فصلنامه علوم اعصاب شفای خاتم
سال سوم شماره 3 (پیاپی 14، تابستان 1394)

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have been widely used as new potent antimicrobial agents in cosmetic and hygienic products. The silver induced a decrease in the total volume of hippocampal cells and high doses of silver caused cell death. On the other hand, the hippocampus may be an important brain site in the modulation of fear and anxiety. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible protective role of Ag NPs on anxiety-like Behavior in rats.
Forty male Wistar rats (200-250 gr) were divided into five groups of eight rats in control group and treatment groups with different doses. Control group rats were injected saline and treatment groups were injected Ag NPs at doses of 50, 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg/day intraperitoneal (IP). After two weeks of treatment, the anxiety-related behavior in the rats was examined by the plus maze test.
Our results showed that Ag NPs at dose of 1000 mg/kg/day after 14 days significantly decreased the percentage of open arm duration and the percentage of open arm entries but did not affect the locomotor activities.
These data suggest that IP application of Ag NPs causes an anxiogenic response.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a frequent and clinically significant complication of surgery and anesthesia. The main objective of this study was to evaluate, in a double-blind and randomized manner, the efficacy of Ondansetron hydrochloride administered in intravenous patient control analgesia with Fentanyl for the prophylaxis of PONV in patients undergoing total hip replacement or total knee replacement procedures.
Eighty-four Patients undergoing elective and primary total hip or total knee replacements were selected. After surgery, patients divided into 2 groups: in treatment group (n=42), patients received 0.16 mg/ml Ondansetron hydrochloride in Patient Controlled Analgesia IV (PCA/IV) pump with 5 µg/ml Fentanyl in 72 ml 0.9% isotonic sodium chloride and in control group (n=42), patients received PCA/IV pump with 5 µg/ml Fentanyl in 80 ml 0.9% isotonic sodium chloride. Then, patients were assessed for the presence and severity of nausea or vomiting and emetic episodes.
In control group, the incidence and severity of nausea as well as the incidence of vomiting and the severity of vomiting were greater compared to treatment group.
The results indicate that Ondansetron provides superior control of PONV in patients undergoing total hip or knee replacement procedures.

Sleep is an important part of human life. Sleep disorders are very common and have direct and indirect impacts on other aspects of life. Detection of sleep disorders is very important and needs the appropriate tools. This study was aimed to determine the psychometric properties of questionnaire on sleep disorders.
Using correlation statistical method, the sleep condition of 500 students from Garmsar University was evaluated by psychometric properties of the sleep questionnaire.
The reliability test using Cronbach's alpha was 0.79. Exploratory factor analysis for Validity revealed that 61% of the variance in scores of questions about sleep disorders could be explained by the scale. After varimax rotation, two major forms of sleep disorders, insomnia and hypersomnia, were identified. Confirmatory factor analysis of indicators of structural equation model for validity showed that the model is fitted to the data.
This questionnaire can be used for measurement and screening of sleep disorders for both research and treatment proposes.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a non-refundable gradual neuro-degenerative disorder, in which the neurons, especially the ones in the memory zone, are damaged and cause increase in the level of cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). In the present study, we investigated the effect of endurance exercise training and chronic administration of Gallic acid (GA) on the TNF-α level in rat hippocampus in the Trimethyltin (TMT)-treated model of AD.
Seventy female Spraque Dawley rats were divided into seven groups: 1.Control, 2. AD, 3. GA50, 4. GA100, 5. Exercise, 6. Exercise᠎, and 7. Exercise᠍. In order to induce AD, Trimethyltin (8mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally to the rats in groups 2-7. Rats in the groups 5, 6, and 7 carried out an eight-week exercise program on a motorized treadmill (15-20 m/min, 0% inclination for 15-30 min/day, and 5 days/week). Animals of the groups 3 and 6 were treated by 50 mg/kg of GA and animals of groups 4 and 7 were treated by 100 mg/kg of the GA daily, for 2 weeks. Then, the TNF-α level in the hippocampus were measured.
The results indicated that the TNF-α level in the hippocampus was decreased in all test groups compared to the AD group.
Our findings indicate that endurance exercise training, GA consumption, and both administration of GA and co-treatment with training have immunomodulatory effects and could be used to inhibit the cytokine release after TMT intoxication.

Hymenocrater is an important genus of Lamiaceae family. Hymenocrater platystegius is one of species in this genus and this plant is endemic to Iran and it grows wildly in the north east of Iran. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition of Hymenocrater platystegius and to study the neuroprotective effect of essential oil of this plant in H2O2 –induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells.
The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistilation of air-dried sample for 5 hours. The essential oil composition of the aerial parts of Hymenocrater platystegius was studied by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Finally, we treated PC12 cells with the essential oil of Hymenocrater platystegius.
The yield of essential oil was 0.1 % (w/w). Fifty-nine compounds were identified representing about 84.72% of the total oil. The major components of this oil were 1, 8-cineole (14.27%), ß-pinene (4.89%), Terpinolene (4.83%), and Sabinene (4.59%). In addition, the data showed that the essential oil decreased oxidative stress-induced PC12 cells death.
The results suggest that Hymenocrater platystegius could be a potential candidate for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Iran-Iraq war during the 1980–1988 has left many consequences on veterans and their families that persist long after the war ended. In this research, we evaluated the relationship between veterans’ psychological damages and mental quality of life in their spouses.
Two hundred sixty-one veterans were selected among all veterans of Isfahan that registered by Veterans and Martyrs Affair Foundation, using systematic randomized sampling. They filled out Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and demographic questionnaire. In addition, their spouses filled out the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Two hundred twenty-one couples, who both have completely filled the questionnaire, were selected as the final sample.
Mental quality of life of spouses was significantly and inversely related to all SCL-90-R questionnaire subscales. The higher rates of somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, aggression, and psychosis in veterans were accompanied with lower mental quality of life in their spouses. From nine subscales of SCL-90-R, scores of depression and obsession in veterans were the best predictors for mental quality of life in their spouses.
The results showed that the veterans’ psychological damages, especially depression and obsession, have a great impact on mental quality of life in their spouses.

Stroke is a major cause of mortality and long-term disability among adults. The risk of stroke is rapidly increasing in women after menopause. It has been reported that exercise reduces ischemia and reperfusion injury in rat model of stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise on stroke outcome in the permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in ovariectomized mice.
A group of 32 female mice (25-35g) were randomly divided into 4 groups as following (8 mice in each group): ovariectomy닚, stroke, ovariectomy笗ꭲ⬞頋殢, and sham. Seven days before exercise preconditioning, mice were ovariectomized. The exercise group was forced to run on a treadmill 5 days per week, for 40 min/day at a speed of 18 m/min for four weeks. Stroke was induced by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) method five weeks after ovariectomy. The infarct volume, sensory-motor deficits, and neurological deficits were studied.
Infarct volume in the ovariectomy笗ꭲ⬞頋殢 and stroke groups was significantly smaller compared to ovariectomy닚 group. In ovariectomy笗ꭲ⬞頋殢 and stroke groups, neurological deficits were significantly lower than ovariectomy닚 gorup, respectively. sensory-motor deficits were also lower in the ovariectomy笗ꭲ⬞頋殢 and stroke groups compared to ovariectomy닚 group.
The present data suggest that exercise preconditioning plays a neuroprotective role in ovariectomized animals and improves stroke outcome in a permanent model of MCAO.

Excessive accumulation of beta-amyliod peptide, the major component of senile plaques in Alzheimer disease (AD), causes neuronal death through induction of oxidative stress. The medicinal plants from the Lamiaceae family contain the antioxidant activity. Moreover, neuroprotective properties of other species of this family have been reported.
Aerial parts of the plants were extracted with ethanol and water using maceration method. Antioxidant activity of the extract was evaluated by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging. PC12 cells were incubated with different concentrations of the extract in culture medium 1h prior to incubation with amyloid beta peptide. Cell toxicity and biomarkers of oxidative stress were assessed 24h after addition of amyloid beta peptide by MTT assay.
Butylated hydroxytoluene )BHT( at concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, and 1 µg/ml had higher anti-radical activity than Dracocephalum moldavica extract. However, at higher concentrations, plant extract showed a higher anti-radical activity than BHT. The plant extract at the concentration range of 0.01-100 µg/ml did not show any toxic effect on PC12 cells. The plant extract at concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 µg/ml protected cells against beta amyloid toxicity and at concentration of 10 µg/ml was able to prevent biomarkers changes of oxidative stress induced by beta amyloid.
The extract of Dracocephalum moldavica prevents the toxicity of amyloid beta peptide by inhibiting the oxidative stress pathways and may useful in the treatment of AD.

Anthropometry of neurocranium as well as intelligence has been reported to have a bidirectional effects. The aim of the present investigation is to study the relationship between neurocranium anthropometry and Intelligence Quality (IQ) in students living in tropical and cold areas in Iran.
The method of the present investigation is comparative and analytical descriptive. A total number of 100 healthy Azari medical students were included. The neurocranium length, width, and height were measured by Martin Saller caliper. The student's brain capacity was determined using Lee Pearson formula. In the next phase, all students were tested with Wechsler intelligence test. MRI was performed in 10 students with the highest IQ as well as in 10 students with the lowest IQ. The relationship between frontal and temporal lobes mass with full-scale intelligence quotient (FSQI) was evaluated.
The results indicated that a higher brain capacity was accompanied by the highest IQ. The significant differences were observed among male and female students from cold and tropical areas. A higher FSIQ rate in male students was accompanied by larger mass of the frontal lobe. The highest IQ was observed in female students with a larger mass of the temporal lobe. FSIQ was correlated to the mass of the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe in male and female students, respectively.
This study revealed a relationship between weather, brain volume, and the mass of the frontal and temporal lobes with FSIQ.

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral stress management training on marital adjustment in the wives of the war veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is known as a stressful issue in veterans’ wives; thus, it can decrease their dyadic adjustment.
Experimental group included 12 wives who were selected among 30 after training and 12 wives were selected randomly as a control group. Training program included ten 90-minute sessions. The dyadic adjustment questionnaire was Spanier.
The results showed that there were significant differences between experimental pretest, posttest, and follow up data in experimental group. Furthermore, significant differences were observed between posttest follow up results in experimental and control groups but there were no significant difference in pretest scores.
Marital adjustment can be enhanced by cognitive behavioral stress management training in the wives of the war veterans suffering from PTSD.

Trauma has the greatest burden of diseases in Iran. Most victims are young men. Road traffic crashes are the most common cause of trauma in Iran. The study has been designed to determine the most ignored need in trauma system in Iran.
In two studies, the first one conducted by the Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center (13 sessions) and the second one conducted by the section of Emergency department of Ministry of Health and Medical Education (8 sessions), trauma experts and policy makers discussed and reviewed trauma system strengths and weaknesses in the areas of prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and surveillance of injured patients.
All organizations, including the Ministry of Health, office of injury prevention, emergency section, hospital and health care, Red Crescent, forensic medicine, police, ministry of interior, ministry of road, automobile manufacturers, municipality, media and journalists, NGOs, parliament, and judiciary all have faults and strengths. There were multiple and significant improvements for each organization. The most important defect was lack of unit leadership in the organized management of trauma that is responsible and answerable. In other word, there is lack of coordination and integration in this trauma system. Integrated monitoring system must also be permanent and included sufficient resources. Priority of teamwork in related agencies over individual work is necessary.
For serious success in the prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and surveillance of trauma system, we need a person or organization that is responsible for organizing, coordinating, and integrating efforts in the field of trauma.

Discovering the enzymes involved in steroid biosynthesis in the central nervous system and the ability of neurons and glial cells to produce steroids is one of the major findings of neurobiology over the last two decades. Unlike classical steroids, these neurosteroids influence neuronal function through direct interactions with neurotransmitter receptors at the cell surface.
Extensive studies have shown diverse physiological and pharmacological effects for these compounds. Moreover, neurosteroids have been shown to be involved in different pathological procedures, including neurodegenerative and neuro inflammatory disorders as well as neuropsychiatric diseases. Herein, we will review different aspects of neurosteroid biosynthesis and functions as well as their involvement in the pathogenesis of brain diseases.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regulatory molecules that set many vital processes in the cell. These regulatory RNAs, as an important component of the regulatory networks of genes and the expression of key genes involved in setting development, play an important role in neurological diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the regulatory functions of lncRNAs in the evolution of the CNS and an overview of their roles in the biology of neuropsychiatric diseases. More than half of all lncRNAs expressed in CNS cells and their regulated expression in the evolution and function of the nervous system are important. lncRNAs are involved in the development of different parts of the brain, specificity and differentiation of oligodendrocytes category, and terminal myelination. In addition, they have a role in regulation of vital functions, such as maintaining neural stem cells, neurogenesis and glyogenesis, homeostasis, and synaptic connections. lncRNAs are associated with the biological processes in the brain, such as the development of the hippocampus and aging.
This review has shown that how lncRNA regulate vital processes in neurons in order to have a better understanding on the mechanisms of neurological diseases by RNA interference. Understanding the role of the regulatory RNAs interference and its impact on the biology of CNS can helpful in the field of prognosis, prediction of response to treatment, and pathological staging. Furthermore, it can be inhibited or controlled as novel therapeutic targets.

Rabies is a fatal neurological disease caused by rabies virus, the prototype of the Lyssavirus genus. Rabies virus (RABV) has tropism to the central nervous system (CNS) and its ability for replication leads to rabies disease. RABV replication in the CNS of majority of mammalian species, including humans, leads to fatal encephalomyelitis. The combination of virulence and pathogenicity factors enables RABV transmission from peripheral bite site to the neurons through the neuro-muscular route and leads to infection of the spinal cord and the brain. Prophylactic or therapeutic vaccine-induced antibodies are able to prevent the virus from entering the CNS. In the absence of neutralizing antibodies induced by the vaccine, the immune system is unable to control the virus after entering the nerve cells. RABV has the innate ability to evade the host immune defense responses and is able to enhance the efficiency of its entry into nerve cells, control host immune responses, and inhibit the antiviral immune stimulation. RABV delays apoptosis by controlling the expression of its proteins and adjusts the survival of infected cells according to its metabolic requirements. These mechanisms enable RABV to escape the host immune system and to proliferate in the neuronal cells.
This study review show the different immune mechanisms involved in clearing the CNS from RABV infection and strategies that the virus uses against the host immune system in the CNS. In addition, mechanisms that the virus uses to replicate as well as the interaction of the virus with the host immune system are discussed.