by Sergey Yu. Udovichenko  , Alexander D. Pisarev  , Alexander N. Busygin  , Abdulla H. Ebrahim  , Andrey N. Bobylev  and Alexey A. Gubin

Received: 14 June 2022;  Published: 22 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203134

In the present study, we present the results of the modeling of incoming information processing in a neuroprocessor that implements a biomorphic spiking neural network with numerous neurons and trainable synaptic connections between them. Physico-mathematical models of processes of encoding information into biomorphic pulses and their decoding following a neural block into a binary code were developed as well as models of the process of routing the output pulses of neurons by the logic matrix to the synapses of oth [...]

by Damiana Scuteri  , Paolo Tonin  , Maria Tiziana Corasaniti  and Giacinto Bagetta

Received: 05 July 2022;  Published: 14 September 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203133

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) accounts for 50–70% of cases of dementia worldwide and is a social burden to the affected population. Although several pathogenetic hypotheses have been proposed, evidence favoring the role of aberrant neuroplasticity in the development of the neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with dementia is increasing. Specifically, agitation is resistant to treatment and affects the quality of life, also because of the lack of safe and effective treatment for AD. Alterations in pain processing due to [...]

by Tyrone Pretorius  and Anita Padmanabhanunni

Received: 01 May 2022;  Published: 17 August 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203132

An important mental health concern arising from the COVID-19 pandemic was the loneliness resulting from the lockdown measures taken by many countries due to the outbreak. Thus, loneliness needs to be studied in detail for intervention purposes. The UCLA Loneliness Scale is the most widely used measure of loneliness. However, the 20-item measure has some drawbacks, including questionnaire fatigue, especially when used with other measures, and a lack of accurate responses to all items. In this study, we evaluated two [...]

by Johannes Drescher  , Charly Gaul  , Peter Kropp  , Yannic Siebenhaar  , Dirk Reinel  and Jörg Scheidt

Received: 18 May 2022;  Published: 16 August 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203131

This citizen science project CLUE compared the attack frequency between school and vacation periods among adolescents. The data collection process adopted in citizen science projects opens up the possibility of conducting analyses by including a large number of participants over a long period and across different regions. The data on 684 migraine attacks reported by 68 adolescents aged 16 to 19 years were collected using an online platform and smartphone apps. A Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the distribut [...]

by Anita Padmanabhanunni  , Serena Ann Isaacs  , Tyrone Pretorius  and Brendon Faroa

Received: 30 April 2022;  Published: 15 August 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203130

Fear has been the most common emotional response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and excessive fear is associated with various indices of psychological distress, particularly loneliness. Although most people have experienced pandemic-related fear and distress, certain groups who are on the front of service provision have experienced the pandemic in distinct ways, owing to its impact on the nature of their work. Schoolteachers represent one such group; therefore, it is imperative to identify resources that can safeguard a [...]

by Prabhumallikarjun Patil  and Amanda RB Weber

Received: 18 January 2022;  Published: 22 July 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203129

Cerebral palsy is defined as “A group of permanent disorders of the development of movement and posture, causing activity limitation, that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal or infant brain. The motor disorders of cerebral palsy are often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, perception, cognition, communication, and behavior, by epilepsy, and by secondary musculoskeletal problems [1].” Between 30-40% of people with cerebral palsy also have epilepsy [2,3,4]. Som [...]

by Rachel Moor  , Michael Goutnik  , Brandon Lucke-Wold  , Dimitri Laurent  , Si Chen  , William Friedman  , Maryam Rahman  , Nichole Allen  , Marie Rivera-Zengotita  and Matthew Koch

Received: 30 May 2022;  Published: 07 July 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203128

Paragangliomas are rare tumors that may present with cranial neuropathies when located along the skull base. Supratentorial paragangliomas are less likely to secrete catecholamines but should be worked up, nonetheless. We highlight a case of a female in her fourth decade found to have a petroclival lesion following initial presentation that included one month of tooth pain, dysphagia, diplopia, hoarseness and right hemifacial hypoesthesia. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated a T2 hyperintense lesio [...]

by Sofie Amalie Andersson  , Mathias Møller Thygesen  , Anita Dittrich  and Henrik Lauridsen

Received: 07 March 2022;  Published: 06 July 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203127

The Mexican axolotl salamander is an important model species in regenerative medical research and experiments involving this species often require anesthesia which is usually limited to the duration of the surgical procedure or other interventions, usually lasting no more than a few hours. This study aimed to examine the potential for increasing the duration of anesthesia by continued propofol infusion for a week. Neurobehavioral changes in response to prolonged anesthesia were evaluated after two and seven days of [...]

by Vjollca Ndreu  , Yllka Themeli  , Ilirjana Zekja  and Fatjona Kamberi

Received: 02 April 2022;  Published: 06 July 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2203126

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11th, 2020. The pandemic had significantly affected public health, and the mental health of people was compromised regardless of age or socioeconomic status. In this study, we measured the psychological distress caused by the pandemic and determined the associated factors. An online survey was conducted from November 16th (2020) to January 31st (2021). The participants were Albanian adults (≥18 years old). The call to participate was poste [...]

by Félix Neto  and Maria da Conceição Pinto

Received: 23 January 2022;  Published: 08 June 2022;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2202125

This study analyzed the degree of loneliness, as well as acculturation and adaptation factors related to it among African migrants. The study sample consisted of 759 migrants (48.5% females) from four ethnocultural groups (Angolans, Cape Verdeans, Guineans, and Mozambicans) living in Portugal. Participants’ mean age was 37 years, and the mean length of sojourn in this country was 21 years. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires to evaluate social contacts, language proficiency, ethnic identity, perceiv [...]