Archives of Neuroscience

Review Article

11/6/2016

A Review of the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Hooshang Dadgar, Javad Alaghband Rad, Anahita Khorrami, Zahra Soleymani

Many researchers are focusing on different medication and intervention methods to treat problems associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is one of the novel techniques that currently have been investigated as a treatment for certain symptoms of autism. The aim of this study was to review the available evidence to determine the efficacy of TMS in autism. Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, Wiley, Ovid and Google Scholar databases were searched for relevant controlled clinical trials. The terms “autism, autism spectrum disorders combined with transcranial magnetic stimulation, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation” were used as text words. Most of these studies targeted the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and used low-frequency stimulation. These studies had some limitations; however, the results of all of them showed that TMS is effective in improvement of ASD symptoms. Moreover, repetitive TMS might become useful in the rehabilitation of ASD patients. Finally, integrated approaches utilizing TMS together with other rehabilitation techniques, as well as using TMS to target the objective problems in ASD are proposed.

Review Article

5/6/2016

Fingolimod for Multiple Sclerosis; Mechanism of Action, Safety and Toxicity

Zahra Tolou-Ghamari, Hamid Mazdak

Results: In patients with MS due to multifactorial pathogenesis, in both white and gray matter of CNS, multifocal lesions might be recognized. CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ effector T cells, sensitive to CNS myelin antigens, are assumed to facilitate the preliminary stage of injury formation. Fingolimod -therapy in patients at the RRMS phase, reserve lymphocyte egress from lymphocyte nodes and disturb its’ recirculation in the CNS. Previous clinical trials confirmed that once-daily oral administration of 0.5 mg fingolimod for one year causes a decrease in annualized relapse rate. Reduction in the annualized relapse rate has been reported, related to the study of 249 patients with RRMS. Reduction in disability progression after three and six months has been reported, respectively. The numbers of new or newly enlarged T₂ lesions were shown to have reduced. Head cold, headache, fatigue, macular edema, herpes and zoster infections, bradycardia, relapse and basal-cell carcinoma have been reported as side-effects related to finglimod-therapy for MS.

Conclusions: However, fingolimod-therapy could provide flexibility regarding the ease of oral use for patients with RRMS, but rationalization related to the prescription are largely based on inter- and intra- individual variation. Due to unpredictability in disease manifestation and its’ progression, caution must be taken with drug prescription. Additional studies based on advanced pharmacotherapy trials appear to be valuable.

Research Article

23/4/2016

An Institutional Experience with Microsurgical Clipping of 170 Consecutive Cases of Intracranial Aneurysms: A Retrospective Data Analysis of Personal Cases

Manas Kumar Panigrahi, Manoranjitha Kumari Mani

Patients and Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of case records of patients who had been treated for symptomatic intracranial aneurysms, including both ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms, at Krishna institute of medical sciences from January 2010 to December 2013. A total of 230 patients, who had clinical and radiological evidence of symptomatic intracranial aneurysms, were admitted into the study. Of the total number of patients, 170 had been managed with microsurgical clipping. The patient’s demographics, the features of the aneurysms, clinical grades, cost effectiveness, and outcomes were analyzed. Excluded from the study were 60 patients who had been treated with the endovascular technique.

Results: Of a total of 170 patients who underwent surgical clipping, 158 (93%) patients had an aneurysm in the anterior circulation and 12 (7%) in the posterior circulation. In the study group, 160 (94%) patients survived and 10 (6%) patients expired. One patient (0.58%) in the clipping group had a rebleed, and 4 (6.6%) patients from the coiling group eventually underwent clipping due to failed coiling. The average duration of hospital stay for the study group was 13 days and the cost for the treatment was Rs 2, 89, 238. The reasons for clipping in our patients were complex aneurysmal anatomy, difficulty accessing the aneurysm and MCA location in 60 (35%) patients, cost factor in 72 (42%) patients, non-availability of endovascular operator and hardware in 17 (10%) patients, associated hematoma requiring evacuation in 17 (10%) patients, and failure of the endovascular technique in 4 (2.5%) patients. Regarding outcomes, 83% of patients experienced a good outcome and 17% experienced a bad outcome.

Letter

6/6/2016

Transjugular Endoscopic Approach to Inframeatal Space: A Theoretical Approach

Mojtaba Rismanchi

Editorial

13/2/2016

Transcranial Sonography (TCS) and Extrapyramidal Diseases: An Evolving Story

Enzo Sanzaro

Case Report

5/6/2016

Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm With Refractory Central Vomiting: A Case Report

Masood Mehrpour, Leila Hashami, Elham Ghaebi, Fatemeh Taherian, Hoda Karimiyan

Case Presentation: We described a 59-year-old man with refractory nausea and vomiting. He was evaluated completely for this problem yet no gastrointestinal pathology was found. Gastroenterologic examination was normal and he was referred to our center for neurological evaluation. We found anterior communicating artery aneurysm in his brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This finding was confirmed by digital subtraction angiogram (DSA). It was decided to coil the aneurysm. After aneurysm embolization, the patient’s symptoms were surprisingly improved completely.

Research Article

8/6/2016

Major Causes of Drug Abuse From the Viewpoint of Addicted Persons Referred to Addiction Treatment Centers of Tabriz City, Iran

Mahnaz Pourallahvirdi, Farzad Rahmani, Fatemeh Ranjbar, Haniyeh Ebrahimi Bakhtavar, Arezu Ettehadi

Review Article

7/6/2016

Nature and History of Ebola Virus: An Overview

Muhammad Umair Majid, Muhammad Sufyan Tahir, Qurban Ali, Abdul Qayyum Rao, Bushra Rashid, Arfan Ali, Idrees Ahmad Nasir, Tayyab Husnain

Research Article

6/6/2016

Expression of TRPV1 Receptors Increased in Hippocampus Following Pentylenetetrazole-Induced Kindling in Male Rats

Ali Shamsizadeh, Farangis Fatehi, Fatemeh Khajehasani, Gholamhossein Hassanshahi, Mohammad Kazemi Arababadi

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 14 male Wistar rats were allocated into two groups of experimental and control (seven rats in each group). The kindling group received a subconvulsive dose of PTZ (35 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) every 48 hours for 15 sessions, while the control rats were injected with an equal dose of saline. At the end of the injections, rats were decapitated, and their brains were removed. TRPV1 receptor expression in hippocampus region was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction method.

Case Report

6/6/2016

An Unusual Location for Sphenopalatine Ganglion in the Pterygopalatine Fossa Which May Facilitate Radiofrequency Neurolysis: A Case Report

Hossein Majedi, S. Ali Emami, S. Maryam Hosseini, Abbas Tafakhori

In this paper we demonstrated an unusual location for sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) in the pterygopalatine fossa in a 33-year-old woman with intractable atypical trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia, who was a candidate for radiofrequency (RF) thermocoagulation of SPG. The classic radiographic target point is deeply situated in the uppermost part of the sphenopalatine (SP) fossa. This point can be classically addressed in the superomedial angle of the maxillary sinus, adjacent to the lateral wall of the nasal cavity in the AP view of C-Arm fluoroscopy images. In this patient placing the needle deeply in the SP fossa was not possible. However, sensory stimulation of SPG was associated with a satisfactory response and subsequent RF denervation led to adequate pain reduction. This report demonstrated that in difficult technical situations, when advancing the needle deeply in the SP fossa is not easily possible; adequate outcome of the sensory stimulation of the area, may justify accomplishing the procedure. This technique used in a more superficial location in SP fossa will reduce frequent attempts of needle manipulation, hematoma formation, vascular and neural injury, X-Ray exposure and eventually intranasal placement of the needle.

Archives of Neuroscience: Jul 2016, 3 (3), 10 articles.