Quantitative Comparison of Brain Waves of Dyslexic Students With Perceptual and Linguistic Types With Normal Students in Reading.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the brain wave pattern of two groups of dyslexic students with perceptual and linguistic types with normal students in reading. Methods: In this study, 27 students (24 boys and 3 girls) from first to fifth grade with an Mean±SD of age 8.16±10.09 years participated. Eight students with perceptual type dyslexia, ten students with linguistic type dyslexia, and nine normal students with reading were selected by purposive sampling method. Results: After removing noise and artifacts, the data were converted into quantitative digits using Neuroguide software and analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA). Based on the results, the linguistic group and the normal group differed in the relative power of the alpha wave in the two channels Fp1 and Fp2, but there was no difference between the three linguistic, perceptual, and normal groups in the absolute power of the four waves of the delta, theta, alpha, and beta. Conclusion: The relative power spectrum of the alpha band in the forehead can be significantly related to dyslexia problems as seen in the linguistic type.

The Ameliorative Impact of Centella asiatica on the Working Memory Deficit in Streptozotocin-induced Rat Model of Alzheimer Disease.

Introduction: Alzheimer disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder with a progressive nature leading to neural damage and cognitive and memory deficit. The present study investigated the neuroprotective effects of Centella asiatica (CA) in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced rat model of memory impairment and neuronal damage. Methods: The intracerebroventricular infusion of STZ (3 mg/rat) or saline (as the vehicle) was performed on days 1 and 3. CA (150 and 300 mg/kg/d) was administered through oral gavage for 21 days after model induction. We used the Y-maze test to assess the working memory-related performances of animals. Rats were then sacrificed, and their hippocampi were harvested for evaluation of neuronal density in the cornu ammonis (CA1, CA2, CA3) and Dentate Gyrus (DG) regions using stereology technique. Results: The intracerebroventricular infusion of STZ caused significant working memory impairment demonstrated in the Y-maze apparatus, with a significant decrease in alternative behavior compared to control animals (40.67±2.04 vs 73.00±1.88, P<0.0001). Oral administration of CA (150 and 300 mg/kg each day) for 21 days significantly improved STZ-induced working memory deficit (55.33±3.34 and 57.17±3.81 vs 40.67±2.04, P<0.013, P<0.004, respectively). Furthermore, 21 days of consecutive administration of CA significantly ameliorated STZ-induced neuronal loss in the CA1, CA2, and DG subfields of the hippocampus. Conclusion: Overall, these data demonstrate that CA increases neuronal density and improves cognitive impairment in the STZ-induced rat model of AD, thereby having promising therapeutic potential for neurodegenerative disorders. Accordingly, further studies are needed to determine the exact molecular mechanism of CA protective effects in brain disorders, particularly AD. Highlights: Centella asiatica (CA) improved the STZ-induced working memory deficit.CA could prevent hippocampal neural cell loss dose-dependent manner.CA improved memory through mitigating neuronal loss in hippocampus. Plain Language Summary: Memory loss is the first signs of dementia. It is well known that a healthy diet might be as good for your brain as it is for your heart. Numerous traditionally used medicinal herbs could significantly affect key events culminating in dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Centella asiatica, commonly known as Gotu Kola or Indian Pennywort, is a tropical, medicinal plant native to Southeast Asian countries. It is one of the becoming popular medicinal plants in the world. Centella asiatica (CA) is widely used in different traditional medicine systems for various purposes, such as reducing blood pressure, memory enhancement, and promoting longevity. In the present study, we tested the possible impact of CA leaf and stem extract in an animal model of memory damage. Memory impairment was induced in adult rats by intracerebral infusion of a neurotoxin chemical. Then, the memory-impaired animals were orally treated with 150-300 mg/kg of CA extract for 21 days. Finally, we tested their working memory by placing them in a Y-maze apparatus. Furthermore, their most involved brain part (hippocampus) was dissected, and its cell density was evaluated. Our findings exhibited that CA treatment considerably improved rats' memory performance, indicating by enhancing working memory score in the Y-maze task. In addition, CA treatment significantly prevented neuronal cell loss in the hippocampus of memory-impaired rats. This study shows that CA has beneficial effects on memory and cognitive function.

Intra-cerebroventricular Administration of Crocin Attenuates Sleep Deprivation-induced Hyperalgesia in Rats.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep deprivation can cause hyperalgesia and interfere with analgesic treatments. The aim of the present study was to establish an obligatory sleep-abstinence model and also evaluate the effects of Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of crocin on pain perception in Wistar rats. METHODS: In this experimental study, 35 adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=7). The intra-ventricular cannulation was done for all rats before sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation was performed by placing animals on a chamber equipped with an automatic animated conveyor (5 s with an interval of 3 min) for 72 h. Subsequently, the sleep-deprived animals received ICV injection of saline (MOD), Morphine 10 µg (MOR), Crocin 10 ug (Cr10), and Crocin40 µg (Cr40) using a microsyringe. Besides, a non-sleep-deprived group was allocated as a Control Group (NC) and only received an ICV injection of saline. Fifteen minutes after the ICV injections, pain perception was evaluated by the hot plate test (54±0.4°C). RESULTS: Compared with the NC group, latency significantly decreased in the MOD group (6.28±0.48 vs. 4.28± 0.48, P<0.0001). In comparison with the MOD group, both morphine (8.42±1.53) and crocin (7.60±1.45 for Cr10 and 8.14±0.89 for Cr40) could significantly increase latency in the sleep-deprived animals (P<0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference between the Cr10 and Cr40 (P=0.42), Cr10, and MOR (P=0.059) and Cr40 with MOR (P=0.86) groups. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that crocin could attenuate hyperalgesia induced by sleep deprivation in rats.

The Conference of the Birds: An Old Artistic Concept Making Sense in Modern Sciences.

In this article, we will discuss scientific aspects of an old Persian story, Simorgh, in the book of The Conference of the Birds. The story is fulfilled with artistic and philosophical metaphors that make sense in two hot topics of the contemporary modern sciences i.e. cognitive science and complexity science. The poet addresses some humanity's bygone concerns and fundamental questions about self, the quality that shapes a person's uniqueness, and essential existence. The sophisticated language used in the poem contains allusions, symbols, and implications that are interpreted in five main topics. We think that the story deserves to be the touchstone for questions on the nature of the mind, including the profound question of humanity's search for self and meaning of life.

Neural Correlates of Boredom in Music Perception.

INTRODUCTION: Music can elicit powerful emotional responses, the neural correlates of which have not been properly understood. An important aspect about the quality of any musical piece is its ability to elicit a sense of excitement in the listeners. In this study, we investigated the neural correlates of boredom evoked by music in human subjects. METHODS: We used EEG recording in nine subjects while they were listening to total number of 10 short-length (83 sec) musical pieces with various boredom indices. Subjects evaluated boringness of musical pieces while their EEG was recording. RESULTS: Using short time Fourier analysis, we found that beta 2 rhythm was (16-20 Hz) significantly lower whenever the subjects rated the music as boring in comparison to non-boring. DISCUSSION: The results demonstrate that the music modulates neural activity of various parts of the brain and can be measured using EEG.