Accurate time estimation is crucial for many human activities and necessitates the use of working memory, in which the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) plays a critical role. We tested the hypothesis that the DLPFC is activated in participants attempting time estimations that require working memory. Specifically, we used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate prefrontal cortical activity in the brains of individuals performing a prospective time production task. We measured cerebral hemodynamic responses in 26 healthy right-handed university students while they marked the passage of specified time intervals (3, 6, 9, 12, or 15&#x2009;s) or performed a button-pressing (control) task. The behavioral results indicated that participants&#x2019; time estimations were accurate with minimal variability. The fNIRS data showed that activity was significantly higher in the right DLPFC during the time estimation task compared to the control task. Theoretical considerations and the results of this study suggest that DLPFC activation resulting from time estimation indicates that the working memory system is in use.

Asato Morita

Yasunori Morishima

David W. Rackham

Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Activation during a Time Production Task: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

<i>Background/Aims</i>. Sortilin-related receptor 1 (SORL1) is involved in the neuronal transport processes and plays a role in the formation of amyloid plaques. This study investigated the association of 6 <i>SORL1</i> single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs 8, 9, 10, 13, 19, and 23) with cognitive impairment (CI) in Filipinos. <i>Methods</i>. DNA samples from 484 subjects (100 Alzheimer&#x2019;s Disease (AD) cases, 109 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) cases, 18 other types of CI, and 257 no dementia controls (NDC)) were genotyped using TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assays. <i>Data Analysis</i>. Our study showed strong linkage disequilibrium in the SNPs 8, 9, and 10 block. Our results showed that CI was significantly associated with SNPs 13 and 23. None of the <i>SORL1</i> SNPs studied was associated with AD while SNPs 8, 9, 10, and 23 were associated with MCI. <i>Conclusion</i>. The findings had provided evidence that <i>SORL1</i> may predispose individuals to CI. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of <i>SORL1</i> in Filipinos with AD.

Cristine R. Casingal

Maria Luisa G. Daroy

Cynthia A. Mapua

Dianne Jane A. Florendo

Filipinas F. Natividad

Jacqueline C. Dominguez

Polymorphisms in the <i>Sortilin-Related Receptor 1</i> Gene Are Associated with Cognitive Impairment in Filipinos

Chronic neurodegenerative diseases are a group of devastating neurological disorders that result in significant morbidity and mortality in the elderly population worldwide. Recent researches have shown some interesting associations of the classical antiobesity hormone leptin with two most important neurodegenerative diseases&#x2014;Alzheimer&#x2019;s disease (AD) and Parkinson&#x2019;s disease (PD). Although several clinical studies have found the procognitive and memory-enhancing role of this peptide hormone in leptin-deficient patients, surprisingly it has not been used in any clinical trials involving patients with developing or full-blown neurodegenerative conditions. This review article is an attempt to bring together the existing information about the clinical associations of leptin with AD and PD. It starts with the basic understanding of leptin action in the brain and its derangements in these diseases and eventually discusses the potential of this hormone as a neuroprotective agent in clinical scenario.

Soumyabrata Munshi

Vineet Kumar Khemka

Kalpita Banerjee

Sasanka Chakrabarti

Clinicotherapeutic Potential of Leptin in Alzheimer&#x2019;s Disease and Parkinson&#x2019;s Disease

<i  >Background.</i> Stroke in young is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Indian subcontinent with a reported incidence of 15&#x2013;30&#x25; of all stroke patients. The mechanisms for stroke in the young may include unconventional risk factors such as infections. Causative role of <i  >C. pneumoniae</i> infection in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains unresolved till date, although the link between <i  >C. pneumoniae</i> and cerebrovascular disease has been investigated in many studies. This study examined the upregulation of IL-6 after acute cerebral ischemia and correlated the same with the <i  >C. pneumoniae</i> antibody titres (IgG, IgA, and IgM). <i  >Methods.</i> We studied blood samples from eighty (<svg  xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-0.2130003pt" id="M1" height="8.91176pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.69876 35.534 8.91176" width="35.534pt"><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,0,0)"><path id="g113-111" d="M495 86L479 114C446 82 419 66 409 66C401 66 401 72 406 97C420 166 436 231 453 297C489 435 454 448 428 448C406 448 384 439 354 422C305 394 222 327 161 247H159L183 345C200 415 194 448 173 448C143 448 82 410 23 351L38 325C64 349 95 371 105 371C111 371 116 365 109 336L25 -4L31 -12C50 -4 77 3 107 9C119 69 132 122 145 168C197 254 321 381 370 381C387 381 393 374 378 305L329 95C309 17 320 -12 345 -12C372 -12 430 19 495 86Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="502" vert-adv-y="502"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,10.586,0)"><path id="g117-34" d="M535 323V373H52V323H535ZM535 138V188H52V138H535Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="587" vert-adv-y="587"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,22.324,0)"><path id="g113-57" d="M249 635C141 635 70 555 70 471C70 401 114 353 179 316C143 294 106 267 90 252C68 231 45 202 45 157C45 50 130 -12 237 -12C322 -12 435 52 435 169C435 256 372 304 303 343C349 374 375 398 383 407C401 429 411 458 411 487C411 569 344 635 249 635ZM238 603C285 603 337 567 337 482C337 422 310 385 276 358C205 393 145 426 145 500C145 552 179 603 238 603ZM248 20C183 20 125 70 125 163C125 218 158 268 206 300C284 261 355 217 355 143C355 66 308 20 248 20Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,28.827,0)"><path id="g113-49" d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g></svg>) acute stroke patients and healthy age- and sex-matched controls. Venous blood samples were drawn within one week from the onset of stroke. Detection of IgA, IgG, and IgM antibodies to <i  >C. pneumoniae</i> was done with a validated microimmunofluorescence (MIF) technique from 5&#x2009;mL of serum in all subjects. Interleukin-6 was estimated with sandwich ELISA method. <i  >Results.</i> The IL-6 levels were elevated in patients with a mean 28.9 &#xB1; 8.6&#x2009;pg/mL as compared to 4.7 + 1.8&#x2009;pg/mL in healthy age-matched controls (95&#x25; CI: 37.7 to 78.4; <svg  xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-0.2129908pt" id="M2" height="9.21094pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.99795 53.2534 9.21094" width="53.2534pt"><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,0,0)"><path id="g113-81" d="M600 480C600 590 528 650 384 650H143L137 622C222 614 225 607 210 531L130 127C113 41 106 36 23 28L17 0H294L300 28C204 36 195 42 212 127L243 284L314 263C327 263 339 263 352 264C465 271 600 337 600 480ZM508 481C508 351 402 304 329 304C289 304 265 311 250 317L295 559C302 594 310 606 323 611C335 616 350 619 367 619C455 619 508 573 508 481Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="617" vert-adv-y="617"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,12.15,0)"><use xlink:href="#g117-34"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="587" vert-adv-y="587"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,23.887,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,30.39,0)"><path id="g113-47" d="M113 -12C146 -12 170 11 170 46C170 78 146 103 114 103S58 78 58 46C58 11 82 -12 113 -12Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="228" vert-adv-y="228"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,33.48,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,39.983,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,46.486,0)"><path id="g113-53" d="M456 178V225H360V632H320C217 496 115 347 20 206V178H280V106C280 40 276 34 189 27V0H445V27C364 34 360 39 360 106V178H456ZM280 225H82C149 335 214 431 278 520H280V225Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g></svg>). On correlation of IL-6 to stroke severity, it was found that 30 patients with NIHSS between 0 and 15 had mean IL-6 of 24.6&#x2009;pg/mL and 50 patients had NIHSS of 18.8 (severely affected) with a mean IL-6 of 43.8&#x2009;pg/mL. On multivariate analysis after adjusting for sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and alcohol, the IgA seropositivity yielded an adjusted OR for stroke (4.72; 95&#x25; CI: 1.61, 13.83; <svg  xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-0.2129908pt" id="M3" height="9.21094pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.99795 53.2534 9.21094" width="53.2534pt"><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-81"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="617" vert-adv-y="617"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,12.15,0)"><use xlink:href="#g117-34"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="587" vert-adv-y="587"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,23.887,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,30.39,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-47"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="228" vert-adv-y="228"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,33.48,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,39.983,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,46.486,0)"><path id="g113-54" d="M153 550H386L412 615L406 623H120L82 318C104 327 142 338 184 338C294 338 347 275 347 187C347 112 305 39 221 39C160 39 119 71 97 89C88 97 80 96 71 90C59 80 50 67 49 57C48 45 52 36 66 23C80 9 123 -12 169 -12C221 -11 288 15 342 59C403 109 431 165 431 225C431 308 366 395 238 395C212 395 165 379 127 364L153 550Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g></svg>), while IgG seropositivity did not show a statistically significant result. We also observed that 81&#x25; of cases were seropositive for IgA versus 32&#x25; of controls (<svg  xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-0.2129908pt" id="M4" height="9.21094pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.99795 53.2534 9.21094" width="53.2534pt"><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-81"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="617" vert-adv-y="617"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,12.15,0)"><use xlink:href="#g117-34"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="587" vert-adv-y="587"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,23.887,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,30.39,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-47"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="228" vert-adv-y="228"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,33.48,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,39.983,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,46.486,0)"><path id="g113-52" d="M285 378C315 398 338 416 353 432C373 451 384 474 384 503C384 579 325 635 236 635H235C182 635 136 610 108 579L65 516L85 496C110 533 150 575 205 575C258 575 300 543 300 481C300 407 232 369 141 339L147 310C163 315 188 321 211 321C268 321 338 284 338 192C338 94 288 40 217 40C160 40 119 68 93 91C85 98 77 97 69 91C60 84 47 71 46 58C44 46 48 35 62 22C75 10 116 -12 162 -12C234 -12 424 62 424 224C424 297 373 359 285 376V378Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g></svg>) followed by IgG, as 52.7&#x25; of cases were seropositive versus 17.3&#x25; of controls (<svg  xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-0.2129908pt" id="M5" height="9.21094pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.99795 46.7259 9.21094" width="46.7259pt"><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-81"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="617" vert-adv-y="617"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,12.15,0)"><use xlink:href="#g117-34"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="587" vert-adv-y="587"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,23.887,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,30.39,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-47"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="228" vert-adv-y="228"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,33.48,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,39.983,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-54"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g></svg>). Multiple regression analysis was done with IL-6 as dependent variable to antibody with IL-6 as dependent variable to Cp-IgA, Cp-IgG, and IgM with 10.4&#x25; change in the IL-6 titres showing statistical significant result <svg  xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-2.3616pt" id="M6" height="12.0395pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -9.6779 49.2463 12.0395" width="49.2463pt"><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,0,0)"><path id="g113-71" d="M584 650H137L131 622C214 614 217 612 200 521L125 127C109 41 101 35 23 28L17 0H288L294 28C201 35 193 42 209 128L242 309H348C440 309 442 300 443 226H471L510 422H482C452 354 449 348 357 348H251L295 575C302 609 304 615 338 615H426C502 615 517 604 526 581C534 560 536 524 537 492L565 494C574 554 583 631 584 650Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="607" vert-adv-y="607"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,8.228,0)"><path id="g113-41" d="M300 -147C201 -63 143 98 143 270S200 602 300 686L282 710C136 610 70 450 70 271V270C70 89 136 -72 282 -170L300 -147Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="346" vert-adv-y="346"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,12.916,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-53"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,19.419,0)"><path id="g113-45" d="M95 130C70 130 46 113 46 88C46 72 54 64 59 64C93 55 121 33 121 -3C121 -41 93 -68 44 -88L55 -117C117 -98 186 -56 186 22C186 91 131 130 95 130Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="228" vert-adv-y="228"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,24.779,0)"><path id="g113-50" d="M384 0V27C293 34 287 42 287 114V635C232 613 172 594 109 583V559L157 557C201 555 205 550 205 499V114C205 42 199 34 109 27V0H384Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,31.282,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-50"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,37.785,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-54"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,44.289,0)"><path id="g113-42" d="M275 270C275 450 212 609 64 710L45 686C145 604 203 442 203 270S147 -63 45 -147L64 -170C213 -68 275 89 275 270Z"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="346" vert-adv-y="346"/></g></svg> = 3.32, <svg  xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" style="vertical-align:-0.2129908pt" id="M7" height="9.21094pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.99795 46.7259 9.21094" width="46.7259pt"><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,0,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-81"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="617" vert-adv-y="617"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,12.15,0)"><use xlink:href="#g117-34"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="587" vert-adv-y="587"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,23.887,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,30.39,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-47"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="228" vert-adv-y="228"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,33.48,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g><g transform="matrix(.0135,0,0,-0.0135,39.983,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-50"/><glyph.data ascent="3473" descent="-2876" horiz-adv-x="480" vert-adv-y="480"/></g></svg>. <i  >Conclusions.</i> IL-6 has important role after acute ischemic stroke and is correlated with stroke severity and may correlate to acute or chronic infectious states with <i  >C. pneumonia.</i>

M. V. Padma Srivastava

Ashu Bhasin

Rama Chaudhry

Sakshi Sharma

S. Vivekanandhan

Rohit Bhatia

Manjari Tripathi

Role of Interleukin-6 Correlated to <i>C. pneumoniae</i> Infection as a  Biomarker for Prediction of Stroke Severity in Young Patients with Acute  Ischemic Stroke

Vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) in response to a loud air conducted sound (ACS) recorded from extraocular muscles, the so-called ocular VEMP (oVEMP), has been confirmed to be able to evaluate utricular function. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sleep deprivation (SD) on oVEMP parameters. oVEMPs were recorded in 20 male healthy subjects once after an ordinary sleep and once after 26&#x2013;29 h of SD. The latencies of peak N1 and P1, N1-P1 amplitude, N1-P1 interval, and asymmetry ratio (AR) of oVEMP recorded from both eyes under normal sleep and SD conditions were 10.04 &#xB1; 0.59&#x2009;ms versus 10.56 &#xB1; 0.69&#x2009;ms (left eye), 14.95 &#xB1; 0.92&#x2009;ms versus 15.64 &#xB1; 1.05&#x2009;ms (left eye), and 7.44 &#xB1; 2.86&#x2009;<i>&#xb5;</i>V versus 5.26 &#xB1; 2.15&#x2009;<i>&#xb5;</i>V (left eye); 10.08 &#xB1; 0.66&#x2009;ms versus 10.64 &#xB1; 0.73&#x2009;ms (right eye), 14.88 &#xB1; 0.89&#x2009;ms versus 15.59 &#xB1; 1.02&#x2009;ms (right eye), and 7.16 &#xB1; 2.88&#x2009;<i>&#xb5;</i>V versus 5.04 &#xB1; 2.05&#x2009;<i>&#xb5;</i>V(right eye); 10.40 &#xB1; 5.81&#x25; versus 11.43 &#xB1; 6.37&#x25;, respectively. After SD, the latencies of oVEMP were delayed and N1-P1 amplitude was lower, whereas N1-P1 interval and AR remained unchanged. The present study showed that oVEMP test could be used to evaluate the fatigue induced by SD.

Su-Jiang Xie

Hong-Zhe Bi

Qin Yao

The Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials Using Air Conducted Sound

<i>Background.</i> The relationship between underweight and lumbar spine surgery is still unknown. <i>Aim.</i> To evaluate the effect of underweight versus obesity based on surgical outcome of lumbar disc herniation. <i>Material and Method.</i> In this retrospective study, we evaluated 206 patients (112 male and 94 female) with a mean age of <svg style="vertical-align:-0.3003pt;width:66.199997px;" id="M1" height="11.2875" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 66.199997 11.2875" width="66.199997" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,10.862)"><path id="x33" d="M285 378v-2q65 -13 102 -54.5t37 -97.5q0 -57 -30.5 -104.5t-74 -75t-85.5 -42t-72 -14.5q-31 0 -59.5 11t-40.5 23q-19 18 -16 36q1 16 23 33q13 10 24 0q58 -51 124 -51q55 0 88 40t33 112q0 64 -39 96.5t-88 32.5q-29 0 -64 -11l-6 29q77 25 118 57.5t41 84.5&#xA;q0 45 -26.5 69.5t-68.5 24.5q-67 0 -120 -79l-20 20l43 63q51 56 127 56h1q66 0 107 -37t41 -95q0 -42 -31 -71q-22 -23 -68 -54z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,8.222,10.862)"><path id="x37" d="M447 623l8 -12l-283 -613l-74 -10l-7 11q174 283 297 551h-216q-48 0 -62.5 -12t-33.5 -63h-29q10 60 18 148h382z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,16.381,10.862)"><path id="x2E" d="M113 -12q-24 0 -39.5 16t-15.5 42q0 24 16 40.5t40 16.5t40 -16.5t16 -40.5q0 -26 -16 -42t-41 -16z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,20.257,10.862)"><path id="x35" d="M153 550l-26 -186q79 31 111 31q90 0 141.5 -51t51.5 -119q0 -93 -89 -166q-85 -69 -173 -71q-32 0 -61.5 11.5t-41.5 23.5q-18 17 -17 34q2 16 22 33q14 9 26 -1q61 -50 124 -50q60 0 93 43.5t33 104.5q0 69 -41.5 110t-121.5 41q-53 0 -102 -20l38 305h286l6 -8&#xA;l-26 -65h-233z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,32.19,10.862)"><path id="xB1" d="M535 290h-212v-206h-58v206h-213v50h213v193h58v-193h212v-50zM535 -22h-483v50h483v-50z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,45.942,10.862)"><use xlink:href="#x33" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,54.102,10.862)"><use xlink:href="#x2E" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,57.977,10.862)"><path id="x31" d="M384 0h-275v27q67 5 81.5 18.5t14.5 68.5v385q0 38 -7.5 47.5t-40.5 10.5l-48 2v24q85 15 178 52v-521q0 -55 14.5 -68.5t82.5 -18.5v-27z" /></g></svg> years old (ranged 20–72) who have been surgically treated due to the refractory simple primary L4-L5 disc herniation. We followed them up for a mean period of <svg style="vertical-align:-0.3003pt;width:66.199997px;" id="M2" height="11.2875" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 66.199997 11.2875" width="66.199997" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,10.862)"><path id="x34" d="M456 178h-96v-72q0 -51 12.5 -62.5t72.5 -16.5v-27h-256v27q65 5 78 17t13 62v72h-260v28q182 271 300 426h40v-407h96v-47zM280 225v295h-2q-107 -148 -196 -295h198z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,8.222,10.862)"><path id="x32" d="M412 140l28 -9q0 -2 -35 -131h-373v23q112 112 161 170q59 70 92 127t33 115q0 63 -31 98t-86 35q-75 0 -137 -93l-22 20l57 81q55 59 135 59q69 0 118.5 -46.5t49.5 -122.5q0 -62 -29.5 -114t-102.5 -130l-141 -149h186q42 0 58.5 10.5t38.5 56.5z" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,16.381,10.862)"><use xlink:href="#x2E" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,20.257,10.862)"><use xlink:href="#x34" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,32.19,10.862)"><use xlink:href="#xB1" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,45.942,10.862)"><use xlink:href="#x37" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,54.102,10.862)"><use xlink:href="#x2E" /></g><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,57.977,10.862)"><use xlink:href="#x32" /></g></svg> months (ranged 24–57). We used Body Mass Index (BMI), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for categorization, disability, and pain assessment, respectively. We used Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney <svg style="vertical-align:-0.23206pt;width:13.1px;" id="M3" height="11.4625" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 13.1 11.4625" width="13.1" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,11.112)"><path id="x1D448" d="M751 650l-6 -28q-53 -1 -69 -12.5t-24 -38.5q-23 -85 -43 -192l-13 -69q-34 -181 -130 -262q-79 -65 -185 -65t-171 57q-87 77 -54 258l42 232q12 58 0.5 73t-75.5 19l8 28h263l-6 -28q-63 -5 -78 -18t-26 -74l-41 -226q-25 -135 22 -201t139 -66q99 0 161.5 68t91.5 217&#xA;l11 57q28 149 28 193q0 28 -19 38t-79 12l6 28h247z" /></g></svg> tests for statistics. <i>Results.</i> Surgical discectomy in all weight groups was associated with significant improvement in pain and disability, but intergroup comparison showed these improvements in both underweight and obese groups and they were significantly lower than in normal weight group. Excellent and good satisfaction rate was also somewhat lower in both these ends of weight spectrum, but statistically insignificant. <i>Conclusion.</i> Both obesity and underweight may have adverse prognostic influences on the surgical outcome of lumbar disc herniation, although their impact on subjective satisfaction rate seems to be insignificant.

Farzad Omidi-Kashani

Ebrahim Ghayem Hasankhani

Ehsan Rafeemanesh

Parham Seyf

Hassan Attarchi

Mohammad Dawood Rahimi

Reza Khanzadeh

Impact of Obesity and Underweight on Surgical Outcome of Lumbar Disc Herniation

Although third molar extraction is a routinely carried out procedure in a dental set-up, yet it is feared both by the patient and the dentist due to an invariable set of complications associated with it, especially in the form of nerve injuries. Hence, prior to performing such procedures, it would be wise if the clinician thoroughly evaluates the case for any anticipated complications so that adequate preventive measures can be taken to minimize the traumatic outcomes of the procedure and provide maximum patient care, which would further save the clinician from any sort of litigation.

Vikas Sukhadeo Meshram

Priyatama Vikas Meshram

Pravin Lambade

Assessment of Nerve Injuries after Surgical Removal of Mandibular Third Molar: A Prospective Study

The purpose of this study was to assess the temporal processing and speech perception abilities in older adults who were practicing meditation for more than five years. Participants were comprised of three groups, 30 young adults (&#x201c;YA&#x201d;) in the age range of 20&#x2013;30 years, 30 older adults in the age range of 50&#x2013;65 years who practiced meditation for a period of five years or more (effective meditators &#x201c;EM&#x201d;), and 51 age matched older adults who did not have any experience of meditation (non-meditators &#x201c;NM&#x201d;). Temporal processing was evaluated using gap detection in noise, duration discrimination, modulation detection, and backward masking and duration pattern tests. Speech perception was measured in presence of a four-talker babble at &#x2212;5&#x2009;dB signal to noise ratio and with the vocoded stimuli. Results revealed that EM group performed significantly better than NM group in all psychophysical and speech perception tasks except in gap detection task. In the gap detection task, two groups did not differ significantly. Furthermore, EM group showed significantly better modulation detection thresholds compared to YA. Results of the study demonstrate that the practice of meditation not only offsets the decline in temporal and speech processing abilities due to aging process but also improves the ability to perceive the modulations compared to young adults.

Uppunda Ajith Kumar

A. V. Sangamanatha

Jai Vikas

Effects of Meditation on Temporal Processing and Speech Perceptual Skills in Younger and Older Adults

The diagnosis of Friedreich ataxia is based on the clinical symptoms and GAA repeats expansions. In our experience, checking <i>FXN</i> gene exons for mutations along with GAA repeat analysis may give better clue for its diagnosis. In the present study, total 49 suspected Friedreich ataxia patients were analyzed for GAA repeat expansion. Eleven patients have normal number of GAA repeats, thereby termed as FRDA negative patients. Thirty-eight patients showed no amplification using GAA repeat analysis. Since no conclusion was possible based on these results, these patients were designated as uninformative. We have analyzed 5 exons of the <i>FXN</i> gene in FRDA negative and uninformative patients to check for possible mutations. It was observed that there were no mutations found in any of FRDA negative and most uninformative patients. We further used long range PCR to check for deletion of exon 5a. It was found that 18 patients showed expression for exon 5a PCR but none in long range PCR. Five patients showed no expression for exon 5a PCR as well as long range PCR indicating that these 5 patients may be positive FRDA patients. These findings need to be correlated with clinical history of these patients for confirmation.

Pravin D. Potdar

Aarthy Raghu

Molecular Diagnosis of Friedreich Ataxia Using Analysis of GAA Repeats and <i>FXN</i> Gene Exons in Population from Western India

Angiotensin II represents a key molecule in hypertension and cerebrovascular pathology. By promoting inflammation and oxidative stress, enhanced Ang II levels accelerate the onset and progression of cell senescence. Sustained activation of RAS promotes end-stage organ injury associated with aging and results in cognitive impairment and dementia. The discovery of the angiotensin-converting enzyme ACE2-angiotensin (1&#x2013;7)-Mas receptor axis that exerts vasodilator, antiproliferative, and antifibrotic actions opposed to those of the ACE-Ang II-AT<sub>1</sub> receptor axis has led to the hypothesis that a decrease in the expression or activity of angiotensin (1&#x2013;7) renders the systems more susceptible to the pathological actions of Ang II. Given the successful demonstration of beneficial effects of increased expression of ACE2/formation of Ang1&#x2013;7/Mas receptor binding and modulation of Mas expression in animal models in containing cerebrovascular pathology in hypertensive conditions and aging, one could reasonably hope for analogous effects regarding the prevention of cognitive decline by protecting against hypertension and cerebral microvascular damage. Upregulation of ACE2 and increased balance of Ang 1&#x2013;7/Ang II, along with positive modulation of Ang II signaling through AT<sub>2</sub> receptors and Ang 1&#x2013;7 signaling through Mas receptors, may be an appropriate strategy for improving cognitive function and treating dementia.

Vijaya Lakshmi Bodiga

Sreedhar Bodiga

Renin Angiotensin System in Cognitive Function and Dementia

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Asian Journal of Neuroscience