Pallidal hyperintensities - a coincidental finding of clinical relevance in Miller Fisher syndrome.

Pallidal hyperintensities--a coincidental finding of clinical relevance in Miller Fisher syndrom

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels and kinetics of vaccine response: potential role for unresolved inflammation following recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection

The immune response after SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administration appears to be characterized by high inter-individual variation, even in SARS-CoV-2 positive subjects, who could have experienced different post-infection, unresolved conditions. We monitored anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels and kinetics along with circulating biomarkers in a cohort of 175 healthcare workers during early immunization with COVID-19 mRNA-LNP BNT162b2 vaccine, to identify the associated factors. Subjects with a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection were characterized by higher BMI and CRP levels and lower neutrophil count with respect to na\uefve subjects. Baseline IgG levels resulted associated with CRP independently on BMI and inflammatory diseases. Among 137 subjects undergoing vaccination and monitored after the first and the second dose, three kinetic patterns were identified. The pattern showing a rapid growth was characterized by higher IgG levels at baseline and higher CRP and MCHC levels than negative subjects. Subjects previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2 showed higher levels of CRP, suggesting persistence of unresolved inflammation. These levels are the main determinant of IgG levels at baseline and characterized subjects belonging to the best performing, post-vaccine antibody kinetic pattern

Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles.

Dreaming can occur in both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. We recently showed that in both REM and NREM sleep, dreaming is associated with local decreases in slow wave activity (SWA) in posterior brain regions. To expand these findings, here we asked how specific features of slow waves and spindles, the hallmarks of NREM sleep, relate to dream experiences. Fourteen healthy human subjects (10 females) underwent nocturnal high-density EEG recordings combined with a serial awakening paradigm. Reports of dreaming, compared with reports of no experience, were preceded by fewer, smaller, and shallower slow waves, and faster spindles, especially in central and posterior cortical areas. We also identified a minority of very steep and large slow waves in frontal regions, which occurred on a background of reduced SWA and were associated with high-frequency power increases (local "microarousals") heralding the successful recall of dream content. These results suggest that the capacity of the brain to generate experiences during sleep is reduced in the presence of neuronal off-states in posterior and central brain regions, and that dream recall may be facilitated by the intermittent activation of arousal systems during NREM sleep.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT By combining high-density EEG recordings with a serial awakening paradigm in healthy subjects, we show that dreaming in non-rapid eye movement sleep occurs when slow waves in central and posterior regions are sparse, small, and shallow. We also identified a small subset of very large and steep frontal slow waves that are associated with high-frequency activity increases (local "microarousals") heralding successful recall of dream content. These results provide noninvasive measures that could represent a useful tool to infer the state of consciousness during sleep

Consciousness and cortical responsiveness: a within-state study during non-rapid eye movement sleep.

When subjects become unconscious, there is a characteristic change in the way the cerebral cortex responds to perturbations, as can be assessed using transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG). For instance, compared to wakefulness, during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep TMS elicits a larger positive-negative wave, fewer phase-locked oscillations, and an overall simpler response. However, many physiological variables also change when subjects go from wake to sleep, anesthesia, or coma. To avoid these confounding factors, we focused on NREM sleep only and measured TMS-evoked EEG responses before awakening the subjects and asking them if they had been conscious (dreaming) or not. As shown here, when subjects reported no conscious experience upon awakening, TMS evoked a larger negative deflection and a shorter phase-locked response compared to when they reported a dream. Moreover, the amplitude of the negative deflection-a hallmark of neuronal bistability according to intracranial studies-was inversely correlated with the length of the dream report (i.e., total word count). These findings suggest that variations in the level of consciousness within the same physiological state are associated with changes in the underlying bistability in cortical circuits

Local and Widespread Slow Waves in Stable NREM Sleep: Evidence for Distinct Regulation Mechanisms.

Previous work showed that two types of slow waves are temporally dissociated during the transition to sleep: widespread, large and steep slow waves predominate early in the falling asleep period ( <i>type I</i> ), while smaller, more circumscribed slow waves become more prevalent later ( <i>type II</i> ). Here, we studied the possible occurrence of these two types of slow waves in stable non-REM (NREM) sleep and explored potential differences in their regulation. A heuristic approach based on slow wave synchronization efficiency was developed and applied to high-density electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings collected during consolidated NREM sleep to identify the potential <i>type I</i> and <i>type II</i> slow waves. Slow waves with characteristics compatible with those previously described for <i>type I</i> and <i>type II</i> were identified in stable NREM sleep. Importantly, these slow waves underwent opposite changes across the night, with only <i>type II</i> slow waves displaying a clear homeostatic regulation. In addition, we showed that the occurrence of <i>type I</i> slow waves was often followed by larger <i>type II slow waves</i> , whereas the occurrence of <i>type II</i> slow waves was usually followed by smaller <i>type I</i> waves. Finally, <i>type II</i> slow waves were associated with a relative increase in spindle activity, while <i>type I</i> slow waves triggered periods of high-frequency activity. Our results provide evidence for the existence of two distinct slow wave synchronization processes that underlie two different types of slow waves. These slow waves may have different functional roles and mark partially distinct "micro-states" of the sleeping brain

Regional Delta Waves In Human Rapid Eye Movement Sleep.

Although the EEG slow wave of sleep is typically considered to be a hallmark of nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, recent work in mice has shown that slow waves can also occur in REM sleep. Here, we investigated the presence and cortical distribution of negative delta (1-4 Hz) waves in human REM sleep by analyzing high-density EEG sleep recordings obtained in 28 healthy subjects. We identified two clusters of delta waves with distinctive properties: (1) a frontal-central cluster characterized by ∼2.5-3.0 Hz, relatively large, notched delta waves (so-called "sawtooth waves") that tended to occur in bursts, were associated with increased gamma activity and rapid eye movements (EMs), and upon source modeling displayed an occipital-temporal and a frontal-central component and (2) a medial-occipital cluster characterized by more isolated, slower (<2 Hz), and smaller waves that were not associated with rapid EMs, displayed a negative correlation with gamma activity, and were also found in NREM sleep. Therefore, delta waves are an integral part of REM sleep in humans and the two identified subtypes (sawtooth and medial-occipital slow waves) may reflect distinct generation mechanisms and functional roles. Sawtooth waves, which are exclusive to REM sleep, share many characteristics with ponto-geniculo-occipital waves described in animals and may represent the human equivalent or a closely related event, whereas medial-occipital slow waves appear similar to NREM sleep slow waves.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The EEG slow wave is typically considered a hallmark of nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, but recent work in mice has shown that it can also occur in REM sleep. By analyzing high-density EEG recordings collected in healthy adult individuals, we show that REM sleep is characterized by prominent delta waves also in humans. In particular, we identified two distinctive clusters of delta waves with different properties: a frontal-central cluster characterized by faster, activating "sawtooth waves" that share many characteristics with ponto-geniculo-occipital waves described in animals and a medial-occipital cluster containing slow waves that are more similar to NREM sleep slow waves. These findings indicate that REM sleep is a spatially and temporally heterogeneous state and may contribute to explaining its known functional and phenomenological properties

The rhythm of the night: patterns of activity of the European wildcat in the Italian peninsula

The European wildcat is a threatened carnivore, whose ecology is still scarcely studied, especially in Mediterranean areas. In this study, we estimated activity rhythm patterns of this felid, by means of camera-trapping at three spatial scales: (i) whole country (Italy); (ii) biogeographical areas; (iii) latitudinal zones. The activity rhythms patterns were also calculated according to temporal scales: (1) warm semester; (2) cold semester and (3) seasonal scales. Lastly, we also tested whether the effect of moon phases affected the wildcat activity. We conducted the analysis on a total of 975 independent events collected in 2009-2021, from 285 locations, in 65,800 camera days. We showed that the wildcat in Italy exhibits a > 70% nocturnal behaviour, with 20% of diurnal activity, at all spatial scales, and throughout the whole year, with peaks at 10.00 p.m. and 04.00 a.m. We observed a high overlap of wildcat activity rhythms between different biogeographical and latitudinal zones. The wildcat was mainly active on the darkest nights, reducing its activity in bright moonlight nights. Diurnal activity was greater in the warm months and decreased with the distance from shrubs and woodlands, most likely according to activity rhythms of its main prey, water presence in summer, the care of offspring and the availability of shelter sites. Conversely, the distance to paved roads seems to have no significant effects on diurnal activity, suggesting that, in presence of natural shelters, the wildcat probably may tolerate these infrastructures. We suggested limited plasticity in activity rhythm patterns of the wildcat, emphasizing the importance of dark hours for this species

How do children fall asleep? A high-density EEG study of slow waves in the transition from wake to sleep.

Slow waves, the hallmarks of non-rapid eye-movement (NREM) sleep, are thought to reflect maturational changes that occur in the cerebral cortex throughout childhood and adolescence. Recent work in adults has revealed evidence for two distinct synchronization processes involved in the generation of slow waves, which sequentially come into play in the transition to sleep. In order to understand how these two processes are affected by developmental changes, we compared slow waves between children and young adults in the falling asleep period. The sleep onset period (starting 30s before end of alpha activity and ending at the first slow wave sequence) was extracted from 72 sleep onset high-density EEG recordings (128 electrodes) of 49 healthy subjects (age 8-25). Using an automatic slow wave detection algorithm, the number, amplitude and slope of slow waves were analyzed and compared between children (age 8-11) and young adults (age 20-25). Slow wave number and amplitude increased linearly in the falling asleep period in children, while in young adults, isolated high-amplitude slow waves (type I) dominated initially and numerous smaller slow waves (type II) with progressively increasing amplitude occurred later. Compared to young adults, children displayed faster increases in slow wave amplitude and number across the falling asleep period in central and posterior brain regions, respectively, and also showed larger slow waves during wakefulness immediately prior to sleep. Children do not display the two temporally dissociated slow wave synchronization processes in the falling asleep period observed in adults, suggesting that maturational factors underlie the temporal segregation of these two processes. Our findings provide novel perspectives for studying how sleep-related behaviors and dreaming differ between children and adults