Caspian Journal of Neurological Sciences
Volume:6 Issue: 21, Apr 2020

Spatial learning and navigation is a fundamental cognitive ability consisting of multiple cognitive components. Despite intensive efforts conducted with the assistance of virtual reality technology and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) modality, the music effect on this cognition and the involved neuronal mechanisms remain elusive.

We aimed to investigate the effect of familiarity with music on human’s spatial learning performance in a goal-directed virtual-navigation task combined with an fMRI study.

Healthy adult participants were navigated using fMRI-compatible equipment within a 3D virtual maze developed with the MazeSuite application. This measure was taken to learn the environment and find the position of hidden objects. The fMRI data were obtained, processed, and analyzed to map the brain activity and identify the differences in the Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) activity between the research groups during searching and finding phases. Both behavioral and image analysis were outperformed in this research. Besides, three T-contrasts were defined to compare the activity patterns between the study groups. The selected music was Mozart sonata owing to its known facilitating impact on cognition.

The obtained data indicated that those who have heard music prior to the test had a better performance; they navigated faster and committed fewer errors. The activation of regions, like parahippocampal gyrus, related to spatial cognition, was observed in the searching phase and the activation of the cerebellum, superior temporal, and marginal gyrus, i.e. more probably related to music processing was observed during the finding step.

The active regions found in this work indicated the interplay of the neural substrate underlying to spatial-temporal tasks and music processing.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a serious neuropsychiatric disorder. The clinical prominence of the OCD symptoms dimensions and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
(BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism are of significant importance.

The present study aimed to investigate the symptom dimensions and BDNF val66Met polymorphism genotype in Iranian patients with OCD.

A total of 83 patients diagnosed with OCD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM5) criteria, and 83 matched controls were included this case-control study. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) was used to investigate symptom dimensions. In addition, BDNF val66Met polymorphism was genotyped using Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCRRFLP)
method.

The obtained data indicated that the most prevalent obsession was contamination (62.6%) and the most prevalent compulsion was cleanliness (69.8%). Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between the genotypes of BDNF val66Met polymorphism in OCD (P<0.01). Besides, carrying the” T” allele confers increased the risk for the presence of OCD [χ2=4.7, P=0.003; OR (95%) 1.93 (1.24-2.99)].

The symptoms dimensions of OCD in the Iranian sample were similar to other populations. Moreover, the findings suggested an association between BDNF val66Met polymorphism genotype and OCD in the explored Iranian sample. The inheritance hypothesis for the TT genotype was the recessive model.

Today, Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is used to manage many psychiatric illnesses. Although this treatment is safe and effective, sometimes it may cause frequent, short-term complications.

We investigated ECT-related side effects in the recovery ward of an academic hospital in Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted at Shafa Hospital on 235 patients. During the procedure, patients were monitored by electrocardiography, pulse oximetry, and non-invasive blood pressure measurements. General anesthesia induction was performed by propofol 1-1.5 mg/kg followed by succinylcholine 0.5 mg/kg as a muscle relaxant. Airway control was maintained by mask ventilation. After short hyperventilation, an electrical current was delivered to the brain through two electrodes placed bilaterally on the temporal region, resulting in a seizure that lasted between 20 to 60 seconds. A questionnaire, including demographic information and possible complications, was filled out in the recovery ward. Data were analyzed an reported by frequency reporting and t-test in SPSS software V. 20.

Among 235 cases, 160 (68.1%) had at least one complication. A total of 53 patients (22.6%) reported myalgia which was significantly higher in the male gender. Also, 89 patients (37.9%) reported headache, 15 (6.4%) nausea, 7 (3%) shivering, and 84 (35.5%) pain at the injection site. Male gender and younger people were more prone to myalgia.

We found that headache, myalgia, and pain in the injection site were the main patients’ reported complaints after ECT.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the disorders of the central nervous system which creates many challenges for the psychological adjustment of patients all over the world.

This research was performed to demonstrate the effect of positive group-psychotherapy on reducing the psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, and stress) and improving the quality of life in women with MS.

The method of this research is quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test, and control group. A total of 30 women were selected through a convenient sampling

from the patients of the MS-Society of Guilan Province, Iran. Then, they and randomly divided into 2 equal groups (experimental and control). The study data were collected through Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale‐29 (MSIS) questionnaires. The intervention process was performed for the experimental group as 8 training sessions of 90 minutes long. The obtained data were analyzed by univariate analysis of covariance and multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS V. 24.

The analysis showed that positive group-psychotherapy significantly modified the depression, anxiety, stress (F=39.13, P<0.001), and quality of life (F=50.44, P<0.001) in the experimental group.

Positive group-psychotherapy can be used as an effective and efficient psychotherapy method to reduce and improve the psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, and stress) of women with multiple sclerosis and improve their quality of life

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder different treatment, but its treatment is very difficult.

This study aimed to develop schema therapy based on psychosocial issues of patients and compare this therapy with cognitive-behavioral therapy on rumination.

In this analytical cross-sectional study, the study population included all referred to specialized psychotherapy centers in the field of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in Isfahan City, Iran, during spring and summer of 2019. This research consists of four stages. The first stage was a qualitative research using a directional content analysis method through a semi-structured interview. The second stage was quantitatively done with a quantitative content analysis method. The third stage was of validation type with Lawshe’s method, and the last stage used a quasi-experimental method, pret-est/post-test type with a control group, and a follow-up period of 45 days. The subjects responded to the questionnaire based on the rumination response scale before and after the intervention.

The results of the first stage suggested 7 main themes. The second stage led us to the development of a treatment package for schema therapy. The findings of the third study indicated the validity of the package developed by the evaluators. The results of the fourth study showed that the mean scores of rumination in the two experimental groups (schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy) significantly differed from the control group scores (P<0.01). Besides, based on the results, schema therapy was more effective in reducing the rumination of patients compared with cognitive-behavioral therapy (P<0.001).

Compared with cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychosocial-based schema therapy is more effective in reducing the rumination of the patients.

Psychological factors can be associated with allergic disorders. However, no particular personality pattern associated with these disorders has yet been identified.

This study aimed at comparing the personality profiles of patients with perennial allergic rhinitis and normal controls. Materials &

This cross-sectional study was done on 50 adult people with persistent allergic rhinitis for at least one year and 50 age- and sex-matched normal controls that completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). A multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA) was carried out to discover possible personality differences between the two groups. The data were analyzed by SPSS v. 19 software.

The results of the MMPI showed no significant difference between the two groups in the validity scales (P=0.29). The most common modal validity presentation style in both groups was neutral self-presentation. The MANCOVA analysis showed significantly high scores on the hypochondriasis (F=18.13, P<0.005, partial η2=0.16) and hysteria scales in allergic rhinitis subjects (F=8.68, P=0.04, partial η2=0.08) compared with normal controls. The most common profiles with high scores in the allergic rhinitis subjects were schizophrenia (52%, P<0.01) and hypochondriasis (50%, P<0.01). These scales emphasized the feelings of isolation and discomfort in allergic people. The frequency of psychasthenia scale, which measures long lasting anxiety, was significantly different between the two groups (40% in allergic rhinitis subjects vs. 10% in normal controls, odds ratio=6 [95%CI 1.9-22.3], P<0.001).

The score of psychological health is lower among allergic people than in normal controls. Schizophrenia and hypochondriasis are the most common profiles in the allergic rhinitis subjects.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, besides the most prevalent respiratory and systemic symptoms, some neurological symptoms such as acute hemorrhagic necrotizing encephalopathy and myelitis associated with COVID-19 have been reported. It is suspected that COVID-19 involves different body systems via interaction with the ACE-2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) receptor. As ACE2 is expressed on the surface of central nervous system cells, including the brain and spine, these kinds of manifestations are inevitable.
Clinical Presentation and Intervention: Here we report a case of COVID-19 associated with acute myelitis in an infected patient in the north of Iran during the pandemic of COVID-19. He presented with paraparesis and urinary incontinence. Unfortunately, he did not respond to anti-inflammatory treatment.

Para/Post Infectious myelitis could be a complication of COVID-19 infection.