by Francesco Sciancalepore  , Giulia Remoli  , Leonardo Tariciotti  , Giulia Sarti  , Federica Trentin  , Gabriele Riccardi  , Eleonora Lacorte  , Massimo Corbo  , Marco Canevelli  , Nicola Vanacore  and Paola Piscopo

Received: 05 February 2021;  Published: 19 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102097

Deep-Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an important treatment option for the management of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and is a common symptomatic treatment. However, an increasing number of studies have examined the biological processes to assess if DBS can also modify the natural history of PD by acting on its pathophysiological mechanisms. Relevant literature published up to November 2020 was systematically searched on databases such as PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, Academic Search Index, and Science Citation Index. The f [...]

by Anthony J. Berdis

Received: 09 February 2021;  Published: 18 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102096

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an extremely malignant type of primary brain tumor that exhibits a high mortality rate. Current standard therapy involves surgery followed by radiation and treatment with the DNA-alkylating agent, temozolomide (TMZ). While TMZ treatment can extend post-operative survival, most patients develop resistance to TMZ which leads to a significant increase in mortality. At the molecular level, TMZ produces a variety of different DNA lesions including N7-methylguanine, N3-methyladenine, and [...]

by Kristen W. Carlson  , Jay L. Shils  , Sahil Patel  , Longzhi Mei  and Jeffrey E. Arle

Received: 23 November 2020;  Published: 14 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102095

We review the use of numerical and computational models to explore deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease (DBS PD). It is a review for the modeler and those interested in PD DBS modelling methods and their value. The main model categories of active fiber, mean field, driving force, and volume of tissue activated are described as well as many modelling techniques. We give the basic requirements for a DBS PD model and current theories of DBS mechanism of action, PD etiology, and movement selection. The emphas [...]

by Jessica R Turnbull  , Jenna Vyas-Lee  and Sally Hobson

Received: 17 November 2020;  Published: 06 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102094

Sleep-related difficulties are common in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Poor sleep health is associated with detrimental impacts not only for the child/young person, but also their family members. Exercise is considered to be important for sleep health, improving duration and quality of sleep in adult studies, however there is limited literature on impact in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, and barriers to participation exist for this group. We set out to test the feasibility and accep [...]

by Aleksandra Oledzka  and Lynne Ann Barker

Received: 05 March 2019;  Published: 06 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102093

Brain training apps are becoming increasingly popular for at home use and as an adjunct to more traditional therapies. There is uncertainty about whether the effects of brain training transfer to real-world cognition, or performance on other cognitive assessment tests, or is specific only to the brain training app. Executive functions (EF’s) are higher-order cognitive processes important for activities of everyday living and autonomous goal-directed behaviour [1]. EF’s are associated with frontal brain networks tha [...]

by Niamh Flynn

Received: 18 March 2021;  Published: 02 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102092

Although studies to understand the pathogenesis of migraines are in progress, no theory has adequately explained the etiology and pathophysiology of migraines to date. This has affected the development of treatment strategies for migraineurs. Currently, the pharmacological treatment for migraines provides both acute and prophylactic options to patients based on a biomedical model of pain. However, patients’ adherence to oral migraine preventive medication (OMPM) is poor, and their persistence is even lower when the [...]

by Joshua C. Brown  and Jessica L. Broadway

Received: 01 December 2020;  Published: 20 April 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102091

Lamotrigine is generally accepted as a well-tolerated medication with few cognitive side effects. Here, we report a case of a 62-year old female with a severe, rapidly progressive dementia-like process which was completely reversed after reduction of lamotrigine. Associated findings included hyperreflexia with clonus, ataxia, Wernicke-like dysphasia, global cognitive impairment, burst suppression on electroencephalogram (EEG), and bilateral parietal hypo-metabolism on fluorodeoxyglucose-Positron Emission Tomography [...]

by Lina Nguyen  , Gabrielle Romena  , Ethan Nguyen  , Cassandra Tran  , Kaitlyn Nguyen  , Ananya Devarajan  and Henry Hirschberg

Received: 15 December 2020;  Published: 23 March 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2101090

Following post-operative treatment, the vast majority of GBMs recur, usually within 2 cm of the tumor resection margin. Since these tumors seldom metastasize outside the CNS, improved localized therapies should prove beneficial. Drug delivery systems (DDS) that allow control over drug release by an externally applied energy, such as light, have the potential of improving the results of chemotherapy. Light-activated hydrogel DDS, implanted in the operative cavity formed by tumor resection, bypasses the blood brain b [...]

by Edwin Meresh  , Clinton Korneffel  , Bavani Rajah  and Ryan Bergren

Received: 23 December 2020;  Published: 23 March 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2101089

Catatonia can occur in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and malignant catatonia is life threatening. Anti-psychotic medications should be discontinued during acute phase of catatonia. Anti-psychotic discontinuation in catatonia is a challenge in patients maintained on long-acting injectable antipsychotics because of the extended release. Case report: We present a case of malignant catatonia developed in a patient with history of schizophrenia and developmental delay. Symptoms lasted severa [...]

by Dorit Shoval  , Nama Tal  and Orna Tzischinsky

Received: 21 July 2020;  Published: 08 March 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2101088

The present study was aimed to examine the relationship of sleep–smartphone hygiene, i.e., the habits of smartphone usage in the sleep environment, with the sleep quality among students and whether this relationship could be explained through psychological factors. A total of 467 Israeli college students were investigated using five questionnaires, namely, Sleep–Smartphone Hygiene Questionnaire (SSHQ), Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOs), Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and a [...]