Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) might increase the risk of childhood diseases by disrupting hormone-mediated processes that are critical for growth and development during gestation, infancy and ...childhood. The fetus, infant and child might have enhanced sensitivity to environmental stressors such as EDCs due to their rapid development and increased exposure to some EDCs as a consequence of development-specific behaviour, anatomy and physiology. In this Review, I discuss epidemiological studies examining the relationship between early-life exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, triclosan and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with childhood neurobehavioural disorders and obesity. The available epidemiological evidence suggest that prenatal exposure to several of these ubiquitous EDCs is associated with adverse neurobehaviour (BPA and phthalates) and excess adiposity or increased risk of obesity and/or overweight (PFAS). Quantifying the effects of EDC mixtures, improving EDC exposure assessment, reducing bias from confounding, identifying periods of heightened vulnerability and elucidating the presence and nature of sexually dimorphic EDC effects would enable stronger inferences to be made from epidemiological studies than currently possible. Ultimately, improved estimates of the causal effects of EDC exposures on child health could help identify susceptible subpopulations and lead to public health interventions to reduce these exposures.
In addition to recurrent epileptic seizures, children with epilepsy can have coexisting cognitive and behavioral difficulties but the spectrum and prevalence of such difficulties are uncertain.
The ...Children with Epilepsy in Sussex Schools study is a prospective, community-based study involving school-aged children (5–15 years) with active epilepsy in a defined geographical area in the United Kingdom. Participants underwent comprehensive psychological assessment, including measures of cognition, behavior, and motor functioning. Consensus neurobehavioral diagnoses were made with respect to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria.
A total of 85 children (74% of eligible population) were enrolled; 80% of children with active epilepsy had a DSM-IV-TR behavioral disorder and/or cognitive impairment (IQ ,85). Intellectual disability (ID) (IQ ,70) (40%), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (33%), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (21%) were the most common neurobehavioral diagnoses. Of those who met criteria for a DSM-IV-TR behavioral disorder, only one-third had previously been diagnosed. Logistic regression revealed that seizures in the first 24 months compared with first seizures at 24 to 60 or 61+ months (odds ratio OR 13, 95% confidence interval 2.2–76.9; OR 21.3, 3.2–148.9) and polytherapy (OR 7.7, 1.6–36.3) were independently associated with ID and the presence of ID was associated with a diagnosis of ASD (OR 14.1, 2.3–87.1) after Bonferroni adjustment. Epilepsy-related factors did not independently predict the presence of behavioral disorders.
Screening for neurobehavioral comorbidities should be an integral part of management in children with “active” epilepsy. There is a need for research to identify neurobiological mechanisms underpinning neurobehavioral impairments and studies to evaluate possible treatments.
Children and adolescents affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol who have brain damage that is manifested in functional impairments of neurocognition, self-regulation, and adaptive functioning may ...most appropriately be diagnosed with neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal exposure. This Special Article outlines clinical implications and guidelines for pediatric medical home clinicians to identify, diagnose, and refer children regarding neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal exposure. Emphasis is given to reported or observable behaviors that can be identified as part of care in pediatric medical homes, differential diagnosis, and potential comorbidities. In addition, brief guidance is provided on the management of affected children in the pediatric medical home. Finally, suggestions are given for obtaining prenatal history of in utero exposure to alcohol for the pediatric patient.
To examine the relation between the neurobehavior of very preterm infants and the level of NICU quality of developmental care.
The neurobehavior of 178 very preterm infants (gestational age ≤29 weeks ...and/or birth weight ≤1500 g) from 25 NICUs participating in a large multicenter, longitudinal study (Neonatal Adequate Care for Quality of Life, NEO-ACQUA) was examined with a standardized neurobehavioral assessment, the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS). A questionnaire, the NEO-ACQUA Quality of Care Checklist was used to evaluate the level of developmental care in each of the NICUs. A factor analyses applied to NEO-ACQUA Quality of Care Checklist produced 2 main factors: (1) the infant-centered care (ICC) index, which measures parents' involvement in the care of their infant and other developmentally oriented care interventions, and (2) the infant pain management (IPM) index, which measures the NICU approach to and the procedures used for reducing infant pain. The relations between NNNS neurobehavioral scores and the 2 indexes were evaluated.
Infants from NICUs with high scores on the ICC evidenced higher attention and regulation, less excitability and hypotonicity, and lower stress/abstinence NNNS scores than infants from low-care units. Infants from NICUs with high scores on the IPM evidenced higher attention and arousal, lower lethargy and nonoptimal reflexes NNNS scores than preterm infants from low-scoring NICUs.
Very preterm infant neurobehavior was associated with higher levels of developmental care both in ICC and in IPM, suggesting that these practices support better neurobehavioral stability.
Health problems may negatively affect the psychological and physical aspects of life, influencing the quality of life of older adults. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of ...physical activity on quality of life, anxiety, and depression in the elderly population.
We performed a cross-sectional study of 200 elderly people of both genders. Subjects were divided into two groups: one with 100 senior citizens engaged in physical activities in a social center for the elderly; and another composed of 100 subjects who lived in the community but were not engaged in physical activities. The instruments used to assess physical activities, quality of life, and anxiety and depression were, respectively: the modified Baecke questionnaire; the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36); and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The data were analyzed using the Student's t test, Pearson's r, and analysis of variance (ANOVA), with odds ratio and a 5% significance level (p<0.05).
We observed that the active group showed higher scores of physical activity and quality of life. Conversely, the sedentary group revealed higher scores of anxiety and depression. Data assessment revealed a strong correlation between the domains quality of life, level of vitality, and mental health (r=0.77). The prevalence ratio showed that physical activity is a protective factor against anxiety and depression in the elderly.
The findings suggest a correlation between low levels of physical activity and symptoms of anxiety and depression in the elderly living in the community.
Delirium in elderly people Inouye, Sharon K, Dr Prof; Westendorp, Rudi GJ, Prof; Saczynski, Jane S, PhD
The Lancet (British edition),
03/2014, Volume:
383, Issue:
9920
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Summary Delirium is an acute disorder of attention and cognition in elderly people (ie, those aged 65 years or older) that is common, serious, costly, under-recognised, and often fatal. A formal ...cognitive assessment and history of acute onset of symptoms are necessary for diagnosis. In view of the complex multifactorial causes of delirium, multicomponent non-pharmacological risk factor approaches are the most effective strategy for prevention. No convincing evidence shows that pharmacological prevention or treatment is effective. Drug reduction for sedation and analgesia and non-pharmacological approaches are recommended. Delirium offers opportunities to elucidate brain pathophysiology—it serves both as a marker of brain vulnerability with decreased reserve and as a potential mechanism for permanent cognitive damage. As a potent indicator of patients' safety, delirium provides a target for system-wide process improvements. Public health priorities include improvements in coding, reimbursement from insurers, and research funding, and widespread education for clinicians and the public about the importance of delirium.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
IMPORTANCE Parkinson disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. Although no available therapies alter the underlying neurodegenerative process, symptomatic therapies can ...improve patient quality of life. OBJECTIVE To provide an evidence-based review of the initial pharmacological management of the classic motor symptoms of Parkinson disease; describe management of medication-related motor complications (such as motor fluctuations and dyskinesia), and other medication adverse effects (nausea, psychosis, and impulse control disorders and related behaviors); and discuss the management of selected nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson disease, including rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, cognitive impairment, depression, orthostatic hypotension, and sialorrhea. EVIDENCE REVIEW References were identified using searches of PubMed between January 1985 and February 2014 for English-language human studies and the full database of the Cochrane Library. The classification of studies by quality (classes I-IV) was assessed using the levels of evidence guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology and the highest-quality data for each topic. RESULTS Although levodopa is the most effective medication available for treating the motor symptoms of Parkinson disease, in certain instances (eg, mild symptoms, tremor as the only or most prominent symptom, aged <60 years) other medications (eg, monoamine oxidase type B inhibitors MAOBIs, amantadine, anticholinergics, β-blockers, or dopamine agonists) may be initiated first to avoid levodopa-related motor complications. Motor fluctuations may be managed by modifying the levodopa dosing regimen or by adding several other medications, such as MAOBIs, catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors, or dopamine agonists. Impulse control disorders are typically managed by reducing or withdrawing dopaminergic medication, particularly dopamine agonists. Evidence-based management of some nonmotor symptoms is limited by a paucity of high-quality positive studies. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Strong evidence supports using levodopa and dopamine agonists for motor symptoms at all stages of Parkinson disease. Dopamine agonists and drugs that block dopamine metabolism are effective for motor fluctuations and clozapine is effective for hallucinations. Cholinesterase inhibitors may improve symptoms of dementia and antidepressants and pramipexole may improve depression. Evidence supporting other therapies for motor and nonmotor features is less well established.
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. While it has been suggested to cause nervous impairment, its neurophysiological basis remains unknown. Therefore, ...the aim of this study is to unravel the effects of NASH, through the interrelationship of liver, gut microbiota, and nervous system, on the brain and human behavior. To this end, 40 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into a control group that received normal chow and a NASH group that received a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet. Our results show that 14 weeks of the high-fat, high-cholesterol diet induced clinical conditions such as NASH, including steatosis and increased levels of ammonia. Rats in the NASH group also demonstrated evidence of gut dysbiosis and decreased levels of short-chain fatty acids in the gut. This may explain the deficits in cognitive ability observed in the NASH group, including their depressive-like behavior and short-term memory impairment characterized in part by deficits in social recognition and prefrontal cortex-dependent spatial working memory. We also reported the impact of this NASH-like condition on metabolic and functional processes. Brain tissue demonstrated lower levels of metabolic brain activity in the prefrontal cortex, thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and mammillary bodies, accompanied by a decrease in dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum and a decrease in noradrenalin in the striatum. In this article, we emphasize the important role of ammonia and gut-derived bacterial toxins in liver-gut-brain neurodegeneration and discuss the metabolic and functional brain regional deficits and behavioral impairments in NASH.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
TREM2 Variants in Alzheimer's Disease Guerreiro, Rita; Wojtas, Aleksandra; Bras, Jose ...
The New England journal of medicine,
01/2013, Volume:
368, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
This study shows that variants in
TREM2
are a rare cause of Alzheimer's disease and underscores the role of the microglial cell in the disease mechanism and as a potential target for therapy.
...Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, typically presenting with a progressive loss of cognitive function and memory. It is a complex disorder with a strong genetic component. In the past, genetic studies have identified mutations in three genes —
APP
(encoding amyloid precursor protein),
PSEN1
(encoding presenilin 1), and
PSEN2
(encoding presenilin 2) — as the cause of disease in several families, most of whom have early-onset disease. Expansions in
C9orf72
are found in families with mixed types of disease. In late-onset disease, the most common form of Alzheimer's disease, the ε4 allele of the apolipoprotein E . . .
This study shows that a variant of
TREM2
, which encodes a protein that suppresses inflammation, causes susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease. Although the variant is rare, its effect on the risk of ...disease is similar to that of the ε4 allele of apolipoprotein E.
Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia in the elderly, is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by a slow but progressive loss of cognitive function. Extracellular amyloid plaques, intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, and loss of neurons and synapses resulting in brain atrophy are the main pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.
1
Disease onset is usually after the age of 70 years, although the prevalence increases exponentially with age after the age of 65 years and exceeds 25% in those over the age of 90 years.
2
The vast majority of variants in the sequence of the genome that have been shown . . .
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