It is believed that neural plasticity plays an important role in the process of human cognition and motor practicing. Tremendous researches on neural plasticity have been done in the past 30 years. In this paper, we discussed the factors that may affect neural plasticity and the widely used modulation techniques. The purpose of this review is to present the current-state-of-art of neural plasticity studies and help readers to envision the future research directions.

written by Journal of Neurology and Neurophysiology

People with epilepsy (PWE) have an increased risk for cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial disorders. The presence of comorbidities may directly affect quality of life of PWE. For example, there is an increased risk for suicide in PWE, compared to the general population. Association between epilepsy and mental disorders is a condition known since Antiquity, and its ranges from 20 to 50%, reaching 80% in selected populations, like individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and medically intractable patients, candidates to surgical treatment, and these indices are far superior to those found in general population (10-20%). Risk factors for the main psychiatric comorbidities in PWE (depression, anxiety and psychosis) are classified in (1) neurobiological, (2) psychosocial, and (3) pharmacological factors. There is a bidirectional relationship between epilepsy and mental disorders, namely, not only the epileptic disorder can antedate settlement of psychiatric symptoms in a given patient, but also the diagnosis of mood and behavioral disorders may be made before a first epileptic seizure. This bidirectionality suggests that structural and functional modifications of one disease increase the risk for the development of the other. In this review, we included the most recent articles concerning the terms “mental disorders”, “epilepsy”, and “risk factors” in PubMed. Book chapters were also referred for this work. We gave preference for population-based studies, especially those with more than 100 patients studied.

written by Journal of Neurology and Neurophysiology

Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed for statistical modeling and optimization of low temperature dilute sulfuric acid hydrolysis of hemicellulose fraction of energy agro-crop cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.), as an entry point to complex biorefinery scheme. The 23 central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was used to assess the effect of the principal independent process variables (reaction time, temperature and acid concentration) on efficiency and selectivity of heteroxylan conversion to xylose. The second-order polynomial model was fitted to experimental data to find optimal reaction conditions of xylan-to-xylose hydrolysis by multiple regression analysis. The effect of acid concentration (linear and quadratic) was found as a more significant (p=0.001-0.007) for monomeric xylose recovery in solution. The maximal xylose yield of ca. 86% (18.08 g /100 g biomass) was achieved after cardoon hydrolysis at 138.5ºC in 1.28% sulfuric acid solution for 52 min, vs. 87% predicted by model. The resulting xyloseenriched substrate revealed low concentration of toxic substances (1.04% furfural, 0.33% 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 2.03% glucose), providing required quality for subsequent xylose (bio)conversion to final products (e.g. to xylitol). The enzymatic saccharification/digestibility of insoluble residue after hemicellulose removal was improved in four times, resulting in cellulose conversion to fermentable glucose by 76% vs. 19% for unhydrolyzed cardoon.

written by Journal of Chemical Engineering and Process Technology