Tangled Truths: Unraveling the Link Between Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia and Allergic Contact Dermatitis.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is an increasingly common diagnosis, especially in middle-aged women, and has garnered growing attention in the scientific literature. This variant of lichen planopilaris (LPP) is recognized as a progressive scarring alopecia affecting the frontal and temporal regions of the scalp as well as the eyebrows and occasionally other sites. Although its precise etiology remains elusive, various factors such as genetics, medications, hormonal influences, and environmental exposures-including specific chemicals present in sunscreens-have been implicated in its pathogenesis but without evidence of causality. The potential relationship between contact allergy and FFA has been explored, with some suggesting an increased prevalence of contact allergy among patients diagnosed with FFA. This article aims to explore the potential association between contact allergy and FFA, focusing on the current published literature and implicated allergens.

Tackling Acrylate Allergy: The Sticky Truth.

Acrylates are synthetic thermoplastic resins used in numerous industries since their discovery in the mid-19th century. Known for their versatility in formulating various consumer, health care, and industrial products, acrylates also have come under scrutiny for their potential to cause allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). Allergic contact dermatitis to acrylates previously was largely occupational in nature, but the expanded use of acrylates in products ranging from nail cosmetics to medical devices has increasingly brought this allergy to the general population. Herein, we discuss the chemistry and allergenicity of acrylates and highlight common sources of exposure, clinical presentations, pertinent considerations for patch testing, and tips for the management/prevention of acrylate ACD. We hope to emphasize the shifting trend of exposure sources from the workplace to consumers, underlining the need for increased vigilance from physicians. Collaborative efforts among health care providers and patient education about allergen avoidance strategies are essential to mitigate potential complications arising from acrylate sensitization.

Movement-related beta ERD and ERS abnormalities in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Movement-related oscillations in the beta range (from 13 to 30 Hz) have been observed over sensorimotor areas with power decrease (i.e., event-related desynchronization, ERD) during motor planning and execution followed by an increase (i.e., event-related synchronization, ERS) after the movement's end. These phenomena occur during active, passive, imaged, and observed movements. Several electrophysiology studies have used beta ERD and ERS as functional indices of sensorimotor integrity, primarily in diseases affecting the motor system. Recent literature also highlights other characteristics of beta ERD and ERS, implying their role in processes not strictly related to motor function. Here we review studies about movement-related ERD and ERS in diseases characterized by motor dysfunction, including Parkinson's disease, dystonia, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis. We also review changes of beta ERD and ERS reported in physiological aging, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia, three conditions without overt motor symptoms. The review of these works shows that ERD and ERS abnormalities are present across the spectrum of the examined pathologies as well as development and aging. They further suggest that cognition and movement are tightly related processes that may share common mechanisms regulated by beta modulation. Future studies with a multimodal approach are warranted to understand not only the specific topographical dynamics of movement-related beta modulation but also the general meaning of beta frequency changes occurring in relation to movement and cognitive processes at large. Such an approach will provide the foundation to devise and implement novel therapeutic approaches to neuropsychiatric disorders.

Effects of rTMS and intensive rehabilitation in Parkinson's Disease on learning and retention.

Movement is accompanied by modulation of oscillatory activity in different ranges over the sensorimotor areas. This increase is more evident in normal subjects and less in patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD), a disorder associated with deficits in the formation of new motor skills. Here, we investigated whether such EEG changes improved in a group of PD patients, after two different treatments and whether this relates to performance. Subjects underwent either a session of 5 Hz repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) over the right posterior parietal cortex or a 4-week Multidisciplinary Intensive Rehabilitation Treatment (MIRT). We used a reaching task with visuo-motor adaptation to a rotated display in incremental 10° steps up to 60°. Retention of the learned rotation was tested before and after either intervention over two consecutive days. High-density EEG was recorded throughout the testing. We found that patients adapted their movements to the rotated display similarly to controls, although retention was poorer. Both rTMS and MIRT lead to improvement in retention of the learned rotation. Mean beta modulation levels changed significantly after MIRT and not after rTMS. These results suggest that rTMS produced local improvement reflected in enhanced short-term skill retention; on the other hand, MIRT determined changes across the contralateral sensorimotor area, reflected in beta EEG changes.

Beta Modulation Depth Is Not Linked to Movement Features.

Beta power over the sensorimotor areas starts decreasing just before movement execution (event-related desynchronization, ERD) and increases post-movement (event-related synchronization, ERS). In this study, we determined whether the magnitude of beta ERD, ERS and modulation depth are linked to movement characteristics, such as movement length and velocity. Brain activity was recorded with a 256-channels EEG system in 35 healthy subjects performing fast, uncorrected reaching movements to targets located at three distances. We found that the temporal profiles of velocity were bell-shaped and scaled to the appropriate target distance. However, the magnitude of beta ERD, ERS and modulation depth, as well as their timing, did not significantly change and were not related to movement features.