Although evidence is mixed, several previous studies have found an association between lifetime TBI and dementia risk in later life. Kristen Dams-O’Connor, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and colleagues compare the medical history and cognitive function of those with dementia and a history of TBI and those with dementia without a TBI history and report subtle differences between the groups. Their findings suggest that dementia in patients who have sustained a TBI is a unique phenotype that is distinct from that seen among individuals who develop dementia without a history of TBI.

A study by Jeff Victoroff, MD, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, presents the first published provisional diagnostic criteria for traumatic encephalopathy (TE) based on a systematic analysis of its clinical characteristics in 436 published cases of TE. “Provisional research diagnostic criteria for TE should allow clinicians to focus on this significant subset of TBI victims, and hopefully accelerate the understanding of this important condition,” says Victoroff. “Currently diagnosis of this disorder is based solely on post-mortem examination, making the differential diagnosis of TBI, dementia, and CTE all but impossible in living Individuals,” adds Gordon. “While these criteria require validation, research and the subsequent endorsement by professional organizations, they represent an important first step in this process.”

The factors related to death following TBI in the elderly are in need of more research and our understanding of the long-term consequences of TBI is quite limited, according to an article by Chari I. Hirshson, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and colleagues. They report on the findings of a medical chart review of individuals 55 years and older who died one to four years after moderate or severe TBI, and compared these to matched living patients. Deceased patients were discharged with significantly more medications including diabetic medication (35%) and there was a significantly higher proportion of deceased patients with a diagnosis of Abnormality of Gait (53%), respiratory medications at admission (32%) and discharge (17%). These results suggest the need for medical and lifestyle interventions for selected elderly TBI patients, say the authors.

The characteristics of the inpatient rehabilitation treatments received by individuals with a TBI who were above the age of 65 when they received their injury are examined in a paper by Marcel Dijkers, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and colleagues. They found that in contrast with the situation just a few decades ago, elderly people with TBI are admitted to rehabilitation in fairly large numbers. Elderly patients may have relatively limited brain injury severity, and make significant but nevertheless more restricted progress (compared with young and middle-aged patients) during and after inpatient rehabilitation. The majority of elderly people with TBI can be rehabilitated successfully and discharged home, where they may even resume employment and driving, say the authors.

As Gordon points out, “Cognitive assessments are costly, time-consuming and are often a burden on the patients and their families.” The Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT) has been recommended for inclusion in the National Institutes of Health Common Data Elements for assessing TBI and is currently being piloted by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research,-funded TBI Model Systems, for potential inclusion in a prospective longitudinal study of TBI outcomes.  Brandon E. Gavett, PhD, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and co-investigators applied modern psychometric approaches to examine the validity of using the BTACT in TBI patients. They conclude that modern psychometric approaches have the benefit of linear scaling and a modest criterion validity advantage, and that the tool has the potential of increasing understanding of the long-term impact of TBI on cognitive function.

To round off this collection of papers, Angela Yi, PhD, Sports Concussion Institute, Atlanta, and Kristen Dams-O’Connor, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, review the literature on age-specific factors that are related to successful outcomes in the elderly who sustain a TBI. They conclude there is a clear need for more cross-sectional and prospective studies that examine psychosocial issues in this unique population. “The trajectory of recovery and social reintegration after a TBI sustained in older adulthood is unique,” say the authors. “It should not be assumed that predictors of psychosocial outcomes in younger adults apply to older adults with TBI. Level of severity, cause of injury, age at injury, co-morbid conditions, cohort characteristics, and pre-morbid functioning are all factors to take into account when exploring how a TBI affects psychosocial functioning in the older adult cohort.”

#  #  #

NOTES FOR EDITORS
Full text of the articles is available to credentialed journalists. Contact Daphne Watrin, IOS Press, at +31 20 688 3355 or d.watrin@iospress.nl to obtain full text of the articles listed below. Journalists wishing to request interviews with authors should refer to contact information included in the list of featured articles below.

Special Feature: Traumatic Brain Injury and Aging
NeuroRehabilitation: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 32(2) April, 2013
Guest Editor: Wayne A. Gordon Ph.D., ABPP, PhD, ABPP, Jack Nash Professor, Vice Chair, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY

Featured Articles:
“TBI and Aging:  Editorial,” Wayne A. Gordon PhD, ABPP
Contact the Mount Sinai Newsroom at 212-241-9200 or NewsMedia@mssm.edu

“An Exploration of Clinical Dementia Phenotypes Among Individuals with and without Traumatic Brain Injury,” K. Dams-O’Connor, L. Spielman, F.M. Hammond, N. Sayed, C. Culver and R. Diaz-Arrastia
Contact the Mount Sinai Newsroom at 212-241-9200 or NewsMedia@mssm.edu

“Traumatic Encephalopathy: Review and Provisional Research Diagnostic Criteria,” Jeff Victoroff
Contact Jeff Victoroff at 310-542-9988 or victorof@usc.edu

“Mortality of Elderly Individuals with TBI in the First 5 Years Following Injury,” Chari I. Hirshson, Wayne A. Gordon, Ayushi Singh, Anne Ambrose, Lisa Spielman, Kristen Dams-O’Connor, Joshua Cantor and Marcel Dijkers
Contact Chari I Hirshson at 914-414-3131 or charihirshson@gmail.com

“Inpatient Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury: The Influence of Age on Treatments and Outcomes,” Marcel Dijkers, Murray Brandstater, Susan Horn, David Ryser and Ryan Barrett
Contact the Mount Sinai Newsroom at 212-241-9200 or NewsMedia@mssm.edu

“Bi-Factor Analyses of the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone,” Brandon E. Gavett, Paul K. Crane and Kristen Dams-O’Connor
Contact Brandon E. Gavett at 719-255-4135 or bgavett@uccs.edu

“Psychosocial Functioning in Older Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury,” Angela Yi and Kristen Dams-O’Connor
Contact the Angela Yi at 404-856-4848 or angela.yi@concussiontreatment.com.

ABOUT NEUROREHABILITATION: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL
NeuroRehabilitation; An Interdisciplinary Journal is an international journal that emphasizes publication of scientifically based, practical information relevant to all aspects of neurologic rehabilitation. Founded in 1991, it features peer-reviewed articles that are interdisciplinary in nature and cover the full life span and range of neurological disabilities including stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, neuromuscular disease, and other neurological disorders. Information is intended for an interdisciplinary audience. Issues of the journal are thematically organized. Themes have focused on specific clinical disorders, types of therapy, and age groups. www.iospress.com/journal/neurorehabilitation

ABOUT IOS PRESS
Commencing its publishing activities in 1987, IOS Press (www.iospress.com) serves the information needs of scientific and medical communities worldwide. IOS Press now (co-)publishes over 100 international journals and about 120 book titles each year on subjects ranging from computer sciences and mathematics to medicine and the natural sciences.

IOS Press continues its rapid growth, embracing new technologies for the timely dissemination of information. All journals are available electronically and an e-book platform was launched in 2005.

Headquartered in Amsterdam with satellite offices in the USA, Germany, India and China, IOS Press has established several strategic co-publishing initiatives. Notable acquisitions included Delft University Press in 2005 and Millpress Science Publishers in 2008.

Contact:
Daphne Watrin
IOS Press
Tel: +31 20 688 3355
Fax: +31 20 687 0019
Email: d.watrin@iospress.nl
www.iospress.com/neurorehabilitation

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited progressive neurological disorder for which there is presently no effective treatment. It is caused by a single dominant gene mutation – an expanded CAG repeat in the HTT gene – leading to expression of mutant HTT protein. Expression of mutant HTT causes changes in cellular functions, which ultimately results in uncontrollable movements, progressive psychiatric difficulties, and loss of mental abilities.

The search for new large animal models of HD arises from the recognition that there are some practical limitations of rodent and other small animal models. Because neurodegenerative diseases like HD progress over a lifetime, a rodent’s short life span excludes the possibility of studying long-term changes. There are also important anatomic differences between the brains of humans and rodents that become especially relevant when studying HD, including the lack of a gyrencephalic (convoluted) cortex and differences in the structure and cellular characteristics of the basal ganglia compared to humans. Not only does a rodent’s small brain often preclude the use of advanced neuroimaging techniques, it is also not clear how intracerebral application of trophic factors, transplant therapies, and gene therapies in small animals might translate to the much larger human brain.

“Importantly, the brains of large animals can be studied using sensitive measures that should be highly translatable to the human condition, including MRI and PET imaging, EEG, and electrophysiology, as well as behavioral tests looking at motor and cognitive function,” says Professor Jenny Morton, PhD, of the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. “Moving to larger-brained animal models after promising results are obtained in rodents is a logical, and possibly necessary, step to optimize delivery and biodistribution, validating on-target mechanism of action, and assessing safety profiles,” says Professor Morton 

“Strategies directed against the huntingtin gene in the brain are an important part of CHDI’s therapeutic portfolio”, says David Howland, PhD, Director of Model Systems at CHDI. “Translating preclinical results for gene-based therapies from rodent models to larger-brained models of HD is an important step along the path toward clinical testing.”

Significant advances have been made in the creation and characterization of HD models in nonhuman primates (NHP). “The relevance to human biology of NHP models in Huntington’s disease hold great potential value for preclinical research and development, but we need to fully consider the substantial issues of cost, long-term housing of affected animals, access of the models to HD investigators, and ethical concerns with modeling in these species,” says Dr Howland. “CHDI has invested in efforts to expand modeling in large animals to include sheep and minipigs to work around some of these concerns about NHP models.”

Large domesticated farm animals offer some distinct advantages as models of HD. Sheep, for example, are domesticated, docile, live outdoors, are easy to care for, and relatively economical to maintain. A sheep’s brain is about the same size as a large primate’s, is gyrencephalic, and the basal ganglia that degenerate in HD are anatomically similar to those in humans. Sheep live long enough that the time available for studying progressive neurological diseases such as HD is much greater than is possible in rodents. HD transgenic sheep express HTT protein in the brain and abnormal HD-associated neurochemical changes. These HD sheep have been subject to advanced genomic techniques and, because they carry a human transgene that is expressed at both an mRNA and protein level, they are seen as suitable for testing gene therapy-based reagents directed against human HTT. A further advantage, says Professor Morton, is that “although sheep have a reputation for being stupid, this is probably undeserved … they have very good memories and are capable of learning and remembering new tasks.” 

In order to advance the use of the HD sheep model, I.M.J. van der Bom, PhD, from the Department of Radiology at the University of Massachusetts, and colleagues developed a multi-modal technique using skull markings seen with CT imaging and brain anatomy from MR imaging to allow more precise placement of intracerebral cannulae into sheep brain. The technique offers the ability to directly image micro-cannula placement to ensure accurate targeting of the therapeutic injection in the brain. With this technique, the authors hope to study the extent of optimal safety, spread and neuronal uptake of adeno-associated virus (AAV) based therapeutics.

“Pigs, and mainly minipigs, represent a viable model for preclinical drug trials and long-term safety studies,” says Jan Motlik, DVM, PhD, DSc, from the Laboratory of Cell Regeneration and Plasticity of the Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics in Libechov, Czech Republic. Advantages include its large brain size and long lifespan. Genetic advances have been made, including defining the porcine genome, with a 96% similarity between the porcine and human huntingtin genes. In addition to well-established methods for pig husbandry, they are economical to house and have body systems very similar to that of humans.

In the report by Baxa et al., a new HD minipig model using lentiviral infection of porcine embryos is described. The authors report that they successfully developed a heterozygote transgenic HD minipig that expresses a human mutant HTT fragment throughout the CNS and peripheral tissues through 4 successive generations. The model produces viable offspring, with a total neonatal mortality rate of 17%. The authors reported that one affected HD minipig showed a decline beginning at 16 months of a neuronal phosphoprotein, DARPP32, in the neostriatum, the brain region most affected by HD. A loss of fertility, possibly HD related, was also found. 

#  #  #

NOTES FOR EDITORS
“Large Genetic Animal Models of Huntington’s Disease,” by Jennifer Morton and David S. Howland. DOI 10.3233/JHD-130050.

“A Transgenic Minipig Model of Huntington’s Disease, “ by Monika Baxa, Marian Hruska-Plochan, Stefan Juhas, Petr Vodicka, Antonin Pavlok, Jana Juhasova, Atsushi Miyanohara, Tetsuya Nejime, Jiri Klima, Monika Macakova, Silvia Marsala, Andreas Weiss, Svatava Kubickova, Petra Musilova, Radek Vrtel, Emily M. Sontag, Leslie M. Thompson, Jan Schier, Hana Hansikova, David S. Howland Elena Cattaneo, Marian Difiglia, Martin Marsala and Jan Motlik. DOI 10.3233/JHD-130001.

“Finding the Striatum in Sheep,” by I.M.J van der Bom, R.P. Moser, G. Gao, E. Mondo, Denice O’Connell, M.J. Gounis, S. McGowan, J. Chaurette, N. Bishop, M.S. Sena-Esteves, C. Mueller, N. Aronin. DOI 10.3233/JHD-130053.

All appear in the Journal of Huntington’s Disease, Volume 2/Issue 1 (April 2013), Published by IOS Press.

Full text of the articles is available to credentialed journalists. Contact Daphne Watrin, IOS Press, +31 20 688 3355, d.watrin@iospress.nl. Journalists wishing to interview the authors should contact:

Dr. David Howland at +1 609-945-9046, david.howland@chdifoundation.org
Professor Jenny Morton at +44-1223-334057, ajm41@cam.ac.uk
Dr. Jan Motlik at +420 315639560, motlik@iapg.cas.cz
Dr. Neil Aronin at +1 508-856-3239, Neil.Aronin@umassmed.edu

ABOUT THE JOURNAL OF HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE (JHD)
Launched in June 2012, the Journal of Huntington’s Disease is an international multidisciplinary journal to facilitate progress in understanding the genetics, molecular correlates, pathogenesis, pharmacology, diagnosis and treatment of Huntington’s disease and related disorders. The journal is dedicated to providing an open forum for original research in basic science, translational research and clinical medicine that will expedite our fundamental understanding and improve treatment of Huntington’s disease and related disorders. www.iospress.com/journal/journal-of-huntingtons-disease

ABOUT IOS PRESS
Commencing its publishing activities in 1987, IOS Press (www.iospress.com) serves the information needs of scientific and medical communities worldwide. IOS Press now (co-)publishes over 100 international journals and about 120 book titles each year on subjects ranging from computer sciences and mathematics to medicine and the natural sciences.

IOS Press continues its rapid growth, embracing new technologies for the timely dissemination of information. All journals are available electronically and an e-book platform was launched in 2005. 

Headquartered in Amsterdam with satellite offices in the USA, Germany, India and China, IOS Press has established several strategic co-publishing initiatives. Notable acquisitions included Delft University Press in 2005 and Millpress Science Publishers in 2008.

Contact:
Daphne Watrin
IOS Press
Tel: +31 20 688 3355
Email: d.watrin@iospress.nl
www.iospress.com/journal/journal-of-huntingtons-disease

“TERI Press is the publishing arm of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a premier research institute in the areas of energy, environment, and sustainable development. Over the years, the Press has established itself as a world class publisher of books, journals and magazines. TERI Press publishes academic journals and magazines, and several newsletters. The prime purpose of venturing with IOS Press is to distribute this valuable information to the suitable target audience,” says Yogesh Chander of TERI Press.

IOS Press Deputy Director Popke Huizinga states that “IOS Press is pleased with the agreement with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi, India, to host the journals on their behalf. With this agreement the publications of these journals can be disseminated to numerous institutes worldwide, either through subscriptions or site license deals.”

rTMS did produce some other short-term changes. For instance, 3 days of rTMS significantly enhanced intracortical inhibition (as indicated by prolongation of the cortical silent period) but by 5 days, the changes were no longer significant, suggesting there is not a cumulative effect of inhibition from the rTMS. Handwriting analysis showed that rTMS significantly reduced axial pen force at day 5, without reducing writing velocity.

“Focal hand dystonia is a movement disorder associated with deficient inhibition throughout the central nervous system, including the motor cortex,” says lead author Teresa Jacobson Kimberley, PT, PhD, of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Minnesota. “Several studies have shown that low-frequency rTMS can alter deficient intracortical inhibition in the primary motor cortex and produce transient changes in symptoms in focal hand dystonia, but for the change to be clinically meaningful, there must be a longer lasting benefit.”

While other studies have found subtle beneficial effects from rTMS, this study was unique in that the stimulation was given while patients performed writing movements that did not trigger their dystonic symptoms and was delivered daily for 5 days. The authors speculated that in this state, dystonic neurons (i.e. those producing the FHD) would be less active than the normally functioning non-dystonic neurons, and thus would be more susceptible to the inhibitory effects of rTMS. The lack of clinically meaningful findings do not support this hypothesis, say the authors, but different parameters of stimulation may produce different results.

Noting that the patients included in the study manifested different types of hand dystonia (musician’s and writer’s cramp) and a wide range of symptom duration, the authors hope to be able to identify subpopulations that might benefit from rTMS intervention and assess the benefit as an adjunct to other interventions. They also intend to follow up on their finding that age was negatively correlated with responsiveness.  

#  #  #

NOTES FOR EDITORS

“Multiple sessions of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in focal hand dystonia: clinical and physiological effects,” by Teresa Jacobson Kimberley, Michael R. Borich, Sanjeev Arora, and Hartwig R. Siebner. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 31:3 (May 2013), DOI 10.3233/RNN-120259. Published by IOS Press online ahead of issue. This article is open access and freely available.

Full text of the article is available to credentialed journalists upon request. Contact Daphne Watrin, IOS Press at +31 20 688 3355 or d.watrin@iospress.nl. Journalists wishing to interview the authors should contact Teresa Jacobson Kimberley, PhD, PT at +1 612-626-4096 or tjk@umn.edu.

ABOUT RESTORATIVE NEUROLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE (RNN)

An interdisciplinary journal under the editorial leadership of Bernhard Sabel, PhD, Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience publishes papers relating the plasticity and response of the nervous system to accidental or experimental injuries and their interventions, transplantation, neurodegenerative disorders and experimental strategies to improve regeneration or functional recovery and rehabilitation. Experimental and clinical research papers adopting fresh conceptual approaches are encouraged. The overriding criteria for publication are novelty, significant experimental or clinical relevance and interest to a multidisciplinary audience. www.iospress.com/journal/restorative-neurology-and-neuroscience

RNN Editorial Office
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Sabel
Institut für Medizinische Psychologie
Medizinische Fakultät
Otto-v.-Guericke Universität Magdeburg
39120 Magdeburg/Germany
Tel: +49-391-672-1800
Fax: +49-391-672-1803
Email: rnn@med.ovgu.de

ABOUT IOS PRESS

Commencing its publishing activities in 1987, IOS Press (www.iospress.com) serves the information needs of scientific and medical communities worldwide. IOS Press now (co-)publishes over 100 international journals and about 120 book titles each year on subjects ranging from computer sciences and mathematics to medicine and the natural sciences.

IOS Press continues its rapid growth, embracing new technologies for the timely dissemination of information. All journals are available electronically and an e-book platform was launched in 2005.

Headquartered in Amsterdam with satellite offices in the USA, Germany, India and China, IOS Press has established several strategic co-publishing initiatives. Notable acquisitions included Delft University Press in 2005 and Millpress Science Publishers in 2008.

• Neuropsychological and psychological effects — A review of existing literature reveals that cognitive deficits and changes in body image, loss of identity, adjustment, depression, and anxiety can affect an individual’s confidence level and ease in forming new relationships.

Medical and physical issues — Medications prescribed to those with TBI may interfere with sexual function. Drugs such as antihypertensives, antidepressants, stimulants, and anticonvulsants can lower libido and cause erectile, ejaculatory, arousal, or orgasmic problems. Physical changes after TBI can also pose additional limitations in sexual functioning.

• Relationship changes — Stress on the patient and family members can cause marked shifts in relationships. For example, spouses of TBI survivors often perceive important personality changes. Social skills such as meeting people, explaining the TBI to others, and learning appropriate boundaries may need to be taught or relearned.

The critical review also provides perspectives from multiple viewpoints: Professional, survivor, and patient/partner. The team’s evaluation of the existing literature notes methodological limitations that include insufficient sample sizes and an underrepresentation of women.

“Sexual difficulties are common in TBI survivors and affect both the individual and the family system. Sexual dysfunction is only one part of sexual difficulties observed in TBI patients, as the existence of other deficits in cognition, emotion and functionality may affect the expression of sexuality,” says Moreno. “Assessment, treatment, and systematic follow-up of post-TBI sexual difficulties should always be part of the clinical agenda throughout all rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation stages.”

The research team further notes that future studies need to explore the partner’s perspectives and that researchers should favor studies considering both the patient’s and the partner’s viewpoints. In addition, they mention the need to include Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBT) considerations in the assessment and rehabilitation agenda of TBI.

#  #  #

NOTES FOR EDITORS

“Sexuality After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Critical Review,” by Jhon Alexander Moreno, Juan Carlos Arango Lasprilla, Caron Gan, and Michelle McKerral. It appears in NeuroRehabilitation, Volume 32, Issue 1, published by IOS Press.

Full text of the articles is available to credentialed journalists. Contact Daphne Watrin, IOS Press, at +31 20 688 3355 or d.watrin@iospress.nl to obtain full text of the articles listed below. Journalists wishing to request interviews with authors should contact Jhon Alexander Moreno at 1 514 527 4527, ext. 2715 or jhon.alexander.moreno@umontreal.ca.

ABOUT NEUROREHABILITATION: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL

NeuroRehabilitation; An Interdisciplinary Journal is an international journal that emphasizes publication of scientifically based, practical information relevant to all aspects of neurologic rehabilitation.  Founded in 1991, it features peer-reviewed articles that are interdisciplinary in nature and cover the full life span and range of neurological disabilities including stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, neuromuscular disease, and other neurological disorders.  Information is intended for an interdisciplinary audience.  Issues of the journal are thematically organized.  Themes have focused on specific clinical disorders, types of therapy, and age groups.  www.iospress.com/journal/neurorehabilitation

ABOUT IOS PRESS

Commencing its publishing activities in 1987, IOS Press (www.iospress.com) serves the information needs of scientific and medical communities worldwide. IOS Press now (co-)publishes over 100 international journals and about 120 book titles each year on subjects ranging from computer sciences and mathematics to medicine and the natural sciences.

IOS Press continues its rapid growth, embracing new technologies for the timely dissemination of information. All journals are available electronically and an e-book platform was launched in 2005.

Headquartered in Amsterdam with satellite offices in the USA, Germany, India and China, IOS Press has established several strategic co-publishing initiatives. Notable acquisitions included Delft University Press in 2005 and Millpress Science Publishers in 2008.

Contact:
Daphne Watrin
IOS Press
Tel: +31 20 688 3355
Fax: +31 20 687 0019
Email: d.watrin@iospress.com
www.iospress.com/neurorehabilitation

For the study, 27 right-handed adults who suffered from a left middle cerebral artery infarction at least one year prior to study enrollment were recruited. After language testing, 9 subjects were considered to have normal language ability while 18 were considered aphasic. Patients underwent a battery of language tests as well as a semantic decision/tone decision cognitive task during functional MRI (fMRI) in order to map language function. MRI scans were used to determine stroke volume.

The authors found that linguistic performance was better in those who had stronger left-hemispheric fMRI signals while performance was worse in those who had stronger signal-shifts to the right hemisphere. As expected, they also found a negative association between the size of the stroke and performance on some linguistic tests. Right cerebellar activation was also linked to better post-stroke language ability.  

The authors say that while a shift to the non-dominant right hemisphere can restore language function in children who have experienced left-hemispheric injury or stroke, for adults such a shift may impede recovery.  For adults, it is the left hemisphere that is necessary for language function preservation and/or recovery. 

#  #  #

NOTES FOR EDITORS
“Recovered vs. not-recovered from post-stroke aphasia: The contributions from the dominant and non-dominant hemispheres,” by Jerzy P. Szaflarski, Jane B. Allendorfer, Christi Banks, Jennifer Vannest and Scott K. Holland.  Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 31:4 (July 2013), DOI 10.3233/RNN-120267. Published by IOS Press online ahead of issue.

Full text of the article is available to credentialed journalists upon request.  Contact Daphne Watrin, IOS Press, +31 20 688 3355, d.watrin@iospress.nl. Journalists wishing to interview the authors should contact Dr. Jerzy P. Szaflarski at szaflaj@uab.edu.

This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health grants R01 HD068488 and R01 NS048281.

ABOUT RESTORATIVE NEUROLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE (RNN)
An interdisciplinary journal under the editorial leadership of Bernhard Sabel, PhD, Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience publishes papers relating the plasticity and response of the nervous system to accidental or experimental injuries and their interventions, transplantation, neurodegenerative disorders and experimental strategies to improve regeneration or functional recovery and rehabilitation. Experimental and clinical research papers adopting fresh conceptual approaches are encouraged. The overriding criteria for publication are novelty, significant experimental or clinical relevance and interest to a multidisciplinary audience. www.iospress.com/journal/restorative-neurology-and-neuroscience

RNN Editorial Office
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Sabel
Institut für Medizinische Psychologie
Medizinische Fakultät
Otto-v.-Guericke Universität Magdeburg
39120 Magdeburg/Germany
Tel: +49-391-672-1800
Fax: +49-391-672-1803
Email: rnn@med.ovgu.de

ABOUT IOS PRESS
Commencing its publishing activities in 1987, IOS Press (www.iospress.com) serves the information needs of scientific and medical communities worldwide. IOS Press now (co-)publishes over 100 international journals and about 120 book titles each year on subjects ranging from computer sciences and mathematics to medicine and the natural sciences.

IOS Press continues its rapid growth, embracing new technologies for the timely dissemination of information. All journals are available electronically and an e-book platform was launched in 2005.

Headquartered in Amsterdam with satellite offices in the USA, Germany, India and China, IOS Press has established several strategic co-publishing initiatives. Notable acquisitions included Delft University Press in 2005 and Millpress Science Publishers in 2008.

Contact:
Daphne Watrin
IOS Press
Tel: +31 20 688 3355
Fax: +31 20 687 0019
Email: d.watrin@iospress.nl
www.iospress.com/journal/restorative-neurology-and-neuroscience

The connection between stroke risk and cognitive decline has been well established by previous research. Individuals with higher stroke risk, as measured by factors like high blood pressure, have traditionally performed worse on tests of memory, attention and abstract reasoning. 

The current small study demonstrated that not only stroke risk, but also the burden of plaques and tangles, as measured by a UCLA brain scan, may influence cognitive decline. 

The imaging tool used in the study was developed at UCLA and reveals early evidence of amyloid beta “plaques” and neurofibrillary tau “tangles” in the brain — the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. 

The study, published in the April issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, demonstrates that taking both stroke risk and the burden of plaques and tangles into accout may offer a more powerful assessment of factors determining how people are doing now and will do in the future. 

“The findings reinforce the importance of managing stroke risk factors to prevent cognitive decline even before clinical symptoms of dementia appear,” said first author Dr. David Merrill, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. 

This is one of the first studies to examine both stroke risk and plaque and tangle levels in the brain in relation to cognitive decline before dementia has even set in, Merrill said.

According to the researchers, the UCLA brain-imaging tool could prove useful in tracking cognitive decline over time and offer additional insight when used with other assessment tools.

For the study, the team assessed 75 people who were healthy or had mild cognitive impairment, a risk factor for the future development of Alzheimer’s. The average age of the participants was 63. 

UCLA owns three U.S. patents on the FDDNP chemical marker. Small and study author Dr. Jorge R. Barrio are among the inventors.

Additional UCLA authors included Prabha Sidarth, Pushpa V. Rajaa, Nathan Saito, Linda M. Ercoli, Karen J. Miller and Helen Lavretsky, Vladimir Kepe and Susan Y. Bookheimer.  

For more news, visit the UCLA Newsroom and follow us on Twitter. 

Rachel Champeau
UCLA News
Office of Media Relations
Box 951431
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1431
rchampeau@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2270

The neurotoxin MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) was used to induce the degenerative changes. Chronic 5 week administration of 25 mg/kg MPTP combined with probenecid (250 mg/kg), which inhibits MPTP clearance and promotes its crossing of the blood-brain barrier, is known to cause dopaminergic neuron degeneration in the SN and decrease striatal dopaminergic nerve terminals. In the current study, 7 mice were treated with 25 mg/kg MPTP plus probenecid, 6 mice received a lower dose of MPTP (15 mg/kg) plus probenecid, and 8 control mice received saline plus probenecid. A grid test, known to be sensitive to striatal dopaminergic input, was used to detect motor deficits.

Immunohistochemical analysis using TH fluorescence revealed that only the higher dose of MPTP produced significant dopaminergic neuronal cell loss in the SN (65% fluorescence loss, p<0.001). The 15 mg/kg dose produced an 18% decline in fluorescence which was not significantly different than control.

Both dose levels significantly reduced TH immunoreactivity of the striatum. The authors believe that the motor deficits seen at both MPTP dose levels relate to the striatal dopamine depletion. 

The study is also the first to report that low-dose MPTP produces astrogliosis and microgliosis in the SN and formation of α-synuclein positive inclusions. “The data suggests that gliosis in the substantia nigra plays a prominent initiating role in the introduction of dopaminergic deficits after MPTP treatment, and may be sufficient to significantly reduce TH levels in the striatum,” says Dr. Korecka, first author and principal investigator of the study and a post-doctoral fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam.  

“We are the first to report that this early PD model provides an interesting window of opportunity to study the mechanisms that underlie the early neurodegenerative events that initiate the cellular death of dopaminergic neurons,” write the authors. They suggest that the model can be used to develop potential treatment strategies to counteract early PD cellular changes. 

NOTES FOR EDITORS

“Modeling early Parkinson’s disease pathology with chronic low dose MPTP treatment,” by Joanna A. Korecka, Ruben Eggers, Dick F. Swaab, Koen Bossers and Joost Verhaagen. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 31:2 (March 2013), DOI 10.3233/RNN-110222. Published by IOS Press.

Full text of the article is available to credentialed journalists upon request. Contact Daphne Watrin, IOS Press, at +31 20 688 3355, d.watrin@iospress.nl. Journalists wishing to interview the authors should contact Prof. Joost Verhaagen at +31 20 566 5513 or j.verhaagen@nin.knaw.nl, and/or Joanna A. Korecka at +31 20 566 5503 or: j.korecka@nin.knaw.nl.

ABOUT RESTORATIVE NEUROLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE (RNN)

An interdisciplinary journal under the editorial leadership of Bernhard Sabel, PhD, Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience publishes papers relating the plasticity and response of the nervous system to accidental or experimental injuries and their interventions, transplantation, neurodegenerative disorders and experimental strategies to improve regeneration or functional recovery and rehabilitation. Experimental and clinical research papers adopting fresh conceptual approaches are encouraged. The overriding criteria for publication are novelty, significant experimental or clinical relevance and interest to a multidisciplinary audience. www.iospress.com/journal/restorative-neurology-and-neuroscience

RNN Editorial Office
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Sabel
Institut für Medizinische Psychologie
Medizinische Fakultät
Otto-v.-Guericke Universität Magdeburg
39120 Magdeburg/Germany
Tel: +49-391-672-1800
Fax: +49-391-672-1803
Email: rnn@med.ovgu.de

ABOUT IOS PRESS

Commencing its publishing activities in 1987, IOS Press (www.iospress.com)serves the information needs of scientific and medical communities worldwide. IOS Press now (co-)publishes over 100 international journals and about 120 book titles each year on subjects ranging from computer sciences and mathematics to medicine and the natural sciences.

IOS Press continues its rapid growth, embracing new technologies for the timely dissemination of information. All journals are available electronically and an e-book platform was launched in 2005.

Headquartered in Amsterdam with satellite offices in the USA, Germany, India and China, IOS Press has established several strategic co-publishing initiatives. Notable acquisitions included Delft University Press in 2005 and Millpress Science Publishers in 2008.

Contact:
Daphne Watrin
IOS Press
Tel: +31 20 688 3355
Fax: +31 20 687 0019
Email: d.watrin@iospress.nl
www.iospress.com/journal/restorative-neurology-and-neuroscience

The included papers in this issue, written by a distinguished group of Greek research economists who are known for breadth of knowledge and experience in their fields of specialization, offer significantly convincing evidence on all three objectives. Firstly, they look back at the history of Greek economics since it flourished in 1974. Secondly, the reliability of data is investigated. Lastly, a prediction is made on how Greece can recover from the crisis.

About the Journal of Economic and Social Measurement

The Journal of Economic and Social Measurement (JESM) is a quarterly journal that is concerned with the investigation of all aspects of production, distribution and use of economic and other societal statistical data, and with the use of computers in that context. JESM publishes articles that consider the statistical methodology of economic and social science measurements. It is concerned with the methods and problems of data distribution, including the design and implementation of data base systems and, more generally, computer software and hardware for distributing and accessing statistical data files. Its focus on computer software also includes the valuation of algorithms and their implementation, assessing the degree to which particular algorithms may yield more or less accurate computed results. It addresses the technical and even legal problems of the collection and use of data, legislation and administrative actions affecting government produced or distributed data files, and similar topics.

Editor-in-Chief
Dr. Charles G. Renfro
Journal of Economic and Social Measurement
11-13 Princeton Road
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004-2242
USA
Tel.: +1 212 531 4448
Email: jesmeditor@gmail.com

About the issue:

Greece and Greek Statistics
Guest Editor: George Bitros

Volume 38, Number 1 / 2013
ISSN:0747-9662 (Print) – 1875-8932 (Online)

Introduction
George C. Bitros
DOI 10.3233/JEM-130365

From riches to rags or what went wrong in Greece
George C. Bitros
DOI 10.3233/JEM-130370

An analysis of Greek external sector statistics and their application in academic research and economic policy making
Nancy K. Theofilakou and Yannis Stournaras
DOI 10.3233/JEM-130368

A methodological review of the Greek Annual Industrial Survey
Aggelos Tsakanikas and Michail Vassiliadis
DOI 10.3233/JEM-130369

Are Greek government deficit and debt statistics reliable?
John Loizides
DOI 10.3233/JEM-130367

Dynamic aspects of the underground economy in Greece
John Yfantopoulos
DOI 10.3233/JEM-130366

Economic growth in Greece: Medium-term trends and future prospects
Sotiris Papaioannou
DOI 10.3233/JEM-130371

IOS Press contributes in this endeavor with the dissemination of statistical data and analysis through the publication of the Statistical Journal of the IAOS and the Journal of Economic and Social Measurement.

About Statistical Journal of the IAOS

The Statistical Journal of the IAOS is now in its 29th volume and publishes four issues per year, ISSN 1874-7655

Editor-in-Chief
Stephen Penneck
President, International Association of Official Statistics
Former Director General, Office for National Statistics (ONS)
United Kingdom
Email: stephen.penneck@ons.gov.uk

Fritz Scheuren (as of April 15th 2013)
Senior Fellow and Vice President
Center for Excellence in Survey Research
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
USA
Tel.: +1 301 634 9440
Email: scheuren-fritz2@norc.org

For contents, please visit: http://iospress.metapress.com/content/1874-7655/

About Journal of Economic and Social Measurement

The Journal of Economic and Social Measurement is now in its 38th volume and publishes 4 issues a year, ISSN 0747-9662.

Editor-in-Chief
Dr. Charles G. Renfro
Journal of Economic and Social Measurement
11-13 Princeton Road
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004-2242
USA
Tel.: +1 212 531 4448
Email: jesmeditor@gmail.com

For contents, please visit http://iospress.metapress.com/content/0747-9662/

Contact:
Saskia van Wijngaarden
Editorial Office IOS Press
Tel.: + 31 20 688 33 55
Email: s.van.wijngaarden@iospress.nl