فصلنامه علوم اعصاب شفای خاتم
سال هشتم شماره 2 (پیاپی 43، بهار 1399)

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment in social interaction and communication, accompanied by stereotyped and repetitive behavior. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of a perceptual-motor exercise period on executive functions (neurocognitive functions of attention) of children with autism disorder in the age group of 7-12 years.

The method of conducting the present study was semi-experimental. Among children with autism disorder referring to autistic children's care centers in Isfahan, 30 patients were selected using screening tests and after measuring neuro-cognitive functions of attention by neuropsychological Conner's questionnaire as a pretest, randomly divided into two experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups. In the experimental group, perceptual-motor exercises were performed for 12 weeks and 3 sessions weekly. Finally, a post-test was performed for all of the subjects.

The results have shown that perceptual-motor exercise in the experimental group was an effective measure to improve the neurocognitive functions of the attention of children with autism disorder. Besides, neuro-cognitive functions of attention were significantly better in the experimental group compared to the control group.

Perceptual-motor exercises with music may provide appropriate intervention for improving the neurocognitive functions of the attention of children with autism disorder.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between sleep problems, working memory, and sustained attention of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

A correlation study has been used for this investigation. The statistical population of this study was all students who have been diagnosed with ADHD in the elementary school of the Department of Education in District 3 of Isfahan, who studied in the school year of 2017-2018. A questionnaire containing questions about Behavioral Rating Scale and Sleep Quality was provided to the parents of 200 students aged 7-11 years old. After removing unskilled questionnaires, based on the cut-off score, the Acne Scale of the Conner Questionnaire consisted the active memory of Beck and the Continuous Performance Test were performed in 65 students with ADHD.

The results have shown a negative and significant relationship between sleep problems and active memory of children with ADHD. However, there was no significant relationship between sleep problems and sustained attention.

The results suggest that sleeping problems can reduce the performance of active memory and affect the cognitive functions of children.

Migraine headaches are one of the most common types of headaches that can cause significant dysfunction. Sleep disturbances are common symptoms and one of the stimulating factors of migraine. The goal of this study was to the comparison of the efficacy of pharmacotherapy combined with short-term mindfulness-based therapy and pharmacotherapy on the reduction of migraine disability and improvement of sleep quality in women with migraines.

The research was a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with the control group. The statistical population of this study included all women with migraine attending to a psychosomatic clinic in Isfahan city from August to November of 2018. Twenty-eight patients who were diagnosed with migraines were randomly assigned to the experimental group (pharmacotherapy combined with short-term mindfulness-based therapy) and control group (pharmacotherapy). Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were administered to collect data.

Pharmacotherapy combined with short-term mindfulness-based therapy led to a significant reduction of migraine disability and intensity, improvement of sleep efficiency and quality, reduction of sleep latency, and daytime dysfunction compared to the control group. However, migraine frequency and other domains of sleep quality did not differ between the groups.

These data suggest that short-term mindfulness-based therapy besides pharmacotherapy could be effective for improving migraine disorder and sleep quality in patients with migraines.

Advertising will be useless if they fail to attract the attention of the audience. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in the frontal and prefrontal area in connection with the power of the alpha band while watching commercial advertisement.

The research design was semi experimental and 30 participants (15 men and 15 women) watched two advertises (sports and non-sports). In this research, the Neuro Guide software was used to convert electro-encephalographic data to quantitative data.

The results of the study showed that alpha power decreased in most of the channels among all individuals during watching the sports advertisements. This decrease was not observed when watching non-sports advertisements. This difference was also examined in terms of gender effect and the results showed that there was no significant difference between male and female.

Our data suggested that the use of sport elements may enhance attention toward advertisement and lead to a long-lasting and efficacious memory retention.

It has been suggested the neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM) are one of the main factors that play a role in progress or control of neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). It has been recently shown that exercises increase the NCAM expression in myofibres. This study aimed to investigate the effect of forced and voluntary training on the accumulation of NCAM-PSA in the neuromuscular junction in soleus muscles in pre and post-induction periods of an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice model.

A total of 40 female C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups including, induced control groups without EAE induction, induced EAE without training, induced EAE with forced, and voluntary training groups. Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide 35-55 (200 μg in saline) was injected subcutaneously at the base of the tail of each mouse. Forced and voluntary pieces of training were done using a swimming program and treadmill, respectively. The mice were euthanized and the soleus muscles were then isolated for investigation of protein expression using IHC. 

In the control group, a significant increase in the mean percentage expression of NCAM-PSAin pre and post-soleus muscle was detected compared to the EAE with and without training as well as EAE without intervention group. The mean expression level of NCAM-PSA in the pre and post-soleus muscle were significantly increased in rat with treadmill group compared to the swimming group. The lowest expression was detected in EAE without intervention.

The findings of the present study showed that voluntary training increases the expression levels of NCAM-PSA in the neuromuscular junction of the soleus muscle. Further studies are needed to investigate the effect of NCAM-PSA expression changes following exercise on muscular function in MS.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a pattern of destruction of bones and joints. Quality of life is one of the important psychological factors in the field of public health. The purpose of this study was to determine the psychometric indices of the Persian version of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life questionnaire (RAQoL).

In this descriptive study, 93 patients with RA referred to Hafez hospital Rheumatology Clinic of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were selected through a purposive sampling method and they responded to the RAQoL and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Convergent validity was calculated by measuring the correlation between the quality of life and depression, anxiety, and tension.

The reliability of the scale was confirmed by an Alpha factor of 0.88, indicating a high internal consistency. In assessing convergent validity, the lowest quality of life was associated with depression symptoms (R = -0.75) stress (R = -0.67) and anxiety (R = -0.59) at the 0.01 level of significance.

Our findings indicate that the Persian version of the RAQOL questionnaire has reliability and validity and is sensitive to changes in RA in clinical situations. Furthermore, it can be used as a useful self-assessment tool for research and counseling.

The prevalence of borderline personality disorder is more than other type of personality disorders. It has been shown that there are some neurological deficits in patients with borderline personality disorder such as cognitive inhibition and self-injury, but the few studies aimed to decrease this deficit have been conducted. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of emotional working memory training on the EEG asymmetry index in the beta band between two hemispheres in people with borderline personality disorder.

The method of the current study was experimental and its design was pretest-posttest with the control group. All students of the University of Mohaghegh Ardebili with borderline personality disorder in 96-97 academic years comprised the statistical population of this study. Forty people selected by screening method via scale of borderline personality disorder trait and the structural clinical interview for mental disorders (SCID-II) and assigned to two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 10 sessions of emotional working memory training, but no intervention was provided for the control group. The EEG device was used to record the electrical activity of the brain from the frontal lobe (Fp1, Fp2, F3, F4, F7, F8).

The results showed that the mean scores of the interhemispheric beta asymmetry have increased in the experimental group compared to the control group at the post-test stage. The emotional working memory training can lead to increased interhemispheric beta asymmetry. This intervention can increase the beta asymmetry by enhancing the beta wave in left hemisphere rather than right.

the emotional working memory training can be the main axis to improve interhemispheric beta asymmetry in people with borderline personality disorder.

The birth of children with intellectual disability may exert adverse effects on mothers and reduce their state of hope. In the meantime, a spiritual skill training program may promote the adaptation ability in critical situations and improve interpersonal relationships and problem solving skills, which ultimately empower this group of mothers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of spiritual skills training on the state of hope in mothers with intellectual disabled children.

This is a pretest- posttest control group experimental research. For the assessment expectancy, Snyder’s hope scale was applied. The data presented here was obtained from 20 mothers having children with intellectual disability. They were selected via a convenience sampling method. 10 mothers in the experimental and 10 mothers in the control group were assigned randomly. The experimental group received the educational interventions through eight sessions (90-120 minute). The post-test was taken after the intervention.

Spiritual skill training program significantly improved the state of hope in mothers with intellectual disabled children.

Planning a training program for mothers with intellectual disabled children could be used to improve their state of hope.

Nowadays, one of the barriers of gene therapy in the treatment of the CNS diseases is the lack of proper and safe carrier systems to cross the blood brain barrier (BBB). Virosomes are virus like particles which can be used in brain if made from neurotropic viruses. The aim of the study was to construct cationic virosomes derived from vesicular stomatitis virus using dialyzable short chain phospholipid (DCPC) and cationic lipid (DOTAP) in-vitro.

The vesicular stomatitis virus was propagated in Vero cell line. Subsequently, the harvested virus was concentrated and purified using ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation and finally, the virosome was synthesized by DCPC detergent and the addition of cationic lipid. Particle size distribution of virosome nanoparticles, cellular cytotoxicity and glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-G) were determined by measuring dynamic light scattering using zetasizer, MTT assay and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), respectively.

The harvested viruses were concentrated and purified by ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation and the final concentration was 0.8 mg/ml. The cationic virosome mean size was 186.6 nm and, the cell viability was significantly decreased after 48 hours of treatment with different concentrations of virosome compared to the control group. The VSV-G protein with molecular weight of 63 kDa was approved by SDS-PAGE.

The use of DCPC is an efficient method for solubilization and reconstruction of vesicular stomatitis virus envelope and does not alter the surface VSV-G. Due to the VSV-G protein and its wide range cell tropism, this cationic virosome can also be a promising candidate for crossing the BBB in order to efficient gene delivery and therapy of CNS diseases.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important microorganism that causes the development of various diseases in humans by secretion of factors that are known as supra-antigen of staphylococci. Enterotoxin B of Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterial antigen responsible for food poisoning in humans. To produce the corresponding polyclonal antibody, an antigen is injected into a susceptible animal and the serum of antibody content is extracted. Bacterial superantigens are potent T cell activators that can have acute or chronic effects on the central nervous system. This study aimed to develop a mouse polyclonal antibody against enterotoxin B of Staphylococcus aureus.

The Bradford method was used to determine protein concentration. For evaluation and identification of the antigen, the samples were transferred onto a nitrocellulose membrane by SDS-PAEG gel and analyzed by western blot analysis. Mice immunization was performed at intervals of zero, two, and four weeks using intraperitoneal injection. Antibody titer was measured in antisera isolated from the animal by the ELISA method.

Different concentrations of protein (0-32 μg) with different adsorption were calculated with the formula y = 0.0279x + 0.1222. There was no excess protein in the acrylamide gel. In the western blot analysis, the resulting bands represent complete conformance with the standard sample and are free from any unwanted protein. The results of the ELISA test were significant for the secretion of the second time at p <0.05. In the double diffusion test, there was a bond between the control and the antigen.

Prepared toxoid has completely lost its fecundity and therefore could be used to immunize and produce polyclonal antibodies against enterotoxin B of Staphylococci.

Psychoneuroimmunology researchers have focused on experimental and clinical investigations to figure out how stressors and their negative emotions can affect the physiological alterations and impact on health. Clinical investigations show that the central nervous system interacts with the endocrine and immune systems in a bidirectional manner. Stress-induced immune dysregulation is occurred by the humoral and cellular immune responses. Furthermore, chronic stress can promote the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6, which leads to an increase of a variety of chronic diseases.

Given the impact of stress on health outcomes, it is necessary to improve our knowledge on the implicated pathways in which stress affects immune functioning, as well as the psychological factors that may impair or improve the effects of stress on immune responses. The aim of this study was to review the recent investigations on the role of stress on immune system and the psychological factors that may regulate this effect.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a severe type of brain tumors with very poor prognosis and a median survival time of about 15 months. To identify new biomarkers and therapeutic approaches, novel methods are crucial to treat GBM, based on the biological and molecular nature of these tumors. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been extensively used with the aim of developing accurate molecular therapies, due to their emerging role in the regulation of cancer-related genes. miRNAs, a class of small non-coding RNA species, have vital roles across various biological processes, which may serve as diagnostic and prognostic tools in GBM.

This review indicated that miRNAs signatures could be used for developing new molecular therapies to enhance the survival of GBM patients. On the other hand, miRNAs regulate a wide range of cellular functions, allowing them to modulate many pathways critical to GBM progression, including proliferation, cell death, metastasis, angiogenesis, and drug resistance.

Migraine is a common, painful and potentially debilitating disease that is characterized by frequent, unilateral, pulsating attacks of moderate to severe severity. The main cause of migraine is unknown. It seems the B vitamins affect clinical symptoms of the migraine headache. In this study, we reviewed the effects of some vitamins B on improving the symptoms of migraine headaches and their possible mechanism of action. In this study, we evaluated the articles published between 2002 and 2018 on this topic in Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar.

The findings of several studies suggest that some of vitamins B can improve migraine headaches, particularly their frequency and severity. Dietary supplementation of vitamins B could efficiently prevent or alleviate different symptoms of the migraine headache.

Metals have always proved their nature as integral parts of the Earth's crust, water, air and various ecosystems. Rare metals are commonly used as enzyme cofactors and act to regulate the cell functions. The accumulation of metals in the brain indicates the important role of these substances in the nervous system. The lack of these metals is associated with a variety of neurological diseases. On the other hand, enhancement of metal levels may lead to various harmful intracellular events, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA fragmentation, protein falsity, endoplasmic endothelial stress, disturbance in autophagy and induction of apoptosis. To date, adverse effects of metal imbalances with multiple human diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autism spectrum disorders, Guillen-Barre disease, Persian Gulf War syndrome, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Wilson's disease, have been reported. The role of some of these metal ions, especially in brain function, is important, which led to the introduction of the term metalloneurochemistry to describe the study of metallic ions in the nervous system at the molecular level.

Various metals play an important role in the regulation of multiple vital processes of neurons. Deficiency or elevated levels of any of these metals have harmful effects on the human nervous system, which may contribute to different neurodegenerative diseases.