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Reviews in the Neurosciences Aug 2021The sudden and storming onset of coronavirus 2 infection (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2]) was associated by severe acute respiratory... (Review)
Review
The sudden and storming onset of coronavirus 2 infection (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2]) was associated by severe acute respiratory syndrome. Recently, corona virus disease 19 (COVID-19) has appeared as a pandemic throughout the world. The mutational nature of the virus, along with the different means of entering and spreading throughout the body has involved different organs. Thus, patients are faced with a wide range of symptoms and signs. Neurological symptoms, such as anosmia, agnosia, stroke, paralysis, cranial nerve deficits, encephalopathy, meningitis, delirium and seizures, are reported as common complications affecting the course of the disease and its treatment. In this review, special attention was paid to reports that addressed the acute or chronic neurological manifestations in COVID-19 patients who may present acute respiratory syndrome or not. Moreover, we discussed the central (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) complications in SARS-Cov2-infected patients, and also the pathophysiology of neurological abnormalities in COVID-19.
Topics: Brain; COVID-19; Humans; Nervous System Diseases; RNA, Viral; SARS-CoV-2; Seizures; Stroke
PubMed: 33583157
DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2020-0116 -
Cortex; a Journal Devoted To the Study... May 2023COVID-19 can cause psychological problems including loss of smell and taste, long-lasting memory, speech, and language impairments, and psychosis. Here, we provide the...
COVID-19 can cause psychological problems including loss of smell and taste, long-lasting memory, speech, and language impairments, and psychosis. Here, we provide the first report of prosopagnosia following symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Annie is a 28-year-old woman who had normal face recognition prior to contracting COVID-19 in March 2020. Two months later, she noticed face recognition difficulties while experiencing symptom relapses and her deficits with faces have persisted. On two tests of familiar face recognition and two tests of unfamiliar face recognition, Annie showed clear impairments. In contrast, she scored normally on tests assessing face detection, face identity perception, object recognition, scene recognition, and non-visual memory. Navigational deficits frequently co-occur with prosopagnosia, and Annie reports that her navigational abilities are substantially worse than before she became ill. Self-report survey data from 54 respondents with long COVID showed that a majority reported reductions in visual recognition and navigation abilities. In summary, Annie's results indicate that COVID-19 can produce severe and selective neuropsychological impairments similar to deficits seen following brain damage, and it appears that high-level visual impairments are not uncommon in people with long COVID.
Topics: Humans; Female; Adult; Prosopagnosia; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; COVID-19; Face; Recognition, Psychology; Pattern Recognition, Visual
PubMed: 36966620
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.01.012 -
Alzheimer's Research & Therapy Jul 2023Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disease in the central nervous system and is the primary cause of dementia. It is clinically... (Review)
Review
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disease in the central nervous system and is the primary cause of dementia. It is clinically characterized by the memory impairment, aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, visuospatial and executive dysfunction, behavioral changes, and so on. Incidence of this disease was bound up with age, genetic factors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular dysfunction, and other basic diseases, but the exact etiology has not been clarified. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous non-coding RNAs that were involved in the regulation of post-transcriptional gene expression. miRNAs have been extensively studied as noninvasive potential biomarkers for disease due to their relative stability in bodily fluids. In addition, they play a significant role in the physiological and pathological processes of various neurological disorders, including stroke, AD, and Parkinson's disease. MiR-155, as an important pro-inflammatory mediator of neuroinflammation, was reported to participate in the progression of β-amyloid peptide and tau via regulating immunity and inflammation. In this review, we put emphasis on the effects of miR-155 on AD and explore the underlying biological mechanisms which could provide a novel approach for diagnosis and treatment of AD.
Topics: Humans; Alzheimer Disease; Neurodegenerative Diseases; MicroRNAs; Amyloid beta-Peptides; Risk Factors
PubMed: 37452431
DOI: 10.1186/s13195-023-01264-z -
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease : JAD 2021D. Frank Benson and colleagues first described the clinical and neuropathological features of posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) from patients in the UCLA Neurobehavior... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
D. Frank Benson and colleagues first described the clinical and neuropathological features of posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) from patients in the UCLA Neurobehavior Program.
OBJECTIVE
We reviewed the Program's subsequent clinical experience with PCA, and its potential for clarifying this relatively rare syndrome in comparison to the accumulated literature on PCA.
METHODS
Using the original criteria derived from this clinic, 65 patients with neuroimaging-supported PCA were diagnosed between 1995 and 2020.
RESULTS
On presentation, most had visual localization complaints and related visuospatial symptoms, but nearly half had memory complaints followed by symptoms of depression. Neurobehavioral testing showed predominant difficulty with visuospatial constructions, Gerstmann's syndrome, and Balint's syndrome, but also impaired memory and naming. On retrospective application of the current Consensus Criteria for PCA, 59 (91%) met PCA criteria with a modification allowing for "significantly greater visuospatial over memory and naming deficits." There were 37 deaths (56.9%) with the median overall survival of 10.3 years (95% CI: 9.6-13.6 years), consistent with a slow neurodegenerative disorder in most patients.
CONCLUSION
Together, these findings recommend modifying the PCA criteria for "relatively spared" memory, language, and behavior to include secondary memory and naming difficulty and depression, with increased emphasis on the presence of Gerstmann's and Balint's syndromes.
Topics: Agnosia; Alzheimer Disease; Atrophy; Biomarkers; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Gerstmann Syndrome; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neuroimaging; Neuropsychological Tests; Occipital Lobe; Parietal Lobe
PubMed: 34057092
DOI: 10.3233/JAD-210368 -
Current Neurology and Neuroscience... Nov 2023To investigate the neurofunctional correlates of pure auditory agnosia and its varieties (global, verbal, and nonverbal), based on 116 anatomoclinical reports published... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
To investigate the neurofunctional correlates of pure auditory agnosia and its varieties (global, verbal, and nonverbal), based on 116 anatomoclinical reports published between 1893 and 2022, with emphasis on hemispheric lateralization, intrahemispheric lesion site, underlying cognitive impairments.
RECENT FINDINGS
Pure auditory agnosia is rare, and observations accumulate slowly. Recent patient reports and neuroimaging studies on neurotypical subjects offer insights into the putative mechanisms underlying auditory agnosia, while challenging traditional accounts. Global auditory agnosia frequently results from bilateral temporal damage. Verbal auditory agnosia strictly correlates with language-dominant hemisphere lesions. Damage involves the auditory pathways, but the critical lesion site is unclear. Both the auditory cortex and associative areas are reasonable candidates, but cases resulting from brainstem damage are on record. The hemispheric correlates of nonverbal auditory input disorders are less clear. They correlate with unilateral damage to either hemisphere, but evidence is scarce. Based on published cases, pure auditory agnosias are neurologically and functionally heterogeneous. Phenotypes are influenced by co-occurring cognitive impairments. Future studies should start from these facts and integrate patient data and studies in neurotypical individuals.
Topics: Humans; Agnosia; Auditory Perception
PubMed: 37747655
DOI: 10.1007/s11910-023-01302-1 -
Bosnian Journal of Basic Medical... Nov 2019Optogenetics is an emerging field, which uses light and molecular genetics to manipulate the activity of live cells by expressing light-sensitive proteins. With the... (Review)
Review
Optogenetics is an emerging field, which uses light and molecular genetics to manipulate the activity of live cells by expressing light-sensitive proteins. With the discovery of bacteriorhodopsin, a light-sensitive bacterial protein, in 1971 Oesterhelt and Stoeckenius laid the pavement of optogenetics. However, the cross-integration of different disciplines is a little more than a decade old. The toolbox contains fluorescent sensors and optogenetic actuators that enable visualization of signaling events and manipulation of cellular activities, respectively. Neuropathic pain is pain caused either by damage or disease that affects the somatosensory system. The exact mechanism for neuropathic pain is not known, however proposed mechanisms include immune reactions, ion channel expressions, and inflammation. Current regimen for the disease provides about 50% relief for only 40-60% of patients. Recent in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrate the potential therapeutic applications of optogenetics by manipulating the activity of neurons. This review summarizes the basic concept, therapeutic applications for neuropathy, and potential of optogenetics to reach from bench to bedside in the near future.
Topics: Agnosia; Animals; Bacteriorhodopsins; Blood-Brain Barrier; Chronic Pain; Epigenesis, Genetic; Humans; Inflammation; Interdisciplinary Research; Ion Channels; Light; Neuralgia; Neurons; Optogenetics; Pain Management; Retinitis Pigmentosa; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 30995901
DOI: 10.17305/bjbms.2019.4114 -
Neuropsychologia Feb 2023Healthy observers recognize more accurately same-than other-race faces (i.e., the Same-Race Recognition Advantage - SRRA) but categorize them by race more slowly than...
Healthy observers recognize more accurately same-than other-race faces (i.e., the Same-Race Recognition Advantage - SRRA) but categorize them by race more slowly than other-race faces (i.e., the Other-Race Categorization Advantage - ORCA). Several fMRI studies reported discrepant bilateral activations in the Fusiform Face Area (FFA) and Occipital Face Area (OFA) correlating with both effects. However, due to the very nature and limits of fMRI results, whether these face-sensitive regions play an unequivocal causal role in those other-race effects remains to be clarified. To this aim, we tested PS, a well-studied pure case of acquired prosopagnosia with lesions encompassing the left FFA and the right OFA. PS, healthy age-matched and young adults performed two recognition and three categorization by race tasks, respectively using Western Caucasian and East Asian faces normalized for their low-level properties with and without-external features, as well as in naturalistic settings. As expected, PS was slower and less accurate than the controls. Crucially, however, the magnitudes of her SRRA and ORCA were comparable to the controls in all the tasks. Our data show that prosopagnosia does not abolish other-race effects, as an intact face system, the left FFA and/or right OFA are not critical for eliciting the SRRA and ORCA. Race is a strong visual and social signal that is encoded in a large neural face-sensitive network, robustly tuned for processing same-race faces.
Topics: Female; Humans; Young Adult; Cerebral Cortex; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Prosopagnosia; Recognition, Psychology; White People; East Asian People
PubMed: 36623806
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108479 -
Scientific Reports Jul 2021Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a selective neurodevelopmental condition defined by lifelong impairments in face recognition. Despite much research, the extent to...
Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a selective neurodevelopmental condition defined by lifelong impairments in face recognition. Despite much research, the extent to which DP is associated with broader visual deficits beyond face processing is unclear. Here we investigate whether DP is accompanied by deficits in colour perception. We tested a large sample of 92 DP individuals and 92 sex/age-matched controls using the well-validated Ishihara and Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue tests to assess red-green colour deficiencies and hue discrimination abilities. Group-level analyses show comparable performance between DP and control individuals across both tests, and single-case analyses indicate that the prevalence of colour deficits is low and comparable to that in the general population. Our study clarifies that DP is not linked to colour perception deficits and constrains theories of DP that seek to account for a larger range of visual deficits beyond face recognition.
Topics: Adult; Color Perception; Discrimination, Psychological; Electroencephalography; Facial Recognition; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Photic Stimulation; Prosopagnosia; Visual Perception; Young Adult
PubMed: 34215772
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92840-6 -
Brain Sciences Apr 2022Visuo-motor adaptation to optical prisms ( PA), displacing the visual scene laterally, is a behavioral method used for the experimental investigation of visuomotor...
Visuo-motor adaptation to optical prisms ( PA), displacing the visual scene laterally, is a behavioral method used for the experimental investigation of visuomotor plasticity, and, in clinical settings, for temporarily ameliorating and rehabilitating unilateral spatial neglect. This study investigated the building up of PA, and the presence of the typically occurring subsequent (AEs) in a brain-damaged patient (TMA), suffering from apperceptive agnosia and a right visual half-field defect, with bilateral atrophy of the parieto-occipital cortices, regions involved in PA and AEs. Base-Right prisms and control neutral lenses were used. PA was achieved by repeated pointing movements toward three types of stimuli: visual, auditory, and bimodal audio-visual. The presence and the magnitude of AEs were assessed by proprioceptive, visual, visuo-proprioceptive, and auditory-proprioceptive straight-ahead pointing tasks. The patient's brain connectivity was investigated by Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). Unlike control participants, TMA did not show any adaptation to prism exposure, but her AEs were largely preserved. These findings indicate that AEs may occur even in the absence of PA, as indexed by the reduction of the pointing error, showing a dissociation between the classical measures of PA and AEs. In the PA process, error reduction, and its feedback, may be less central to the building up of AEs, than the sensorimotor pointing activity per se.
PubMed: 35448011
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12040480 -
Brain : a Journal of Neurology Feb 2021Vestibular dysfunction, causing dizziness and imbalance, is a common yet poorly understood feature in patients with TBI. Damage to the inner ear, nerve, brainstem,...
Vestibular dysfunction, causing dizziness and imbalance, is a common yet poorly understood feature in patients with TBI. Damage to the inner ear, nerve, brainstem, cerebellum and cerebral hemispheres may all affect vestibular functioning, hence, a multi-level assessment-from reflex to perception-is required. In a previous report, postural instability was the commonest neurological feature in ambulating acute patients with TBI. During ward assessment, we also frequently observe a loss of vertigo sensation in patients with acute TBI, common inner ear conditions and a related vigorous vestibular-ocular reflex nystagmus, suggesting a 'vestibular agnosia'. Patients with vestibular agnosia were also more unbalanced; however, the link between vestibular agnosia and imbalance was confounded by the presence of inner ear conditions. We investigated the brain mechanisms of imbalance in acute TBI, its link with vestibular agnosia, and potential clinical impact, by prospective laboratory assessment of vestibular function, from reflex to perception, in patients with preserved peripheral vestibular function. Assessment included: vestibular reflex function, vestibular perception by participants' report of their passive yaw rotations in the dark, objective balance via posturography, subjective symptoms via questionnaires, and structural neuroimaging. We prospectively screened 918 acute admissions, assessed 146 and recruited 37. Compared to 37 matched controls, patients showed elevated vestibular-perceptual thresholds (patients 12.92°/s versus 3.87°/s) but normal vestibular-ocular reflex thresholds (patients 2.52°/s versus 1.78°/s). Patients with elevated vestibular-perceptual thresholds [3 standard deviations (SD) above controls' average], were designated as having vestibular agnosia, and displayed worse posturography than non-vestibular-agnosia patients, despite no difference in vestibular symptom scores. Only in patients with impaired postural control (3 SD above controls' mean), whole brain diffusion tensor voxel-wise analysis showed elevated mean diffusivity (and trend lower fractional anisotropy) in the inferior longitudinal fasciculus in the right temporal lobe that correlated with vestibular agnosia severity. Thus, impaired balance and vestibular agnosia are co-localized to the inferior longitudinal fasciculus in the right temporal lobe. Finally, a clinical audit showed a sevenfold reduction in clinician recognition of a common peripheral vestibular condition (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) in acute patients with clinically apparent vestibular agnosia. That vestibular agnosia patients show worse balance, but without increased dizziness symptoms, explains why clinicians may miss treatable vestibular diagnoses in these patients. In conclusion, vestibular agnosia mediates imbalance in traumatic brain injury both directly via white matter tract damage in the right temporal lobe, and indirectly via reduced clinical recognition of common, treatable vestibular diagnoses.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Agnosia; Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Dizziness; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Postural Balance; Reflex, Righting; Vestibule, Labyrinth; White Matter; Young Adult
PubMed: 33367536
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa386