فصلنامه علوم اعصاب شفای خاتم
سال دهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 52، تابستان 1401)

The purpose of the current study was to compare the effect of direct transcranial electrical stimulation (tDCS) of the motor and vision cortex on working memory and motor performance in girls with developmental coordination disorder (DCD).

In this semi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test research design and a follow-up period of 1 and 42 days, 48 girls with developmental coordination disorder with an age range of 7 to 10 years were selected. There are randomly divided into 4 groups of 12 subjects, including motor cortex tDCS, visual cortex tDCS, sham stimulation, and control. Participants in the pre-test performed 3 working memory tests and 10 throwing and catching skills. The intervention phase was performed for 5 consecutive days. Each day, electrical stimulation of the brain on the motor cortex (C3 anode and Fp2 cathode), visual cortex (Oz anode and Cz cathode), and sham stimulation were performed. Participants performed 3 working memory tests and 10 throwing and catching skills. In the last session, the post-test phase was performed. 1 day and 42 days after the post-test phase, short-term and long-term follow-up phases were performed, respectively.

Results indicated the persistence of working memory and motor performance in girls with DCD in short-term and long-term follow-up tests. However, no significant difference was found between the effect of tDCS on the motor and vision cortex on working memory and motor performance.

tDCS of the motor cortex and visual cortex significantly improved working memory and motor performance in girls with developmental coordination disorders.

Multiple sclerosis (MS), is an inflammatory chronic disease of the central nervous system, usually starting in the most productive years of the patient’s life, and its cognitive consequence may affect on patient’s behavior, social functions, daily life, and occupation. One of the most important cognitive variables, which may be affected through MS, is reaction time. The aim of this study was to investigate the reaction time of patients with MS (SPMS and RRMS types) toward visual and auditory stimuli.

The study design was a retrospective, causal-comparative type, in which the sample was selected through an accessible and purposive sampling method from the patients who were referred to the MS center and MS institute of Isfahan, Iran. The control group was selected from the healthy patient’s family members or their relatives. A total of 159 subjects participated in this study, each group consisted of 53 subjects. The reaction time of the three groups toward the visual and auditory stimuli was measured. The instruments comprised a reaction timer and a multiple sclerosis impact scale.

The results showed that the reaction time in the patients was significantly slower than in healthy people. Furthermore, it was revealed that patients with SPMS type were slower in reaction time in comparison to RRMS patients.

The speed of information processing in patients with MS, has become slower, due to the slowing of the conduction through nerve pulses, which is due to demyelination in damaged pathways. The decrease in processing speed may lead to an inability of the patients to accomplish mental and cognitive tasks, and this deficit is finally depicted in the inability of MS patients in responding to visual and auditory stimuli.

Transcranial direct current stimulation is considered one of the treatment methods for mental disorders.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation on the delta, theta, alpha, beta, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with generalized anxiety disorder. The present study was a double-blind intervention with a pre-test and post-test design on people with generalized anxiety disorder in Tabriz, Iran. 30 patients with generalized anxiety disorder were selected by purposive sampling method based on the criteria specified in DSM-5 and randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n=15). The experimental group received 10 sessions of 30 minutes of transcranial direct current stimulation with an intensity of 2mA in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the control group also received artificial stimulation.

The results showed that transcranial direct current stimulation reduced delta and theta waves and increased beta and brain alpha waves in the experimental group. On the other hand, this method also showed a significant decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in these patients.

The results show that transcranial direct current stimulation has a significant effect on brain waves and blood pressure. Furthermore, this non-invasive method can be used as a therapeutic approach in people with generalized anxiety disorder.

Ischemic stroke is a severe neurological disorder that affected millions of people worldwide. Recent studies have shown that alpha-pinene has antioxidant effects during cerebral ischemia. The present study investigated the probable protective effects of alpha-pinene on brain infarction and neurological disability after a transient model of focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in rats.

30adult male Wistar rats whose weight ranged from 250 to 350 g were divided into five groups including a control group, a sham group, and three treatment groups. For ischemic stroke induction, the middle cerebral artery was occluded for 60 min followed by 24 hours of reperfusion. Alpha-pinene was injected intraperitoneally at the beginning of reperfusion. The neurologic outcome, infarct volume 2, 3, 5-Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride, and histological studies were done 24 hours after the end of artery occlusion.

The results showed that the application of alpha-pinene (50 and 100 mg/kg) led to a significant decrease in the infarct size as well as an improvement in neurobehavioral function. Moreover, alpha-pinene reduced the number of damaged neurons in the ischemic area.

The findings of the current study indicated that olive oil effectively reduced ischemia, promoted reperfusion, and improved neurological outcomes. Olive oil is a potent neuroprotective factor that may prevent neurodegeneration of transient focal ischemia at the beginning of reperfusion at ischemic areas.

Glioblastoma multiforme is known as an aggressive brain tumor that is characterized by a high rate of recurrence. Current treatment strategies are not effective for GBM; therefore, novel targeted therapeutic options are urgently required. Nanocarrier-based drug delivery has recently gained attention due to the characteristics of blood-brain barrier permeability, continued drug release, improved solubility, and enhanced drug bioactivity. To this point, we investigated the superior effect of a nano-form of curcumin vs. free-form on the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines profile (i.e., IL6 and TNF-α) in the U87 cell line.

The U87 cell line was purchased from the Iranian Biological Resource Center and expanded in the DMEM/F12 media with 10% FBS and 1% Pen/Strep. To synthesize nanoniosome containing curcumin, the thin-film hybridization method was used. To evaluate the production of IL6 and TNF-α by ELISA method, U87 cells were treated with 84.87 µg/ml of Nano-curcumin and 47 µg/ml of free curcumin.

Our results indicated that the production of IL6 and TNF-α was significantly decreased when treated with nano-form and free curcumin. Interestingly, we observed that nano-curcumin could significantly inhibit the secretion of IL6 and TNF-α compared to the curcumin group.

The most obvious finding to emerge from this study is that nano-curcumin exerts antiimflammatory effects on glioblastoma.

Marital infidelity is one of the most destructive problems in a relationship and also one of the issues that usually leads to divorce. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on intolerance of uncertainty, tolerance of turmoil, and sexual function in betrayed women.

The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design. The statistical population of the study consisted of all betrayed women in Gorgan, Iran who were referred to Aramesh and Roshna Counseling Centers from July to August 2021 to receive counseling services. Among them, 30 people were selected by the available sampling method and randomly divided into two groups; experimental (15 people) and control (15 people). The research instruments were Fristen et al.'s Uncertainty Intolerance Questionnaire, Simmons and Gahr Confusion Tolerance Questionnaire, and Rosen Sexual Function Questionnaire. Research data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance.

The results showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of intolerance, confusion tolerance, and sexual function. In other words, treatment based on acceptance and commitment significantly improved intolerance, turbulence tolerance, and sexual function in betrayed women.

It is recommended that clinical psychologists and therapists use acceptance and commitment therapy along with other educational methods to improve the mental health of betrayed women.

The built environment is rapidly expanding because of the growing need for architectural spaces in urban life. However, not enough studies have been carried out about the effect of architectural space on cognition and brain activities. Earlier studies on the environmental psychology of architecture qualitatively were not able to respond to this query. However, nowadays with the emergence of the new theory of neuroscience and its connection with architecture, researchers have found valuable results shedding morelight on the ways that architectural space affects the human brain through the use of modern tools in neuroscience giving rise to a new paradigm of Neuro-architecture. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of architectural space on brain functions and human cognition by measuring brain activities. The main questions in this study were: what are the literature, key concepts, research methods, and techniques in the field of architecture and neuroscience? In addition, how many fields are such resources divided into?

The present study has introduced and analyzed the available resources from 2010 to 2020 via a systematic qualitative method.

The resources are divided into two main categories of theoretical and experimental studies. The focus of the present study is on experimental studies indicating that the physical elements of the architectural space are generally related to the visual field, affect cognition and brain activities, and cause different emotions.

The results revealed that these studies are classified into five general areas of stress reduction, aesthetic judgment, navigation, attention, and emphasis on visual elements and human experiences. EEG technique, fMRI, and some auxiliary tools, such as eye tracking, have been used to measure the effect of architectural space on the brain.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a widespread, chronic, and developmental mental disorder resulting from disruption in neural connections. SZ causes social and occupational disabilities, including a wide range of mental disorders that can lead to improper behaviors. Over 1% of the world's population has been affected by SZ which is mostly characterized by distortions in thinking, perception, emotion, language, and behavior. This disorder has been accompanied by other mental problems, such as anxiety, depression, or addiction. An emerging hypothesis suggests a central role of dysregulation of Ca2+ homeostasis in the pathophysiology of SZ. Numerous intracellular signals initiated by Ca2+ ions are responsible for modulating neuronal excitability, information processing, and cognition. Ca2+ signaling and homeostasis impairment in glutamatergic, GABAergic, and dopaminergic neurons are early characteristics of SZ. The discovery of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) offers a novel and promising patient-specific cellular disease model for SZ. However, the central role of Ca2+ homeostasis and the detailed mechanisms in SZ using the iPSCs model still needs further investigation. Here, we explore the current understanding of Ca2+ homeostasis and iPSCs model-based studies in SZ, as well as potential future directions to identify robust and valid cellular phenotypes for drug testing and development.

The iPSCs model is a powerful tool for elucidating the mechanism of Ca2+ homeostasis, understanding SZ pathophysiology, and drug development.

The current mode of treatment based on synthetic drugs is expensive and causes genetic and metabolic alterations. However, a safe mode of treatment is needed to control the development and progression of the disease. According to this, herbal medicines and their compounds have less toxicity and side effects than conventional medicines. It is proven that herbal medicines can play an important role in disease management through their biological activities. The medicinal value of these plants lies in some chemicals that have a specific physiological function in the human body. Ginger is mentioned as one of the most important herbal remedies in many ancient texts of traditional medicine. It also controls a wide range of diseases in traditional medicine. In addition, ginger has strong anti-inflammatory, anti-appetite, and antioxidant effects (to control the production of free radicals). Furthermore, it has been widely used to treat nervous system diseases, such as memory impairment, epilepsy, neurotoxicity, and pain. Moreover, the majority of therapeutic properties of this plant are due to the presence of 6-Shogaol, which is a major bioactive component of this plant.

Ginger and its components could be considered promising factors in the treatment of some neurological disorders.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by seizures and affects about 65-70 million people worldwide. Many pathways and molecules are altered in the epilepsy process that can be used as targets in the treatment of epilepsy. Orexin or hypocretin is a type of neurotransmitter that has a role in the epileptogenic process.

The orexin system, by acting on the brainstem, modulates the activities of the limbic and neocortical areas, which is involved in epilepsy. In this study, the role of orexin in epilepsy and its potential mechanisms have been reviewed.