La personalidad y la capacidad mental se reflejarían en el electroencefalograma

Human personality reflects spatio-temporal and time-frequency EEG structure

Abstrac

The reliable and objective assessment of intelligence and personality has been a topic of increasing interest of contemporary neuroscience and psychology. It is known that intelligence can be measured by estimating the mental speed or velocity of information processing. This is usually measured as a reaction time during elementary cognitive task processing, while personality is often assessed by means of questionnaires. On the other hand, human personality affects the way a subject accomplishes elementary cognitive tasks and, therefore, some personality features can define intelligence. It is expected that these features, as well as mental abilities in performing cognitive tasks are associated with the brain’s electrical neural activity. Although several studies reported correlation between event-related potentials, mental ability and intelligence, there is a lack of information about time-frequency and spatio-temporal structures of neural activity which characterize this relation. In the present work, we analyzed human electroencephalograms (EEG) recorded during the performance of elementary cognitive tasks using the Schulte test, which is a paper-pencil based instrument for assessing elementary cognitive ability or mental speed. According to particular features found of the EEG structure, we divided the subjects into three groups. For subjects in each group, we applied the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) to assess the their personality traits. We demonstrated that each group exhibited a different score on the personality scale, such as warmth, reasoning, emotional stability and dominance. Summing up, we found a link between EEG features, mental abilities and personality traits. The obtained results can be of great interest for testing human personality to create automatized intelligent programs which combine simple tests and EEG measurements for real estimation of human personality traits and mental abilities.

Veneno de escorpión para ayudar a transportar fármacos a través de la barrera hematoencefálica

From venoms to BBB-shuttles. MiniCTX3: a molecular vector derived from scorpion venom

Abstract

The present study aims to develop chlorotoxin (CTX), from Giant Yellow Israeli scorpion venom, as a new BBB-shuttle. Minimised versions of CTX were prepared to reduce its complexity while enhancing its BBB-shuttle capacity and preserving its protease-resistance. MiniCTX3, a monocyclic lactam-bridge peptidomimetic, was capable of transporting nanoparticles across endothelial cell monolayers. Our results reveal animal venoms as an outstanding source of new families of BBB-shuttles.

Relacionan la liberación de glutamato y la fatiga asociada a la esclerosis múltiple

The importance of glutamate in the neuro-endocrinological functions in multiple sclerosis, related to fatigue.

Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease, which still today affects the Northern-hemisphere population, generating a socioeconomically burden. One of the most unfavorable symptoms in this chronic disorder is fatigue. In this review, we favor and sustain a main alteration of the hypothalamus-pituitary-axis complex and its physiopathologic consequences, mostly related to glutamate and corticoid levels. We try to sustain our hypothesis in what is already reported, corroborating that the inflammatory cells release mainly glutamate, a neuro-toxic substance which leads to a demyelinating effect and as a main result fatigue as a symptom. When this hypothesis is demonstrated, we could trace therapeutic targets to stop the release of glutamate of these immunologic cells, in order to avoid fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients.

Vinculan habilidades lingüísticas tempranas con un cociente intelectual más alto en la mediana edad

Language development and intelligence in midlife

Abstract

Individual differences in early language skills have been found to be associated with other cognitive outcomes in childhood and adolescence. However, research is limited on whether these associations persist into adulthood. In this study, we examined potential associations of the timing of early language milestones with cognitive ability in a prospective cohort study of 938 singletons from the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort (CPC), who participated in a 50‐year follow‐up examination in 2009–2011. Later attainment of a number of milestones was associated with lower midlife IQ with the strongest associations found for ‘Naming objects/animals in pictures’, ‘Forming a sentence’, and ‘Sharing experiences’. Milestones related to language explained 6.7% of the variance in midlife IQ, while milestones related to social interaction explained 3.1%. The study provides evidence that individual differences in language development during the first years of life are associated with intelligence in midlife.

Alteraciones cerebrales al permanecer mucho tiempo en el espacio

Brain Tissue–Volume Changes in Cosmonauts

Purpose

To describe the history, clinical findings, and possible etiologies of ophthalmic findings discovered in 7 astronauts after long-duration space flight, and document vision changes in approximately 300 additional astronauts.

Design

Retrospective, observational examination of ophthalmic findings in 7 astronauts and analysis of postflight questionnaires regarding in-flight vision changes in approximately 300 additional astronauts.

Participants

Seven astronauts with ophthalmic anomalies upon return from long-duration space missions to the International Space Station and 300 additional astronauts who completed postflight questionnaires regarding in-flight vision changes.

Methods

Before and after long-duration space flight, all 7 subjects underwent complete eye examinations, including cycloplegic and/or manifest refraction and fundus photography. Six underwent postmission optical coherence tomography (OCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); 4 had lumbar punctures (LP). Approximately 300 astronauts were queried regarding visual changes during space missions.

Main Outcome Measures

Refractive change, fundus photograph examination, retina OCT, orbital MRI, LP opening pressures, and examination of visual acuity data.

Results

After 6 months of space flight, 7 astronauts had ophthalmic findings, consisting of disc edema in 5, globe flattening in 5, choroidal folds in 5, cotton wool spots (CWS) in 3, nerve fiber layer thickening by OCT in 6, and decreased near vision in 6 astronauts. Five of 7 with near vision complaints had a hyperopic shift ≥+0.50 diopters (D) between pre/postmission spherical equivalent refraction in 1 or both eyes (range, +0.50 to +1.75 D). These 5 showed globe flattening on MRI. Lumbar punctures performed in the 4 with disc edema documented opening pressures of 22, 21, 28, and 28.5 cm H2O performed 60, 19, 12, and 57 days postmission, respectively. The 300 postflight questionnaires documented that approximately 29% and 60% of astronauts on short and long-duration missions, respectively, experienced a degradation in distant and near visual acuity. Some of these vision changes remain unresolved years after flight.

Conclusions

We hypothesize that the optic nerve and ocular changes we describe may result from cephalad fluid shifts brought about by prolonged microgravity exposure. The findings we report may represent parts of a spectrum of ocular and cerebral responses to extended microgravity exposure.

Financial Disclosure(s)

The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article.

Adaptación al castellano del sistema de evaluación del equilibrio (BESTest) en adultos mayores

Transcultural adaptation to the Spanish language of the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) in older adults

INTRODUCTION:

The risk of falls in older adults increases because of the decrease in strength, flexibility, balance and sensory changes affecting functionality and quality of life. For this reason, an integral system of evaluation of equilibrium is necessary, for preventive purposes or for early therapeutic interventions.

AIM:

To present the results of the transcultural translation and adaptation process of the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) to Spanish language.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS:

The original version of the BESTest was translated into Spanish, following the process of retro-traduction and cultural adaptation considering the semantic, idiomatic, conceptual and experiential equivalences. Subsequently the version was reviewed by a panel of experts qualifying clarity, coherence, relevance and sufficiency. The pilot test included 32 adults between 50 and 80 years old.

RESULTS:

It was possible to carry out the complete translation of the instrument, the instructions for the subject and for the evaluator. Most items of the test reached the maximum score of 4.0 (100%), nine items achieved an average score of 3.9 (99%), one item got an average score of 3.8 (95%) and two items achieved an average score of 3.7 (92.5%).

CONCLUSIONS:

With this study the Spanish speakers community has a pertinent sufficient, coherent and clear instrument in order to identify the control postural system altered to focus treatment and to get better functional outcomes from balance evaluation in older adults.

Efecto antidepresivo del ejercicio aeróbico

Aerobic exercise for adult patients with major depressive disorder in mental health services: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Although exercise is associated with depression relief, the effects of aerobic exercise (AE) interventions on clinically depressed adult patients have not been clearly supported. The purpose of this meta‐analysis was to examine the antidepressant effects of AE versus nonexercise comparators exclusively for depressed adults (18–65 years) recruited through mental health services with a referral or clinical diagnosis of major depression. Eleven e‐databases and bibliographies of 19 systematic reviews were searched for relevant randomized controlled clinical trials. A random effects meta‐analysis (Hedges’ gcriterion) was employed for pooling postintervention scores of depression. Heterogeneity and publication bias were examined. Studies were coded considering characteristics of participants and interventions, outcomes and comparisons made, and study design; accordingly, sensitivity and subgroup analyses were calculated. Across 11 eligible trials (13 comparisons) involving 455 patients, AE was delivered on average for 45 min, at moderate intensity, three times/week, for 9.2 weeks and showed a significantly large overall antidepressant effect (g = –0.79, 95% confidence interval = –1.01, –0.57, P < 0.00) with low and nonstatistically significant heterogeneity (I2 = 21%). No publication bias was found. Sensitivity analyses revealed large or moderate to large antidepressant effects for AE (I2 ≤ 30%) among trials with lower risk of bias, trials with short‐term interventions (up to 4 weeks), and trials involving individual preferences for exercise. Subgroup analyses revealed comparable effects for AE across various settings and delivery formats, and in both outpatients and inpatients regardless symptom severity. Notwithstanding the small number of trials reviewed, AE emerged as an effective antidepressant intervention.

Antiinflamatorios para revertir las alteraciones cognitivas por la abstinencia de la nicotina

Anti-inflammatory agents for smoking cessation? Focus on cognitive deficits associated with nicotine withdrawal in male mice

Abstract

Nicotine withdrawal is associated with cognitive deficits including attention, working memory, and episodic memory impairments. These cognitive deficits are a hallmark of nicotine abstinence which could be targeted in order to prevent smoking relapse. The underlying mechanisms, however, are poorly understood. In this study, memory impairment was observed in mice 4 days after the precipitation of nicotine withdrawal by the nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine. The presence of cognitive deficits correlated with microglial activation in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. Moreover, an increased expression of neuroinflammatory markers including IL1β, TNFα and IFNγ was found in both memory-related brain regions. Notably, flow cytometric analysis also revealed an enhancement of TNFα and IFNγ plasmatic levels at the same time point during nicotine withdrawal. Impaired neurogenesis, as shown by reduction in the expression of the endogenous cell proliferation marker Ki67 and the early neuron marker doublecortin, was also associated with nicotine abstinence. Treatment with the non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol abolished memory impairment of nicotine withdrawal and microglia reactivity, reduced the expression of IL1β and IFNγ in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, respectively, and normalized Ki67 levels. The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin also prevented cognitive deficits and microglial reactivity during withdrawal. These data underline the usefulness of anti-inflammatory agents to improve cognitive performance during early nicotine abstinence.

Perfiles neuropsicológicos en anorexia y bulimia nerviosa

Neuropsychological profiles in anorexia and bulimia nervosa

INTRODUCTION:

Eating disorders are severe mental disorders that appear in different diagnostic forms, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In recent years, a number of studies have highlighted the involvement of neuropsychological processes in anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

AIM:

To review the evidence on the deficits in the executive functions, attentional biases and central coherence in anorexia and bulimia nervosa in relation to a neuropsychological risk profile, a different neuropsychological profile associated with the aforementioned eating pathologies and the role of variables (body mass index, age, anxiety, impulsiveness, alexithymia, mood, body image) in the presence of neuropsychological deficits.

DEVELOPMENT:

We reviewed the empirical studies conducted in the last seven years found in the Medline and PsycINFO databases for English, and Dialnet and Psicodoc for Spanish. Twenty-eight articles were selected as suitable for the purposes of this study. The documents were chosen on the basis of a set of pre-established criteria.

CONCLUSIONS:

According to the evidence available, there seems to be a risk profile characterised by cognitive rigidity and weak central coherence. The results appear to be more consistent as regards the risk profile in anorexia nervosa. Furthermore, in both anorexia and bulimia nervosa there are attentional biases related to the recognition of emotions and social aspects, and the alexithymia trait is a modulating variable in this difficulty.

Describen variantes patogénicas de un gen vinculado a la epilepsia infantil grave

De Novo Pathogenic Variantsin CACNA1E Cause Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy with Contractures,Macrocephaly, and Dyskinesias

Un amplio equipo de investigación internacional ha descubierto una nueva causa genética para un síndrome de epilepsia infantil grave y difícil de tratar. Las mutaciones espontáneas en un gen interrumpen el flujo de calcio en las células cerebrales, lo que genera una hiperactividad epiléptica.

El equipo se centró en los cambios que causan enfermedades en el gen CACNAIE, que durante mucho tiempo se ha sospechado que desempeña un papel clave en la forma en que las neuronas regulan su actividad eléctrica. Al realizar la secuenciación de nueva generación en 30 bebés y niños pequeños con epilepsia grave, los investigadores identificaron las variantes causantes de la enfermedad en CACNA1E. En la mayoría de los casos, las variantes genéticas de novo estaban presentes en los niños afectados, pero no se encontraron en sus padres.

La mayoría de los pacientes de la muestra no respondieron a ningún fármaco antiepiléptico, a excepción de unos pocos que respondieron al topiramato, que se sabe que se dirige al canal CACNA1E.

Vinculan la exposición prenatal a ftalatos con retrasos en el lenguaje en los niños

Association of Prenatal Phthalate Exposure With Language Development in Early Childhood

Los niños podrían sufrir alteraciones en el desarrollo del lenguaje en caso de exposición prenatal a ftalatos, unas sustancias químicas que se encuentran en innumerables productos, desde lacas de uñas hasta aerosoles, recipientes de alimentos o suelos de vinilo.

La investigación implicó a mujeres embarazadas y sus hijos, que participaron en estudios a largo plazo en Suecia (963 mujeres; 47,2% de niñas y 52,8% de niños) y Estados Unidos (370 mujeres; 50% de niñas y 50% de niños). Se preguntó a cada madre el número de palabras que comprendía su hijo alrededor de los 30-37 meses de edad. Se consideró que los niños que comprendían menos de 50 palabras tenían un retraso en el desarrollo del lenguaje. En general, se encontró que un 10% mostraban un retraso en el lenguaje, los niños con más frecuencia que las niñas: 13,5% frente a 6% en el estudio sueco y 12,4% frente a 7,6% en el estudio estadounidense.

Las muestras de orina recogidas de las madres en la décima semana del embarazo revelaron una correlación entre la exposición a ftalatos y el posterior retraso en el desarrollo del lenguaje. Los investigadores encontraron que el riesgo de retraso en el lenguaje alrededor de los 3 años de edad era hasta un 30% más alto entre los niños cuyas madres tuvieron una mayor exposición a dos ftalatos en particular: el ftalato de dibutilo (DBP) y el bencil butil ftalato (BBP). Ambas sustancias se encuentran en productos como los suelos de vinilo más antiguos, cosméticos y juguetes de plástico.

Según  los autores, tanto el DBP como el BBP reducen la testosterona de la madre durante el embarazo temprano, lo que ayudaría a explicar la forma en que pueden afectar al desarrollo intelectual.

Un mes de abstinencia del consumo de cannabis se asocia con una mejoría de la memoria

One Month of Cannabis Abstinence in Adolescents and Young Adults Is Associated With Improved Memory.

OBJECTIVE:

Associations between adolescent cannabis use and poor neurocognitive functioning have been reported from cross-sectional studies that cannot determine causality. Prospective designs can assess whether extended cannabis abstinence has a beneficial effect on cognition.

METHODS:

Eighty-eight adolescents and young adults (aged 16-25 years) who used cannabis regularly were recruited from the community and a local high school between July 2015 and December 2016. Participants were randomly assigned to 4 weeks of cannabis abstinence, verified by decreasing 11-nor-9-carboxy-∆⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol urine concentration (MJ-Abst; n = 62), or a monitoring control condition with no abstinence requirement (MJ-Mon; n = 26). Attention and memory were assessed at baseline and weekly for 4 weeks with the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery.

RESULTS:

Among MJ-Abst participants, 55 (88.7%) met a priori criteria for biochemically confirmed 30-day continuous abstinence. There was an effect of abstinence on verbal memory (P = .002) that was consistent across 4 weeks of abstinence, with no time-by-abstinence interaction, and was driven by improved verbal learning in the first week of abstinence. MJ-Abst participants had better memory overall and at weeks 1, 2, 3 than MJ-Mon participants, and only MJ-Abst participants improved in memory from baseline to week 1. There was no effect of abstinence on attention: both groups improved similarly, consistent with a practice effect.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study suggests that cannabis abstinence is associated with improvements in verbal learning that appear to occur largely in the first week following last use. Future studies are needed to determine whether the improvement in cognition with abstinence is associated with improvement in academic and other functional outcomes.

La hiperactividad de la corteza motora del cerebro, detrás del síndrome de piernas inquietas

Connecting clinical aspects to corticomotor excitability in restless legs syndrome: a TMS study

Abstract

We assessed corticomotor excitability in the primary motor cortex (M1) of participants with moderate-to-severe restless legs syndrome (RLS) symptoms using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in relation to the clinical and sleep aspects of the disease. Thirty-five participants (20 F; mean age: 59.23 ± 1.66 years; range: 42–78 years) affected by primary RLS (off medications) and 31 age-matched controls (19 F; mean age: 57.90 ± 1.50 years; range: 43–79 years) underwent TMS following two nights of polysomnography (PSG). Paired-pulse TMS measures [short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI), and intracortical facilitation (ICF)] of the dominant M1hand and M1leg muscles were collected and analyzed in relation to clinical features of RLS and PSG. We found decreased corticomotor excitability in M1hand, whereas it was increased in M1leg, which was greater in patients with more severe RLS. Participants with RLS with a history of dopamine-agonist–induced symptom augmentation showed decreased LICI (reduced inhibition) compared to nonaugmented participants with RLS for M1leg. None of the TMS measures (M1hand or M1leg) correlated with the PSG parameters. This study shows hyperexcitability in M1leg, and this appears related to RLS disease severity and decreased excitability in M1hand. The results provide new insight into the complex neurobiology of RLS, particularly in more advanced stages of the disease.

Teoría patogénica cortical sobre la enfermedad de Parkinson

A Cortical Pathogenic Theory of Parkinson’s Disease

In Parkinson’s disease, the progressive neurodegeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) is associated with classic motor features, which typically have a focal onset. Since a defined somatotopic arrangement in the SNc has not been recognized, this focal motor onset is unexplained and hardly justified by current pathogenic theories of bottom-up disease progression (Braak’s hypothesis, prionopathy). Here we propose that corticostriatal activity may represent a critical somatotopic “stressor” for nigrostriatal terminals, ultimately driving retrograde nigrostriatal degeneration and leading to focal motor onset and progression of Parkinson’s disease. As a pathogenic mechanism, corticostriatal activity may promote secretion of striatal extracellular alpha-synuclein, favoring its pathological aggregation at vulnerable dopaminergic synapses. A similar pathogenic process may occur at corticofugal projections to the medulla oblongata and other vulnerable structures, thereby contributing to the bottom-up progression of Lewy pathology. This cortical pathogenesis may co-exist with bottom-up mechanisms, adding an integrative top-down perspective to the quest for the factors that impinge upon the vulnerability of dopaminergic cells in the onset and progression of Parkinson’s disease.

Keywords

nigrostriatal corticostriatal dopamine cortex basal ganglia Parkinson’s disease alpha-synuclein somatotopy