Relationship Between Pain, Anxiety and Fatigue and Knee Position Sense, Balance and Dual Task Performance...
Multiple SclerosisMenstrual Pain3 moreThis study was carried out to investigate the relationship between pain, anxiety and fatigue and knee position sense, balance and dual task performance during menstrual cycle in females with Multiple Sclerosis (FwMS). In the neurologic group, especially in MS patients, it is well known that disease activity, course, and symptoms can be influenced by the menstrual cycle. Previous studies have reported that the fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone during the menstrual cycle may have an effect on several neurological functions. Menstrual-related symptomatology has primarily been studied as a physiological phenomenon. Increased neurological symptoms, physical disorders and behavioral changes have been reported just before or at the beginning of menstruation in FwMS. For all these reasons,investigators think that relationship between pain, anxiety and fatigue and knee position sense, balance and dual task performance during menstrual cycle in FwMS.
RICALOR Italian Registry for Complications During Regional Anesthesia
Spinal HematomaSpinal Abscess3 moreRegional anesthesia is the cornerstone of modern postoperative analgesia, but concerns remain about possible adverse effects and complication. RICALOR Group Investigators developed a national registry to register the incidence of regional anesthesia-associated complications and to identify possible risk factors.
Study of Brain Changes Shaped by Experience
HealthyNeurologic ManifestationsThis study will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to explore how the brain changes (reorganizes itself) in response to learning and to brain lesions in healthy people and people with various physical disabilities. Normal volunteers and patients with disabilities including blindness, limb amputation, hemispherectomy (removal of a cerebral hemisphere), and stroke may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with medical and neurological examinations. Participants will have MRI scans while they lie still or perform certain movements, as instructed. MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves instead of X-rays to show structural and chemical changes in tissues. During the scan, the subject lies on a table in a narrow cylinder containing a magnetic field. He or she can speak with a staff member through an intercom system at all times during the procedure. All participants will first have a scan to show brain structure, which will take about 30 minutes. A second scan will measure blood flow or biochemical concentration and will take from 1 to 2 1/2 hours. Depending on their disability, patients will participate in one of the following tests: Blindness-This will study the ability of blind people to process tactile information. Stroke- This will study mechanisms underlying recovery of motor function after stroke. The patient will perform voluntary movements or remain still during the scan. Amputation- This will study mechanisms underlying the ability of the brain to reorganize after amputation. The patient will move different parts of the body or remain still during the scan. Hemispherectomy- This will study mechanisms underlying the ability of one side of the brain to control movements of both arms. The patient will make different kinds of movements during the scan. Normal volunteers will participate in one of the following tests: Use-dependent plasticity- This will evaluate the effectiveness of amphetamine and placebo in demonstrating brain flexibility. The volunteer will take an amphetamine or placebo (inactive pill) before the scan and then perform a specific exercise using the thumb. Motor fatigue- This will study the mechanisms that underlie fatigue, which affect many patients with neurological conditions. The volunteer will contract muscles in the forearm and hand for several minutes until he or she feels fatigue. Light deprivation- This will evaluate changes in the brain that occur after light deprivation. The volunteer will remain at rest in the scanner for up to 150 minutes. Somatosensory stimulation-This will examine whether stimulation of the wrist can cause changes in hand representation in the part of the brain that controls movement. The volunteer will make hand movements at different times during the test. In addition, mild electric shocks will be delivered to the wrist for up to 2 hours. Although the shock intensity is regulated to avoid pain, there may be some discomfort.
Safety and Feasibility of ExAblate Neuro System to Perform Auto-Focusing Echo Imaging in Patients...
TremorEssential2 moreThe objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and feasibility of Auto Focusing (AF) echo imaging using the ExAblate Neuro system
Saving Brain in Uganda and Burkina Faso
Poor Performance StatusNeurologic Deficits4 moreThe study will estimate the effect of peer-counseling for exclusive breast feeding (EBF) in the first 6 months of life on cognition and other determinants of human capital formation including behavioral and emotional status; school readiness and attainment; health status; fine and gross motor skills; physical growth; and household economic status.
Development of Potential Biomarkers for Foetal Brain Development After Congenital CMV Infection...
Cytomegalovirus InfectionsNeurologic DysfunctionCytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of congenital infection, with approximately 0.5% of pregnant women being infected during pregnancy. CMV transmission to the fetus occurs in about one third of women who are infected in first trimester. Babies infected before birth are at risk for serious neurological complications such as intellectual disability, seizures, deafness, and even death. Most couples facing a diagnosis of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in their unborn baby focus heavily on the predicted neurological outcome for their child. To date, methods to assess brain development in fetuses have been mainly limited to detecting structural brain abnormalities by ultrasound. However, these ultrasound signs may not become apparent until very late in pregnancy, and some neurological disability is not accompanied by any structural brain changes. More research on methods of predicting neurodevelopmental outcome independent of structural brain malformations before third trimester is urgently needed. The purpose of this study is to investigate a new method of studying the health of unborn babies using amniotic fluid. Amniocentesis is often performed after maternal CMV infection to diagnose fetal infection. Prior research by Dr Hui has demonstrated that cell free RNA in amniotic fluid can provide meaningful information from multiple organs including the fetal brain. The investigators propose to collect and analyse a small sample of amniotic fluid to detect which genes are turned "on" or "off" (gene expression) in a fetus that has a congenital CMV infection, compared to those without any infection. The genes that are differentially expressed in CMV infected fetuses will then be analysed to provide information on the broad physiological processes that are altered due to the infection ("functional analysis") and identify neurodevelopmental gene transcripts of interest for future studies ("biomarker discovery").
HIERARCHY OF VISION
Neurologic SignsLittle is known about the exact role of feedback in cortical processing. Hypotheses on its function range from attentional control to the transmission of Bayesian priors in the interpretation of sensory events, such as in the theory of Predictive Coding. Recent advances in identification of functional signatures of feedback and feedforward signal, as well as additional techniques based on causal relations in signal processing open a unique methodology for probing such processes in awake and behaving organisms and testing these theories and more generally the hierarchical processing between cortical areas. The objective of this project is to study feedback and feedforward relations and localization in the well established pathways between cortical areas V1 and Medial Temporal (MT) that have been implicated in early integration processes in motion perception.
Non-Motor Features of Cervical Dystonia (CD)
Cervical DystoniaMovement Disorders6 moreThis study will examine the prevalence of four previously identified non-motor markers in a population of cervical dystonia patients, unaffected family members, and healthy volunteers in an attempt to identify a distinct combination of non-motor symptoms that may be indicative of disease development.
Preliminary Study of the Scale To Assess Ataxia and Neurologic Dysfunction (STAND)
Spinocerebellar Ataxia - All Sub-typesFriedreich's AtaxiaThe objectives of this study are: To validate the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of a new scale for the assessment of ataxia and neurologic dysfunction (STAND) To assess common constructs and correlation between STAND subscale items.
New CVD Risk Factors for Lowered Cognitive Functioning
Cardiovascular DiseasesHeart Diseases2 moreTo explore the associations between cognitive functioning and three major cardiovascular disease risk factors: high blood pressure; high total plasma homocysteine (tHcy); and ApoE e4 genotype.