Grey-matter network topology in migraine with aura.

BackgroundInter-regional covariation in grey-matter (GM) structure may provide insights into disease mechanisms. Given that migraine with aura (MA) has been linked to occipital GM alterations, it is plausible that altered occipital GM covariance may also exist in MA.MethodsStructural magnetic resonance images were obtained from 50 MA patients, 50 migraine patients without aura (MO) and 50 healthy controls (HC).

Incidence and characteristics of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Taiwan before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A 12-year single-center experience.

Background: There is substantial regional disparity in the presentation of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) possibly influences the development of GBS, but the association remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of GBS before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and delineate the clinical profile of GBS in Taiwanese patients.

Methods: Medical records of 185 ascertained GBS cases at Taipei Veterans General Hospital between 2011 and 2022 were reviewed.

Solution-processable and photo-programmable logic gate realized by organic non-volatile floating-gate photomemory.

Programmable inverters using non-volatile floating-gate photomemories as basic building blocks instead of field-effect transistors enable the manipulation of threshold voltage by photons, providing an additional degree of freedom for applications in integrated circuits. However, the development of organic photo-controllable inverters is challenging due to issues such as solubility constraints for film stacking and the immaturity of photo-recordable devices. Notably, the development of organic non-volatile floating-gate photomemories (ONVFGPs) with n-type charge-transporting layers still lags behind that of the p-type layers due to the limited availability of suitable solution-processable charge-trapping materials and charge-transporting material pairs.

Cure the Incurable: Update of Treatment in Inherited Neuromuscular Disorders.

Originally thought to be incurable, huge therapeutic progress has been made in recent years in the field of inherited neuromuscular disorders. Approaches aiming to rescue the underlying pathophysiology, i.e.

Investigating ITM2B-associated ataxia in a Taiwanese cerebellar ataxia cohort.

Objective: The genetic causes of a significant number of patients with cerebellar ataxia remain unsolved. Variations in the ITM2B gene, typically linked to dominantly inherited dementia, can sometimes present with cerebellar ataxia as an early symptom. This study aims to investigate the role of ITM2B variations in a Taiwanese cohort with unsolved cerebellar ataxia.

Altered brainstem-cortex activation and interaction in migraine patients: somatosensory evoked EEG responses with machine learning.

Background: To gain a comprehensive understanding of the altered sensory processing in patients with migraine, in this study, we developed an electroencephalography (EEG) protocol for examining brainstem and cortical responses to sensory stimulation. Furthermore, machine learning techniques were employed to identify neural signatures from evoked brainstem-cortex activation and their interactions, facilitating the identification of the presence and subtype of migraine.

Methods: This study analysed 1,000-epoch-averaged somatosensory evoked responses from 342 participants, comprising 113 healthy controls (HCs), 106 patients with chronic migraine (CM), and 123 patients with episodic migraine (EM).

Preceding hepatitis B virus infection is highly prevalent in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in Taiwan.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, characterized by pathogenic anti-Aquaporin-4 antibodies (AQP4-Ab). Given that infections can trigger autoimmune responses, we investigated the association between Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and NMOSD.

Methods: HBV and hepatitis C virus serologies were analyzed in 105 NMOSD patients, 85 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and 1,661 healthy Taiwanese controls.

Nerve conduction features may serve as a diagnostic clue for neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease.

Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease is a neurodegenerative disorder with a wide phenotypic spectrum, including peripheral neuropathy. This study aims to characterize the nerve conduction features and proposes an electrophysiological criterion to assist the diagnosis of neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease. In this study, nerve conduction studies were performed in 50 genetically confirmed neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease patients, 200 age- and sex-matched healthy controls and 40 patients with genetically unsolved leukoencephalopathy.

Salivary Testosterone Levels and Pain Perception Exhibit Sex-Specific Association in Healthy Adults But Not in Patients With Migraine.

This study investigated the sex-specific associations between pain perception and testosterone levels in healthy controls (HCs) and patients with migraine. Male and female HCs and migraine patients were recruited. A series of questionnaires were completed by the participants to evaluate their psychosocial profiles, which included data on mood, stress, and sleep quality.

The normative values of pain thresholds in healthy Taiwanese.

Objective: Quantitative sensory testing is widely used in clinical and research settings to assess the sensory functions of healthy subjects and patients. It is of importance to establish normative values in a healthy population to provide reference for studies involving patients. Given the absence of normative values for pain thresholds in Taiwan, the aim of this study was to report the normative values for future reference in the Taiwanese population and compare the differences between male and female participants.

Advancing Li-ion capacitors through dual wet chemical prelithiation.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) are widely used in commercial energy storage systems, but each has inherent limitations. To overcome these limitations, the lithium-ion capacitor (LIC) has emerged as a hybrid energy storage device, combining the benefits of LIBs and EDLCs. However, the introduction of active lithium into LICs poses challenges due to lithium's reactivity and instability.

Grey matter structure within the visual networks in migraine with aura: multivariate and univariate analyses.

Background: The visual cortex is involved in the generation of migraine aura. Voxel-based multivariate analyses applied to this region may provide complementary information about aura mechanisms relative to the commonly used mass-univariate analyses.

Methods: Structural images constrained within the functional resting-state visual networks were obtained in migraine patients with (n = 50) and without (n = 50) visual aura and healthy controls (n = 50).

Impaired cerebral interstitial fluid dynamics in cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leucoencephalopathy.

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leucoencephalopathy, caused by cysteine-altering variants in , is the most prevalent inherited cerebral small vessel disease. Impaired cerebral interstitial fluid dynamics has been proposed as one of the potential culprits of neurodegeneration and may play a critical role in the initiation and progression of cerebral small vessel disease. In the present study, we aimed to explore the cerebral interstitial fluid dynamics in patients with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leucoencephalopathy and to evaluate its association with clinical features, imaging biomarkers and disease severity of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leucoencephalopathy.

Sex differences in the clinical manifestations related to dependence behaviors in medication-overuse headache.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare sex differences in the clinical manifestations related to dependence behaviors in medication-overuse headache (MOH).

Methods: Consecutive patients with newly diagnosed chronic migraine (CM) with and without MOH based on the Third Edition of International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) were enrolled prospectively from the headache clinic of a tertiary medical center. Demographics and clinical profiles were collected by using a questionnaire, which included current use of tobacco, alcohol, and caffeinated beverages, the Leeds Dependence Questionnaire (LDQ), the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS), the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Abnormal heart rate variability and its application in predicting treatment efficacy in patients with chronic migraine: An exploratory study.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the extent of autonomic nervous system dysfunction in patients with chronic migraine using heart rate variability analysis. In addition, we explored the potential association between heart rate variability and treatment outcomes in patients receiving preventive treatment.

Methods: In this cross-sectional and prospective study, we compared heart rate variability profiles in 81 preventive-naïve chronic migraine patients and 58 healthy controls.

Characteristic oscillatory brain networks for predicting patients with chronic migraine.

To determine specific resting-state network patterns underlying alterations in chronic migraine, we employed oscillatory connectivity and machine learning techniques to distinguish patients with chronic migraine from healthy controls and patients with other pain disorders. This cross-sectional study included 350 participants (70 healthy controls, 100 patients with chronic migraine, 40 patients with chronic migraine with comorbid fibromyalgia, 35 patients with fibromyalgia, 30 patients with chronic tension-type headache, and 75 patients with episodic migraine). We collected resting-state magnetoencephalographic data for analysis.

Atezolizumab-induced subacute cerebellar ataxia in a patient with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

Recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become the standard treatment option for patients with lung cancer, including small cell lung cancer (SCLC). ICI-induced neurological immune-related adverse events are rare and exhibit diverse clinical manifestations, often leading to missed or delayed diagnosis. Herein, we report the case of a patient with extensive-stage SCLC who received atezolizumab with etoposide/platinum and gradually developed neurological symptoms after three cycles of chemoimmunotherapy.

Disrupted Brain Functional Status in Patients with Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the functional networks in subjects with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Methods: We prospectively recruited patients with RCVS and healthy controls (HCs) between February 2017 and April 2021. The rs-fMRI data were analyzed using graph theory methods.

Identification of m.3243A>G mitochondrial DNA mutation in patients with cerebellar ataxia.

Background: The mitochondrial DNA m.3243A>G mutation can affect mitochondrial function and lead to a wide phenotypic spectrum, including mitochondrial encephalopathy with lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome, diabetes mellitus, hearing impairment, cardiac involvement, epilepsy, migraine, myopathy, and cerebellar ataxia. However, m.

Identification of patients with chronic migraine by using sensory-evoked oscillations from the electroencephalogram classifier.

Background: To examine whether the modulating evoked cortical oscillations could be brain signatures among patients with chronic migraine, we investigated cortical modulation using an electroencephalogram with machine learning techniques.

Methods: We directly record evoked electroencephalogram activity during nonpainful, painful, and repetitive painful electrical stimulation tasks. Cortical modulation for experimental pain and habituation processing was analyzed and used to differentiate patients with chronic migraine from healthy controls using a validated machine-learning model.

An altered reward system characterizes chronic migraine with medication overuse headache.

Background: Medication overuse headache shares several characteristics with substance use disorders. However, key features of substance use disorders such as increased impulsivity and alterations in reward processing remain little explored in medication overuse headache.

Methods: Temporal discounting and impulsive decision making behavior and the associated brain mechanisms were assessed in 26 chronic migraine patients with medication overuse headache and in 28 healthy controls.

Clinical Utility of Leeds Dependence Questionnaire in Medication-Overuse Headache.

Dependence behaviors are common in patients with medication-overuse headache (MOH). This prospective study aimed to characterize dependence behaviors in MOH by using Leeds dependence questionnaire (LDQ), and to determine the clinical utility of LDQ in the diagnosis of MOH. In total, 563 consecutive chronic migraine (CM) patients (451F/112M, mean age 41.

Reduced-penetrance Huntington's disease-causing alleles with 39 CAG trinucleotide repeats could be a genetic factor of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Background: Expanded HTT alleles with 40 or more CAG repeats were recently found to be a rare cause of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) spectrum diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of HTT repeat expansions in a Taiwanese cohort with ALS.

Methods: We analyzed the numbers of CAG repeats in exon 1 of HTT in a cohort of 410 Taiwanese patients with ALS and 1514 control individuals by utilizing polymerase chain reaction and amplicon fragment length analysis.