Responsive deep brain stimulation for the treatment of Tourette syndrome.

To report the results of 'responsive' deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Tourette syndrome (TS) in a National Institutes of Health funded experimental cohort. The use of 'brain derived physiology' as a method to trigger DBS devices to deliver trains of electrical stimulation is a proposed approach to address the paroxysmal motor and vocal tic symptoms which appear as part of TS. Ten subjects underwent bilateral staged DBS surgery and each was implanted with bilateral centromedian thalamic (CM) region DBS leads and bilateral M1 region cortical strips. A series of identical experiments and data collections were conducted on three groups of consecutively recruited subjects. Group 1 (n = 2) underwent acute responsive DBS using deep and superficial leads. Group 2 (n = 4) underwent chronic responsive DBS using deep and superficial leads. Group 3 (n = 4) underwent responsive DBS using only the deep leads. The primary outcome measure for each of the 8 subjects with chronic responsive DBS was calculated as the pre-operative baseline Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) motor subscore compared to the 6 month embedded responsive DBS setting. A responder for the study was defined as any subject manifesting a ≥ 30 points improvement on the YGTSS motor subscale. The videotaped Modified Rush Tic Rating Scale (MRVTRS) was a secondary outcome. Outcomes were collected at 6 months across three different device states: no stimulation, conventional open-loop stimulation, and embedded responsive stimulation. The experience programming each of the groups and the methods applied for programming were captured. There were 10 medication refractory TS subjects enrolled in the study (5 male and 5 female) and 4/8 (50%) in the chronic responsive eligible cohort met the primary outcome manifesting a reduction of the YGTSS motor scale of ≥ 30% when on responsive DBS settings. Proof of concept for the use of responsive stimulation was observed in all three groups (acute responsive, cortically triggered and deep DBS leads only). The responsive approach was safe and well tolerated. TS power spectral changes associated with tics occurred consistently in the low frequency 2-10 Hz delta-theta-low alpha oscillation range. The study highlighted the variety of programming strategies which were employed to achieve responsive DBS and those used to overcome stimulation induced artifacts. Proof of concept was also established for a single DBS lead triggering bi-hemispheric delivery of therapeutic stimulation. Responsive DBS was applied to treat TS related motor and vocal tics through the application of three different experimental paradigms. The approach was safe and effective in a subset of individuals. The use of different devices in this study was not aimed at making between device comparisons, but rather, the study was adapted to the current state of the art in technology. Overall, four of the chronic responsive eligible subjects met the primary outcome variable for clinical effectiveness. Cortical physiology was used to trigger responsive DBS when therapy was limited by stimulation induced artifacts.

Actividades de descanso y dificultades para su realización en estudiantes de medicina de la Universidad del Cauca, Colombia, durante la pandemia por SARS-COV-2 / Rest activities and the difficulties for their performance in medical students at the Universidad del Cauca, Colombia, during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic

Introducción: un descanso adecuado determina el estado de ánimo y desempeño durante las actividades diarias, así como la salud mental y éxito académico de un estudiante de medicina, quien posee alta carga académica. Por esto, conocer qué actividades practican, así como las dificultades en las mismas orienta un abordaje que permita su adecuada ejecución. Objetivo: describir las actividades de descanso y las dificultades para su realización durante la jornada académica de los estudiantes de medicina de la universidad del Cauca en tiempos de pandemia por SARS-CoV-2. Materiales y métodos: estudio descriptivo, transversal realizado en 230 estudiantes de medicina de la Universidad del Cauca, seleccionados con un muestreo probabilístico bietápico a quienes se les aplicó una encuesta virtual de 108 preguntas que abordó aspectos sociodemográficos y cada uno de los componentes del descanso y estilos de vida. Resultados: el 99.1% de estudiantes practican actividades de ocio. El 29.5% de ellos realizan sesiones de relajación. La actividad física estuvo presente en un 63.3%. La mayor parte de las actividades aumentaron durante el confinamiento. Las principales dificultades para su ejecución fueron la falta de tiempo y espacios físicos adecuados. Conclusiones: las actividades de ocio fueron las más encontradas en esta población, este resultado contribuye a la búsqueda de planes de mejoramiento asociados al bienestar estudiantil. Hace falta evaluar el estrés y más aspectos sobre salud mental, nuevos estudios podrían enfocarse en este aspecto de suma importancia en estudiantes de medicina.

Summary Introduction: Adequate rest determines the mood and performance during daily activities, as well as the mental health and academic success of a medical student with a high academic load. Therefore, knowing what activities they engage in, as well as the difficulties to execute them, provides an approach that permits their accomplishment properly. Objective: To describe the rest activities and the difficul- ties in performing them during the academic day of medical students at the Universidad del Cauca in times of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Materials and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 230 medical students of the Universidad del Cauca, selected with a two-stage probabilistic sampling, who were administered an online survey of 108 questions that addressed socio-demo- graphic aspects and each of the components of rest and lifestyles. Results: 99.1% of students undertake leisure activities. 29.5% of them do relaxation sessions. Physical exercise was present in 63.3%. Most of the activities increased during confinement. The main difficulties for their execution were the lack of time and adequate physical spaces. Conclusions: Leisure activities were the most frequently encountered in this population. Knowing the difficulties perceived by the students contributes to the exploration for improvement plans associated with student wellbeing. There is a need to assess stress and more aspects of mental health, new studies could focus on this aspect of utmost importance in medical students.

The Human Tic Detector: An automatic approach to tic characterization using wearable sensors.

OBJECTIVE: Current rating scales for Tourette syndrome (TS) are limited by recollection bias or brief assessment periods. This proof-of-concept study aimed to develop a sensor-based paradigm to detect and classify tics. METHODS: We recorded both electromyogram and acceleration data from seventeen TS patients, either when voluntarily moving or experiencing tics and during the modified Rush Video Tic Rating Scale (mRVTRS). Spectral properties of voluntary and tic movements from the sensor that captured the dominant tic were calculated and used as features in a support vector machine (SVM) to detect and classify movements retrospectively. RESULTS: Across patients, the SVM had an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 96.69 ± 4.84%, 98.24 ± 4.79%, and 96.03 ± 6.04%, respectively, when classifying movements in the test dataset. Furthermore, each patient's SVM was validated using data collected during the mRVTRS. Compared to the expert consensus, the tic detection accuracy was 85.63 ± 15.28% during the mRVTRS, while overall movement classification accuracy was 94.23 ± 5.97%. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that wearable sensors can capture physiological differences between tic and voluntary movements and are comparable to expert consensus. SIGNIFICANCE: Ultimately, wearables could individualize and improve care for people with TS, provide a robust and objective measure of tics, and allow data collection in real-world settings.

Aplicación de prácticas clave: lactancia materna, alimentación complementaria, micronutrientes, desarrollo mental y social de niños menores de 5 años / Application of key practices: breastfeeding, complementary feeding, micronutrients, mental and social development of children under 5 years of age

Objetivo: evaluar la aplicación de la estrategia AIEPI en la promoción de la lactancia materna exclusiva, alimentación complementaria, uso de micronutrientes y prevención de alteraciones en el desarrollo mental y social de los niños menores de 5 años. Materiales y métodos: estudio cuantitativo descriptivo-correlacional; se utilizó una muestra de 323 padres de familia y/o cuidadores. Resultados: la lactancia materna exclusiva se proporcionó en un 52% y en la alimentación complementaria los alimentos de elección fueron los cereales 77,1%, tubérculos 71,8%, frutas 40% y verduras 43%. Administran cantidades suficientes de micronutrientes 82,4%. El 92,6% brindan caricias y un 83,9% usan el juego como forma de estímulo para sus hijos. Hubo correlación entre la edad del cuidador y la lactancia materna exclusiva (p valor 0,019), de igual forma se correlaciono la edad del cuidador (mayores de 23 años) y la inclusión de la alimentación complementaria como cereales (p valor 0,000) /NOTA: "p" quiere decir muchas. Conclusión: se evidencia que las prácticas relacionadas con el componente uno de la estrategia AIEPI relacionada a la lactancia materna, alimentación complementaria, micronutrientes, desarrollo mental y social de niños menores de 5 años, son aplicadas en un sector de Cartagena; sin embargo, existes resultados que constituyen porcentajes significativos en el aumento del riesgo de aparición de enfermedades como la diarrea e infección respiratoria aguda..Au

Objective: to evaluate the application of the IMCI strategy, in the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, use of micronutrients and prevention of alterations in the mental and social development of children under 5 years of age. Materials and methods: descriptive-correlational quantitative study, a sample of 323 parents and / or caregivers was used. Results: exclusive breastfeeding was provided in 52% and in complementary feeding the foods of choice were cereals 77.1%, tubers 71.8%, fruits 40% and vegetables 43%. They administer enough micronutrients 82.4%.92.6% provide caresses and 83.9% use the game as a form of encouragement for their children. There was a correlation between the age of the caregiver and exclusive breastfeeding (p value 0.019), in the same way the age of the caregiver (over 23 years) and the inclusion of complementary feeding such as cereals (p value 0.000) were correlated. Conclusion: it is evidenced that the practices related to component one of the IMCI strategy related to breastfeeding, complementary feeding, micronutrients, mental and social development of children under 5 years of age, are applied in a sector of Cartagena; however, there are results that constitute significant percentages in the increased risk of the appearance of diseases such as diarrhea and acute respiratory infection..Au

Florida research open-source synchronization tool (FROST) for electrophysiology experiments.

BACKGROUND: Accurate interpretation of electrophysiological data in cognitive and behavioral experiments requires the acquisition of time labels, such as marking the exact start of a condition or moment a stimulus is presented to a research subject. NEW METHOD: Here we present an inexpensive (∼30 USD) device used as a central relay for multiple peripheral devices, such as a computer screen presenting an experiment, a pressure-sensor push button, a multi-button responder, a pulse oximeter sensor, a light-emitting diode trigger for camera synchronization, and more. We refer to this device as the Florida Research Open-source Synchronization Tool (FROST). FROST allows for easy hardware and Arduino-based firmware modifications that enable a standard platform for the integration of novel peripheral sensors. RESULTS: With two examples, we demonstrate the application of this device during human research experiments: intracranial-electroencephalography (EEG) recordings in a patient with epilepsy and surface-EEG recordings in a healthy participant. We provide an example setup for a rodent experiment as well. We also demonstrate the timing delays of our device. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: There is currently very few existing open-source synchronization tools for electrophysiological research that enable customization with new device compatibility. We developed this tool to enable widespread replication for many applications through an open-source platform. CONCLUSIONS: FROST can be easily adapted for research experiments beyond the included example cases. All materials are open-source at github.com/Brain-Mapping-Lab/FROST.

Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Advances in Neurophysiology, Adaptive DBS, Virtual Reality, Neuroethics and Technology.

The Seventh Annual Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Think Tank held on September 8th of 2019 addressed the most current: (1) use and utility of complex neurophysiological signals for development of adaptive neurostimulation to improve clinical outcomes; (2) Advancements in recent neuromodulation techniques to treat neuropsychiatric disorders; (3) New developments in optogenetics and DBS; (4) The use of augmented Virtual reality (VR) and neuromodulation; (5) commercially available technologies; and (6) ethical issues arising in and from research and use of DBS. These advances serve as both "markers of progress" and challenges and opportunities for ongoing address, engagement, and deliberation as we move to improve the functional capabilities and translational value of DBS. It is in this light that these proceedings are presented to inform the field and initiate ongoing discourse. As consistent with the intent, and spirit of this, and prior DBS Think Tanks, the overarching goal is to continue to develop multidisciplinary collaborations to rapidly advance the field and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Interleukin-10 limits the initial steps of the cardiorenal damage induced by ethanol consumption.

AIMS: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines play a critical role in organ damage induced by ethanol consumption. Interleukin (IL)-10 maintain tissue homeostasis through restriction of excessive inflammatory responses and inhibition of ROS generation. These responses limit unnecessary tissue damage in the cardiorenal system. We hypothesized that IL-10 would limit the deleterious effects induced by ethanol consumption in the cardiorenal system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) or IL10-deficient mice (IL-10-/-) were treated with ethanol (20% v/v) for 6 weeks. KEY FINDINGS: IL-10 deficiency was associated with an increased mortality rate. Ethanol consumption decreased plasma levels of IL-10 in WT mice. Increased levels of IL-6 were detected in the aorta from IL-10-deficient mice, but not WT mice. No alterations in the levels of urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium or creatine kinase (CK)-MB were found after treatment with ethanol. Augmented concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) was found in the left ventricle (LV) of IL-10-deficient mice, but not WT mice. Increased levels of superoxide anion (O2-) were found in the renal cortex of both WT and IL-10-deficient mice. Renal cortex from WT mice chronically treated with ethanol showed decreased levels of H2O2. No changes in the expression of Nox1, Nox4 or catalase were found in the renal cortex from ethanol-treated mice. SIGNIFICANCE: IL-10 limited the production of ROS and the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by ethanol in the cardiorenal system. These findings provided novel evidence that IL-10 counteracted the initial mechanisms whereby ethanol induces its cardiorenal damages.