by Trevor R Norman

Received: 07 February 2021;  Published: 14 October 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2104108

Depression in the elderly is a significant clinical problem which is likely to endure as an ongoing issue as the cohort of individuals aged over 65years continues to increase as a proportion of the total population. While there are a multiplicity of approaches to the treatment of depression, the mainstay for moderate to severe cases is pharmacotherapy. The majority of extant antidepressants have demonstrated efficacy, at least in short term (6-12weeks) clinical evaluations. There is demonstrable efficacy over and a [...]

by Nasim Foroughi  , Brooke Donnelly  , Mark Williams  , Sloane Madden  , Michael Kohn  , Simon Clarke  , Perminder Sachdev  , Stephen Touyz  and Phillipa Hay

Received: 01 June 2021;  Published: 30 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2103107

To compare neural responses to high and low-energy food images in patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and an age-matched Healthy Control (HC) group. 25 adolescents with AN and 21 HCs completed a diagnostic interview, self-report questionnaires and fMRI, during which they viewed food images evoking responses of disgust, happiness, or fear. Following whole brain analyses, neural responses in six regions of interest were examined in a series of between-group contrasts, across the three emotive categories. Compared to [...]

by Ioannis Syros  , Aggeliki Karantzali  and Xenia Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous

Received: 16 December 2020;  Published: 13 September 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2103106

The effects of pathological anxiety on public health have led to the realization that anxious children might experience significant limitations in their lives. Evidence-based cognitive-behavioral (CB) interventions are now being implemented in schools at a group level to combat anxiety.Childhood emotional health should be considered a national and global priority for an effective strategy promoting the prevention of mental health. The aim of this study is the description of novel data on the effectiveness of preven [...]

by Elisa Martín-Arévalo  , Carole Guedj  , François Cotton  , Gilles Rode  , Karen T. Reilly  , Fadila Hadj-Bouziane  and Laure Pisella

Received: 29 January 2021;  Published: 24 August 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2103105

This study integrated functional connectivity measures using resting-state fMRI and behavioral data from a single-case observation of patient (PER) one year after right-hemispheric hemorrhage in the intraparietal sulcus and superior parietal lobule (IPS/SPL). PER showed no sign of clinical neglect. Her behavioral performance in the visuo-manual pointing task and in the letter discrimination task under conditions of endogenous and exogenous attentional cueing was compared between the left (affected) and right (unaff [...]

by Vineela Nagamalla  , Jay Patel  and Mir Saleem

Received: 20 December 2020;  Published: 21 July 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2103104

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition which consists of stages of mental, memory, and cognitive decline. As it continues to stand as the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S., 44 million people worldwide are affected. The objective of this paper is to explore the risk factors for AD in an attempt to examine potential causes for the incidence of AD. We examined genetics, lifestyle, and pre-existing conditions as risk factors for AD. We found that there are various alleles, such as APP, P [...]

by Sergey B. Yurchenko

Received: 25 May 2021;  Published: 14 July 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2103103

This article reviews the modern approaches to the quantum brain hypothesis. The aim is to consider the hypothesis and its classical brain-machine alternative from a broad perspective, including physics, biology, computer science, cosmology, and metaphysics. My starting point is that asking whether consciousness can or cannot have free will is fundamentally incorrect. This aspect is challenged by both physics and neuroscience. The paper argues that the search for conscious free will, as it is typically tested in Lib [...]

by Sarah-Catherine Rodan  , Phillip Aouad  , Iain S McGregor  and Sarah Maguire

Received: 08 April 2021;  Published: 24 June 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102102

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a major health problem with one of the highest mortalities and treatment costs of any psychiatric condition. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is currently the most widely used treatment for AN in adults but provides remission rates ≤ 50%. Treatment drop-out is exceedingly high and those that persevere with treatment often relapse, causing increased risk of morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need to find new interventions, especially as there are no approved pharmacological treat [...]

by Jessica Turnbull  , Sally Hobson  , Jenna Vyas-Lee  and Bidisha Lahoti

Received: 31 January 2021;  Published: 15 June 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102101

We describe our experience of setting up and evaluating a community-based multi-disciplinary sleep service for children with neurodevelopmental disorders and psychosocial vulnerabilities.Referrals are accepted for children (1-18 years of age) with persistent sleep problems, and neurodevelopmental difficulties or significant psychosocial adversity, living in two inner-city boroughs.Holistic sleep assessment involves 1-hour Paediatrician-led consultation, often followed by Psychologist-led parent workshop, with follo [...]

by Kate McKeown  , Emma Richards  , Jessica Richardson  and Andrea Tales

Received: 08 January 2021;  Published: 07 June 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102100

Information processing speed (Reaction time, RT) to a single administration of the Trails A and Trails B components of the Trail Making Test (TMT) is used in the assessment of brain and behavioural functional integrity across the lifespan in both clinical and research contexts. Although the clinical utility of such single trial-related and thus rapidly gained results, is recognised, it is possible that its administration as a single trial only, precludes its ability to provide a more in-depth and thus relevant repr [...]

by Ashley Schumaker  , Richard Gomez  , Sofia Rojasova  , Cassidy Muir  , Katie Bukiri  , Clinton Korneffel  , Aparna Sharma  , Murali Rao  and Edwin Meresh

Received: 25 February 2021;  Published: 25 May 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102099

The complete spectrum of neuropsychiatric effects of SARS-CoV-2 acute respiratory distress syndrome has yet to be fully appreciated, particularly in intubated patients. Manifestations including delirium and catatonia need to be considered in intubated COVID-19 patients. Medications known to exhibit neuroprotective effects, like valproate, can assist in agitation related to sedative withdrawal during extubation. This case series reports on the management of agitation, delirium, and catatonia in COVID-19 patients dur [...]