Virtual dynamic interaction games reveal impaired multisensory integration in women with migraine.

OBJECTIVE: In this cross-sectional observational study, we aimed to investigate sensory profiles and multisensory integration processes in women with migraine using virtual dynamic interaction systems. BACKGROUND: Compared to studies on unimodal sensory processing, fewer studies show that multisensory integration differs in patients with migraine. Multisensory integration of visual, auditory, verbal, and haptic modalities has not been evaluated in migraine. METHODS: A 12-min virtual dynamic interaction game consisting of four parts was played by the participants. During the game, the participants were exposed to either visual stimuli only or multisensory stimuli in which auditory, verbal, and haptic stimuli were added to the visual stimuli. A total of 78 women participants (28 with migraine without aura and 50 healthy controls) were enrolled in this prospective exploratory study. Patients with migraine and healthy participants who met the inclusion criteria were randomized separately into visual and multisensory groups: Migraine multisensory (14 adults), migraine visual (14 adults), healthy multisensory (25 adults), and healthy visual (25 adults). The Sensory Profile Questionnaire was utilized to assess the participants' sensory profiles. The game scores and survey results were analyzed. RESULTS: In visual stimulus, the gaming performance scores of patients with migraine without aura were similar to the healthy controls, at a median (interquartile range [IQR]) of 81.8 (79.5-85.8) and 80.9 (77.1-84.2) (p = 0.149). Error rate of visual stimulus in patients with migraine without aura were comparable to healthy controls, at a median (IQR) of 0.11 (0.08-0.13) and 0.12 (0.10-0.14), respectively (p = 0,166). In multisensory stimulation, average gaming score was lower in patients with migraine without aura compared to healthy individuals (median [IQR] 82.2 [78.8-86.3] vs. 78.6 [74.0-82.4], p = 0.028). In women with migraine, exposure to new sensory modality upon visual stimuli in the fourth, seventh, and tenth rounds (median [IQR] 78.1 [74.1-82.0], 79.7 [77.2-82.5], 76.5 [70.2-82.1]) exhibited lower game scores compared to visual stimuli only (median [IQR] 82.3 [77.9-87.8], 84.2 [79.7-85.6], 80.8 [79.0-85.7], p = 0.044, p = 0.049, p = 0.016). According to the Sensory Profile Questionnaire results, sensory sensitivity, and sensory avoidance scores of patients with migraine (median [IQR] score 45.5 [41.0-54.7] and 47.0 [41.5-51.7]) were significantly higher than healthy participants (median [IQR] score 39.0 [34.0-44.2] and 40.0 [34.0-48.0], p < 0.001, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The virtual dynamic game approach showed for the first time that the gaming performance of patients with migraine without aura was negatively affected by the addition of auditory, verbal, and haptic stimuli onto visual stimuli. Multisensory integration of sensory modalities including haptic stimuli is disturbed even in the interictal period in women with migraine. Virtual games can be employed to assess the impact of sensory problems in the course of the disease. Also, sensory training could be a potential therapy target to improve multisensory processing in migraine.

Tissue Expressions of Regulatory Enzymes of the Krebs Cycle in Low- and High-grade Gliomas.

AIM: To compare tissue levels of the regulatory enzymes related to the Krebs cycle between low, and high-grade supratentorial gliomas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty patients who underwent surgery for supratentorial gliomas (19 with low-grade and 21 with high-grade gliomas) were evaluated. The regulatory enzymes directly involved in the Krebs cycle, namely pyruvate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, ?-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, and isocitrate dehydrogenase, and two enzymes that indirectly regulate the Krebs cycle, namely glutamate dehydrogenase and glutaminase, were quantitatively studied in tumor tissues using ELISA. The results were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The levels of all enzymes were higher in the high-grade glioma group but only pyruvate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, and isocitrate dehydrogenase levels showed statistical significance. Moreover, all enzymes showed higher tissue levels in grade- II compared to grade-I gliomas, but only two enzymes, glutamate dehydrogenase and glutaminase, reached significantly higher levels. In the high-grade glioma group, all enzymes again showed higher tissue levels in grade-IV gliomas than in grade-III gliomas, but none showed statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Regulatory enzymes of the Krebs cycle are increased in high-grade gliomas compared to low-grade gliomas. Glutaminolysis enzymes, namely glutamate dehydrogenase and glutaminase, which are required for resupplying the Krebs cycle, are also increased in order to meet the high energy demand in high-grade gliomas.

Exploring daily mediating pathways of religious identity in the associations between maternal religious socialization and Muslim American adolescents' civic engagement.

Despite its implications for positive youth development, factors and processes that promote civic engagement are critically understudied, particularly among Muslim American adolescents for whom opportunities for civic engagement could be hindered by Islamophobia and hate crimes. Prior work has proposed that parents can strengthen adolescents' group belonging and motivate their civic engagement, but this mediating link has not been empirically tested. Moreover, parents' religious socialization and adolescents' religious identity remain understudied, especially with respect to possible daily fluctuations. We used experience sampling methods to: (a) explore momentary fluctuations and temporal relations between two dimensions of Muslim American adolescents' religious identity (i.e., private regard and centrality) over the course of 14 days (Phase 2), and (b) examine if Muslim American adolescents' momentary religious identity (Phase 2) mediated associations between their stable perceptions of maternal religious socialization (Phase 1) and subsequent civic engagement (Phase 3). Dynamic structural equation modeling revealed positive autoregressive and cross-lagged relations between religious private regard and centrality. Moreover, adolescents' momentary religious identities differentially mediated the associations between maternal religious socialization and civic attitudes and behaviors, suggesting specificity in these developmental processes. Our findings have important implications for programs and policies to support the self-empowerment and positive development of Muslim American adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).