Parietal-hippocampal rTMS improves cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease and increases dynamic functional connectivity of default mode network.

Parietal-hippocampal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) improves cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD), however, the underlying therapeutic mechanism has not been elucidated. A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled parietal-hippocampal rTMS trial (five sessions/week for a total of 10 sessions) of mild-to-moderate AD patients was conducted in the study. High-frequency rTMS was applied to a subject-specific left lateral parietal region with the highest functional connectivity with the hippocampus based on resting-state fMRI. A multimodal MRI scan and a complete neuropsychological battery of tests were conducted at baseline, immediately after the intervention and 12-week follow-up after the rTMS treatment. Compared to sham treatment (n = 27), patients undergoing active rTMS treatment (n = 29) showed higher Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) magnitude of the default mode network (DMN) after two weeks of rTMS treatment, but not at 12-week follow-up. A significant positive correlation was observed between changes in MMSE and changes in the dFC magnitude of DMN in patients who underwent active-rTMS treatment, but not in those who received sham-rTMS treatment. The findings of the current study indicate that fMRI-guided rTMS treatment improves cognitive function of AD patients in the short term, and DMN functional connectivity contributes to therapeutic effectiveness of rTMS.

Precision Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Over the Left Parietal Cortex Improves Memory in Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Study.

OBJECTIVE: We aim to study the effect of precision repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left parietal cortex on the memory and cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Based on the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, the left parietal cortex site with the highest functional connectivity to the hippocampus was selected as the target of rTMS treatment. Sixty-nine AD patients were randomized to either rTMS or sham treatment (five sessions/week for a total of 10 sessions). The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), 12-Word Philadelphia Verbal Learning Test (PVLT), and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) were assessed at baseline and after the last session. RESULTS: After a 2-week treatment, compared to patients in the sham group, those in the rTMS group scored significantly higher on PVLT total score and its immediate recall subscale score. Moreover, in the rTMS group, there were significant improvements after the 2-week treatment, which were manifested in MMSE total score and its time orientation and recall subscale scores, as well as PVLT total score and its immediate recall and short delay recall subscale scores. In the sham group, the PVLT total score was significantly improved. CONCLUSION: The target site of the left parietal cortex can improve AD patients' cognitive function, especially memory, providing a potential therapy.

Temperature-Triggered Dielectric-Optical Duple Switch Based on an Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Phase Transition Crystal: [C5N2H16]2SbBr5.

Molecular optical-electrical duple switches (switch "ON" and "OFF" bistable states) represent a class of highly desirable intelligent materials because of their sensitive switchable physical and/or chemical responses, simple and environmentally friendly processing, light weights, and mechanical flexibility. In the current work, the phase transition of 1 (general formula R2MX5, [C5N2H16]2[SbBr5]) can be triggered by the order-disorder transition of the organic cations at 278.3 K. The temperature-induced phase transition causes novel bistable optical-electrical duple characteristics, which indicates that 1 might be an excellent candidate for a potential switchable optical-electrical (fluorescence/dielectric) material. In the dielectric measurements, remarkable bistable dielectric responses were detected, accompanied by striking anisotropy along various crystallographic axes. For the intriguing fluorescence emission spectra, the intensity and position changed significantly with the occurrence of the structural phase transition. We believe that these findings might further promote the application of halogenoantimonates(III) and halogenobismuthates(III) in the field of optoelectronic multifunctional devices.

Structural characterization, phase transition and switchable dielectric behaviors in a new zigzag chain organic-inorganic hybrid compound: [C3H7NH3]2SbI5.

A novel zigzag chain organic-inorganic hybrid compound of the general formula R2MI5, [n-C3H7NH3]2[SbI5] (1), was successfully synthesized, in which the n-propylammonium cations were located in the free cavities between the one-dimensional zigzag chains. Systematic characterization was performed to investigate the phase transition of 1. A pair of sharp peaks at 211.8 K (heating) and 203.7 K (cooling) with a hysteresis 8.1 K were observed in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curve, indicating the first-order phase transition behavior of 1. The temperature dependence dielectric measurement demonstrated a step-like change at around 211.8 K, which makes 1 a potential switchable dielectric material. Frequency dependence measurement revealed that the frequency exerts a weak influence on the dielectric permittivity. Further structural analysis shows that both anionic and cationic moieties contribute to the phase transition, accompanied by weak hydrogen bond interactions between cations and the [SbI5]n(2-) chains.