Pain Catastrophising Amplifies Parietal Responses to Painful Laser Stimulation in Healthy Controls.

Background: Pain catastrophising is a maladaptive cognitive-emotional trait linked to greater pain severity and poorer outcomes, yet its neurophysiological correlates remain unclear.

Objectives: We tested whether pain catastrophising amplifies cortical responses to nociceptive input, independent of subjective pain intensity.

Methods: Fifty-two healthy adults underwent EEG during painful laser stimulation (n = 29; mean age 24.

Co-morbid seizures in frontotemporal dementia: What do they tell us?

Objectives: Comorbid seizures occur in 2-11 % of frontotemporal dementia(FTD). Despite the high risk for seizures, the risk factors, clinical characteristics, and seizure outcomes in FTD patients with comorbid seizures remain understudied.

Methods: All patients who presented to our hospital from 5/1/2011-4/30/2024 with a clinical diagnosis of FTD were included and subclassified into behavioral-variant FTD(bvFTD), sematic-variant-primary-progressive-aphasia(svPPA), or non-fluent-primary-progressive-aphasia(nfPPA).

Stereotactic Focused Ultrasound Mesencephalotomy for the Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer Pain.

Introduction: Historically, stereotactic mesencephalotomy was developed as a "supraspinal" cordotomy for cancer and neuropathic pain. Early experiences relieved pain, but the procedure was never widely adopted because of the associated morbidity with midbrain lesioning. Contemporary image-guided lesioning could make this a feasible procedure for cancer patients suffering with pain.

A randomized controlled trial of a digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia for older adults.

Older adults with insomnia face considerable challenges accessing treatment given limited availability to first-line therapy (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, CBT-I). This study evaluated the efficacy of Sleep Healthy Using the Internet for Older Adults Suffering with Insomnia and Sleeplessness (SHUTi OASIS), a tailored CBT-I internet intervention for older adults with insomnia, in a 3-arm randomized controlled trial (SHUTi OASIS alone, SHUTi OASIS + stepped support, online patient education [PE]). 311 participants (ages 55-95) were randomized to receive SHUTi OASIS (alone n = 105; with stepped support n = 102), with both conditions reporting significant improvements across post, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups in insomnia severity compared to those receiving PE (n = 104).

Extremely/Very Premature Birth Associated With Focal Epileptic Activity in Comorbid Autism and Epilepsy.

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder and epilepsy commonly occur together (ASD+EPI), suggesting shared pathology. However, epilepsy phenotypes within ASD+EPI are very heterogenous. Preterm birth poses a risk for both autism and epilepsy, and therefore may have a distinctive phenotype.

Hippocampus and amygdala volume and morphology in neurodegenerative disorders with co-morbid epilepsy.

Background: Epilepsy is common in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and non-AD dementias. However, the neuroimaging correlates of epilepsy in dementias remain unexplored. We investigated mesial temporal morphology and volumes in AD (AD + Epi) and nonAD dementias (nonAD + Epi) with epilepsy.

Active Seizures Predict Worse Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Individuals With Normal Cognition and Dementia.

Objectives: Cognitive disorders are common in older persons with seizures (PWS). Cognitive disorders are often associated with impaired Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). However, the effects of seizures on IADLs remain unexplored.

Temporal summation of pain varies across body regions: A cutaneous laser stimulation study in healthy controls.

Temporal summation of pain (TSP) is a psychophysical measure for assessing central facilitation of pain. This study examined sex differences and the effects of body region on TSP using contactless laser stimulation. Thirty-one right-handed healthy participants (16 female; mean age ± SD = 23.

Risk Factors Associated With Late-Onset Epilepsy in Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Importance: The risk of developing epilepsy substantially increases after the age of 60 years (late-onset epilepsy [LOE]), particularly in people with cognitive decline ([PWCD] ie, dementia and/or mild cognitive impairment). Epilepsy is associated with worse cognitive and mortality outcomes in PWCD. Identifying PWCD at risk for developing LOE can facilitate early screening and treatment of epilepsy.

Sleepiness, sleep time, and depression of caregivers are linked with sleep and behaviors of their paired partners with dementia.

Background: Sleep difficulties in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their caregivers (CGs) have been documented. Additionally, sleep disturbances are a risk for AD indicating that poor sleep in CGs may place them at risk for AD. Little is known about the relationship between sleep in people with dementia (PWD) and their CGs.

The association of seizure control with neuropathology in dementia.

Seizures in people with dementia (PWD) are associated with faster cognitive decline and worse clinical outcomes. However, the relationship between ongoing seizure activity and post-mortem neuropathology in PWD remains unexplored. We compared post-mortem findings in PWD with active, remote and no seizures using multicentre data from 39 Alzheimer's Disease Research Centres from 2005 to 2021.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Clinical Trials Methodology Course: Summary and Accomplishments 2014-2023.

The Clinical Trials Methodology Course (CTMC), given from 2014 to 2023, was conducted to educate early-career clinical investigators from various backgrounds in neurosciences in the design of clinical trials and to provide mentorship to enhance academic careers and retention plus improve research productivity and the likelihood of successful grant applications. This summary describes the rationale, history, structure, and trainee outcomes of the CTMC. The course used small groups, consisting of 1-2 clinical faculty advisor(s), 1 faculty biostatistician, and 2-4 trainees who met remotely approximately weekly over 12 weeks.

Association of Seizure Control with Mortality, Cognition, and Function in People With Dementia.

Objectives: The effects of seizure control on outcomes in persons with dementia (PWD) remain unclear. Our study aimed to investigate the impact of seizure control on mortality, function, cognition, and mood among PWD.

Methods: This longitudinal, multicenter study is based on 39 Alzheimer's disease centers (ADCs) in the United States from September 2005 to December 2021.

Prevalence and associations of insomnia after COVID-19 infection.

Study Objectives: Sleep disturbances in "long COVID" are common, but the associations between the severity of sleep problems and the severity of COVID infection are unclear. We evaluated the prevalence, persistence, comorbidities, and clinical effects of insomnia following recovery from acute COVID-19 infection in a COVID-specific clinic.

Methods: Inpatients discharged after COVID infection and outpatients referred for persistent post-COVID symptoms were surveyed on insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index), other neuropsychological symptoms, cardiopulmonary symptoms and physiological functions (6-minute walk distance and others), and functional outcome and quality of life.

Association of Seizure Control With Cognition in People With Normal Cognition and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Background And Objectives: Seizures are common in dementia and associated with accelerated cognitive decline. However, the impact of active vs remote seizures on cognition remains understudied. This study aimed to investigate the impact of active vs remote seizures on cognition in people with normal cognition and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

An end-to-end deep learning pipeline to derive blood input with partial volume corrections for automated parametric brain PET mapping.

Dynamic 2-[18F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (dFDG-PET) for human brain imaging has considerable clinical potential, yet its utilization remains limited. A key challenge in the quantitative analysis of dFDG-PET is characterizing a patient-specific blood input function, traditionally reliant on invasive arterial blood sampling. This research introduces a novel approach employing non-invasive deep learning model-based computations from the internal carotid arteries (ICA) with partial volume (PV) corrections, thereby eliminating the need for invasive arterial sampling.

A medico-legal perspective on postictal violence: A case study and systematic review of postictal delirium.

Detailed descriptions of violent postictal episodes are rare. We provide evidence from an index case and from a systematic review of violent postictal episodes that demonstrates the encephalopathic features of some violent postictal behaviors. We discuss how these cases may fit in the legal framework of culpability.

Interrelationship of Sleep Disturbances and Cognitive Status on Mortality.

Sleep disturbances may promote the development and advancement of Alzheimer's disease. Our purpose was to determine if sleep disturbances were associated with earlier mortality while accounting for cognition. The National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center database was used to evaluate mortality risk conferred by sleep, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score determined cognitive status.

Improvement in non-24-h sleep-wake rhythm disorder in a sighted individual treated with a melatonin receptor agonist.

Non-24-hour sleep-wake rhythm disorder (N24SWD) typically presents in patients with visual impairments that disrupt the ability to entrain to the 24 hour solar cycle. We discuss a 43 year old sighted man who presented with periodic daytime hypersomnia and nighttime insomnia, occasionally leading to <3 hours of sleep per day. Previous polysomnography showed an apnea hypopnea index of 6.

Sleep-EEG in comorbid pain and insomnia: implications for the treatment of pain disorders.

Introduction: Patients with chronic pain experience a high prevalence of comorbid insomnia, which is associated with functional impairment. Recent advances in sleep electroencephalography (sleep-EEG) may clarify the mechanisms that link sleep and chronic pain. In this clinical update, we outline current advancements in sleep-EEG assessments for pain and provide research recommendations.

Circannual seizure provocation as the day lengthens in the northern and southern hemispheres.

Circannual status epilepticus (SE) patterns in communities near Earth's poles best test the hypothesis that SE susceptibility varies with light exposure because these communities are routinely subject to large changes in annual light exposure, which may result in changes to daily sleep time. We compared northern hemispheric circannual SE occurrence in Kivalliq, Canada (latitude-62.8° N) to southern hemispheric Auckland, New Zealand (latitude-36.

Chronic Neurocognitive, Neuropsychological, and Pulmonary Symptoms in Outpatient and Inpatient Cohorts After COVID-19 Infection.

Neuropsychological symptoms associated with post-COVID-19 conditions may prevent patients from resuming normal activities at home or work. We report a retrospective, cross-sectional evaluation of neuropsychological and cardiopulmonary outcomes in 2 groups of patients: outpatients with mild enough infection to be spared from hospitalization and those who required inpatient admission. We hypothesized a dose-response model of post-COVID symptom severity in which persistent consequences would be more severe in those who experienced worse acute infections.

Painful Cutaneous Laser Stimulation for Temporal Summation of Pain Assessment.

Variability in pain sensitivity arises not only from the differences in peripheral sensory receptors but also from the differences in central nervous system (CNS) pain inhibition and facilitation mechanisms. Temporal summation of pain (TSP) is an experimental protocol commonly used in human studies of pain facilitation but is susceptible to confounding when elicited with the skin-contact thermode, which adds the responses of touch-related Aβ low-threshold mechanoreceptors to nociceptive receptors. In the present study, we evaluate an alternative method involving the use of a contactless cutaneous laser for TSP assessment.