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Topic Review
Skin Biopsy in Peripheral Neuropathies
Skin biopsy is a minimally invasive technique with the advantage, compared to sural nerve biopsy, of being suitable to be applied to any site in our body, of being repeatable over time, of allowing the identification of each population of nerve fiber through its target. In patients with symptoms and signs of small fiber neuropathy the assessment of IntraEpidermal Nerve Fiber density is the gold standard to confirm the diagnosis while the quantification of sudomotor, pilomotor, and vasomotor nerve fibers allows to evaluate and characterize the autonomic involvement. All these parameters can be re-evaluated over time to monitor the disease process and to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments. Myelinated fibers and their receptors can also be evaluated to detect a "dying back" neuropathy early when nerve conduction study is still normal. Furthermore, the morphometry of dermal myelinated fibers has provided new insight into pathophysiological mechanisms of different types of inherited and acquired large fibers neuropathies. In genetic neuropathies skin biopsy has become a surrogate for sural nerve biopsy, no longer necessary in the diagnostic process, to study genotype–phenotype correlations. 
  • 720
  • 15 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Primary Motor Cortex
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has emerged as a novel technique to stimulate the human brain through the scalp. Over the years, identifying the optimal brain region and stimulation parameters has been a subject of debate in the literature on therapeutic uses of repetitive TMS (rTMS). Nevertheless, the primary motor cortex (M1) has been a conventional target for rTMS to treat motor symptoms, such as hemiplegia and spasticity, as it controls the voluntary movement of the body. However, with an expanding knowledge base of the M1 cortical and subcortical connections, M1-rTMS has shown a therapeutic efficacy that goes beyond the conventional motor rehabilitation to involve pain, headache, fatigue, dysphagia, speech and voice impairments, sleep disorders, cognitive dysfunction, disorders of consciousness, anxiety, depression, and bladder dysfunction.
  • 708
  • 19 Jun 2022
Topic Review Video
Red Blood Cells in Stroke
Stroke constitutes the second highest cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide while also impacting the world economy, triggering substantial financial burden in national health systems. High levels of blood glucose, homocysteine, and cholesterol are causative factors for atherothrombosis. These molecules induce erythrocyte dysfunction, which can culminate in atherosclerosis, thrombosis, thrombus stabilization, and post-stroke hypoxia. Glucose, toxic lipids, and homocysteine result in erythrocyte oxidative stress. This leads to phosphatidylserine exposure, promoting phagocytosis. Phagocytosis by endothelial cells, intraplaque macrophages, and vascular smooth muscle cells contribute to the expansion of the atherosclerotic plaque.
  • 705
  • 27 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Iron Homeostasis
Iron accumulation and neuroinflammation are pathological conditions found in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Iron and inflammation are intertwined in a bidirectional relationship, where iron modifies the inflammatory phenotype of microglia and infiltrating macrophages, and in turn, these cells secrete diffusible mediators that reshape neuronal iron homeostasis and regulate iron entry into the brain.
  • 696
  • 15 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Human Axonal Injury Responses
Neurons are structurally unique and have dendrites and axons that are vulnerable to injury. Some neurons in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) can regenerate their axons after injuries. However, most neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) fail to do so, resulting in irreversible neurological disorders. To understand the mechanisms of axon regeneration, various experimental models have been utilized in vivo and in vitro.
  • 696
  • 22 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Neuropathic Pain and Rehabilitation
Neuropathic pain is an injury or disease of the central and/or peripheral somatosensory nervous system, and it has a significant impact on quality of life, especially since it is often refractory to treatment. Rehabilitative intervention is considered in various guidelines on neuropathic pain treatment, although not in an organic nor detailed way.
  • 687
  • 03 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease
A quick overview of some of the characterisitics of AD, etiology and potential treatment strategies, beyond the amyloid hypothesis.
  • 685
  • 11 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Central Nervous System in Trichinellosis
Trichinellosis is a parasitic disease caused by the consumption of raw meat infected with larvae of nematode in the genus Trichinella. 
  • 685
  • 22 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Prion Diseases
Prion diseases are progressive and transmissive neurodegenerative diseases. The conformational conversion of normal cellular prion protein (PrPC) into abnormal pathogenic prion protein (PrPSc) is critical for its infection and pathogenesis.
  • 682
  • 12 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Stomatognathic Diseases in Neurological Disorders
Patients affected by neurological disorders can develop stomatognathic diseases (SD) related to decreased bite force and quality of mastication, bruxism, severe clicking and other temporomandibular disorders (TMD), which deeply affect patients’ swallowing, masticatory and phonation functions and, therefore, their quality of life. 
  • 680
  • 23 May 2023
Topic Review
Caregiving in Parkinson´s Disease and Deep Brain Stimulation
In Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, the progressive nature of the disease and the variability of disabling motor and non-motor symptoms contribute to the growing caregiver burden (CB) of PD partners and conflicts in their relationships. In advanced stages of the disease, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) improves PD symptoms and patients quality of life but the effect of DBS on CB of PD partners seems to be heterogeneous. The CB in the context of DBS framing both pre-, peri- and postoperative aspects aims to be illuminated, and further recognition of caregiver burden in partners of PD patients with DBS will be stimulated.
  • 678
  • 18 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Plant-Derived Nutrients and Their Impact on Cognition
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, with the risk of developing it attributed to non-modifiable and modifiable factors. A plant-based diet may protect against cognitive decline, due to the effects of plant-based nutrients such as vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.
  • 678
  • 08 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Tau-Based Fluid Biomarker Diagnostics
Despite continued efforts, there remain no disease-modifying drugs approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Medicines Agency (EMA) to combat the global epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease. Currently approved medicines are unable to delay disease progression and are limited to symptomatic treatment. It is well established that the pathophysiology of this disease remains clinically silent for decades prior to symptomatic clinical decline. Identifying those at risk of disease progression could allow for effective treatment whilst the therapeutic window remains open for preservation of quality of life.  This review aims to evaluate critically the current advances in the interpretation of tau-based biomarkers and their use to provide insights into the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease, whilst highlighting important future directions for the field
  • 676
  • 14 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Autophagy in Alzheimer’s Disease
Aging and the emergence of age-associated illnesses are one of the major challenges of our present society. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is closely associated with aging and is defined by increasing memory loss and severe dementia. Currently, there are no therapy options available that halt AD progression. 
  • 676
  • 08 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Caenorhabditis elegans and Tau Toxicity
Relevant information on the molecular basis of human neurodegeneration in vivo can be obtained using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Two main approaches can be applied: the overexpression of genes/proteins leading to neuronal dysfunction and death and studies in which proteins prone to misfolding are exogenously administered to induce a neurotoxic phenotype. These approaches can be employed to screen drugs and small molecules that can interact with the biogenesis and dynamics of formation of tau aggregates and to analyze their interactions with other cellular proteins.
  • 674
  • 13 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Perinatal Infection
Perinatal infection seems to limit the neuroprotective efficacy of therapeutic hypothermia. Efforts made to use therapeutic hypothermia in LMICs treating NE has led to increased neonatal mortality rates. The heat shock and cold shock protein responses are essential for survival against a wide range of stressors during which organisms raise their core body temperature and temporarily subject themselves to thermal and cold stress in the face of infection. The characteristic increase and decrease in core body temperature activates and utilizes elements of the heat shock and cold shock response pathways to modify cytokine and chemokine gene expression, cellular signaling, and immune cell mobilization to sites of inflammation, infection, and injury. Hypothermia stimulates microglia to secret cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP), which triggers NF-κB, controlling multiple inflammatory pathways, including nod-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) signaling. Brain responses through changes in heat shock protein and cold shock protein transcription and gene-expression following fever range and hyperthermia may be new promising potential therapeutic targets. 
  • 672
  • 24 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Multi-Modal Therapies for Kinesiophobia
Musculoskeletal disorders and the following pain were common in most people’s daily life, and the musculoskeletal pain caused by musculoskeletal disorders was the second most common cause of disability. Many established factors, such as physical, biological, cognitive, behavioral, social, and occupation, were correlated with the pain following musculoskeletal disorders
  • 666
  • 08 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Cisplatin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Platinum-based chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is one of the most common dose-limiting effects of cancer treatment and results in dose reduction and discontinuation of life-saving chemotherapy. Its debilitating effects are often permanent and lead to lifelong impairment of quality of life in cancer patients. While the mechanisms underlying the toxicity are not yet fully defined, dorsal root ganglia sensory neurons play an integral role in symptom development. DNA-platinum adducts accumulate in these cells and inhibit normal cellular function. Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is integral to the repair of platinum adducts, and proteins involved in its mechanism serve as potential targets for future therapeutics.
  • 666
  • 15 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Acute Ischemic Stroke
Blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption following ischemic stroke (IS) contributes to hemorrhagic transformation, brain edema, increased neural dysfunction, secondary injury, and mortality. Brain endothelial cells form a para and transcellular barrier to most blood-borne solutes via tight junctions (TJs) and rare transcytotic vesicles. The prevailing view attributes the destruction of TJs to the resulting BBB damage following IS, recent studies define a stepwise impairment of the transcellular barrier followed by the paracellular barrier which accounts for the BBB leakage in IS. The increased endothelial transcytosis that has been proven to be caveolae-mediated, precedes and is independent of TJs disintegration. Thus, our understanding of post-stroke BBB deficits needs to be revised, these recent findings could provide a conceptual basis for the development of alternative treatment strategies. Presently, our concept of how BBB endothelial transcytosis develops is incomplete and treatment options remain limited. This entry summarizes the cellular structure and biological classification of endothelial transcytosis at the BBB and reviews the related molecular mechanisms. Meanwhile, relevant transcytosis-targeted therapeutic strategies for IS and research entry points are prospected.
  • 653
  • 13 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Metastatic Spinal Tumors
Spine metastases are a common life-threatening complication of advanced-stage malignancies and often result in poor prognosis. Symptomatic spine metastases develop in the course of about 10% of malignant neoplasms. Therefore, it is essential for contemporary medicine to understand metastatic processes in order to find appropriate, targeted therapeutic options. There appears more and more detailed knowledge about cancer and metastasis, but these transformations are extremely complicated, e.g., due to the complexity of reactions, the variety of places where they occur, or the participation of both tumor cells and host cells in these transitions.
  • 653
  • 28 Sep 2022
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