The impact of child poverty on brain development: does money matter?

The development of the human nervous system makes up a series of fundamental and interdependent events involving birth, growth, and neuronal maturation, in addition to the positive or negative selection of synapses of these neurons that will participate in the composition of neural circuits essential to the activity of the nervous system. In this context, where environment and social relationships seem to be relevant markers for neurodevelopment, advanced neuroimaging techniques and behavioral assessment tools have demonstrated alterations in brain regions and cognitive functions among children developing in low or high socioeconomic status environments. Considering the aspects mentioned, this review aimed to identify the importance of socioeconomic status in children's brain development, seeking to identify what are the impacts of these factors on the morphological and physiological formation of the nervous system, allowing a greater understanding of the importance of environmental factors in neurodevelopmental processes.

O desenvolvimento do sistema nervoso humano compõe uma série de eventos fundamentais e interdependentes envolvendo o nascimento, crescimento e maturação neuronal, além da seleção positiva ou negativa de sinapses desses neurônios que participarão da composição de circuitos neurais essenciais à atividade do sistema nervoso. Nesse contexto, em que o ambiente e as relações sociais parecem ser marcadores relevantes para o neurodesenvolvimento, técnicas avançadas de neuroimagem e ferramentas de avaliação comportamental têm demonstrado alterações em regiões cerebrais e funções cognitivas em crianças que se desenvolvem em ambientes de baixo ou alto nível socioeconômico. Considerando os aspectos mencionados, esta revisão teve como objetivo identificar a importância do status socioeconômico no desenvolvimento cerebral infantil, buscando identificar quais são os impactos desses fatores na formação morfológica e fisiológica do sistema nervoso, permitindo maior compreensão da importância dos fatores ambientais nos processos de neurodesenvolvimento.

Gut-microbiome-brain axis: the crosstalk between the vagus nerve, alpha-synuclein and the brain in Parkinson's disease.

This critical review of the literature shows that there is a close link between the microbiome, the gut, and the brain in Parkinson's disease. The vagus nerve, the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, is involved in the regulation of immune response, digestion, heart rate, and control of mood. It can detect microbiota metabolites through its afferents, transferring this gut information to the central nervous system. Preclinical and clinical studies have shown the important role played by the gut microbiome and gut-related factors in disease development and progression, as well as treatment responses. These findings suggest that the gut microbiome may be a valuable target for new therapeutic strategies for Parkinson's disease. More studies are needed to better understand the underlying biology and how this axis can be modulated for the patient's benefit.

The impact of child poverty on brain development: does money matter? / O impacto da pobreza infantil no desenvolvimento do cérebro: o dinheiro importa?

ABSTRACT The development of the human nervous system makes up a series of fundamental and interdependent events involving birth, growth, and neuronal maturation, in addition to the positive or negative selection of synapses of these neurons that will participate in the composition of neural circuits essential to the activity of the nervous system. In this context, where environment and social relationships seem to be relevant markers for neurodevelopment, advanced neuroimaging techniques and behavioral assessment tools have demonstrated alterations in brain regions and cognitive functions among children developing in low or high socioeconomic status environments. Considering the aspects mentioned, this review aimed to identify the importance of socioeconomic status in children's brain development, seeking to identify what are the impacts of these factors on the morphological and physiological formation of the nervous system, allowing a greater understanding of the importance of environmental factors in neurodevelopmental processes.

RESUMO O desenvolvimento do sistema nervoso humano compõe uma série de eventos fundamentais e interdependentes envolvendo o nascimento, crescimento e maturação neuronal, além da seleção positiva ou negativa de sinapses desses neurônios que participarão da composição de circuitos neurais essenciais à atividade do sistema nervoso. Nesse contexto, em que o ambiente e as relações sociais parecem ser marcadores relevantes para o neurodesenvolvimento, técnicas avançadas de neuroimagem e ferramentas de avaliação comportamental têm demonstrado alterações em regiões cerebrais e funções cognitivas em crianças que se desenvolvem em ambientes de baixo ou alto nível socioeconômico. Considerando os aspectos mencionados, esta revisão teve como objetivo identificar a importância do status socioeconômico no desenvolvimento cerebral infantil, buscando identificar quais são os impactos desses fatores na formação morfológica e fisiológica do sistema nervoso, permitindo maior compreensão da importância dos fatores ambientais nos processos de neurodesenvolvimento.

Ocular contrapulsion followed by ipsipulsion in Wallenberg syndrome: The first case report in literature.

Wallenberg syndrome is also called lateral medullary syndrome, a neurological disorder resulting from occlusion of the vertebral artery or the posterior inferior cerebellar artery. The clinical presentations are associated with a variety of indications, including vestibulocerebellar symptoms, autonomic dysfunction and ipsilateral cerebellar signs. The ipsipulsion, an abnormality of the ocular movement associated with the Wallenberg syndrome, is more specific to the lateral medullary syndrome and is characterized by a tonic deviation of the eyes in the direction of the damaged side, more prominently when the visual fixation is interrupted. A 51-year-old male patient presented with a sudden permanent rotatory dizziness, unsteady gait, numbness in the left hemibody, left palate paresis, incoordination on left side and horizontal jerk nystagmus with left fast fase. Magnetic resonance imaging showed infarction in the left medulla and cerebellar. The ocular exam revealed saccadic lateropulsion ipsilateral to lesion. In the neurologic evaluation of the patient with Wallenberg syndrome, numerous abnormalities manifestations are present, such as vestibulo-ocular reflex deficiency, saccadic abnormalities, low pursuance movements and gaze fixation, and eye alignment dysfunction. This semiologic feature had not been described in literature until now. We hypothesize that an initial vasogenic edema extending to the left medial medulla following the acute stroke could explain the early presentation with saccadic counterpulsion. After one week and regression of the edema, the finding of lateropulsion has alternated to the classic ipsipulsion related to Wallenberg syndrome. The following case report depicts a rare case of Wallenberg syndrome associated with alterations of the ocular motricity.

Tumefactive demyelination after covid-19 successfully treated with betainterferon 1A.

The Marburg variant of MS is a rare variant that leads to a severe clinical course, with a high rate of mortality or severe residual deficits and unclear pathophysiology. A 20-year-old female patient, presented at the hospital emergency with left inferior limb paresis and visual blurring. The neurologic exam showed complete and proportionate left hemiparesis with pyramidal signs and clonus, loss of proprioception and vibration in lower limbs, tactile, and painful hypoesthesia on the left side. This report describes a rare case of Marburg variant associated with COVID-19 infection.

Dementia and cognitive impairment in adults as sequels of HSV-1-related encephalitis: a review.

Considering the variety of mechanisms of Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) contamination and its broad invasive potential of the nervous system, a life-long latent infection is established. Infected adult individuals may be susceptible to viral reactivation when under the influence of multiple stressors, especially regarding immunocompromised patients. This guides a series of neuroinflammatory events on the cerebral cortex, culminating, rarely, in encephalitis and cytotoxic / vasogenic brain edema. A sum of studies of such processes provides an explanation, even though not yet completely clarified, on how the clinical evolution to cognitive impairment and dementia might be enabled. In addition, it is of extreme importance to recognize the current dementia and cognitive deficit worldwide panorama. The aim of this literature review is to elucidate the available data upon the pathophysiology of HSV-1 infection as well as to describe the clinical panorama of the referred afflictions.

Considerando a variedade de mecanismos de contaminação pelo vírus Herpes simplex (HSV-1) e seu amplo potencial invasivo do sistema nervoso, uma infecção latente por toda a vida é estabelecida. Indivíduos adultos infectados podem ser suscetíveis à reativação viral quando estão sob a influência de múltiplos estressores, principalmente em pacientes imunocomprometidos. Esse fator orienta uma série de eventos neuroinflamatórios no córtex cerebral, culminando, raramente, em encefalite e edema cerebral citotóxico/vasogênico. Um somatório de estudos desses processos fornece uma explanação, embora ainda não totalmente esclarecida, de como a evolução clínica para déficit cognitivo e demência pode ser possibilitada. Além disso, é de extrema importância reconhecer o panorama mundial atual da demência e do déficit cognitivo. O objetivo da presente revisão de literatura é elucidar os dados disponíveis sobre a fisiopatologia da infecção pelo HSV-1, assim como descrever o panorama clínico das referidas afecções.

Assessment of vitamin D and inflammatory markers profile in cardiac tissue on Parkinson disease animal model.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular dysfunctions are common non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) that can result in reduced quality of life and even death. Research in animal models designed to characterize the pathological association between PD and cardiovascular abnormalities is still in its infancy. This study assessed the early impact of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic damage on cardiological features in the unilateral 6-OHDA rat model of PD. METHODS: Male Wistar rats received unilateral intrastriatal injections of 6-OHDA and sham rats were injected with saline. Animals were studied 15 days later. Immunohistochemistry was used for visualization of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons in the nigrostriatal system. Electrocardiogram recordings of heart rate were performed in conscious rats. Heart levels of vitamin D, inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein were assessed through electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, quantitative reverse transcription PCR and turbidimetric method, respectively. RESULTS: We found a post-injury reduction of TH-immunoreactivity of approximately 45% in the substantia nigra pars compacta and 20% in the striatum. Heart rate reduction was found in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats as compared with sham counterparts. Reduced levels of vitamin D and increased levels of inflammatory factors (C-reactive protein, IL-6, TNF-α and TGF-ß) were detected in the heart tissue of PD rats in comparison with sham. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest a link between cardiac tissue changes and cardiac functional changes early after the central dopaminergic damage induced by 6-OHDA. Knowledge of the cardiac abnormalities in the 6-OHDA model is critical in identifying future therapeutic targets and disease-modifying approaches for PD non-motor features.