Attention and cognitive load modulate motor resonance during action observation

Observation of others\u2019 actions evokes a motor resonant (MR) response, in the parieto-frontal Action Observation Network (AON, comprising BA40, BA6, BA4). In order to investigate the effect of cognitive processes on the AON we manipulated attention and cognitive load during central and peripheral observation of hand grasping actions with three experiments. Motor Evoked Potentials (MEPs) were elicited in the opponent of the thumb (OP) and abductor of the little finger (ADM) by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) of the primary motor cortex. First, we investigated the role of selective attention by asking subjects to focus their attention on the thumb of the moving hand in central vision. A selective facilitation of OP MEPs was recorded, without the expected ADM MEPs modulation. Second, a \u201ccovert attention\u201d paradigm was used to investigate the role of attention in peripheral vision. Surprisingly, MEP modulation was virtually abolished. In the third experiment we tested the hypothesis that the higher cognitive load introduced by the covert attention instruction had interfered with MR. We allowed subjects to view the action before its peripheral presentation with covert attention, thereby decreasing the cognitive effort necessary to decode the grasping action. The accuracy of motor resonant response was restored

Thinking about assessment: Further evidence of the validity of the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition as a measure of mentalistic abilities

The present study aimed to evaluate the nomological network validity of the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) in its Italian translation, addressing distinct research questions in three independent samples of Italian participants comprising adolescent nonclinical participants (N = 393), adult nonclinical participants (N = 193), and adult outpatients with a Personality Disorder (PD) diagnosis who sought psychotherapy treatment (N = 59). In all three samples the MASC proved to be a reliable measure of mentalizing ability, with Cronbach’s α values ranging from .70 to .78. In both nonclinical adolescents and nonclinical adults, the MASC scores correlated significantly and meaningfully with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test scores. In nonclinical adults, the MASC scores showed significant (albeit modest) correlations with self-reported measures of attachment styles. Finally, in adult outpatients, the MASC “no ToM” scores, that are specific errors that indicating non mentalistic responses, correlated significantly with interview-based measures (Spearman r = .41, p < .01) and self-reported measures (Spearman r = .37, p < .01) of borderline personality disorder (BPD), as well as with measures of emotion dysregulation, (Spearman r = .37, p <.01). As a whole, these findings highlight the validity of the MASC as a measure of mentalization and are consistent with Fonagy and colleagues’ (i.e., Bateman & Fonagy, 2004b; Fonagy, 1991) model of mentalization and its role in personality pathology

Exploring the Healthy Eye Microbiota Niche in a Multicenter Study

publishersversionPeer reviewe

Criteria for the diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration

Current criteria for the clinical diagnosis of pathologically confirmed corticobasal degeneration (CBD) no longer reflect the expanding understanding of this disease and its clinicopathologic correlations. An international consortium of behavioral neurology, neuropsychology, and movement disorders specialists developed new criteria based on consensus and a systematic literature review. Clinical diagnoses (early or late) were identified for 267 nonoverlapping pathologically confirmed CBD cases from published reports and brain banks. Combined with consensus, 4 CBD phenotypes emerged: corticobasal syndrome (CBS), frontal behavioral-spatial syndrome (FBS), nonfluent/agrammatic variant of primary progressive aphasia (naPPA), and progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome (PSPS). Clinical features of CBD cases were extracted from descriptions of 209 brain bank and published patients, providing a comprehensive description of CBD and correcting common misconceptions. Clinical CBD phenotypes and features were combined to create 2 sets of criteria: more specific clinical research criteria for probable CBD and broader criteria for possible CBD that are more inclusive but have a higher chance to detect other tau-based pathologies. Probable CBD criteria require insidious onset and gradual progression for at least 1 year, age at onset ≥50 years, no similar family history or known tau mutations, and a clinical phenotype of probable CBS or either FBS or naPPA with at least 1 CBS feature. The possible CBD category uses similar criteria but has no restrictions on age or family history, allows tau mutations, permits less rigorous phenotype fulfillment, and includes a PSPS phenotype. Future validation and refinement of the proposed criteria are needed

NORMALIZING EFFECT OF GAMMA-LINOLENIC ACID ON ETRETINATE-INDUCED HYPERTRIGLY- CERIDEMIA IN PSORIATIC PATIENTS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

_________________ Synopsis Retinoids are a group of. synthesis compounds having vitamin A as their precursor. Among retino i d s, etretin ate i s commonly used, al o n e or in combi n ati o n with PUVA (8-methoxypsoralen+UYA), for diffuse and resistant psoriasis. However, eretrinate may induce locai (severe ski n dryness, flaking, cheilitis and fiss ures) and systemic side-effects. Among the systemic side-effects of etretinate, increased triglycerides, VLDLs, and cholesterol are freq ue ntly detected, whic h may cause treatment discontinuation. In the present paper 41 psoriatic patients undergoing Re-PUVA (Etretinate+PUVA) were considered. One month after the beginning of the therapy, 27 of them were additionally treated with gamma-linolenic acid, because of the dryness and itch induced by etretinate. During Re-PUVA treatment 11 out of these 27 patients showed increased triglyceride and cholesterol levels. A 2 month-treatment with gamma-linolenic acid induced an improvement of the cutaneous side-effects of eretrinate. Moreover, a statisticall y significant decrease of triglyceridemia (p&lt;O.O I) and cholestero lemia (p&lt;O.O I ) was detected followi ng the treatment with gamma-linolenic acid. These results demonstrate that association of gamma-linolenic acid is useful in contolling dyslipidemia if Re-PUVA treatment has to be continued to achieve clearing of psoriasis. ------------------Riassunto I retinoidi sono una famiglia di composti di sintesi che hanno il loro precursore nella Yit. A. I più diffusi in ambito terapeutico dermatologico sono l&apos;etretinato, l&apos;isotretinoina e l&apos;acitretina. Questi farmaci agiscono promuovendo la differenziazione cheratinocitaria ed esercitano un effetto immunomodulatore. In particolare, l&apos;etretinato trova indicazione, da solo o in associazione con PUVA-terapia (8-metossipsoralene+UYA), nel trattamento delle forme più estese e resistenti di psoriasi. L&apos;etretinato, tuttavia, può indutTe effetti collaterali sia locali (secchezza cutanea marcata, desquamazione, cheilite e ragadi) che generali. Tra gl i effetti sistemici collaterali c he l&apos;etretrinato può indun-e si ri leva più frequentemente un innalzamento dei trigliceridi, delle VLDL e del colesterolo che possono indun-e a sospendere la terapia prima del conseguimento di una risposta clinica soddisfacente. Nel presente lavoro vengono riportati i dati relativi al contollo dell&apos; iperlipemia indotta da etretinato me- 107 Norma/1zmg effect of gamma-linolenic acid on etretinate-finduced hypertriglyceridemia in. .. diante l&apos;impiego di acido gamma-linolenico per via generale. Tale acido grasso essenziale è stato impiegato in epoca recente per il controllo del prurito e della secchezza cutanea nei soggetti affetti da dermatite atopica; per questo motivo abbiamo ritenuto di utilizzarl o (480 mg/os/die) in un gruppo di 27 pazienti ps oriasici che, in cor so di tra ttame nto co n Etretinato (Etretinato 0,5 mg/Kg/os/die)+PUVA (Re-PUVA), avevano manifestato marcata secchezza cutanea e prurito, imputabili al retinoide. Ad un mese dall&apos;inizio della terapia, 11 dei 27 pazienti affetti da secchezza cutanea e prurito avevano presentato anche anomalie del quadro lipidico, imputabili al trattamento con etretinato. II trattamento con acido gamma-linolenico per 2 mesi, o ltre a determ inare un miglioramento degli effetti collaterali cutanei, ha indotto anche una ridu zione statisticamente significativa della trigl iceridemia (p&lt;0,01) e della colesterolemi a (p&lt;0,0 1). Pertanto anche se gli innalzamenti di colesterolo e trigliceridi nella nostra casistica sono risultati, durante al terapia con etretinato, di moderata entità, l&apos;util izzo d i acido gamma-linolenico ci ha permesso di continuare la terapia Re-PUVA con una certa sicurezza per il paziente. Come noto, infa tti , la popolazione psoriasica risu lta esposta ad un aumentato rischio di accidenti cardiovascolari, in associazione a diabete ed obesità, e l&apos;ipertrig liceridemia iatrogena costituirebbe quindi un ulteriore fattore di ri schio

A Genome-Wide Screening and SNPs-to-Genes Approach to Identify Novel Genetic Risk Factors Associated with Frontotemporal Dementia

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most prevalent form of early onset dementia after Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We performed a case-control association study in an Italian FTD cohort (n = 530) followed by the novel SNPs-to-genes approach and functional annotation analysis. We identified two novel potential loci for FTD. Suggestive SNPs reached p-values ~10-7 and OR > 2.5 (2p16.3) and 1.5 (17q25.3). Suggestive alleles at 17q25.3 identified a disease-associated haplotype causing decreased expression of -cis genes such as RFNG and AATK involved in neuronal genesis and differentiation, and axon outgrowth, respectively. We replicated this locus through the SNPs-to-genes approach. Our functional annotation analysis indicated significant enrichment for functions of the brain (neuronal genesis, differentiation and maturation), the synapse (neurotransmission and synapse plasticity), and elements of the immune system, the latter supporting our recent international FTD-GWAS. This is the largest genome-wide study in Italian FTD to date. Although our results are not conclusive, we set the basis for future replication studies and identification of susceptible molecular mechanisms involved in FTD pathogenesis

Differential effects of posttranslational modifications of CXCL8/interleukin-8 on CXCR1 and CXCR2 internalization and signaling properties

CXCL8 or interleukin (IL)-8 directs neutrophil migration and activation through interaction with CXCR1 and CXCR2 that belong to the family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Naturally occurring posttranslational modifications of the NH2-terminal region of CXCL8 affect its biological activities, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are only partially understood. Here, we studied the implications of site-specific citrullination and truncation for the signaling potency of CXCL8. Native CXCL8(1-77), citrullinated [Cit5]CXCL8(1-77) and the major natural isoform CXCL8(6-77) were chemically synthesized and tested in internalization assays using human neutrophils. Citrullinated and truncated isoforms showed a moderately enhanced capacity to induce internalization of CXCR1 and CXCR2. Moreover, CXCL8-mediated activation of G\u3b1i-dependent signaling through CXCR1 and CXCR2 was increased upon modification to [Cit5]CXCL8(1-77) or CXCL8(6-77). All CXCL8 variants promoted recruitment of \u3b2-arrestins 1 and 2 to CXCR1 and CXCR2. Compared to CXCL8(1-77), CXCL8(6-77) showed an enhanced potency to recruit \u3b2-arrestin 2 to both receptors, while for [Cit5]CXCL8(1-77) only the capacity to induce \u3b2-arrestin 2 recruitment to CXCR2 was increased. Both modifications had no biasing effect, i.e., did not alter the preference of CXCL8 to activate either G\u3b1i-protein or \u3b2-arrestin-dependent signaling through its receptors. Our results support the concept that specific chemokine activities are fine-tuned by posttranslational modifications

Decreased motor cortex excitability mirrors own hand disembodiment during the rubber hand illusion

During the rubber hand illusion (RHI), subjects experience an artificial hand as part of their own body, while the real hand is subject to a sort of\u2019disembodiment\u2019. Can this altered belief about the body also affect physiological mechanisms involved in body-ownership, such as motor control? Here we ask whether the excitability of the motor pathways to the real (disembodied) hand are affected by the illusion. Our results show that the amplitude of the motor-evoked potentials recorded from the real hand is significantly reduced, with respect to baseline, when subjects in the synchronous (but not in the asynchronous) condition experience the fake hand as their own. This finding contributes to the theoretical understanding of the relationship between body-ownership and motor system, and provides the first physiological evidence that a significant drop in motor excitability in M1 hand circuits accompanies the disembodiment of the real hand during the RHI experience

Критерии оценки когнитивных нарушений после инсульта

Резюмированы определенные современные вопросы, с которыми сталкиваются неврологи и семейные врачи при выявлении и оказании помощи больным, у которых наблюдается ухудшение неврологического состояния в виде прогрессирования когнитивной дисфункции после развития инсульта.Резюмовано окремі сучасні питання, з якими стикаються неврологи і сімейні лікарі при виявленні та наданні допомоги хворим, у яких спостерігається погіршення неврологічного стану у вигляді прогресування когнітивної дисфункції після розвитку інсульту.Some urgent issues faced by neurologists and general practitioners when revealing and rendering medical aid to the patients with aggravation of the neurological state in the form of progression of post−stroke cognitive dysfunction are summarized