Cognitive impairment and changes of red blood cell components and serum levels of IL-6, IL-18, and L-tryptophan in methamphetamine abusers.

The deficit in cognitive function is more concerning in methamphetamine (MA) users. The cognitive deficit was suspected to be the consequence of neuroinflammation-induced neurological dysregulation. In addition, activating the key enzyme in the tryptophan metabolic pathway by pro-inflammatory cytokines results in metabolite toxicity, further generating cognitive impairments. However, the evidence for the role of neuroinflammation and tryptophan metabolites involved in MA-induced cognitive deficit needs more conclusive study. OBJECTIVES: This retrospective study aimed to determine blood-inflammatory markers, tryptophan metabolite-related molecules, and cognitive function in MA abusers compared to healthy control (HC) participants. METHODS: The cognitive functions were evaluated using Stroop, Go/No-Go, One Back Task (OBT), and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test-64 (WCST-64). Blood samples were analyzed for complete blood count (CBC) analysis, serum inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-18 and tryptophan metabolites. RESULTS: MA group exhibited poor cognitive performance in selective attention, inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility, concept formation and processing speed compared to HC. Reduction in red blood cell (RBC) components but induction in white blood cells (WBCs) and IL-6 were observed in MA abusers, which might indicate anemia of (systemic chronic low-grade) inflammation. In addition, the depletion of precursor in the tryptophan metabolic pathway, L-tryptophan was also observed in MA users, which might represent induction in tryptophan metabolites. CONCLUSION: These findings emphasize that blood biomarkers might be a surrogate marker to predict the role of neuroinflammation and abnormal tryptophan metabolite in MA-induced cognitive impairments.

Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with action-observation-execution on social interaction and communication in autism spectrum disorder: Feasibility study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of a combined high-frequency rTMS (HF-rTMS) with action observation and execution (AOE) on social interaction and communication in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen children underwent 10 sessions of 5-Hz HF-rTMS on the right inferior frontal gyrus combined with AOE. An experimental group received the real HF-rTMS while the control group received the sham one. For the AOE protocol, they were instructed to watch and imitate a video showing the procedure, including reaching and grasping tasks, gustatory tasks, and facial expressions. Their behavioural outcomes were evaluated using the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scale (VABS) and electroencephalograms (EEGs) recorded at three time points: baseline, immediately after each treatment, and at the 1-week follow-up after the 10th treatment. RESULTS: There were increased VABS subitem scores in the experimental group, including the receptive, expressive, domestic, and community scores but no such increase was observed in the control group. For the EEG, the beta rhythm at C3 and C4 increased in the experimental group. Additionally, positive correlations were observed between changes in the scores for the expressive subitem and changes in the beta rhythm on the C4 electrode at baseline and immediately after treatment in the experimental group. The control group showed no significant differences in any items for both observation and imitation times. CONCLUSION: Ten sessions of HF-rTMS combined with AOE could improve both the subitems of communication and daily living skills domain in children aged 7-12 years with ASD. Although it is still inconclusive, this behavioural improvement may be partly attributable to increased cortical activity, as evidenced by beta rhythms.

Detection of Electroencephalographic Abnormalities and Its Associated Factors among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Thailand.

Epilepsy often causes more severe behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is strongly associated with poor cognitive functioning. Interestingly, individuals with ASD without a history of epilepsy can have abnormal electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. The aim of this study was to examine associations between EEG abnormalities and the ASD severity in children. The children with ASD who enrolled at the Rajanagarindra Institute of Child Development, Thailand were included in this study. The severity of ASD was measured by interviewing their parents with the Thai autism treatment evaluation checklist. The short sensory profile checklist was used for screening the abnormality of children in each domain. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations between factors potentially linked to EEG abnormalities. Most of the study participants were boys (87.5%) and the median age was 5 years. Among the 128 children, 69.5% showed EEG abnormalities (41.4% slow-wave and 28.1% epileptiform-discharge). The results show that a larger number of symptoms and increased severity of ASD were independently associated with a higher risk of EEG abnormalities. Our results emphasize the need for guidelines on the presence of EEG abnormalities in children with ASD for the early detection of epilepsy and improving treatment outcomes.

The quantitative analysis of EEG during resting and cognitive states related to neurological dysfunctions and cognitive impairments in methamphetamine abusers.

Several lines of evidence demonstrated the deleterious effect of methamphetamine (MA) on neurological and psychological functions. However, recent evidence on the neurological dysfunctions related to cognitive performance and psychosis in MA abusers needs to be elucidated. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the neurological functions using EEG measurement during cognitive tests in MA abusers with (MWP) or without (MWOP) psychosis compared to age-matched normal participants. The quantitative EEG (qEEG) was used to reveal the absolute power in 4 brain-wave frequencies including delta, theta, alpha, and beta waves. The results demonstrated poor attention in both groups of MA abusers. The deficit in mental flexibility was observed in MWP. The deficit in inhibition control and working memory were observed in MWOP. The greater delta, alpha and beta brain waves in multiple brain areas were observed in MWP during the resting (eyes-open) state. The greater alpha wave in multiple brain areas of MWP correlated with poor attention. The greater delta wave and lesser beta wave in the frontal brain correlated with poor inhibition and working memory in MWOP respectively. These findings demonstrated the applicability of EEG to determine neurological dysfunction related to cognitive impairments in MA abusers.

A low- dose of caffeine suppresses EEG alpha power and improves working memory in healthy University males.

The effects of a low dose of caffeine, administered in the morning, on brain wave activity and cognitive function were investigated in 25 healthy university Southeast Asian men (mean age ±standard deviation: 21 ± 2 years). Participants received a placebo (PLA) or a 50 mg caffeinated drink (CAF) under randomized, double-blind crossover conditions, with 1 week between conditions. Brain wave activity was assessed using electroencephalography (EEG) from a 5 min eyes-closed resting state. Cognitive function, i.e., visuomotor processing speed, working memory, and attention were assessed using the trail-making test A (Trails A) and B (Trails B), and digit span Forwards (DF), respectively. All tests were examined before drinking (BD), 30 min after drinking (AD), and 35 min after 5-min isokinetic exercise (AE). [Results] The CAF showed a significant decrease in the percentage changes from baseline (%∆) of alpha wave activity over the midline electrodes, i.e., frontal, central, and occipital areas after AD (p<0.05). Data from cognitive function tests were significantly improved after AD (p<0.05). A significant inverse correlation between the diminished alpha wave activity over the midline central and occipital cortical regions and the Trails B positive scores were observed (p<0.05). [Conclusion] The diminishment in resting alpha wave activity and improvement of cognitive function on working memory assessed by the Trails B following caffeine consumption would support the stimulant effects of low-dose caffeine as a morning wake-up drink in young adults.

Effects of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation on inhibitory and attention control in children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A pilot randomized sham-controlled crossover study.

The pathophysiological of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) includes hypoactivation of the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Most studies have used anodal (excitatory) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to improve ADHD symptoms, however, a meta-analysis showed limited effect on improving inhibition, and no evidence of attention improvement. We thus present a pilot protocol for investigating the effect of other montage i.e. cathodal (inhibitory) tDCS on neurophysiological and behavioral measures in ADHD. Eleven participants underwent active (1.5 mA, 20 min) and sham cathodal tDCS over the left DLPFC for 5 consecutive days at a 1-month interval. Quantitative electroencephalography was recorded in a resting state with the eyes opened and closed during visual go/no-go and auditory continuous performance tasks at baseline, after five sessions, and at 1-week and 1-month follow-ups. Correct responses and omission errors were recorded. After five active sessions, alpha power increased in the right frontal area when the eyes were opened, and delta power in the left frontal area and omission errors decreased during go/no-go tasks, with no differences at follow-ups. The results revealed improvements in inhibitory control, but not for attention. No aftereffects were observed in either outcomes. However, the changes found in both hemispheres would probably support the hypothesis that cathodal stimulation over the left DLPFC may increase the activity of the right DLPFC via transcallosal inhibition. Results of this pilot trial would help to design and implement a full-scale randomized control trials for further ADHD research. This study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03955692).

An electroencephalography (EEG) study of short-term electromyography (EMG) biofeedback training in patients with myofascial pain syndrome in the upper trapezius.

[Purpose] In the present study, electroencephalography was used to explore neural activity related to electromyography biofeedback training, focusing on pain perception before and after electromyography biofeedback. [Participants and Methods] Twenty-seven participants (female=23; mean age: 28.85 ± 4.99 years) with mild-to-moderate myofascial pain syndrome in the upper trapezius were recruited for this study. All participants underwent electroencephalography recording before, during, and after (0 and 15 min) electromyography biofeedback training. Quantitative electroencephalography analysis was performed to obtain the absolute power of the four main frequency bands. Pain scores before and after electromyography biofeedback were also evaluated by subjective rating. [Results] Electromyography biofeedback increased alpha power and decreased delta power 15 minutes after training, suggestive of relaxation. However, although a tendency for scores to decrease was observed, no significant improvements in pain scores were observed following the intervention. Such results may be due to the short duration of the biofeedback session and the subjective nature of pain assessments. [Conclusion] Despite no obvious changes in pain perception, brief electromyography biofeedback training may induce relaxation in patients with myofascial pain syndrome of the upper trapezius muscle.

Effects of a 20-min Nap after Sleep Deprivation on Brain Activity and Soccer Performance.

We examined effects of a 20-min nap following 3 h of sleep deprivation on brain wave activity, auditory reaction time, the running-based anaerobic sprint test, leg muscle strength and the rating of perceived exertion in male college soccer players. Eleven players underwent three sleep conditions; normal sleep, sleep deprivation and 20-min nap after sleep deprivation. The sleep deprivation demonstrated an increase in the mean power of delta waves over the frontal area and a decrease in the mean power of alpha waves over the parietal area compared to the normal sleep. The nap and the sleep deprivation showed an increase in auditory reaction time compared with those in the normal sleep. The sleep deprivation demonstrated a decrease in the running-based anaerobic sprint test compared to the normal sleep, whereas the nap has partially reversed only minimal power and average power of the running-based anaerobic sprint test. The nap showed a recovery effect on leg muscle strength, but not on the rating of perceived exertion compared with the sleep deprivation. Thus, a 20-min nap after sleep deprivation did not completely return brain activity back to active state and did not entirely reverse the negative impact of sleep deprivation on soccer performance in soccer players.

A pilot study on salivary cortisol secretion and auditory P300 event-related potential in patients with physical disability-related stress.

Objective: To evaluate the stress level and attention in workers with physical disabilities-related stress.Methods: Morning salivary cortisol was used as a stress marker while the event-related potential during the performance of the auditory oddball paradigm was conducted to investigate the attentive ability to sound stimuli. Eighteen injured workers (IP) and eighteen unaffected healthy adults (CP) were recruited for this study with half being men and the other half women (aged 21-55). Behavioral performance measures including reaction time (RT), accuracy rate, and commission error as well as the latency and amplitude of P300 wave over the central (Cz), centroparietal (CPz), and parietal (Pz) electroencephalogram electrode sites were used to compare the two groups.Results: This study demonstrated significantly higher salivary cortisol levels, longer RT, less accuracy to respond to the target during the auditory oddball paradigm in the IP group as compared to CP group. In addition, a significant prolongation of the peak latency of auditory P300 wave over CPz electrodes was also detected in IP group.Conclusion: The increased cortisol levels found in the IP group reflect the alteration of the basal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as a result of the stresses of living with a physical disability. Delayed RT and the decreased in accuracy together with changing in peak latencies of auditory P300 wave indicate the impairment of attention networks in IP. Our study revealed that the patients with permanent physical disability.

Delayed cortical maturation at the centrotemporal brain regions in patients with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS).

Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS) is an epilepsy syndrome commonly found in child and adolescent. Although the prognosis is mostly favorable as long as the seizure is well controlled. However, they are often suffering from the cognitive and behavioral problems which might be the consequences of the initial insults. It is still not clear whether the initial epileptiform discharges has long term impact on the resting-state brain activities at later ages. This study investigated the resting-state brain activities in BCECTS patients with clinical seizure remission stage (n = 16; 11 males) and compared with the non-epileptic, age-matched control subjects. Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) revealed a significantly higher absolute power of the theta and alpha waves in BCECTS patients with clinical seizure remission as compared with the non-epileptic control subjects. Interestingly, the differences were observed mainly over the centrotemporal electrodes which are the common sites of the initial epileptiform discharges. The differences were more significant in patients with bilateral epileptiform discharges than those with the unilateral epileptic activities. Typically, the brain wave power continuously decreases with increasing ages. Therefore, higher absolute powers of the brain waves indicate more delayed in cortical maturation compared with the non-epileptic control group. These findings indicated that BCECTS patients have delay cortical maturation at the centrotemporal brain regions even at the clinical seizure remission phase.

Effects of 8 weeks of modified hatha yoga training on resting-state brain activity and the p300 ERP in patients with physical disability-related stress.

[Purpose] We examined the effects of Hatha yoga on EEG and ERP in patients with physical disability-related stress. [Participants and Methods] Eighteen male and female injured workers with high stress levels, aged between 18 to 55 years, were evenly divided into two groups: untrained (CG) and trained (TG) modified hatha yoga groups. A modified Hatha yoga protocol was designed for this population by two certified yoga instructors, approved by a physical therapist, and conducted for one hour, three times weekly for 8 weeks. [Results] The results indicated a significant increase in alpha EEG activity over the frontal, central, and parietal electrodes and the delta EEG activity over the centroparietal electrode from pre- to post-training in TG. In addition, significantly faster auditory reaction time for target stimuli, as well as lower P300 peak latency of ERP in auditory oddball paradigm were obtained in TG after 8 weeks of yoga training compare to CG. [Conclusion] Changes in brain activity and ERP components following yoga training would support the psychophysiological effects of hatha yoga as an adjunct to routine rehabilitation.

A Study of the Correlation between VEP and Clinical Severity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Visual evoked potential (VEP) is a technique used to assess the brain's electrical response to visual stimuli. The aims of this study were to examine neural transmission within the visual pathway through VEP testing in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and compare it to age-matched controls, as well as search for a correlation between the VEP parameters and the symptoms of ASD. Participants were composed of ASD children (9 males) and typically developing children (8 males and 4 females), aged between 3 and 5 years. Checkerboards were chosen as the pattern-reversal VEP. The clinical severity of ASD was assessed using the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales 2nd edition (VABS-II). Our findings demonstrated that children with ASD had significantly longer N145 latency compared to the controls. A longer N145 latency correlated with a higher score of ATEC within the sensory/cognitive awareness subdomain. In addition, a slower N145 response was also associated with a lower VABS-II score within the socialization domain. The correlation between longer VEP latency and abnormal behaviors in children with ASD suggests a delayed neural communication within other neural circuits, apart from the visual pathway. These lines of evidence support the possibility of using VEP, along with clinical parameters, for the assessment of ASD severity.

Protective role of taurine in developing offspring affected by maternal alcohol consumption.

Maternal alcohol consumption is known to affect offspring growth and development, including growth deficits, physical anomalies, impaired brain functions and behavioral disturbances. Taurine, a sulfur-containing amino acid, is essential during development, and continually found to be protective against neurotoxicity and various tissue damages including those from alcohol exposure. However, it is still unknown whether taurine can exert its protection during development of central nervous system and whether it can reverse alcohol damages on developed brain later in life. This study aims to investigate protective roles of taurine against maternal alcohol consumption on growth and development of offspring. The experimental protocol was conducted using ICR-outbred pregnant mice given 10 % alcohol, with or without maternal taurine supplementation during gestation and lactation. Pregnancy outcomes, offspring mortality and successive bodyweight until adult were monitored. Adult offspring is supplemented taurine to verify its ability to reverse damages on learning and memory through a water maze task performance. Our results demonstrate that offspring of maternal alcohol exposure, together with maternal taurine supplementation show conserved learning and memory, while that of offspring treated taurine later in life are disturbed. Taurine provides neuroprotective effects and preserves learning and memory processes when given together with maternal alcohol consumption, but not shown such effects when given exclusively in offspring.

Effects of inhaled rosemary oil on subjective feelings and activities of the nervous system.

Rosemary oil is one of the more famous essential oils widely used in aroma-therapy. However, the effects of rosemary oil on the human body, in particular the nervous system, have not been sufficiently studied. This study investigates the effects of the inhalation of rosemary oil on test subjects' feelings, as well as its effects on various physiological parameters of the nervous system. Twenty healthy volunteers participated in the experiment. All subjects underwent autonomic nervous system (ANS) recording. This consisted of measurements of skin temperature; heart rate; respiratory rate; blood pressure; evaluations of the subjects' mood states; and electroencephalography (EEG) recordings in the pre-, during treatment, and post-rosemary inhalation periods as compared with control conditions. Our results showed significant increases in blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate after rosemary oil inhalation. After the inhalation treatments, subjects were found to have become more active and stated that they felt "fresher". The analysis of EEGs showed a reduction in the power of alpha1 (8-10.99 Hz) and alpha2 (11-12.99 Hz) waves. Moreover, an increment in the beta wave (13-30 Hz) power was observed in the anterior region of the brain. These results confirm the stimulatory effects of rosemary oil and provide supporting evidence that brain wave activity, autonomic nervous system activity, as well as mood states are all affected by the inhalation of the rosemary oil.

Early onset and rapid progression of glaucoma in a neonate with Sturge-Weber syndrome.

Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is an uncommon neurocutaneous syndrome usually presenting with a triad of cutaneous, neurological, and ophthalmological symptoms. The cutaneous lesion can be observed at birth in most cases while the symptoms of the nervous and ocular systems involvement usually appear later in life. The most common ocular manifestation in SWS is glaucoma, which can occur in the early-life period. The authors reported a case of SWS in which the symptoms of glaucoma rapidly developed within two weeks following an ophthalmologic evaluation that was initially negative at the age of one week.

The effects of lavender oil inhalation on emotional states, autonomic nervous system, and brain electrical activity.

OBJECTIVE: Investigate the effects of lavender oil on the central nervous system, autonomic nervous system, and mood responses in humans after inhalation. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Twenty healthy volunteers participated in the experiments. The present study assessed autonomic parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and skin temperature to determine the arousal level of the autonomic nervous system. In addition, subjects were asked to estimate their mood responses such as feeling pleasant or unpleasant, uncomfortable, sensuality, relaxation, or refreshing in order to assess subjective behavioral arousal. Finally, electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded from 31 electrodes on the scalp according to the international 10 to 20 system, and EEG power spectra were calculated by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Data was analyzed by comparing the effects of lavender oil on physiological and mood states with sweet almond oil. These assessments were measured before and after using paired t-test statistical procedure. RESULTS: The results revealed that lavender oil caused significant decreases of blood pressure, heart rate, and skin temperature, which indicated a decrease of autonomic arousal. In terms of mood responses, the subjects in the lavender oil group categorized themselves as more active, fresher relaxed than subjects just inhaling base oil. Compared with base oil, lavender oil increased the power of theta (4-8 Hz) and alpha (8-13 Hz) brain activities. The topographic map showed obviously more scattering power in alpha range waves particularly in bilateral temporal and central area. CONCLUSION: The findings provided evidence the relaxing effect of inhaling lavender oil.

Migraine in junior high-school students: A prospective 3-academic-year cohort study.

Migraine is a common childhood illness with expected favorable outcome. A study of the long-term clinical course of childhood migraine will provide information of evolution of migraine. A cohort study for 3-academic-year was conducted in Thai junior high-school children from July 2005 to February 2008 to determine the clinical course of migraine. Two hundred and forty-eight students in four junior high schools diagnosed with migraine according to ICHD-II in July 2005 were recruited. Each student was serially evaluated twice yearly from 7th grade during each semester of the academic year until the second semester of 9th grade. Determination of the characteristics, severity, frequency, and treatment of headache were obtained by questionnaire and direct interview. At the final evaluation, clinical course of headache was categorized into seven patterns. Among enrolled students, 209 (84.3%) completed the study. Twenty-eight (13.5%) students had no recurrent headache while that of 153 (73.5%) improved. No improvement of migraine and worsened migraine were observed in four students (1.8%) and 24 students (11.2%), respectively. Spontaneous remission and avoidance of precipitating causes contributed to relief of migraine in the majority of the students. Stress-related daily school activities and inadequate rest were reported as common precipitating factors among students with non-improving or worsening outcome. Chronic daily headache and tension-type headache was observed in 6 and 30 students, respectively. This study confirms that clinical course of migraine in schoolchildren is benign. Frequency and intensity of headache can be reduced with reassurance and appropriate guidance. Early recognition and appropriate prevention of migraine attack will decrease the risk of chronic migraine and disease burden.

Migraine in Thai children: prevalence in junior high school students.

A cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of migraine in seventh grade Thai students in 4 junior high schools in Bangkok, Thailand, according to the diagnostic criteria of the second edition of the Classification of Headache of the International Headache Society was conducted in July 2004. The study included a screening self-administered questionnaire and face-to-face interview with physical examination. The diagnosis of migraine was made and confirmed by 2 pediatric neurologists. All of 1789 students in participating schools completed the questionnaire. After 2 interviews, 248 students (13.8%) were diagnosed with migraine. The prevalence in girls was higher than that in boys (16.2% vs 11.7%). Migraine as having aura was diagnosed in 34 students (13.7%). One student had sporadic hemiplegic migraine. Among 248 children, 176 (71%) reported the duration of headache between 1 and 2 hours. The leading precipitating factor of migraine was the stress related to daily school activities (17.7%). There were 32 students (12.9%) with frequent and intense headache who were referred to their primary physicians for further management. This study had disclosed a high prevalence of migraine in seventh grade Thai students in Bangkok City and reflected the existing burden of this illness in Thai students.