فصلنامه علوم اعصاب شفای خاتم
سال پنجم شماره 1 (پیاپی 25، زمستان 1395)

The hemispheric lateralization of certain faculties in the human brain has benefits for various daily functioning. The aim of present study was to develop a Persian version of hemispheric preference test and to examine its psychometric properties.
Persian version of hemispheric preference test was prepared and its psychometric properties were examined in two independent studies. In the first study, 80 students (50 females, 30 males) and in the second study, 500 students (323 females, 177 males) were selected using multi-stage cluster random sampling. The reliability of the Persian version of hemispheric preference test was assessed via Cronbach’s alpha test-retest as well as item-rest correlations and its validity was assessed via confirmatory factor analysis and criterion validity.
Cronbach’s alpha coefficients range (0.74- 0.88) and item-rest correlations range (0.41-0.70) according to sex variable and test-retest coefficients (0.67- 0.73) suggested that the scale has a good reliability. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable fitness with original two factors scale. Furthermore, the model of criterion validity coefficients showed a good validity.
In sum, the Persian version of hemispheric preference test is a reliable and valid instrument for neuropsychological, research screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic investigations.

Excessive activation of NMDA receptors in ischemic injury as well as reduction of GABAergic system leads to discrepancies of ionic homeostasis and neuronal death. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of stiripentol (0.01, 0.1, 1, 5, 10, 30 µM) as a GABAA receptor agonist on primary cortical culture of mice on 4 h oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD).
After 24h of incubation of neuronal cells with stiripentol, the cells were transferred to glucose-free DMEM (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium) and were exposed to 4h hypoxia in a small anaerobic chamber and incubated in standard condition for 24h. Cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay.
The results showed that different concentrations of stiripentol could increase the cell viability after 4h OGD Recovery (OGD/R). However, the protective effect of stiripentol was lower than the control group (the cells did not expose to OGD/R).
Our results indicated that stiripentol could be a potential drug for treatment of brain ischemic condition. However, additional studies are needed to evaluate the mechanims of strripentol effect.

Any traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) may cause symptoms ranging from pain to complete loss of motor and sensory functions below the level of the injury. Despite of many advances in surgical techniques, treatment of SCI remains as a complex issue. Reduction of the initial inflammatory processes by creation of framework is suggested as a possible novel treatment. The aim of this study was evaluation of the effect of curcumin on the improvement of behavioral movement in rat contusion model in acute phase.
In this in vivo study, rats were randomly assigned to experimental, laminectomy, sham operated (normal saline injected) and treatment groups. In treatment groups, the rats received daily intraperitoneal injection of curcumin (70, 60, 50, or 40 mg/ml/kg) at 6 h after the SCI. Spinal cord injury was performed by a standard procedure. After shaving, laminectomy was performed at T12-L1 level and the exposed spinal cord was exposed a 10 gram metal rod with a 2 mm diameter dropped from a height of 25 mm. The locomotor function was assessed by Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) test for 12 weeks. Three months after SCI, the spinal cords were evaluated by morphometric, glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) expression, and the axonal regeneration.
Immunohistochemical staining and BBB test scores of spinal cord injured rats treated with curcumin were significantly improved at day 7 compared to sham rats. The level of GFAP was significantly decreased in curcumin treated group compared to sham group. Optimal dose of curcumin was 60 mg/ml/kg 6 h after SCI.
The data demonstrate that curcumin improves behavioral movement in acute phase of SCI, possibly via the enhancement of axonal regeneration and reduction of astrogloisis.

Separation anxiety is the most common anxiety disorder in children. The neglect of treatment of this disorder at early ages could be a risk factor for other childhood and adult psychological disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of Coaching Approach Behavior and Leading by Modeling (CALM Program) on reduction of the symptoms of separation anxiety disorder among preschool children.
The research plan was designed as pretest-posttest with control group. The sample included 30 children with separation anxiety disorder. Children were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method and assigned randomly in the experimental and control groups (each group 15 individuals). CALM-based treatment program for each participant of experimental group was conducted across 12 sessions, in the form of mother-child interaction. Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (parent form) was used to measure the severity of separation anxiety disorder.
CALM-based treatment interventions created a significant reduction in the symptoms of separation anxiety in the experimental group compared to the control group on the post-test and follow-up stages.
CALM-based treatment interventions can be used as applicable and effective treatment for reduction of the symptoms of separation anxiety in preschooler children.

According to the importance of psychological factors in psychosomatic disorders and multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as its importance in early maladaptive schemas in psychological disorders, the present study was aimed to evaluate early maladaptive schemas in patients with psychosomatic disorders and MS and compared that with healthy subjects.
Research method was ex post facto. This study evaluated 100 patients (50 with MS and 50 with psychosomatic disorder) and compared them to 50 healthy people that completed Young Schema Questionnaire (short form). The study was causal-comparative.
The results showed that the average score of vulnerability to harm or illness subscale in people with psychosomatic disorder was higher than healthy people and the average score of emotional deprivation, dependence/incompetence, and failure subscale in patients with MS was higher than healthy group.
Early maladaptive schemas should be considered as an important element when comparing patients with psychosomatic disorders and MS with healthy people.

Drug-resistant epilepsy surgery has countless biological and psychological complications. Many of these patients can be treated with epilepsy surgery. Despite numerous surgeries in Iranian medical centers, only the results of few of them are published.
To assess the outcome of the surgery, a total number of forty patients who undergone operation between 2004 and 2014 in Loghman Hakim hospital are included in our retrospective study.
52.5% of operated patients, who are included in first class of Engel criteria, were completely free of seizures. The second, third and fourth class of Engel criteria contain 25, 15 and 7.5 percent of the operated patients. There was no statistically significant difference in surgery outcomes based on the gender, primary seizure type, and surgery approach. Only 5% of the patients have permanent neurological complications, most commonly hemiparesis.
The results of this study show the importance of early diagnosis and regular monitoring of epileptic patients. This significantly decreases the rate of unnecessary drug intake and increases the number of symptom-free individuals.

Steroids have different effects on brain across the lifespan, pregnancy and aging. These will influence on the areas of the brain that play a role in reproduction, such as the hippocampus, the putamen, and the midbrain raphe. Steroid hormones cross the blood-brain barrier and easily reach the neuronal tissue. These hormones are involved in female menstrual cycle, pregnancy and embryogenesis. Steroids are produced in the ovaries, the adrenal glands, and during pregnancy in the placenta and stored in fat tissue. In recent years, extensive studies have been conducted on the role of steroids on the nervous system activities. After central nervous system) CNS( injury, steroids regenerate neuronal and axonal damage. Steroids influence neuronal activity and are important for normal brain functions. These hormones act via receptor-ligand binding and phosphorylation mechanisms in the brain.
Steroid receptors are collected in neural cells of the hypothalamus and the hippocampus. This can explain the relation of steroids with sexual behavior in these brain regions. Despite intensive studies on reproductive behaviors set by estrogen and progesterone, a lot in relation to its effect has remained undiscovered. Use of steroids and modulation of their receptors in hormone therapy have been considered to maintain healthy nerve function during menopause.

The incidence and prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases increase with life expectancy. Brain, for physiological and biochemical reasons, has a high sensitivity to oxidative stress. Therefore, maintaining the redox homeostasis is essential for brain cells. In addition, brain antioxidant levels are limited compared to other tissues. In this article, different mechanisms involved in the production of endogenous and exogenous reactive oxygen species and the role of oxidative stress in neurodegenerative diseases were discussed. Redox imbalance occurs when antioxidant capacity doesnt overcome free radicals, which can lead to tissue damage, cell death or disease onset. This article also reviews various molecular and signaling mechanisms involved in oxidative stress management in neurodegenerative diseases.
Although the induction and role of oxidative stress in neurodegenerative disease have been approved, its role in pathogenesis of some of the neurodegenerative diseases needs to be further investigated. It is possible that with antioxidant therapy, we could modulate oxidative status and prevent or treat these diseases.

In addition to the critical role of stem cells in tissue regeneration and resurrect, they used in diverse disease treatment, including defective osteogenesis, brain lesion, Parkinson’s disease, heart infarction, and tendon’s fragment. Recently, a population of cells derived from urine has been discovered which exhibit some biological characteristics, including clonogenicity, cell growth patterns, expansion capacity, cell surface marker expression profile, multipotent differentiation, angiogenic paracrine effects, immune-modulatory properties. These cells can differentiate into induced pluripotent stem cells. Thus, we have termed these cells “urine-derived stem cells”. These stem cells can be obtained from humans and different animal species, such as monkeys, pigs, and rabbits. Availability and low cost make these cells attractive for cell therapy in neurological disorders.
Researches and clinical trials showed that implantation of mesenchymal stem cells, and possibly urine stem cells, may be effective in treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Huntington's disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease with unknown etiology and pathophysiology with various symptoms, such as pain, hyperalgesia, and edema. Changes in the level of cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β, are among mechanisms which have been suggested to cause chronic inflammation and have a key role in the design of experimental models of rheumatoid arthritis. The main experimental models of rheumatoid arthritis are Carageen, CFA, collagen-induced arthritis and Zymosan models. In these models, occurrence of thermal hyperalgesia, mechanical allodynia, and pain-induced motor impairment have been reported. These models assess the effectiveness of medications and the mechanisms of pain relief in rheumatoid arthritis.
The use of a valid model of rheumatoid arthritis could help to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms of pain and improve our studies on appropriate treatments for pain.