8^th European Neurology Congress September 21-23, 2016 Amsterdam, Netherlands

Peter Poortvliet has a degree in Human Movement Sciences from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam the Netherlands and has implemented and managed a sports centre focused on social and physical activation of special needs and minority groups (e.g., drug and alcohol addicts, people with mental and/or physical disabilities and people on social welfare). He has also worked as an Educational Advisor for the Netherlands School of Public and Occupational Health tasked with the development of professional training programs for health care professionals to improve their clinical and scientific effectiveness. He has completed a PhD in Neuroscience at the UQ School for Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in 2013 where he investigated the effects of acute pain on postural motor control. He is now employed as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow for the Asia-Pacific Centre for Neuromodulation and the Centre for Sensorimotor Performance investigating the direct and long-term effects of deep brain stimulation on motor and non-motor symptoms of patients with neurological disorders

Objective: The aim of this study is to validate practical and objective measures to assess changes in rigidity and tremor due to micro-lesion effects and test stimulation during deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. Background: Several factors contribute to accuracy and success of electrode placement during DBS surgery for Parkinson's disease. Intra-operative test stimulations and subsequent evaluation of beneficial as well as potential adverse effects are the final and perhaps most important step in placement accuracy. However, these subjective clinical evaluations rely on clinical experience and expertise and are accompanied by both inter- and intra-rater variability. Objective quantification of baseline symptomatology, as well as subtle symptom changes, can standardize assessment, minimize variability and further improve surgical accuracy and more importantly clinical outcomes. Methods: Appropriate tremor or rigidity measurements (accelerometer and passive resistance) were taken at three time points with and without dual task, 1) before insertion of the electrode 2) directly following insertion prior to test stimulation and 3) during test stimulation at target level. Results: Data has been collected from one patient so far and preliminary analysis shows an immediate and significant reduction in rest tremor upon electrode placement and subsequent test stimulation. Data collection is currently ongoing and our aim is to finalize data collection for tremor and rigidity changes from at least 10 consented patients by early February. This will allow a complete and detailed report of analysis and results at time of presentation. Conclusions: The preliminary data looks promising and the practicality of objective tremor measures is unambiguous. Together with newly collected data report will allow for clear conclusions regarding the validity, applicability and standardization of tremor and rigidity measures during DBS surgery.

Said M Al Maawali is working in Stroke Unit at the Royal Hospital Sultanate in Oman. He has published more than 5 papers in reputed journals.

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a granulomatous large vessel vasculitis that involves the aorta, its major branches and pulmonary arteries. Diagnosis of TA remains challenging due to the non-specific symptoms. Given its systemic nature, Takayasu’s arteritis has multiorgan involvement, with the majority of disease morbidity related to the cardiovascular, central nervous and renal systems. Despite the increasing identification of young adult with TA, reports of disease in young population are still scarce. A 32-year old lady, presented to neurology outpatient clinic as a referral from primary health care with h/o sudden onset slurring of speech that lasted for almost 24 hours with full recovery after. A month later she presented with dense left upper limb weakness that gradually improved but with residual deficit. She gave no other symptoms apart from significant unintentional weight loss (15 kg last 6 months) and non specific bilateral lower limbs joints pain. She has negative family history for stroke. She was not on any regular medications. Her clinical examination revealed a thin built female with blood pressure of 154/95 mmHg, heart rate of 91 beats/min, respiration rate of 20/min and body temperature of 36.9ºC. It was also found that she has pulseless right carotid artery, weak left carotid artery pulse with significant bruit; weak pulses of left brachial artery and bilateral popliteal arteries; Left upper limb hemiparesis with power of 4+/5 (proximally as well as distally) and normal symmetrical reflexes with flexor planters bilaterally. Other clinical examination was not remarkable. This case illustrates a severe presentation of a rare illness. The patient came in with an uncommon complaint in her age. Her disease had progressed to a point where her long term survival is in jeopardy. Her CT angiography was particularly impressive for the amount of stenosis and collateralization required to maintain blood supply to the brain. It is important to suspect Takayasu's arteritis in young women who present with focal weakness or cryptogenic stroke. The disease course can be significantly modified by medications or radiological interventions, and requires frequent follow up. In the case of aggressive disease and non compliance, the disease would most likely prove to be fatal.

Razeen Alhabeeb Alsherif is student of University of Khartoum faculty of medicine, Daoud research group, Sudan. He has published more than 4 papers in reputed journals.

Objective: To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices towards epilepsy among Sudanese doctors in Khartoum state, 2014. Methodology: A cross sectional hospital based study targeting doctors (69 house officer,11 medical officer,15 registrars of medicine, 12registrars of pediatrics) in Khartoum state completed through self-administration of a questionnaire containing items addressing demographics, epilepsy knowledge, attitudes toward PWE and toward using a validated phone application to help diagnose epilepsy and practices toward epilepsy. The response rate was 57.4%. Analyses were conducted using the SPSS program v20. Results: 19.7% of doctors considered epilepsy a contagious disease, 10.3% think that epilepsy is caused by possession by Jinn, 22.2% think that epilepsy cannot be treated, 26.4% considered themselves as not familiar with the variety of AED, their specific use and their side effects, 98.1% will allow their child to play with an epileptic child and 67.7% will allow their son/daughter to marry a PWE. 82.1% think that PWE can have a normal quality of life, 24.3% think that PWE cannot make close friends with the other people. 11.5% were not willing to be seen with someone during his/her epileptic attack. 61% will be prepared personally to use a validated phone app. to help diagnose epilepsy. In the treatment of partial epilepsy 55.2% use Sodium Valproate. In treatment of generalized epilepsy 64.4% use Sodium Valproate. Conclusion: High education does not mean the complete absence of false beliefs. Sodium Valproate is the most common used drug in treating both partial and generalized epilepsy.

Filiz Azman is working in Bakirkoy Sadi Konuk Research and Training Hospital in Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey. He has published more than 8 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of repute.

We present a 68-year-old male patient sent to the Council of Forensic Medicine from the courts with a post-injection neuropathy claim. The patient noticed pain in the area of injection, weakness in the wrist and fingers which resulted in fully weakness and numbness of the right hand within 16 hours following the injection of 500mg/ml of metamizole sodium intramuscularly. Nerve conduction studies and needle EMG examination, approximately 1 month later, showed sensorimotor polyneuropathy and focal neuropathy of the right radial nerve. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was unremarkable. The patient was diagnosed with intramuscular injection induced radial nerve neuropathy which did not show adequate improvement with time despite a sufficient physical therapy program. The etiology of injury—direct trauma to the nerve versus indirect injury via an inflammatory process—remains unclear. Iatrogenic injury to nearby peripheral nerves may be avoided with training in the appropriate administration of an intramuscular injection and a basic understanding of anatomy.

Fatemeh Seifar is a medical student at Tabriz University of medical sciences. She has started working on research projects since the first year of her education. She has published various papers in reputed journals during her education and still working on the projects related to neurological diseases. She is the head of research at Student neuroscience committee of neuroscience research center in Tabriz University of medical sciences.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and demyelinating disease which may lead to mental problem and decreased quality of life in affected patients. Depression is a common complaint in MS patients, which may be related to the released inflammatory cytokines. This study was performed to assess pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in depressed and non-depressed MS patients. Forty eight patients with a definite diagnosis of relapsing –remitting MS were studied. Patients underwent the Beck depression inventory (BDI) questionnaire and were categorized in two groups of depressed and non-depressed patients. Anthropometric features of the patients were measured and fasting blood samples were collected to determine serum TNF-α, IL-4, IL-6, TGF-β, INF-γ and MMP-9 levels, as well as total antioxidant capacity (TAC). After the analysis of the findings, there were not significant differences in the levels of inflammatory cytokines in depressed and non-depressed MS patients. The mean total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was also in the same range in both study groups. The findings of the present study indicated that there is no statistically significant differences in the levels of inflammatory and antioxidant biomarkers in depressed and non-depressed MS patients. So the depression in the remission period of MS patients can’t be related to the inflammatory cytokines.

Dr. Viviane Elsner has completed her PhD at the age of 28 years from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Currently she has 30 years old and is professor/research in a Pos Graduate Program and guides 5 master students. She coordinates the “Interdisciplinary Group of Study on Epigenetics Applied to Health and Disease” and their academic production primarily involves the line of research related to the effects of physical exercise on the modulation of epigenetic mechanisms in healthy subjects or patients with chronic diseases”. She has published 14 papers in reputed journals in the last years.

Recent evidences have been pointed out the involvement of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels imbalance in Gaucher disease type 1 (GD1) physiopathology, one of the most prevalent lysosomal disorder. Although, the molecular mechanisms involved in this process remain unsolved. Our work hypothesis it that this phenomenon might be mediated by epigenetic machinery, specifically on histone acetylation status modulation. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the levels of histone H4 acetylation and BDNF in the peripheral blood of (GD1) patients (n=10) when compared with healthy controls individuals (n=11). This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Centro Universitário Metodista do IPA (nº 1.290.503/2015). All participants were fully informed in verbal and written form about the nature of experimental procedures and signed a voluntary form of informed consent. The analyzes were done using specific commercial kits, according to the manufacturer's instructions. BDNF levels were remarkably diminished in plasma from GD1 patients (p = 0.004) compared to the control group. Moreover, a trend on higher global histone H4 acetylation levels (p = 0.054) was observed in leukocytes of the control individuals compared to the GD1 group. Together, these results demonstrated the involvement of hypoacetylation status in GD1 physiopathology, which could be related to the reduced levels on BDNF observed in these individuals. Also, our data suggest histone H4 acetylation levels as novel possible GD1 biomarker. These preliminary findings may open new avenues for introducing therapies and strategies in the preventive management and treatment of these population.

Arsida Bajrami has completed his PhD from Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty and is currently ongoing her Post-doctoral studies in Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital, Department of Neurology.

Objective: Cerebellum modulates motor movements through the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway. Therefore, cerebellar transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is known as a valuable method that modulates connection between the primary motor cortex and cerebellum, affecting cortical excitability. The effects of different TMS protocols applied over the cerebellum on cortical excitability have been evaluated in several studies including healthy individuals or patients with central nervous system diseases. Theta burst stimulation (TBS), one of the repetitive TMS methods, is thought to be more effective and long lasting compared to conventional rTMS methods. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of intermittent TBS (iTBS) and continuous TBS (cTBS), which are known to have opposite effects, and sham TBS on cortical excitability. Methods: Resting motor thresholds (RMT), MEP amplitudes, cortical silent periods (CSP) were tested in the contra-lateral M1 in subjects in order to assess cortical excitability before and after TBS application over the lateral cerebellum in 20 male healthy volunteers. Results: We found that iTBS induced a reduction in MEPs amplitude while cTBS showed no significant differences in MEPs amplitude. No significant differences were found in terms of RMT, CSP parameters before and after the application, for each TBS group. Procedure related side effects were not observed in any subject. Conclusions: Cerebellar TMS is a safe method and further research is warranted to elucidate the role of the cerebellar circuitry in motor control. Providing optimal cerebellar TMS protocols is useful to obtain potential mechanisms for the treatment and rehabilitation of different diseases.

Alireza Majdi is a final year medical student at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. He is very keen on neurology and neurosciences and has been an active member of the Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC) since 2014. He has published more than 14 papers in reputed journals and conferences.

L-DOPA-induced motor fluctuations remain as leading causes of disability in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Thence, designing strategies to treat L-DOPA-induced motor disorders is a high priority. Environmental enrichment (EE) is defined as improvement of living environment. There is no report on EE effects on the L-DOPA effectiveness in PD models. PD was induced by intra substantia nigra injection of 6-hydroxy dopamine in rats. After 3 weeks, rats that showed catalepsy in bar test. Half of these rats were housed in normal cages and half of them were kept in enriched cages, for 4 weeks. Over this period groups received L-DOPA and the effects of housing and L-DOPA on the catalepsy were assessed on days 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 after initiation of the treatment protocol. To determine the possible involvement of activation of TrkB receptors in this effect, L-DOPA treated rats in enriched cages received systemic administration of TrkB-IgG, as an antagonist of the TrkB receptors, on the day 26 after initiation of L-DOPA. At the end of study, brain’s BDNF level was measure by ELISA method. In rats housed in normal cages, L-DOPA reversed catalepsy on the days 5, 10, 15, 20 but its anti-cataleptic effect was abolished on the day 25 after imitation of the treatment. In contrast, rats housing in enriched cages potentiated the L-DOPA’s anti-Parkinsonian effect where until 25th day L-DOPA effectively reversed catalepsy. Also, TrkB-IgG treatment blocked anti-cataleptic effect of L-DOPA. It seems that EE through modulation of BDNF/TrkB receptors signaling pathway improves L-DOPA anti-Parkinsonian effect.

Simone Marcuzzo has completed her PhD from Universidad Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Currently she is Professor/Research in a Post Graduate Neuroscience Program and Department of Morphological Sciences, Basic Sciences Institute of Health, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She guides 2 Master students and 3 PhD students. She coordinates the “Plasticity of Neurodevelopment Group” and their academic production primarily involves the line of research related to the effects of therapies on the cerebral palsy model in rats. She has published 22 papers in reputed journals in the last years.

Several physiotherapy approaches are use with different aims in the treatment of cerebral palsy (CP), such as early stimulation and the treadmill walking. In animals models, these strategies can be compared, with due translational restrictions, to the environmental enrichment (EE) that is a combination of social interaction, physical activity and learning in a different large house cage and locomotor stimulation (LS) that can be performed using the treadmill adapted for rats. The study was designed to describe how some biological mechanisms may act in different and usually rehabilitative strategies underlying functional improvement. Male rat pups were initially divided in two groups: control (healthy) and submitted to a CP model. Then, pups were divided in 8 groups: CP, CPEE, CPLS, CPEELS and its respectively control groups. Functional outcomes were assessed on the postnatal day (P) 31 and P52 was evaluated the tibialis anterior and soleus muscles, and the expression of synaptophysin in the primary motor cortex (M1) and ventral horn of the spinal cord. EE was able to prevent the CP motor deficits. LS reversed the CP musculoskeletal alterations and the association of interventions presented an increase in the synaptophysin immunoreactivity in M1 and ventral horn when compared to CP group. Isolated therapies presented different e complementaries improves in model of CP utilized, but the association of therapies proved to be a fundamental and effective strategy to functional recovery, besides alter positively in all biological tissues evaluated in this study.

Shahla Afsharpaiman has completed her specialist in Pediatrics and subspecialist in Infectious Disease from Tehran University of Medical sciences. She works in pediatric ward of Baqiyatallah Hospital and Research center. She has published more than 15 articles in Iran and other countries Journals.

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a mandatory intracellular protozoa that many people worldwide are infected with. In children, the infection enters central nervous system and leads to inflammation of the gray matter. Autism is a complex developmental disorder, altering social communication, with unknown origin. Neuropathological changes in autism are the same as those occurred in brain toxoplasmosis. The objective of this survey was to evaluate positive serology of toxoplasma gondii, in autistic children. Methods: This case-control study was done on 3-12 years old children, referring to the neurology and psychiatry clinics of Baqiyatallah hospital and also autistic children of Omid-e Asr and Navid-e Asr general rehabilitation centers in Tehran, Iran. The study performed at 2012-2013. Forty autistic children were placed in the case group and 40 children, suffering from no neuropsychiatric disease or other ones, were placed in the control group. Sampling was done with 5 ml blood, for determining IgM and IgG antibody levels against toxoplasma gondii, using ELISA method. Data analyzed by the software SPSS ver. 17. Results: The autistic group contained 34 boys and 6 girls (85 and 15 percent respectively), with the average age of 6 (±2.71) years old [minimum of 2.33 and maximum of 12]. The average age at the time of diagnosis was 4.01 (±1.87) years old. 87. The no autism group contained 17 boys and 23 girls (42.5 and 57.5 percent respectively), with the average age of 5.67 (±3.09) years old [minimum of two and maximum of 12]. IgM and IgG serology of all autistic children were negative, while in non-autistic group, 2.5 percent (1 child) were positive and 97.5 percent (39 ones) were negative. There was no statistically significant difference among these two groups according to the serology results. (P=0.31). Conclusion: There was no statistically significant difference in comparing positive serology of toxoplasmosis, between the two groups. However, to obtain a perfect result, larger sample size is required.

Allal Boutajangout graduated from Free University of Brussels (ULB-Erasme Hospital), School of Medicine (PhD in Neuropathology). He completed his Postdoctoral training at New York University School of Medicine. He is a Research Associate Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience & Physiology and Psychiatry. He is also the chief of Neurodegeneration and Drug Discovery Program within Center for Cognitive Neurology at NYU. He received prestigious award Margaret M Cahn for his outstanding research in the field of Alzheimer’s and other awards from: Alzheimer association, NIH pilot grant, Toyama Company, Revalesio Company and coinvestigator in 5 RO1 NIH grants. He has published more than 30 papers in reputed journals and serves as a reviewer for many scientific journals.

Background: Immunotherapy is emerging as promising approach to treat Alzheimer’s disease. We have previously shown that prophylactic active and passive immunization clears tau aggregates from different area of the brain and prevent mproves cognitive decline. Here we assessed if our new monoclonal antibody against PHF-Tau would be efficacious in tangles model of Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: Homozygous P301L mice (2-2.5 months of age) were injected intraperitoneally one per eek with our new monoclonal antibody 11B7 and controls received PBS only (200ug/125 μl; n=10 per group) for a total of 13 injections. Results: Treated animals (n=10) didn’t show a significant difference on sensorimotor tasks (Traverse beam, Locomotor activity) while a significant difference was observed with the rotarod test (One tailed, t-student p=0.0489). Significant statistical differences were observed with the novel object recognition test (75% time spent with a novel objects (One tailed, t-student p=0.0004) 25% for controls (One tailed, t-student P>0.05), and with the closed field symmetrical maze (Day1 one tailed, t-test P=0.0001; Day2 one tailed t-student P=0001; Day3 one tailed t test P=0.0003). Immunohistochemistry analysis with PHF1 and CP13 showed a reduction of tau pathology in the cortex and in the hippocampus which correlates with the behavioral results. By Western blotting, the antibody therapy reduces tau pathology in the cortex and in the hippocampus. Further analysis is underway. Conclusion: passive immunization with our new monoclonal antibody decreases tau pathology by immunotherapy, biochemistry and improves cognitive decline in P301L mice.

Oscar Gonzalez-Perez has completed his PhD from University of Colima and Post-doctoral studies from University of California San Francisco, School of Medicine. He has published more than 50 papers in reputed journals

Hydrocephalus is due to a disturbance in production, flow and/or absorption of cerebrospinal fluid. Experimental models of hydrocephalus, especially sub-acute and chronic hydrocephalus, are few and limited, and their effects on the sub-ventricular zone (V-SVZ) are unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of chronic hydrocephalus on the V-SVZ, a neurogenic niche lining the lateral ventricles. We developed a new method to induce hydrocephalus by obstructing the aqueduct of Sylvius in the mouse brain that mimics the aqueductal stenosis seen in humans. In 120-day-old rodents (n=18 per group), the ventricular dilatation and cellular composition of the V-SVZ were studied by immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. In 25 adult patients (age > 18 years), the sizes of the V-SVZ, corpus callosum, and internal capsule were analyzed by magnetic resonance images obtained from patients with and without aqueductal stenosis. Mice with 60-day hydrocephalus had a reduced number of Ki67+ and doublecortin+ cells on immunofluorescence, as well as decreased number of neural progenitors and neuroblasts in the V-SVZ on the electron microscope analysis as compared to non-hydrocephalic mice. A number of extracellular matrix structures (fractones) contacting the ventricular lumen and blood vessels were also observed around the V-SVZ in mice with hydrocephalus. In humans, the widths of the V-SVZ, corpus callosum, and internal capsule in patients with aqueductal stenosis were significantly smaller than age and gender-matched patients without aqueductal stenosis. Conclusion, Hydrocephalus reduces the proliferation of neural progenitors, modifies the cytoarchitecture of the V-SVZ and white matter.

Nazli Turan is currently working on her PhD thesis at Anadolu University.

Currently, diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is symptomatically treated with antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and opioids. Recent data indicated that antidepressants can affect the blood glucose levels and disrupt the glycemic control. Therefore, clinical management of DNP using antidepressants is a dilemma in diabetic patients. Our research group has recently reported that mianserin1 and agomelatine2 successfully treated neuropathic pain in diabetic rats, whereas escitalopram was ineffective. However, effects of these three antidepressants on hyperglycemia were not similar. We have seen that agomelatine and escitalopram were completely ineffective on hyperglycemia, whereas mianserin has a notable antihyperglycemic effect3. Our preclinical results exhibited that escitalopram should not be preferred for the treatment of DNP. Mianserin may be a good alternative for diabetic patients for treating the pain occurring in connection with neuropathy; however clinicians should be aware of drug induced hypoglycemia. The other antidepressant, agomelatine, has a potential to treat diabetes-induced neuropathic pain without any side effect on the glycemic control. Further, implications are discussed on the basis of literature data.

Masoumeh Kolivand is pursuing her Ph.d from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science and Health Services, Iran. He has published more than 3 papers in reputed journals

Introduction: Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorders, including multiple motor and non-motor symptoms, which each in turn cause widespread disability and dysfunction in these patients. This study was conducted to investigate the failure of Parkinson's disease. Materials & Methods: This study was based on randomized series. Depression according to the DSM-IV, the amount of cognitive disorders based on the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and the inability of patients were diagnosed according to the modified Hoehn and Yahr staging scale. Olfactory dysfunction with water, rosewater, tobacco and coffee were diagnosed. Results: A total of 79 patients were examined. The rate of disease in men was three times more than women. The most affected age group were 70-79 years and the prevalence of depression and cognitive disorders, 45/6 and 32/9, respectively. The prevalence of on-off strikes, ground strikes and olfactory disorders were 9/5, 32/21 and 68/4 correspondingly, percent and the prevalence in the third stage of the disease was more than other stages. Among duration of the disease, treatment duration and the inability a significant relationship was observed. The relationship between depression, disability and the severity of the disease with P=0/006 was significant. Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of motor and non-motor disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease. Inability to perform activities affected by factors such as: age, duration of treatment and duration of disease. So the diagnosis and appropriate treatment should be considered prior to the onset of disability.

Hee-Yun Chae has completed his MD from Kosin University College of Medicine and is currently pursuing his Resident Training from Kosin University College of Medicine.

Background: Cardiac arrhythmias and other cardiac dysfunctions occur in relation with acute cerebral ischemia. This study was undertaken to evaluate the sequential changes of electrocardiogram and cardiac enzymes after acute ischemic stroke, and to evaluate the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias. Methods: 43 patients with acute ischemic stroke were recruited for this study. Electrocardiogram and cardiac enzymes were checked at 1, 3, 5, 7, 15, and 30 days after onset. Results: Heart rates were decreased acutely after ischemic stroke and showed maximal decrease at day 3 (p<0.05). Heart rates were more significantly decreased in the right-sided lesions than the left (p<0.05) and in the supratentorial lesions than the infratentorial (p<0.05). PR intervals and durations of QRS complex were prolonged at day 3 and 5 but were not significant. The prolongation of the QTc interval was found in 21 patients (48.8%) and sustained QTc prolongation at day 30 was seen in 16 patients. Compared with controls, patients showed significantly higher incidence of arrhythmias (p<0.01). Creatine phosphokinase-MB (CK-MB) was significantly increased at day 5 (p<0.01) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) was increased at day 7 (p<0.01). Conclusions: In our study, the incidence of neurogenic cardiac abnormalities in acute ischemic stroke was higher than that of previous studies. Abnormalities peaked at days 3 and 5 were nearly similar to control levels at day 30. These periods of peak abnormalities coincided with those of increasing brain edema. Therefore, we postulated that cardiac autonomic controls are also influenced by acute brain edema.

Gaudy R is a Master’s degree student of Pharmacological Sciences at the Lille 2 University, France. He has done a Laboratory Internship in Neuropharmacology of Headache at the INSERM unit in Paris.

Headache is one of the most common disorders of the nervous system and the most frequent symptom reported during general practice. This study provides a bibliometric snapshot of the recent scientific literature on headache. Using the Web of Science, 1776 article-type papers published during 2013-2014 in journals indexed in the SCI-expanded database were retrieved and analyzed. The authors of the 1776 papers were from 67 countries and the most productive countries in number of papers were: the USA (517), Italy (237), Germany (146), the UK (114), Turkey (108) and China (92). Another 37 countries published ≥5 papers. Globally, the EU countries with 734 papers have slightly over 40% share of publications, while the BRICS and the 11-next countries each have slightly more than 11% share of publications. The 1776 papers were distributed over 462 journals and the four most productive (core) journals concentrated 39% of the literature were: Headache (232), Cephalalgia (209), The Journal of Headache and Pain (149), and Neurological Sciences (98). There were 415 journals with ≤5 papers forming the long tail of the journal distribution. Although more than 95% of the publications were in English, there were nine other languages represented. The six most productive countries revealed differences in their publishing profiles, such as: the numbers of collaborating countries and collaborative papers; and the main journals targeted. We hope that this study will stimulate the interest of neuroscientists, neurologists and information scientists in further bibliometric analysis of headache research.

Ewelina Bratek is PhD student in Dept. of Neurochem at Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland. He has published more than 25 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of repute.

Introduction: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) results in permanent damage of central nervous system that may result in neonatal death or developmental disorders. 20%–30% of infants with HIE die in the neonatal period and 33%–50% of survivors demonstrate permanent neurodevelopmental abnormalities (such as cerebral palsy) and mental retardation. It was shown recently that group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR2/3) activation before or after ischemic insult results in neuroprotection but the exact mechanism of this effect is not clear. Aim of the study: The aim of present study was to investigate whether mGluR2/3 activation after experimental hypoxia-ischemia reduces brain damage and if the reduction of the expression of pro-apoptotic factors is one of the mechanisms involved. Methods: We used an animal model of hypoxia-ischemia (H-I) on 7-day old rat pups. Animals were anesthetized and the left common carotid artery was isolated, double-ligated and then cut between the ligatures. After completion of the surgical procedure the pups were subjected to hypoxia (7.4% oxygen in nitrogen for 75 min at 35 ˚C). Control pups were sham-operated (anaesthetized and left c.c.a. dissected, but not ligated). Animals were injected intra-peritoneal with specific mGluR2 (LY 379268) and mGluR3 (NAAG) agonists 24 h or 1 h before H-I (5 mg/kg of body weight). The weight deficit of the ischemic brain hemisphere was measured and the expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and HTR/OMI was examined. The damage in the hippocampal CA1 region was examined by Cresyl violet (CV) staining. Also the differences in the expression of neurotrophic factors (BDNF, GDNF, TGF –beta) were measured (ELISA). Results & Discussions: Our results show that application of mGluR2/3 agonists before H-I results in neuroprotection. Application of both agonists resulted in decrease in brain tissue weight loss in ischemic hemisphere independently on the time of application (from 40% in H-I to 15 - 20% in treated). Histological examination of the brain tissue showed that both mGluR2/3 agonists applied 24 h or 1 h before H-I decrease the damage of neuronal cells and the disorganization of CA1 region of hippocampus. In our study we also observed the relative changes in the expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and HTR/OMI proteins in ipsilateral and contra-lateral hemisphere. Both agonist mGluR2/3 applied 24h or 1h before H-I decreased expression of Bax and HTR/OMI and increased expression of Bcl-2 in the ischemic brain hemisphere compared to untreated H-I. Both mGluR2/3 agonists (LY379268 and NAAG applied 24h or 1h before HI) decreased TGF beta expression and increased BDNF and GDNF expression in the ischemic brain hemisphere compared to H-I. Conclusions: Our results show that activation of mGluR2 or mGluR3 in a short time before H-I insult reduce brain damage in 7-day old rats and decrease apoptotic processes initiated by HI in developing brain. These results suggest that activation of group II mGluR before H-I triggers mechanisms that result in neuroprotection.

Deniz Yerdelen is a Professor at Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Adana Dr Turgut Noyan Teaching and Research Center. She has more than 50 papers published in journals included in science citation index.

Aims: Post-bariatric Surgery Polyneuropathies (BSP) are infrequent events. Early evaluation, recognition, and treatment are important in minimizing morbidity and mortality. In this study, we presented four patients with BSP. Methods: The neurological examination, electrophysiological and laboratory findings and clinical course of 4 female patients aged 24-25 years old admitted to the clinic with weakness after post-bariatric surgery were evaluated. Results: The onset of the complaints was ten days after the surgery in one patient and it was 4 to 6 months later in 3 of them. Neurological examination showed quadriparesis in varied severity. The patient with early onset had the most severe clinical findings. The cerebrospinal fluid protein was found elevated mildly in 2 of the patients. Electrophysiological evaluation of all the patients showed sensorimotor notably axonal polyneuropathy. Three of them were treated with intravenous immunoglobulin; one of them was treated with plasma exchange therapy followed by intravenous immunoglobulin. All of them underwent vitamin supplementation therapy and physical therapy. Conclusion: Although the differences between the patients’ presentation were not clear, early onset BSP was appropriate with severe clinical and electrophysiological course. BSP is a complication that may increase in incidence as the number of bariatric surgery procedures increase. Understanding its clinical presentation, differential diagnoses, proper evaluations, and treatment are necessary to minimize morbidity and mortality.

Approximately 1% of the world's population is affected by schizophrenia (SZ), a chronic and debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder. Recent evidences have been suggesting a pivotal role of epigenetic imbalance on SZ physiopathology. Interestingly, exercises are able to modulate epigenetic mechanisms in different populations, however, there are no reports conducted with SZ patients. Then, the present study sought to investigate the effect of exercise on global histone H4 acetylation levels in peripheral blood of SZ individuals. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Centro Universitário Metodista do IPA (no 1.243.680/2015). The participants (n=15) were submitted to a concurrent exercise protocol (CEP) during 90 days, 3 times a week for 60 minutes. In order to evaluate the acute and chronic exercise outcomes, blood samples were collected in different time points: pre, 30, 60 and 90 days after intervention. All analysis was done in leukocytes using specific commercial kits, according to the manufacturer's instructions. It was observed that a significant decrease in global H4 histone acetylation levels 30 days (4160.74±1402.58 ng/mg of protein; p=0.005), 60 days (4979.32±1849 ng/mg of protein; p=0.007) and 90 days (6528.61 ± 4893.95 ng/mg of protein; p=0.030) after intervention. Our findings demonstrated that CEP can induce a hypoacetylation status in leukocytes of SZ individuals, an indicative of reduced transcription and expression of specific genes.

Approximately 1% of the world's population is affected by schizophrenia (SZ), a chronic and debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder. Recent evidences have been suggesting a pivotal role of epigenetic imbalance on SZ physiopathology. Interestingly, exercises are able to modulate epigenetic mechanisms in different populations, however, there are no reports conducted with SZ patients. Then, the present study sought to investigate the effect of exercise on global histone H4 acetylation levels in peripheral blood of SZ individuals. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Centro Universitário Metodista do IPA (no 1.243.680/2015). The participants (n=15) were submitted to a concurrent exercise protocol (CEP) during 90 days, 3 times a week for 60 minutes. In order to evaluate the acute and chronic exercise outcomes, blood samples were collected in different time points: pre, 30, 60 and 90 days after intervention. All analysis was done in leukocytes using specific commercial kits, according to the manufacturer's instructions. It was observed that a significant decrease in global H4 histone acetylation levels 30 days (4160.74±1402.58 ng/mg of protein; p=0.005), 60 days (4979.32±1849 ng/mg of protein; p=0.007) and 90 days (6528.61 ± 4893.95 ng/mg of protein; p=0.030) after intervention. Our findings demonstrated that CEP can induce a hypoacetylation status in leukocytes of SZ individuals, an indicative of reduced transcription and expression of specific genes.

Fagogenis Gerasimos has done his Post-graduation from the Athens University. He did his Doctorate in Medicine. He has done his practiced in Pediatrics from the University Clinics of: Evangelismos Hospital, Athens. In the year 1979, he got License for Medical Practice in Pediatrics.

Over preliminary avocation to (virtual) experimentation upon the feasibility of regional or overall transmission of human brain’s electromagnetic waves work as an EEG signal configuration to another Person’s cerebral cortex, but remotely like a modulated signal of compatible frequency magnitude, without implement mediation e.g. microchip, cerebral implants or skull electrodes in open air and on any GPS parameter. Emission interaction from brain-to-brain (B-B Interface) means radio antennas sensors and satellite mediated procedures. Primary schedule runs as: EEG graphic waves properly detected, through specific sensitive appliances gathered to be transmitted to other participant’s brain. It follows a detectable phase difference elaboration of those EEG graphic signals because these are compatible with human brain’s electrophysiology. Here not a PC but cortex is the decoding matter. Effects are impressive and constitute cognitive communication of other’s cerebral functions thoughts includeḋ resulting in comprehension of the masa copied speech analog on parallel, coinciding technically to the long spoken concept of telepathy. That goes back even to the very early origination of mental constructions’ that is to thought and intangible (sensed) images making. Furthermore, this brain-to-brain transmission comprises not only cognitive but also sensory interpretations. The quality of perception and interaction from person to person coincides with reality in some fields while simultaneously and at any moment intangible sensory and cognitive images noetic forms Gestalt are realized bilaterally: Psychesthetism is the essence in perception and comprehension. Always, speech and interaction simulate open space conversation.