Primary brain neoplasms are associated with elevated mortality and morbidity rates. Brain tumour surgery aims to achieve maximal tumour resection while minimizing damage to healthy brain tissue. ...Research on Neuromodulation Induced Cortical Prehabilitation (NICP) has highlighted the potential, before neurosurgery, of establishing new brain connections and transfer functional activity from one area of the brain to another. Nonetheless, the neural mechanisms underlying these processes, particularly in the context of space-occupying lesions, remain unclear. A patient with a left frontotemporoinsular tumour underwent a prehabilitation protocol providing 20 sessions of inhibitory non-invasive neuromodulation (rTMS and multichannel tDCS) over a language network coupled with intensive task training. Prehabilitation resulted in an increment of the distance between the tumour and the language network. Furthermore, enhanced functional connectivity within the language circuit was observed. The present innovative case-study exposed that inhibition of the functional network area surrounding the space-occupying lesion promotes a plastic change in the network's spatial organization, presumably through the establishment of novel functional pathways away from the lesion's site. While these outcomes are promising, prudence dictates the need for larger studies to confirm and generalize these findings.
D'entre tots els canvis cognititus evidenciables durant l'envelliment les pèrdues de memòria són les més destacades. La dificultat per evocar noms, números de telèfon o recordar a quin lloc es ...col·loquen els objectes quotidians constitueixen queixes de memòria freqüents a mesura que avança l'edat (Bolla i col. 1991). L'alteració de la memòria a l'edat adulta genera alarma social degut, en part, al coneixement popular que pot tractar-se d'un símptoma inicial de demència (Junqué i Jurado, 1994). Malgrat diversos estudis indiquen que el baix rendiment cognitiu associat a l'envelliment pot ser un bon predictor de demència (Katzman i col., 1989; Fuld i col., 1990; Linn i col., 1995; Locascio i col., 1995; Masur i col., 1994; Jacobs i col., 1995), no sempre l'afectació de la memòria, ja sigui quant a queixes subjectives o objectives mitjançant proves neuropsicològiques, ha d'indicar un preludi de demència, ja que com s'ha comentat, es tracta d'una funció que mostra en part un cert declivi fisiològic amb l'edat. En aquest sentit, la recerca realitzada per a identificar variables biològiques i conductuals que permetin ajudar a diferenciar entre el declivi cognitiu associat a l'envlliment normal, d'una banda, i a les condicions patològiques, d'una altra, és un camp de creixent interès i producció científica.En la present tesi doctoral es pretenen caracteritzar algunes de les variables biològiques (troballes de neuroimatge i factors genètics) que influeixen en el perfil neuropsicològic d'una mostra de subjectes amb alteracions de memòria, no demenciats. La identificació de variables moduladores del rendiment cognitiu en poblacions d'aquestes característiques pot ser fins i tot d'interès clínic, donat que les baixes puntuacions en memòria constitueixen un dels primers indicadors de demència (Katzman i col., 1989; Fuld i col., 1990; Masur i col., 1994; Petersen i col., 1994; Linn i col., 1995; Locascio i col., 1995; Jacobs i col., 1995). En el present treball les persones amb problemes de memòria s'han seleccionat d'acord amb els criteris de l'entitat AMAE (Crook i col., 1986) per ser la més ben establerta i la que ha generat més quantitat de recerca fins a l'actualitat (Crook i col., 1986; Soininen i col., 1994; Koivisto i col., 1995; Hànninen i col., 1995; Parnetti i col., 1996; Hànninen i col., 1997a, 1997b; Helkala i col., 1997; Nielsen i col., 1998; Palumbo i col., 1997; Palumbo i col., 1999). No obstant i degut a que l'ACLL també representa una entitat amb creixent interès científic (Petersen i col., 1995, 1999; Smith i col., 1998; Jack i col., 1999; Daly i col., 2000) s'han comparat algunes de les característiques genètiques i neuropsicològiques entre els subjectes AMAE que també poden rebre un diagnòstic de ACLL i els que no.
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate functional connectivity of the hippocampus during a fMRI face-name learning task in a group of elders with mild memory impairment on the basis of the ...presence or absence of the APOE var epsilon4 allele. Twelve var epsilon4 carriers and 20 non- carriers with mild memory dysfunction and exhibiting equivalent performance in clinical evaluations of global cognitive function and memory were studied. Subjects underwent a fMRI session consisting of a face-name encoding memory task. Following scanning, subjects were asked to pair faces with their corresponding proper name. Functional connectivity of the hippocampus was measured by using coherence analysis to evaluate the activity of brain circuits related to memory encoding processes. In contrast to non-APOE var epsilon4 allele bearers, APOE var epsilon4 carriers showed enhanced connectivity with the anterior cingulate, inferior parietal/postcentral gyrus region and the caudate nucleus. Enhanced hippocampal connectivity with additional brain regions in APOE var epsilon4 allele carriers during the performance of an associative memory task may reveal the existence of additional activity in the cortico- subcortical network engaged during memory encoding in subjects carrying this genetic variant.
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate functional connectivity of the hippocampus during a fMRI face-name learning task in a group of elders with mild memory impairment on the basis of the ...presence or absence of the APOE epsilon4 allele. Twelve epsilon4 carriers and 20 non-carriers with mild memory dysfunction and exhibiting equivalent performance in clinical evaluations of global cognitive function and memory were studied. Subjects underwent a fMRI session consisting of a face-name encoding memory task. Following scanning, subjects were asked to pair faces with their corresponding proper name. Functional connectivity of the hippocampus was measured by using coherence analysis to evaluate the activity of brain circuits related to memory encoding processes. In contrast to non-APOE epsilon4 allele bearers, APOE epsilon4 carriers showed enhanced connectivity with the anterior cingulate, inferior parietal/postcentral gyrus region and the caudate nucleus. Enhanced hippocampal connectivity with additional brain regions in APOE epsilon4 allele carriers during the performance of an associative memory task may reveal the existence of additional activity in the cortico-subcortical network engaged during memory encoding in subjects carrying this genetic variant.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether a computerized administration of the Tower of Hanoi (TH) puzzle is equivalent to the classic wooden version of this test. Two groups of healthy ...volunteers were administered the 2 versions of the TH in a randomized counterbalanced design. The results showed no differences between the 2 versions of the TH on any dependent variable, indicating that their use is equivalent. Men performed better than women in this test, although this finding was independent of the TH version administered. It remains to be tested whether age and computer experience affect performance differentially on the computerized and the wooden versions of the TH puzzle and whether these results are replicated in brain-damaged patients.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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