The extensive application of advanced MR imaging techniques to the study of ALS has undoubtedly improved our knowledge of disease pathophysiology, even if the actual spread of the neurodegenerative ...process throughout the central nervous system is not fully understood. The present study aimed to detect WM patterns of microstructural abnormalities to better investigate the pathologic process in ALS, within but also beyond CSTs, in a whole-brain analysis.
DTI was performed in 19 patients with ALS and 20 matched healthy controls, by using whole-brain TBSS and VOI analyses.
We observed a significant decrease of FA in the body of CC of the ALS group (P < .05). At the VOI level, both FA decrease and RD increase in the body of CC significantly correlated with the UMN score (P = .003 and P = .02). Additionally, significant voxelwise positive correlations between FA and the ALSFRS-R were detected in the WM tracts underneath the left premotor cortex (P < .05).
The correlations between reduction of FA and increase of RD in the body of CC with the UMN score indicate that the WM degeneration in the CC is strictly related to the ALS pyramidal impairment, while the correlation between FA and ALSFRS-R in the associative tracts underneath the left premotor cortex might reflect the progressive spread of the disease from the motor toward the extramotor areas.
Disruptions to core beliefs, rumination, and finding meaning have been associated with the development of posttraumatic distress (Janoff-Bulman, 1992, 2006). These variables have also contributed to ...the development of posttraumatic growth, which is the experience of a positive life change as the result of a traumatic experience (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). A new variable, centrality of event, has recently been implicated in both processes (Boals & Schuettler, 2011), although it remains unclear if centrality of event is a unique contributor to posttraumatic outcomes beyond the influence of other variables known to do so. The present study examined the unique contribution of centrality of event to the development of both posttraumatic distress and posttraumatic growth. Centrality of event was a unique predictor of both variables. This seemingly paradoxical finding underscores the need for further research in this area, particularly concerning the perceived valence of a major event that may be interpreted as central. Clinicians may usefully attend to centrality when working with individuals who have experienced a potentially traumatic event.
FOG is a troublesome symptom of PD. Despite growing evidence suggesting that FOG in PD may be associated with cognitive dysfunction, the relationship between regional brain atrophy and FOG has been ...poorly investigated.
Optimized VBM was applied to 3T brain MR images of 24 patients with PD and 12 HC. Patients were classified as either FOG- or FOG+ (n = 12) based on their responses to a validated FOG Questionnaire and clinical observation. All patients with PD also underwent a detailed neuropsychological evaluation.
The VBM analysis in patients with FOG+ showed a reduced GM volume in the left cuneus, precuneus, lingual gyrus, and posterior cingulate cortex compared with both patients with FOG- and HC. We did not detect any significant change of GM volume when comparing HC versus all patients with PD (FOG- and FOG+). FOG clinical severity was significantly correlated with GM loss in posterior cortical regions. Finally, patients with FOG+ scored lower on tests of frontal lobe function.
Our findings provide the first evidence that the development of FOG in patients with PD is associated with posterior GM atrophy, which may play a role in the complex pathophysiology of this disabling symptom.
The relationship of challenge to core beliefs, rumination, disclosure, and some sociocultural elements to posttraumatic growth (PTG) were explored. Participants were college students enrolled in ...psychology classes who reported having experienced a stressful event within the past 2 years and who completed measures in groups. Findings suggested that challenge to core beliefs was the main predictor of PTG, and that a very large proportion of the sample had encountered themes of PTG in their sociocultural contexts.
Water temperature is an important environmental parameter influencing the distribution and the health of fishes and it plays a central role in ectothermic animals. The aim of this study is to ...determine the effects of environmental temperature on the brain proteome and the behavioural responses in zebrafish, a widely used animal model for environmental “omics” studies. Adult specimens of wild-type zebrafish were kept at 18 °C, 34 °C and 26 °C (control) for 21 days. Proteomic data revealed that several proteins involved in cytoskeletal organization, mitochondrial regulation and energy metabolism are differently regulated at the extreme temperatures. In particular, the expression of proteins associated to synapses and neurotransmitter release is down-regulated at 18 °C and 34 °C. In both thermal conditions, fish exhibited a reduced interest for the novel environment and an impairment of cognitive abilities during Y-Maze behavioural tests. The observed pathways of protein expression are possibly associated to functional alterations of the synaptic transmission that may result in cognitive functions impairment at central nervous system level as those revealed by behavioural tests. This study indicates that temperature variations can elicit biochemical changes that may affect fish health and behaviour. This combined approach provides insights into mechanisms supporting thermal acclimation and plasticity in fishes.
Environmental temperature variation may impact on all levels of biological life. Understanding the impact of thermal variation on the nervous system and animal behaviour is of primary importance since the results obtained can be applied from the ecological to the biomedical fields.
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•The acclimatization at 18°C and 34°C alters signal transduction pathways related to memory and cognition.•The alterations of the exploratory behavior at 18°C and 34°C confirms an impairment of animal cognitive abilities.
In patients with ALS, conventional MR imaging is frequently noninformative, and its use has been restricted to excluding other conditions that can mimic ALS. Conversely, the extensive application of ...modern MR imaging-based techniques to the study of ALS has undoubtedly improved our understanding of disease pathophysiology and is likely to have a role in the identification of potential biomarkers of disease progression. This review summarizes how new MR imaging technology is changing dramatically our understanding of the factors associated with ALS evolution and highlights the reasons why it should be used more extensively in studies of disease progression, including clinical trials.
Congruent patterns in the distribution of biodiversity between regions or habitats suggest that key factors such as climatic and topographic variation may predictably shape evolutionary processes. In ...a number of tropical and arid biomes, genetic analyses are revealing deeper and more localised lineage diversity in rocky ranges than surrounding habitats. Two potential drivers of localised endemism in rocky areas are refugial persistence through climatic change, or ecological diversification and specialisation. Here we examine how patterns of lineage and phenotypic diversity differ across two broad habitat types (rocky ranges and open woodlands) in a small radiation of gecko lizards in the genus Gehyra (the australis group) from the Australian Monsoonal Tropics biome.
Using a suite of approaches for delineating evolutionarily independent lineages, we find between 26 and 41 putative evolutionary units in the australis group (versus eight species currently recognised). Rocky ranges are home to a greater number of lineages that are also relatively more restricted in distribution, while lineages in open woodland habitats are fewer, more widely distributed, and, in one case, show evidence of range expansion. We infer at least two shifts out of rocky ranges and into surrounding woodlands. Phenotypic divergence between rocky ranges specialist and more generalist taxa is detected, but no convergent evolutionary regimes linked to ecology are inferred.
In climatically unstable biomes such as savannahs, rocky ranges have functioned as zones of persistence, generators of diversity and a source of colonists for surrounding areas. Phenotypic divergence can also be linked to the use of differing habitat types, however, the extent to which ecological specialisation is a primary driver or secondary outcome of localised diversification remains uncertain.
The development of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, an instrument for assessing positive outcomes reported by persons who have experienced traumatic events, is described. This 21‐item scale ...includes factors of New Possibilities, Relating to Others, Personal Strength, Spiritual Change, and Appreciation of Life. Women tend to report more benefits than do men, and persons who have experienced traumatic events report more positive change than do persons who have not experienced extraordinary events. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory is modestly related to optimism and extroversion. The scale appears to have utility in determining how successful individuals, coping with the aftermath of trauma, are in reconstructing or strengthening their perceptions of self, others, and the meaning of events.
In a response to an article by Hobfoll and colleagues, theoretical and empirical considerations regarding the concept of posttraumatic growth are reviewed. It is noted that posttraumatic growth ...should be assessed as such, with measures developed specifically to address this construct; that it follows a challenge to and re‐examination of core beliefs, not every bad experience; it can be influenced by many factors; it can coexist with distress during stages of the process without indicating that growth is unimportant or negative; and it can follow various trajectories, including ones where it may at first serve one function, but later involve personally transformative changes.
En réponse à un article de Hobfoll et al., des réflexions théoriques et empiriques concernant le concept de croissance post‐traumatique sont menées. On note que la croissance post‐traumatique doit être estimée à partir de mesures qui lui sont propres. Il est aussi souligné que la croissance post‐traumatique survient après un défi et un réexamen des croyances fondamentales et non après chaque expérience négative. La croissance post‐traumatique peut être influencée par de nombreux facteurs, elle peut coexister avec la détresse durant les étapes du processus sans que, pour autant, cela soit un indicateur d’une croissance négative ou peu importante. Enfin, elle peut suivre des trajectoires variées, y compris celles où elle remplit au départ une fonction et ultérieurement est impliquée directement dans des changements.
Stressful events that disrupt the assumptive world can force people to make cognitive changes to accommodate these highly stressful experiences. As fundamental assumptions are reestablished, many ...people report changes and experiences that reflect posttraumatic growth (PTG). The present research describes the development of the Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI), a brief measure of disruption of the assumptive world developed for use in applied research and clinical settings. Three studies, two using college samples (Study 1, n=181 and Study 2, n=297 time 1; 85 time 2) and the third using leukemia patients (Study 3, n=70 time 1; 43 time 2), assessed the utility of the CBI to predict PTG in both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. Relationships between the CBI and measures of self-reported PTG and well-being indicate that the CBI has construct validity, acceptable test-retest reliability, and very good internal consistency. The CBI may be a useful tool in investigating predictions about the effects of stressful experiences on an individual's assumptive world, PTG, and successful adaptation.
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