-like neuropathology was generally associated with worse behavioral deficits. Since these results replicate aspects of human AD (plaque load, lower cellular density, and behavioral deficits), the expression of human APOE in transgenic mice may improve their use as a model system for understanding the processes involved in the development of AD and therapeutic strategies for dealing with the disease

The Neuroscience Information Framework: A Data and Knowledge Environment for Neuroscience

With support from the Institutes and Centers forming the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, we have designed and implemented a new initiative for integrating access to and use of Web-based neuroscience resources: the Neuroscience Information Framework. The Framework arises from the expressed need of the neuroscience community for neuroinformatic tools and resources to aid scientific inquiry, builds upon prior development of neuroinformatics by the Human Brain Project and others, and directly derives from the Society for Neuroscience’s Neuroscience Database Gateway. Partnered with the Society, its Neuroinformatics Committee, and volunteer consultant-collaborators, our multi-site consortium has developed: (1) a comprehensive, dynamic, inventory of Web-accessible neuroscience resources, (2) an extended and integrated terminology describing resources and contents, and (3) a framework accepting and aiding concept-based queries. Evolving instantiations of the Framework may be viewed at http://nif.nih.gov, http://neurogateway.org, and other sites as they come on line

Novel 3D Microscopic Analysis of Human Placental Villous Trees Reveals Unexpected Significance of Branching Angles

The villous trees of human placentas delineate the fetomaternal border and are complex three-dimensional (3D) structures. Thus far, they have primarily been analyzed as thin, two-dimensional (2D) histological sections. However, 2D sections cannot provide access to key aspects such as branching nodes and branch order. Using samples taken from 50 normal human placentas at birth, in the present study we show that analysis procedures for 3D reconstruction of neuronal dendritic trees can also be used for analyzing trees of human placentas. Nodes and their branches (e.g., branching hierarchy, branching angles, diameters, and lengths of branches) can be efficiently measured in whole-mount preparations of isolated villous trees using high-end light microscopy. Such data differ qualitatively from the data obtainable from histological sections and go substantially beyond the morphological horizon of such histological data. Unexpectedly, branching angles of terminal branches of villous trees varied inversely with the fetoplacental weight ratio, a widely used clinical parameter. Since branching angles have never before been determined in the human placenta, this result requires further detailed studies in order to fully understand its impact

EFFECT OF NITROUS OXIDE INHALATION ON CHANGES IN SENSORY BLOCK IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING SPINAL ANESTHESIA

Introduction: Spinal Anesthesia is a successful method for most surgical procedures on lower extremities and lower abdomen. Occasionally the duration of sensory blockade is shorter than the duration of the surgical procedures resulting in painful stress and discomfort. In one research, inhalation of N2O during spinal anesthesia provided analgesic effects and enhanced the level of sensory blockade. Our study evaluated the effects of N2O on the duration of sensory blockade in spinal anesthesia.
 Methods: In this double blind randomized controlled clinical trial, 80 adult patients who were candidates for lower extremity or lower abdominal surgery were randomly divided into two group received 500k N2O plus 50% O2 by inhalation and control group received 02 without N2O. Block level and the duration of T6 and T10 blockade were determined mean, systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate recorded. Statistical analysis was performed by t-test.
 Results: The duration of sensory blockade above T6 and T10 levels in patients receiving N2O plus O2 was significantly superior to that in the control group (P < 0.05). The mean changes in the heart rate and systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial blood pressures, were not significantly different between two groups.
 Discussion: Our results, show that N2O inhalation during spinal anesthesia enhances the duration of sensory block making this technique more piratical and appropriate. It also provided move homodynamic stability any adverse effects