87 research outputs found
Associations between immunological function and memory recall in healthy adults
Studies in clinical and aging populations support associations between immunological function, cognition and mood, although these are not always in line with animal models. Moreover, very little is known about the relationship between immunological measures and cognition in healthy young adults. The present study tested associations between the state of immune system and memory recall in a group of relatively healthy adults. Immediate and delayed memory recall was assessed in 30 participants using the computerised cognitive battery. CD4, CD8 and CD69 subpopulations of lymphocytes, Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cortisol were assessed with blood assays. Correlation analysis showed significant negative relationships between CD4 and the short and long delay memory measures. IL-6 showed a significant positive correlation with long-delay recall. Generalized linear models found associations between differences in all recall challenges and CD4. A multivariate generalized linear model including CD4 and IL-6 exhibited a stronger association. Results highlight the interactions between CD4 and IL-6 in relation to memory function. Further study is necessary to determine the underlying mechanisms of the associations between the state of immune system and cognitive performance
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Interpretability of spatiotemporal dynamics of the brain processes followed by mindfulness intervention in a brain-inspired spiking neural network architecture
Mindfulness training is associated with improvements in psychological wellbeing and cognition, yet the specific underlying neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning these changes are uncertain. This study uses a novel brain-inspired artificial neural network to investigate the effect of mindfulness training on electroencephalographic function. Participants completed a 4-tone auditory oddball task (that included targets and physically similar distractors) at three assessment time points. In Group A (n = 10), these tasks were given immediately prior to 6-week mindfulness training, immediately after training and at a 3-week follow-up; in Group B (n = 10), these were during an intervention waitlist period (3 weeks prior to training), pre-mindfulness training and post-mindfulness training. Using a spiking neural network (SNN) model, we evaluated concurrent neural patterns generated across space and time from features of electroencephalographic data capturing the neural dynamics associated with the event-related potential (ERP). This technique capitalises on the temporal dynamics of the shifts in polarity throughout the ERP and spatially across electrodes. Findings support anteriorisation of connection weights in response to distractors relative to target stimuli. Right frontal connection weights to distractors were associated with trait mindfulness (positively) and depression (inversely). Moreover, mindfulness training was associated with an increase in connection weights to targets (bilateral frontal, left frontocentral, and temporal regions only) and distractors. SNN models were superior to other machine learning methods in the classification of brain states as a function of mindfulness training. Findings suggest SNN models can provide useful information that differentiates brain states based on distinct task demands and stimuli, as well as changes in brain states as a function of psychological intervention
Defining the phenotypical spectrum associated with variants in TUBB2A
Background Variants in genes belonging to the tubulin superfamily account for a heterogeneous spectrum of brain malformations referred to as tubulinopathies. Variants in TUBB2A have been reported in 10 patients with a broad spectrum of brain imaging features, ranging from a normal cortex to polymicrogyria, while one patient has been reported with progressive atrophy of the cerebellar vermis. Methods In order to further refine the phenotypical spectrum associated with TUBB2A, clinical and imaging features of 12 patients with pathogenic TUBB2A variants, recruited via the international network of the authors, were reviewed. Results We report 12 patients with eight novel and one recurrent variants spread throughout the TUBB2A gene but encoding for amino acids clustering at the protein surface. Eleven patients (91.7%) developed seizures in early life. All patients suffered from intellectual disability, and 11 patients had severe motor developmental delay, with 4 patients (36.4 %) being non-ambulatory. The cerebral cortex was normal in five individuals and showed dysgyria of variable severity in seven patients. Associated brain malformations were less frequent in TUBB2A patients compared with other tubulinopathies. None of the patients had progressive cerebellar atrophy. Conclusion The imaging phenotype associated with pathogenic variants in TUBB2A is highly variable, ranging from a normal cortex to extensive dysgyria with associated brain malformations. For recurrent variants, no clear genotype-phenotype correlations could be established, suggesting the role of additional modifiers.</p
FAHN/SPG35 : a narrow phenotypic spectrum across disease classifications
The endoplasmic reticulum enzyme fatty acid 2-hydroxylase (FA2H) plays a major role in the formation of 2-hydroxy glycosphingolipids, main components of myelin. FA2H deficiency in mice leads to severe central demyelination and axon loss. In humans it has been associated with phenotypes from the neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (fatty acid hydroxylase-associated neurodegeneration, FAHN), hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP type SPG35) and leukodystrophy (leukodystrophy with spasticity and dystonia) spectrum. We performed an in-depth clinical and retrospective neurophysiological and imaging study in a cohort of 19 cases with biallelic FA2H mutations. FAHN/SPG35 manifests with early childhood onset predominantly lower limb spastic tetraparesis and truncal instability, dysarthria, dysphagia, cerebellar ataxia, and cognitive deficits, often accompanied by exotropia and movement disorders. The disease is rapidly progressive with loss of ambulation after a median of 7 years after disease onset and demonstrates little interindividual variability. The hair of FAHN/SPG35 patients shows a bristle-like appearance; scanning electron microscopy of patient hair shafts reveals deformities (longitudinal grooves) as well as plaque-like adhesions to the hair, likely caused by an abnormal sebum composition also described in a mouse model of FA2H deficiency. Characteristic imaging features of FAHN/SPG35 can be summarized by the WHAT' acronym: white matter changes, hypointensity of the globus pallidus, ponto-cerebellar atrophy, and thin corpus callosum. At least three of four imaging features are present in 85% of FA2H mutation carriers. Here, we report the first systematic, large cohort study in FAHN/SPG35 and determine the phenotypic spectrum, define the disease course and identify clinical and imaging biomarkers
Defining the phenotypical spectrum associated with variants in TUBB2A
Background Variants in genes belonging to the tubulin superfamily account for a heterogeneous spectrum of brain malformations referred to as tubulinopathies. Variants in TUBB2A have been reported in 10 patients with a broad spectrum of brain imaging features, ranging from a normal cortex to polymicrogyria, while one patient has been reported with progressive atrophy of the cerebellar vermis. Methods In order to further refine the phenotypical spectrum associated with TUBB2A, clinical and imaging features of 12 patients with pathogenic TUBB2A variants, recruited via the international network of the authors, were reviewed. Results We report 12 patients with eight novel and one recurrent variants spread throughout the TUBB2A gene but encoding for amino acids clustering at the protein surface. Eleven patients (91.7%) developed seizures in early life. All patients suffered from intellectual disability, and 11 patients had severe motor developmental delay, with 4 patients (36.4 %) being non-ambulatory. The cerebral cortex was normal in five individuals and showed dysgyria of variable severity in seven patients. Associated brain malformations were less frequent in TUBB2A patients compared with other tubulinopathies. None of the patients had progressive cerebellar atrophy. Conclusion The imaging phenotype associated with pathogenic variants in TUBB2A is highly variable, ranging from a normal cortex to extensive dysgyria with associated brain malformations. For recurrent variants, no clear genotype-phenotype correlations could be established, suggesting the role of additional modifiers.</p
Comparing counselling alone versus counselling supplemented with guided use of a well-being app for university students experiencing anxiety or depression (CASELOAD): protocol for a feasibility trial.
BACKGROUND: University counselling services face a unique challenge to offer short-term therapeutic support to students presenting with complex mental health needs and in a setting which suits the academic timetable. The recent availability of mobile phone applications (apps) offers an opportunity to supplement face-to-face therapy and has the potential to reach a wider audience, maintain engagement between therapy sessions, and enhance therapeutic outcomes. The present study, entitled Counselling plus Apps for Students Experiencing Levels of Anxiety or Depression (CASELOAD), aims to explore the feasibility of supplementing counselling with guided use of a well-being app. METHODS/DESIGN: Forty help-seeking university students (aged 18 years and over) with symptoms of moderate anxiety or depression will be recruited from a University Counselling Service (UCS) in the United Kingdom (UK). Participants will be recruited via counsellors who provide the initial clinical assessment and who determine treatment allocation to one of two treatments on the basis of client-treatment fit. The two conditions comprise (1) counselling alone (treatment as usual/TAU) or (2) counselling supplemented with guided use of a well-being app (enhanced intervention). Trained counsellors will deliver up to six counselling sessions in each treatment arm across a 6-month period, and the session frequency will be decided by client-counsellor discussion. Assessments will occur at baseline, every counselling session, post-intervention (3 months after consent) and follow-up (6 months after consent). Assessments will include clinical measures of anxiety, depression, psychological functioning, specific mental health concerns (e.g. academic distress and substance misuse), resilience and therapeutic alliance. The usage, acceptability, feasibility and potential implications of combining counselling with guided use of the well-being app will be assessed through audio recordings of counselling sessions, telephone interviews with participants, focus groups with counsellors and counsellor notes. DISCUSSION: This study will inform the design of a randomised pilot trial aï»żndï»ż a definitive trial which aim to improve therapy engagement, reduce dropout and enhance clinical outcomes of student counselling. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN55102899
Theory of superconductor with kappa close to 1/sqrt{2}
As was firstly shown by E. Bogomolny, the critical Ginzburg-Landay (GL)
parameter kappa =1/sqrt{2} at which a superconductor changes its behavior from
type-I to type-II, is the special highly degenerate point where Abrikosov
vortices do not interact and therefore all vortex states have the same energy.
Developing a secular perturbation theory we studied how this degeneracy is
lifted when kappa is slightly different from 1\sqrt{2} or when the GL theory is
extended to the higher in T-Tc terms. We constructed a simple secular
functional, that depends only on few experimentally measurable phenomenological
parameters and therefore is quite efficient to study the vortex state of
superconductor in this transitional region of kappa. Basing on this, we
calculated such vortex state properties as: critical fields, energy of the
normal-superconductor interface, energy of the vortex lattice, vortex
interaction energy etc. and compared them with previous results that were based
on bulky solutions of GL equations.Comment: Revtex, 14 pages, 4 postscript pictures embedded in the tex
A pilot randomized controlled trial for a videoconference-delivered mindfulness-based group intervention in a nonclinical setting
Technology is increasingly being integrated into the provision of therapy and mental health interventions. While the evidence base for technology-led delivery of mindfulness-based interventions is growing, one approach to understanding the effects of technology-delivered elements includes so-named blended programs that continue to include aspects of traditional face-to-face interaction. This arrangement offers unique practical advantages, and also enables researchers to isolate variables that may be underlying the effects of technology-delivered interventions. The present study reports on a pilot videoconference-delivered mindfulness-based group intervention offered to university students and staff members with wait-list controls. Apart from the first session of the six-week course, the main facilitator guided evening classes remotely via online videoconferencing, with follow-up exercises via email. Participants Powered by Editorial ManagerÂź and ProduXion ManagerÂź from Aries Systems Corporation were taught a variety of mindfulness-based exercises such as meditation, breathing exercises, mindful tasting, as well as the concepts underpinning such practice. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires on depression, anxiety, repetitive negative thinking, dysfunctional attitudes, positive and negative affect, self-compassion, compassion for others, and mindfulness. For participants who attended at least five of the six sessions, scores on all outcome measures improved significantly post intervention and remained stable at three-week follow up. The videoconference-delivered mindfulness-based group intervention appears to provide a viable alternative format to standard mindfulness programs where the facilitator and participants need to live in close physical proximity with each other
The Flux-Line Lattice in Superconductors
Magnetic flux can penetrate a type-II superconductor in form of Abrikosov
vortices. These tend to arrange in a triangular flux-line lattice (FLL) which
is more or less perturbed by material inhomogeneities that pin the flux lines,
and in high- supercon- ductors (HTSC's) also by thermal fluctuations. Many
properties of the FLL are well described by the phenomenological
Ginzburg-Landau theory or by the electromagnetic London theory, which treats
the vortex core as a singularity. In Nb alloys and HTSC's the FLL is very soft
mainly because of the large magnetic penetration depth: The shear modulus of
the FLL is thus small and the tilt modulus is dispersive and becomes very small
for short distortion wavelength. This softness of the FLL is enhanced further
by the pronounced anisotropy and layered structure of HTSC's, which strongly
increases the penetration depth for currents along the c-axis of these uniaxial
crystals and may even cause a decoupling of two-dimensional vortex lattices in
the Cu-O layers. Thermal fluctuations and softening may melt the FLL and cause
thermally activated depinning of the flux lines or of the 2D pancake vortices
in the layers. Various phase transitions are predicted for the FLL in layered
HTSC's. The linear and nonlinear magnetic response of HTSC's gives rise to
interesting effects which strongly depend on the geometry of the experiment.Comment: Review paper for Rep.Prog.Phys., 124 narrow pages. The 30 figures do
not exist as postscript file
A brief review of robotics technologies to support social interventions for older users
In the last few decades, various studies demonstrated numerous robotics applications that can tackle the problem of the ageing population by supporting older people to live longer and independently at home. This article reviews the scientific literature and highlights how social robots can help the daily life of older people and be useful also as assessment tools for mild physical
and mental conditions. It will underline the aspects of usability and acceptability of robotic solutions for older persons. Indeed, the design should maximise
these to improve the users' attitude towards the actual use of the robots. The article discusses the advantages and concerns about the use of robotics technology
in the social context with a vulnerable population. In this field, success is to assist social workers, not to replace them. We conclude recommending that care
benefits should be balanced against ethical costs
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