Abnormal Perception Research Articles

Analisis Kesulitan Belajar Matematika Materi Bangun Datar SDN Karang Tengah 7

This study aims to (1) reveal the types of difficulties experienced by fourth grade students at Karang Tengah 7 Public Elementary School, and (2) describe the mathematics learning difficulties experienced by fourth grade students at Karang Tengah 7 Elementary School. This study used an analytic descriptive method with a qualitative. The subjects in this study were students of class IV A at SD Negeri Karang Tengah 7. The subjects in this study were determined using purposive sampling. Data collection techniques used in this study were used by means of essay tests and interviews. The data analysis technique used in this study is data reduction, data presentation, and finally drawing conclusions. The results of the study (1) learning difficulties in mathematics experienced by fourth grade students at SD Negeri Karang Tengah 7, namely spatial relationship disorders, visual perception abnormalities, visual motor associations, difficulty using symbols, difficulties in language and reading, and (2) students who experience relationship disorders 12 students in the room, 14 students with visual perception abnormalities, 13 students with visual perception abnormalities, 8 students with difficulty understanding symbols, 2 students with language and reading difficulties.

Subjective visual vertical and head position in patients with idiopathic scoliosis.

Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is a structural spinal deformity that can affect the position of the head. One of the etiological hypotheses is that it can be caused by dysfunction of the vestibular system, which can cause abnormal perception of subjective visual vertical (SVV). This study aimed to evaluate the differences in head position and its possible correlation with the perception of SVV in children with IS. We examined 37 patients with IS and 37 healthy individuals. The position of the head was evaluated from digital photographs, where we compared the coronal head tilt and the coronal shoulder angle. Measurement of SVV perception was performed using the Bucket method. Coronal head tilt values were significantly different between the groups (median 2.3° [interquartile range 1.8-4.2] vs 1.3° [0.9-2.3], p = 0.001; patients vs. controls). There was a significant difference in SVV between the groups (2.33° [1.40-3.25] vs 0.50° [0.41-1.10], p < 0.001; patients vs controls). There was a correlation between the side of head tilt and the side of SVV in patients with IS (χ2 = 5.6, p = 0.02). Patients with IS had a greater head tilt in the coronal plane and impaired SVV perception.

Slowed alpha oscillations and percept formation in psychotic psychopathology.

Psychosis is in part defined by disturbances in perception. Recent investigations have implicated the speed of alpha oscillations observed in brain electrical activity as reflective of a sampling rate of the visual environment and perception. Although both slowed alpha oscillations and aberrant percept formation are evident in disorders of psychotic psychopathology such as schizophrenia it is unclear whether slow alpha accounts for abnormal visual perception in these disorders. To examine the role of the speed of alpha oscillations in perception in psychotic psychopathology we gathered resting-state magneto-encephalography data from probands with psychotic psychopathology (i.e., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder with a history of psychosis), their biological siblings, and healthy controls. We appraised visual perceptual function without the confound of cognitive ability and effort through the use of a simple binocular rivalry task. We found a slowed pace of alpha oscillations in psychotic psychopathology that was associated with longer percept durations during binocular rivalry, consistent with the assertion that occipital alpha oscillations govern the rate of accumulation of visual information used to generate percepts. Alpha speed varied widely across individuals with psychotic psychopathology and was highly stable across several months indicating that it is likely a trait characteristic of neural function that is relevant to visual perception. Finally, a lower speed of alpha oscillation was associated with a lower IQ and greater disorder symptomatology implying that the effects of the endogenous neural oscillation on visual perception may have wider consequences for everyday functioning. Slowed alpha oscillations in individuals with psychotic psychopathology appear to reflect altered neural functions related to percept formation.

Cold-evoked potentials in clinical practice: A head-to-head contrast with laser-evoked responses.

Innocuous cooling of the skin activates cold-specific Aδ fibres, and hence, the recording of cold-evoked potentials (CEPs) may improve the objective assessment of human thermo-nociceptive function. While the feasibility of CEP recordings in healthy humans has been reported, their reliability and diagnostic use in clinical conditions have not been documented. Here, we report the results of CEP recordings in 60 consecutive patients with suspected neuropathic pain, compared with laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) which are the gold standard for thermo-algesic instrumental assessment. CEP recording was a well-tolerated procedure, with only ~15 min of surplus in exam duration. The reproducibility and signal-to-noise ratio of CEPs were lower than those of LEPs, in particular for distal lower limbs (LLs). While laser responses were interpretable in all patients, CEPs interpretation was inconclusive in 5/60 because of artefacts or lack of response on the unaffected side. Both techniques yielded concordant results in 73% of the patients. In 12 patients, CEPs yielded abnormal values while LEPs remained within normal limits; 3 of these patients had clinical symptoms limited to cold sensations, including cold-heat transformation. CEPs appear as a useful technique for exploring pain/temperature systems. Advantages are low cost of equipment and innocuity. Disadvantages are low signal-to-noise ratio for LL stimulation, and sensitivity to fatigue/habituation. Joint recording of CEPs and LEPs can increase the sensitivity of neurophysiological techniques to thin fibre- spinothalamic lesions, in particular, when abnormalities of cold perception predominate. Recording of cold-evoked potentials is a well-tolerated, inexpensive and easy-to-use procedure that can be helpful in the diagnosis of abnormalities in the thin fibre- spinothalamic pathways. Supplementing LEPs with CEPs allows consolidating the diagnosis and, for some patients suffering from symptoms limited only to cold, CEPs but not LEPs may allow the diagnosis of thin fibre pathology. Optimal CEP recording conditions are important to overcome the low signal-to-noise ratio and habituation phenomena, which are less favourable than with LEPs.

Demographic and clinical correlates of suicidal ideation in individuals with at-risk mental state (ARMS): A study from Pakistan.

Suicide is a major public health concern and one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. People with an at-risk-mental-state (ARMS) for psychosis are more vulnerable to psychiatric co-morbidity and suicide, however, there are limited data from low-middle-income countries. The present study aimed to identify the prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation along with sociodemographic and clinical correlates of suicidal ideation in individuals with ARMS from Pakistan. Participants between the age of 16 and 35 years who met the criteria for ARMS based on the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental State (CAARMS), were recruited from the community, general practitioner clinics and psychiatric units across Pakistan (n = 326). Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Social-Occupational-Functional-Assessment-Scale (SOFAS) were administered to participants. The prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts in the sample at baseline were 91.1% (n = 297) and 61.0% (n = 199), respectively. There were significant mean differences between groups (mean difference [95% CI]; p-value) without suicidal ideation and with suicidal ideation on measures of MADRS (-5.47 [-7.14, -3.81]; p < .001), CAARMS non-bizarre ideas (-0.29 [-0.47, -0.11]; p = .002) and perceptual abnormalities (-0.23 [-0.41, -0.04]; p = .015). These findings indicate that suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms are highly prevalent in individuals with ARMS in Pakistan. Given the pivotal developmental stages that ARMS presents, and the poor outcomes associated with co-morbid depression, there is an urgent need to prioritize the development of low-cost and scalable evidence-based interventions to address psychiatric comorbidity and suicidality in the ARMS population in Pakistan.

Sex differences in the prevalence of mild behavioral impairment: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

AbstractBackgroundMild behavioral impairment (MBI) is an early indicator of dementia risk characterized by the later life onset of persistent changes in behaviour or personality. An under‐investigated feature of MBI is the difference in symptoms and risk based on sex. This systematic review and meta‐analysis investigates the differences in the prevalence of MBI domains based on sex.MethodEMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and the grey literature were systematically searched for articles mentioning MBI. Participants with dementia were excluded. Abstracts and full‐text articles retrieved from the search were screened by two independent reviewers and included if sex‐specific prevalence data were reported. A standardized data extraction sheet was used for included articles, with data items for demographics, cognitive diagnosis, prevalence of females within each MBI domain, stratified by sex. There was insufficient evidence to look at gender. A random‐effects meta‐analysis was performed to combine the extracted data to identify pooled prevalence.ResultA total of 5476 articles were retrieved from the initial search, and 3435 papers remained after deduplication. After full‐text screening, 35 papers were selected for data extraction. In normal cognition, four out of five MBI domains were more prevalent in males (decreased motivation, impulse dyscontrol, social inappropriateness and abnormal perception or thought content). In mild cognitive impairment (MCI), three out of five domains were more prevalent in males (decreased motivation, impulse dyscontrol, and abnormal perception or thought content). However, in the mixed cognitive category, four out of five domains were more prevalent in females (decreased motivation, emotional dysregulation, impulse dyscontrol and social inappropriateness (Table 1).ConclusionIn this group of dementia‐free older adults, sex differences in prevalence of MBI domains varied by baseline cognitive status. Although the differences are not large, these findings raise interesting questions about sex‐specific trajectories of neuropsychiatric symptoms across the cognitive spectrum. This study highlights the need to explore differences in MBI by factors such as sex and gender.

Timing and delay discounting in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A translational approach.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that often presents with abnormal time perception and increased impulsive choice behavior. The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is the most widely used preclinical model of the ADHD-Combined and ADHD-Hyperactive/Impulsive subtypes of the disorder. However, when testing the spontaneously hypertensive rat from Charles River (SHR/NCrl) on timing and impulsive choice tasks, the appropriate control strain is not clear, and it is possible that one of the possible control strains, the Wistar Kyoto from Charles River (WKY/NCrl), is an appropriate model for ADHD-Predominately Inattentive. Our goals were to test the SHR/NCrl, WKY/NCrl, and Wistar (WI; the progenitor strain for the SHR/NCrl and WKY/NCrl) strains on time perception and impulsive choice tasks to assess the validity of SHR/NCrl and WKY/NCrl as models of ADHD, and the validity of the WI strain as a control. We also sought to assess impulsive choice behavior in humans diagnosed with the three subtypes of ADHD and compare them with our findings from the preclinical models. We found SHR/NCrl rats timed faster and were more impulsive than WKY/NCrl and WI rats, and human participants diagnosed with ADHD were more impulsive compared to controls, but there were no differences between the three ADHD subtypes.

Why do children with autism spectrum disorder have abnormal visual perception?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with severe impairment in social functioning. Visual information processing provides nonverbal cues that support social interactions. ASD children exhibit abnormalities in visual orientation, continuous visual exploration, and visual-spatial perception, causing social dysfunction, and mechanisms underlying these abnormalities remain unclear. Transmission of visual information depends on the retina-lateral geniculate nucleus-visual cortex pathway. In ASD, developmental abnormalities occur in rapid expansion of the visual cortex surface area with constant thickness during early life, causing abnormal transmission of the peak of the visual evoked potential (P100). We hypothesized that abnormal visual perception in ASD are related to the abnormal visual information transmission and abnormal development of visual cortex in early life, what's more, explored the mechanisms of abnormal visual symptoms to provide suggestions for future research.

Physiological and perceptual responses due to accidental water immersion

With the increasing global civil aviation business, water-related accidents in airplanes, often accompanied by accidental passenger waterfalls, are inevitable. Exposure to cold water can cause physiological and perceptual abnormalities that may endanger human health and safety. In this study, a water tank was constructed in a climate chamber to simulate accidental water immersion, and 10 healthy male subjects were recruited to investigate physiological and perceptual responses during air exposure and water immersion. Parameters such as core temperature, skin temperature, metabolic heat production, blood oxygen saturation, heart rate, respiratory rate, thermal sensation, thermal acceptance, and thermal comfort were continuously monitored. Statistical analysis revealed that skin temperature, metabolic heat production, and heart rate were the most sensitive parameters during water immersion. Changes in skin temperature were smallest in the leg (DTs ≈ 4 °C) and largest in the chest (DTs ≈ 9 °C) upon water immersion. There was a strong correlation between local thermal sensation and local skin temperature when subjects remained sedentary (R2 > 0.8). The use of a LP2 (life preserver, 0.20 clo) slightly improved local thermal comfort compared to LP1 (0.05 clo), suggesting that life preserver may compensate for the decrease in thermal comfort caused by immersion in water.

Longitudinal invariance of psychotic experiences in children and adolescents: What do the data tell us?

Psychotic experiences are common in adults, adolescents, and children. While usually self-limited, they can indicate psychosis proneness when persistent. The Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE) measures lifetime psychotic experiences in three dimensions. The 20-item subscale addressing positive symptoms (CAPE-positive) is the most widely used. No study investigated its measurement invariance across timepoints during childhood and adolescence. This step is required to conduct reliable comparisons in longitudinal studies with different age groups. We used data from the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort, which enrolled 2511 individuals aged 6-12years from public schools for the baseline evaluation. A 3-year follow-up assessment evaluated 1880 participants. Subjects were rated with the CAPE-positive and we performed, at each wave, a Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis testing Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis models identified in a previous systematic review, to assess longitudinal invariance. A three-factor solution was the best fitting model, comprising Persecutory Ideation, Bizarre Experiences and Perceptual Abnormalities. The longitudinal invariance analysis of the best-fit model was unsatisfactory, achieving only the metric level of invariance. Our findings suggest that the CAPE-positive scale has good model fit indices for each evaluated time point individually (children and adolescents), but it is not invariant over time. Identifying which factors affect CAPE latent structure at different time points can improve our understanding of psychosis proneness and how to measure it.

Corneal Confocal Microscopy Demonstrates No Evidence of Small Nerve Fiber Pathology in Obese Children and Adolescents (P2-9.008)

<h3>Objective:</h3> To assess for evidence of small nerve fiber pathology in obese children and adolescents using corneal confocal microscopy (CCM). <h3>Background:</h3> The global prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents has increased dramatically over the past few decades, and childhood obesity has become a significant public health concern. Studies have shown an increased prevalence of neuropathic symptoms in obese children indicating small nerve fiber pathology. We have previously used corneal confocal microscopy (CCM), a rapid, non-invasive ophthalmic technique, to show corneal nerve fiber loss in adults with painful diabetic neuropathy, adults with obesity and children with type 1 diabetes. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> Twenty obese children and adolescents (age 14.0 ± 2.51 years, BMI 37.27 ± 7.14 kg/m²) and 20 healthy controls (age 12.83 ± 1.91 years, BMI 22.27 ± 5.47 kg/m²) underwent vibration perception threshold (VPT) assessment and CCM to quantify corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD) (no./mm²), corneal nerve branch density (CNBD) (no./mm²) and corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL) (mm/mm²). Obese children also underwent body composition analysis using TANITA to assess body fat percentage. <h3>Results:</h3> Obese children had a normal VPT (3.20 ± 0.95 vs. controls). There was a non-significant trend for a lower CNFD (19.01 ± 5.2 vs. 21.91 ± 4.6; P=0.06), but no difference in CNBD (33.02 (26.13–42.04) vs. 35.04 (29.46–5134); P=0.25) or CNFL (14.5 ± 2.6 vs. 14.4 ± 2.1; P=0.89) in obese children compared to healthy controls. There was no correlation between CNFD (P=0.643), CNBD (P=0.950) and CNFL (P=0.598) with body fat percentage. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> There is no evidence of abnormal vibration perception or small nerve fiber damage in obese children and adolescents. <b>Disclosure:</b> Ms. Wahbeh has nothing to disclose. Hoda Gad has nothing to disclose. Mrs. Elgassim has nothing to disclose. The institution of Ioannis Petropoulos has received research support from GBS CIDP Foundation International . Georgios Ponirakis has nothing to disclose. Prof. Hussain has nothing to disclose. Prof. Malik has nothing to disclose.

Pre-Treatment Cephalic Interictal Allodynia Predicts Outcome of Prophylactic Treatment of Chronic and Episodic Migraine Patients with Galcanezumab: A Prospective Quantitative Sensory Testing Study (S47.008)

<h3>Objective:</h3> To investigate whether interictal allodynia may determine the migraine state, including the outcome of migraine prevention with galcanezumab. <h3>Background:</h3> Central sensitization imposes major hurdles for migraine treatment. The abnormal perception of pain and its induction by innocuous stimuli depends on enhanced excitability and responsivity of peripheral and central trigeminovascular neurons that feed into conscious perception of headache. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> Quantitative Sensory testing was used to determine whether it is possible to predict patients’ response to prophylactic treatment with galcanezumab, a monoclonal antibody against calcitonin gene-related peptide, based on presence or absence of cephalic and/or extracephalic allodynia during the pre-treatment interictal phase of migraine. The criteria used for allodynia was as follows: &lt;40°C for heat, &gt;20°C for cold and &lt; 60g for mechanical. <h3>Results:</h3> We found that the incidence of pre-treatment cephalic interictal allodynia was 21% in the 24 responders (&gt;50% decrease in monthly migraine days) and 85% in the 19 non-responders. The incidence of extracephalic interictal allodynia did not distinguish responders from non-responders while the incidence of cephalic interictal allodynia was similar in the chronic migraine and high-frequency episodic migraine groups. The incidence of interictal allodynia was unrelated to the amount of time patients were headache-free before being tested. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> The findings suggest that it is possible and simple to predict galcanezumab responders with nearly 80% accuracy and galcanezumab non-responders with nearly 85% accuracy. One can infer that the establishment of activity-independent central sensitization is unrelated to the frequency of migraine attacks or to the number of hour/days after the termination of the last attack or initiation of the next attack. It is possible that the interictal allodynia may be attributed to peripheral and central molecular, cellular and/or physiological properties of trigeminovascular neurons that are inherent to the genetic load of the individual rather than the pathophysiological state of disease. <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Ashina has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as a Consultant for Eli Lilly. Dr. Ashina has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as a Consultant for Allergan/Abbvie. Dr. Ashina has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Theranica. Dr. Ashina has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Linpharma. Dr. Ashina has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Satsuma. Dr. Ashina has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as a Consultant for Teva. Dr. Ashina has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Lundbeck. Dr. Ashina has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Impel Neuropharma. Dr. Melo Carrillo has nothing to disclose. Dr. Szabo has nothing to disclose. David Borsook has nothing to disclose. Dr. Burstein has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as a Consultant for Allergan. Dr. Burstein has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as a Consultant for Eli Lilly. Dr. Burstein has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as a Consultant for Teva. Dr. Burstein has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Amgen. Dr. Burstein has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as a Consultant for Biohaven. Dr. Burstein has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as a Consultant for Dr. Reddy. Dr. Burstein has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Ipsen. Dr. Burstein has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Neurolief. Dr. Burstein has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Percept. Dr. Burstein has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as a Consultant for Teva. Dr. Burstein has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as a Consultant for Theranica. The institution of Dr. Burstein has received research support from Allergan. The institution of Dr. Burstein has received research support from Teva. The institution of Dr. Burstein has received research support from Eli Lilly. The institution of Dr. Burstein has received research support from Dr. Reddy.

Women’s perception of fetal movements and perinatal outcomes: results of a prospective cohort study

Background Active fetal movements (AFMs) are a sign of the well-being of the baby during pregnancy and suggests the integrity of the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems of the fetus. The abnormal perception of AFMs is associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes such as stillbirth (SB) and brain damage. Several definitions of “ decreased fetal movements” have been proposed, but none of them has been universally accepted. The aim of the study is to investigate the perinatal outcomes in relation to AFMs frequency and perception in term pregnancy with an ad hoc questionnaire administered to the women before delivery. Study design This was a prospective case-control study on pregnant women at term referring to the Obstetric Unit of the University Hospital of Modena, Italy, between January 2020 and March 2020. A validated questionnaire was administered to women who agreed to participate in the study. Therefore, women were subdivided into the case and control groups: cases included women who experienced adverse perinatal outcomes (APO) such as perinatal mortality (SB and early neonatal mortality), operative delivery (cesarean section or vacuum) due to fetal distress, Apgar 5’ < 7, neonatal resuscitation at birth and NICU Admission, while controls were women who experienced delivery and birth without APO in the same period. Results Seventy-seven cases and 178 controls that compiled the questionnaire were included in the analysis. Characteristics significantly associated with APO were low education (OR 1.57, CI 95% 1.11–2.22), nulliparity (OR 1.76, CI 95% 1.20–2.58), obesity (OR 1.55, CI 95% 1.10–2.17), neonatal male gender (OR 1.92 CI95% 1.33–2.78) and centile at birth (< 10° and >90°) (OR 2.77, 95%CI 2.17, 3.55). There was no association between any answer about strengths, frequency and vigor of perceived fetal movements and APO. Even any maternal perception of fetal hiccups or uterine contractions wasn’t associated with APO. On the other hand, women who referred to frequent change positions during sleep (OR 1.55 CI95% 1.05–2.30) and women who snore (OR 1.43 CI95% 1.01–2.05) showed a statistically significant increase of APO. Conclusions Our data confirm the significant association between modifiable risk factors (such as obesity and low education) and APO. Thus, healthcare providers should be aware of the importance of intervention in reducing obesity, therefore snoring and related sleep apnea syndrome. Finally, changing position during sleep while not the perception of modified/reduced fetal movements significantly could induce the worst obstetric outcomes.

Perception of Heaviness Induced by Sensorimotor Incongruence Is Associated with Pain Prognosis: A Pilot Study.

Patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain experience not only pain but also abnormal body perception. Such abnormal body perception has been reported to be caused by incongruence between motor intentions and sensory feedback (i.e., sensorimotor incongruence). However, the influence of abnormal body perception with sensorimotor incongruence on pain prognosis in musculoskeletal pain patients has not been investigated. We aimed at clarifying the influence of abnormal body perception on pain prognosis using an experimental procedure for inducing sensorimotor incongruence in patients with musculoskeletal pain. We recruited 18 patients within 2 months after limb fracture or ligament injury. In the experiment, patients sat with the intact upper or lower limb reflected in a large mirror aligned with the sagittal plane. A motor task was performed for 20 seconds in each of the congruent and incongruent conditions. In the congruent condition, patients were asked to perform flexion-extension movements with the intact and affected limbs in-phase, while observing the intact limb in the mirror. In the incongruent condition, patients were asked to perform flexion-extension movements antiphase, while observing the intact limb in the mirror. After performing the congruent and incongruent conditions, patients were asked to complete a questionnaire about abnormal body perception. These procedures were conducted within 2 months after the fracture (first), 2 weeks after the first measurement (second), and 4 weeks (third) after the first measurement. Pain, heaviness, and peculiarity were more likely to be experienced in incongruent conditions. Additionally, structural equation modeling indicated that heaviness at the first time point predicted the pain intensity at the second and third time points. Heaviness caused by sensorimotor incongruence may predict pain prognosis in patients with musculoskeletal pain after one month.

Protocolo diagnóstico de las parestesias y disestesias

Paresthesias are abnormal sensory perceptions in the absence of specific sensory stimuli whereas dysesthesias are abnormal perceptions of real sensory stimuli. When a patient presents with paresthesias and dysesthesias, the manner in which the symptoms started must first be determined and a neurological examination be performed to determine if the abnormality is central or peripheral and if it requires urgent, time-sensitive care (vascular symptoms, spinal cord injuries, acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculopathy). If the paresthesia or dysesthesia affect the majority of a limb or if they are associated with signs of cortical dysfunction (hemianopia, sensory extinction, etc.) or signs of primary motor neuron involvement (hyperreflexia, clonus, or extension plantar reflex), they would initially point to a central abnormality. On the other hand, if the paresthesia or dysesthesia is limited to part of a limb and the area affected is concordant with the skin area innervated by one or several sensory roots of the spinal nerves (dermatome) or by one or various sensory skin nerves and, on the neurological examination, there are no signs of primary motor neuron involvement (normal reflexes, areflexia, hyporeflexia, flexion plantar reflex), they would initially point to a peripheral abnormality.

Mismatch Negativity in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Introduction Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have abnormalities in auditory perception and sensitivity. The mismatch negativity (MMN) component of the evoked potential demonstrates a brain detection response to an auditory change due to memory, and enables the identification of changes in the auditory system. Objective To analyze MMN responses in children and adolescents with ASD and compare them with those of a control group. Methods Cross-sectional and comparative study. The sample was composed of 68 children and adolescents, divided into study group (SG), which contained those diagnosed with ASD, and the control group (CG), which contained those with typical development, normal hearing thresholds, and without hearing complaints. All participants were submitted to peripheral and central electrophysiological auditory evaluations. For the electrophysiological auditory evaluation and MMN recording, the electrodes were fixed in the following positions: Fz (active electrode), M1 and M2 (reference electrodes), and on the forehead (ground electrode). Auditory stimuli were presented in both ears simultaneously, with a frequency of 1,000 Hz for the frequent stimulus, and of 2,000 Hz for the rare stimulus, in an intensity of 80 dBNA. Results Latency and amplitude values were increased in the SG, with a statistically significant difference in comparison with the CG. In the MMN analysis, there was no statistically significant difference in the comparison between right and left ears and between genders. Conclusion Children and adolescents with ASD had higher latency and amplitude values in the MMN component than the individuals in the CG.

Relational memory function in schizophrenia: Electrophysiological evidence for early perceptual and late associative abnormalities.

We used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine encoding and retrieval during episodic memory in people with schizophrenia (SZ) and biological relatives of SZ (SZr). To isolate contextual from item-specific aspects of memory, we employed the Relational and Item-Specific Encoding (RISE) task. Twenty two healthy controls (HCs), 22 SZ, and 19 SZr, encoded visual depictions of objects when displayed alone (item-specific) or in pairs (relational encoding), and were later tested on recognition of specific objects and whether pairs of objects had appeared together. An early posterior component (P2) during encoding predicted later recognition and was diminished in SZ. A late negative potential (LNP) over left frontal brain regions during recognition was larger for relationally encoded objects than new and item-specific encoded objects in HCs. This pattern was absent for SZ and SZr. Smaller P2 and LNP components were associated with greater self-reported cognitive-perceptual abnormalities. Early posterior brain responses likely relevant to perceptual functions supporting memory formation were diminished in schizophrenia. Late frontal electrophysiological responses associated with relational aspects of memory appear diminished in SZ and SZr, potentially reflecting the influence of genetic liability for schizophrenia on brain functions supporting episodic memory.

Cranial Nerve Affection in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Assessed by Corneal Confocal Microscopy, Smell and Taste Tests

Aim. To determine whether adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have morphological changes of the corneal nerve fibers and reduced smell and taste function compared to healthy control subjects as a sign of cranial nerve affection and to evaluate possible associated risk factors for cranial nerve affection. Methods. The study was a part of the T1DANES study including 60 adolescents (15–&lt;19 years) and 23 healthy age-matched controls. First, clinical and biochemical data on the participants were obtained, and the second step involved a test day with neurological examinations including corneal confocal microscopy (CCM), olfactory testing with Sniffin’ Sticks, and gustatory assessment with taste-drop test. Results. The adolescents with T1D (mean diabetes duration 9.8 years, mean HbA1c 61 mmol/mol) had lower CCM parameters (corneal nerve fiber density, corneal nerve branch density, corneal nerve fiber length, and corneal nerve fiber fractal dimension) compared to control subjects (all p &lt; 0.05 ). No differences in total score for smell test ( p = 0.66 ) and taste test ( p = 0.47 ) were found, but adolescents with T1D had reduced ability to taste sweet ( p &lt; 0.01 ). In total, 24% had two or more reduced CCM parameters, 12% had reduced smell test, and 23% had abnormal taste test. Higher waist to height ratio (WHtR) was the only risk factor found for reduced corneal nerve fiber density, and higher BMI-SDS and WHtR were found for impaired taste function. Having abnormal smell test increased the risk for having abnormal taste perception, and vice versa. Conclusion. Up to 29% of adolescents with T1D had abnormal test scores indicating cranial nerve affection. Lower corneal nerve fiber density and reduced ability to taste sweet were found in adolescents with T1D compared to control subjects. Clinical attention to smell and taste function seems important because it requires intervention for advising adolescents with impaired smell and taste function.

The psychosis human connectome project: Design and rationale for studies of visual neurophysiology

Visual perception is abnormal in psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. In addition to hallucinations, laboratory tests show differences in fundamental visual processes including contrast sensitivity, center-surround interactions, and perceptual organization. A number of hypotheses have been proposed to explain visual dysfunction in psychotic disorders, including an imbalance between excitation and inhibition. However, the precise neural basis of abnormal visual perception in people with psychotic psychopathology (PwPP) remains unknown. Here, we describe the behavioral and 7 tesla MRI methods we used to interrogate visual neurophysiology in PwPP as part of the Psychosis Human Connectome Project (HCP). In addition to PwPP (n = 66) and healthy controls (n = 43), we also recruited first-degree biological relatives (n = 44) in order to examine the role of genetic liability for psychosis in visual perception. Our visual tasks were designed to assess fundamental visual processes in PwPP, whereas MR spectroscopy enabled us to examine neurochemistry, including excitatory and inhibitory markers. We show that it is feasible to collect high-quality data across multiple psychophysical, functional MRI, and MR spectroscopy experiments with a sizable number of participants at a single research site. These data, in addition to those from our previously described 3 tesla experiments, will be made publicly available in order to facilitate further investigations by other research groups. By combining visual neuroscience techniques and HCP brain imaging methods, our experiments offer new opportunities to investigate the neural basis of abnormal visual perception in PwPP.

Tongue-Brain-Transported ZnO Nanoparticles Induce Abnormal Taste Perception.

Nanoparticles (NPs) can be transported to the brain, especially through nerves, because of their small size and high biological activity. Previous studies confirmed that zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs can enter the brain through the tongue-brain pathway, but it is unclear whether they will further affect synaptic transmission and brain perception. In this study, it is found that tongue-brain-transported ZnO NPs can cause a decrease in taste sensitivity and taste aversion learning ability, indicating abnormal taste perception. Moreover, the release of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents, the frequency of action potential release, and the expression of c-fos are decreased, suggesting that the synaptic transmission is reduced. To further explore the mechanism, protein chip detection of inflammatory factors is carried out and it is found that neuroinflammation occurs. Importantly, it is found that neuroinflammation originated from neurons. The JAK-STAT signaling pathway is activated, which inhibits the Neurexin1-PSD95-Neurologigin1 pathway and c-fos expression. Blocking the activation of the JAK-STAT pathway prevents neuroinflammation and the reduction in Neurexin1-PSD95-Neurologigin1. These results indicate that ZnO NPs can be transported by the tongue-brain pathway and lead to abnormal taste perception by neuroinflammation-induced deficits in synaptic transmission. The study reveals the influence of ZnO NPs on neuronal function and provides a novel mechanism.