Cerebellar Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Improves Ataxia in Minamata Disease.

Minamata disease (MD) is a form of intoxication involving the central nervous system and is caused by ingesting seafood from methylmercury-contaminated areas in Japan. In MD, cerebellar ataxia is a cardinal feature observed in approximately 80% of MD patients. Although cerebellar transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has recently been used for treating cerebellar ataxia, the optimal stimulation conditions remain unclear. Here, we report the first case of cerebellar ataxia in an MD patient that was significantly improved after high-frequency cerebellar TMS. To determine the optimal stimulation conditions, we examined the excitability of the primary motor cortex (M1) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). rs-fMRI revealed M1 hyperconnectivity, which was indicative of activation of the dentato-thalamo-cortical (DTC) pathway. Thus, high-frequency cerebellar TMS was applied to inhibit the DTC pathway. Improvement of cerebellar ataxia was only observed after real TMS, not sham stimulation. As this effect was consistent with inhibition of hyperconnectivity of M1, the effectiveness of high-frequency cerebellar TMS for cerebellar ataxia was thought to be caused by inhibition of the DTC pathway. Therefore, we suggest that the evaluation of M1 excitability using rs-fMRI can be effective for determining the optimal TMS stimulation conditions for cerebellar ataxia.

Cobalt disulfide nanoparticles/graphene/carbon nanotubes aerogels with superior performance for lithium and sodium storage.

A robust and interconnected three-dimensional (3D) aerogel consisting of CoS2 nanoparticles, graphene nanosheets (GNs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is synthesized as an anode material (CoS2/GCAs) for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium ion batteries (SIBs). With the introduction of CNTs, the isolated CoS2 nanoparticles as well as GNs are jointed closely and cross-linked to construct a 3D conductive network. Benefited from the advantages of the positive synergistic effects of the individual components, CoS2/GCAs composite exhibits excellent electrochemical performances. When used as an anode for LIBs, it possesses a high reversible capacity of 975mAhg-1 after 100 cycles at 0.25Ag-1. Apart from that, it also manifests a superior cycling stability with capacity of 258mAhg-1 after 100 cycles at 0.05Ag-1 for SIBs. As a result of the enhanced electrochemical performance, CoS2/GCAs composite with an interconnected architecture could be regarded as a promising candidate for LIBs/SIBs.