Archives of Neuroscience
Volume:9 Issue: 4, Oct 2022

Driving as a complex behavior pattern is influenced by a set of conscious and unconscious factors. One of the most important causes of traffic accidents in Iran is human factors, which include the driver's mental status, personality traits, mental illnesses, or psychiatric disorders. Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders affecting driving behavior.

The aim of this study was to examine whether depression may affect driving performance.

This cross-sectional study was done on 100 participants who were divided into two groups, patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and the healthy control group. Driving behavior was assessed by the Manchester Driving Behavior Questionnaire (MDBQ), and three computerized tests [Tower of London Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and reaction time] were used to evaluate the participants’ neuropsychiatric characteristics. The results were compared between the two groups using SPSS version 19.

There were 51 cases in the MDD group (male = 59%, female = 41%) and 50 patients in the non-depressed group (male = 22%, female = 78%). The mean age of the group with MDD and the control group was 38 ± 8 and 36 ± 9 years, respectively, with no significant differences (P = 0.23). The results showed that the highest mean reaction time (875 ± 198, P = 0.018) was related to the depressed non-risky drivers, and the depressed risky drivers showed the worse function in all domains of WCST (trials to complete first category: 28 ± 23, P = 0.002, total error: 33 ± 9, P = 0.001, and perseveration error: 15 ± 9, P = 0.009) in comparison with another group. Considering the mean score of the tower of London test, the non-depressed non-risky drivers showed the shortest time (219 ± 172, P = 0.001) spent on doing the task, while the depressed non-risky drivers showed the longest mean latency time (213 ± 96, P = 0.001).

The findings of the present study showed that depression is associated with deficits in multiple cognitive domains, such as executive function, which may lead to a significant decline in different aspects of driving behavior.

 Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death, which ranges from mild and irreversible to severe and life-threatening injuries.

 This study aimed to compare the pain score in patients with brain disorders using Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) and Nonverbal Pain Scale (NVPS).

 A descriptive comparative study was performed in Ilam province, Iran, in a group of head trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit who were intubated. One hundred twenty observations of nurses’ practice were performed. A purposive sampling method was utilized. The CPOT and NVPS assessed the pain, and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) assessed the state of consciousness. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 software.

 Patients’ mean ± SD age was 38.45 ± 4.2 years. The mean ± SD pain score on the CPOT before the procedure was 0.39 ± 0.49 in the facial expression dimension, 0.56 ± 0.49 in activity, 0.54 ± 0.50 in muscle tension, and 0.55 ± 0.49 in compatibility with the ventilator. The mean ± SD pain score on the NVPS before the procedure was 0.97 ± 0.20 in facial expression dimension, 0.94 ± 0.49 in activity, 0.95 ± 0.31 in guarding, 0.64 ± 0.49 in vital signs, and 0.92 ± 0.53 in excitement.

 Both CPOT and NVPS were effective in diagnosing patients’ pain, but the CPOT was more appropriate for diagnosing pain in intubated patients.

This study aimed to assess the test-retest intra-rater reliability and convergent validity of digital photography (DP) in detecting the postural orientation of children with cerebral palsy (CP).

The study recruited children with various types of CP with the Gross Motor Function Classification System level I or II and spasticity < 2 on the Ashworth Scale, without any visual or cognitive impairments. Children who had undergone any surgical intervention or received a botulinum toxin injection within the previous six months were excluded. A digital camera was fixed at 1.5 meters from the participants at the height of 90 cm. Non-reflective markers were attached to eight anatomical landmarks to localize the upper and lower center of mass on both sides. The same examiner took three digital photos to detect intra-rater reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Pearson's correlation and linear regression analysis were used to assess the convergent validity of the DP method compared with the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) scores.

Thirty children (7.44 ± 2.38 years) were assessed to test the reliability of DP, and 55 others (8.06 ± 2.19 years) participated in the convergent validity study. Intra-rater reliability was found to be perfect (ICC > 0.995) and there was a strong significant negative correlation between DP measures and PBS scores (Pearson's correlation > 0.75) with high adjusted R2 (R2 > 0.567), indicating goodness of fit between the measures.

Digital photography (DP) is a reliable and valid method for assessing postural orientation in children with various types of CP.

Various topical (intracameral) analgesics are used to relieve postoperative pain after cataract surgery.

We decided to compare the effects of intracameral Marcaine and lidocaine on pain intensity after the cataract operation.

In this double-blind, randomized clinical trial, 64 patients who were candidates for cataract surgery were randomly assigned to either anesthesia with lidocaine or bupivacaine (Marcaine) by intracameral injection. Study endpoints included pain score, hemodynamic status, patient satisfaction, and recovery duration.

The Marcaine group experienced a shorter recovery than another group (P = 0.001). The mean pain score at the different time points after the operation was significantly lower in the group receiving Marcaine than those receiving lidocaine (P < 0.001). Our study showed a higher level of patients’ satisfaction with Marcaine as compared to the lidocaine group (P = 0.026). However, postoperative hemodynamic status was similar in both groups.

Compared with lidocaine, intracameral injection of Marcaine results in a shorter postoperative recovery period, reduced pain intensity, and higher satisfaction among patients after cataract surgery.

Many infinite theories have been suggested to explain memory loss in neurodegenerative diseases. However, there are clear data that iron-containing neurofibrillary networks can cause neuron death and erase the memory of neurons, just like black holes in space.

Ths study aimed to investigate the electromagnetic properties of iron-loaded neurofibrillary networks formed in the hippocampus as a result of damage to the olfactory nerves, just like black holes in space, as well as whether they cause neuron death and memory loss.

All rats were tested with star maze performance before, 3 weeks, and 3 months after surgery. The data used in the study were obtained from the subjects in the experimental groups who had been followed up for 3 months with control (GI; n = 5), SHAM (GII; n = 5) with only frontal burr hole, and study (GIII; n = 15) animals with olfactory bulb lesion. All rats were tested with star maze performance before, 3 weeks, and 3 months after surgery. The olfactory bulbs and hippocampus of subjects were examined by stereological methods. Olfactory bulb volumes, degenerated neuron densities of the hippocampus, and numbers of hippocampal black holes were estimated quantitatively, and results were statistically analyzed by a 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The properties of black holes in the brains and the universe were compared theoretically.

The mean olfactory bulb volumes, degenerated neuron density, and black holes of the hippocampus were estimated as 4.43 ± 0.22 mm3, 42 ± 9 mm3, and 3 ± 1 mm3 in GI, 4.01 ± 0.19 mm3, 257 ± 78 mm3, and 11 ± 3 mm3 in GII, and 2.4 ± 0.8 mm3, 1675 ± 119 mm3, and 34 ± 7 mm3 in GIII. All animals were tested with star maze performance before, 3 weeks, and 3 months after surgery. Latency, distance, speed, and path efficiency values of all animals were detected. The more diminished olfactory bulb volume (P < 0.00001) causes more apoptotic neurons and black holes in the hippocampus (P < 0.0001) and more memory loss in olfactory bulb lesion (OBL)-applied animals (P < 0.005).

Hippocampal black holes, which are similar to black holes in terms of their formation processes, may be responsible for neuronal losses and memory erasures in the brain by acting like black holes in space. These amyloid plaques, which cause neuron death and memory loss, will be called data-deleting amyloid black holes (DADA-Black Holes) in the paper.

A 6-year-old girl presented to our hospital with a genetic result indicating a homozygous pathogenic variant (c.G898T) in the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene and a heterozygote variant (c.94dupT) in the HECT domain and ankyrin repeat containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (HACE1) gene. The study was performed due to her brother’s earlier diagnosis of phenylketonuria (PKU) through a genetic analysis (homozygote for PAH). Her 4-year-old brother was also admitted to our hospital with symptoms of hypotonicity, which started at birth and deteriorated when he was 6 months old. He developed a prolonged fever from the age of 8 months until the age of 3 years. All infectious and rheumatologic workups were normal. He was screened for PKU twice at birth, both showing negative results. The plasma phenylalanine (Phe) level was checked several times in the first 2 years of his life, and all of them were in the borderline range (2 - 4 mg/dL). He was tested again at the age of 2 years for the plasma Phe level twice, both showing positive results (14 and 8 mg/dL, respectively). Both positive results for the plasma Phe level led to a genetic study, indicating that this case is homozygote for both variants, c.G898T in the PAH gene and c.94dupT in the HACE1 gene. Then, a Phe-restricted diet was given. At the age of 3 years, a Kuvan test was performed on the patient, indicating a non-BH4-responsive PKU (classic type of PKU). However, to reduce diet restriction, he was treated with Kuvan and responded to the treatment. The symptoms (such as hypotonia and developmental retardation) improved after treatment with Kuvan, probably due to HACE1 gene dysfunction.