by Daniel Z. Lieberman  , Sara Teichholtz  and Brenna R. Emery

Received: 25 February 2019;  Published: 28 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902030

Is it ethically permissible to sacrifice the life of one human being in order to save the lives of five others? This question forms the basis of the famous thought experiment called “the trolley problem.” Surveys have found that 90 percent of people agree it is permissible when the victim to be sacrificed is described as off in the distance, whereas the opposite result occurs if the victim is described as up close. No consistent ethical principle has been identified that account for these results. In this paper we [...]

by Kelly P. Attard  , Robert JT Adams  , Andrew Vakulin  and Amy C. Reynolds

Received: 22 March 2019;  Published: 27 June 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902029

Inadequate sleep is a largely under recognised problem in Australia despite researchers consistently highlighting it as a key component of health and wellbeing. Over a third of Australian adults now experience some form of inadequate sleep, which is consistently linked to a range of accompanying physical and mental health concerns. In addition to the health burden on the individual, the associated financial burden incurred by the community is extremely high with inadequate sleep costing over 66.3 billion annually i [...]

by Laura Alonso Canal  , Cecilia Paredes Mercado  , María José Quiles Blanco  and Marco Motta Calderón

Received: 01 April 2019;  Published: 14 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902028

Lyme disease is a spirochetal illness transmitted primarily through the bite of ticks. The disease has a broad spectrum of comorbid conditions including osteoarticular, cardiovascular, and neurological involvement. In addition, clinical variability depends on the age of affected individuals. The Center for Disease Control recognizes the disease as an epidemic and mentions it to be a major morbidity burden in our environment because of the frequent lack of diagnosis and early treatment. Scientific literature mention [...]

by Ekta Kumari  , Fernando J. Velloso  and Steven W. Levison

Received: 13 February 2019;  Published: 13 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902027

A number of studies have highlighted the connection between infections during pregnancy in mothers and increased risk for neuropsychiatric disorders later in life leading to the view that maternal immune activation is a significant contributor to psychiatric illnesses. Meta-analyses have revealed associations between the incidence of premature birth and perinatal inflammation with smaller total brain volumes, cognitive, motor and behavioral deficits in childhood and adolescents. In animal studies where inflammati [...]

by Paul D. Loprinzi

Received: 30 March 2019;  Published: 10 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902026

Objective: The objective of this paper was to evaluate the extent to which exercise may influence long-term potentiation (LTP), a key cellular correlate of episodic memory function. Methods: Studies were identified using electronic databases, including PubMed, PsychInfo, Sports Discus and Google Scholar. Results: The computerized searches revealed 20 articles meeting the study criteria. Among these 20 evaluated articles, 17 were conducted in an animal model and 3 among humans. All 17 of these studies, with the exce [...]

by Antonio Meola

Received: 05 May 2019;  Published: 08 May 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902025

by Laura Alonso Canal  , Inmaculada Carreras Sáez  , María Concepción Fournier del Castill  , Julia Asensio Antón  , Inmaculada de Prada Vicente  , Carlos Isasi Zaragoza  , Javier Tejada Gallego  and María José Martínez-Gómez

Received: 17 December 2018;  Published: 03 April 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1902024

Background: The association between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and celiac disease has already been established. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), as well as celiac disease, has been associated with neuro-psychiatric disorders. Our objective is to assess if a proportion of pediatric ADHD patients are affected by NCGS and could consequently benefit from a gluten-free diet. Methods: Pilot study of 6 ADHD patients. Personal or family history suggestive of NCGS was investigated. The Conners Cont [...]

by Minako Ito  , Tanakorn Srirat  , Toshihiro Nakamura  , Kyoko Komai  and Akihiko Yoshimura

Received: 13 January 2019;  Published: 27 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1901023

Inflammation and immune responses after stroke, including ischemic cerebral infarction, play pivotal roles in the pathology, resolution of inflammation, and neurological recovery. Regulatory T (Treg) cells are the cells responsible for immune tolerance, usually activated by secondary lymphatic tissues, which subsequently regulate effector T cell activation and dendritic cell activation. Recently, Tregs that are present in tissues, called tissue Tregs, have been shown to exhibit tissue-specific functions in addition [...]

by Tina Zhou  , Sara Khan  , Ron Firestein  , Peter Downie  and Jason E Cain

Received: 29 November 2018;  Published: 12 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1901022

Pediatric brain tumors account for approximately 25% of all cancers in children and are currently the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the pediatric population with an estimated incidence of 5.14 cases per 100,000 person years [1]. Up to 10-15% of all pediatric brain tumors arise in the brainstem, with the majority of these classified as the diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) subtype [2]. The outcome of children with DIPG remains dismal with a median survival of <1 year. Owing to the unique locatio [...]

by Alberto Feletti  , Elena Bianchini  , Anna De Gaetano  , Lara Gibellini  , Sara De Biasi  , Giacomo Pavesi  , Anna Vittoria Mattioli  , Milena Nasi  , Andrea Cossarizza  and Marcello Pinti

Received: 26 November 2018;  Published: 04 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1901021

Hemangioblastomas (HBs) are benign, highly vascularized tumors of the central nervous system. Approximately 75% of HBs are sporadic, while 25% are associated with von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) disease. HBs consist of two main components: a rich capillary network composed of vascular endothelia and pericytes, within large vacuolated stromal cells, which harbor the genetic defect. The mechanism by which the VHL gene product (pVHL) causes HB is not completely clear. Wild-type pVHL is involved in the response to hypoxia, tar [...]