Babak Khodaie, Valiallah Saba,
Volume 9, Issue 2 (March & April 2018 2018)
Abstract
Introduction: Cortical Spreading Depression (CSD) is a propagating wave of neural and glial cell depolarization with important role in several clinical disorders. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a potential tool with preventive treatment effects in psychiatric and neuronal disorders. In this paper, we study the effects of rTMS on CSD by using behavioral and histological approaches in hippocampus and cortical regions.
Methods: Twenty-four rats were divided into four groups. A group of control rats were kept in their home cage during the experiment. The CSD group received four CSD inductions during 4 weeks with 1 week intervals. The CSD-rTMS group were treated with rTMS stimulation (figure-eight coils, 20 Hz, 10 min/d) for 4 weeks. The fourth group, i.e. rTMS group received rTMS stimulation similar to the CSD-rTMS group without CSD induction.
Results: Long-term rTMS application in treated groups significantly reduced production of dark neurons, increased the mean volume of normal neurons, and decreased the number of apoptotic neurons in cortical regions compared to the control group. The protective effects of long-term treatment by rTMS in the hippocampal regions were also studied. It was effective in some regions; however, rTMS effects on hippocampal regions were lower than cortical ones.
Conclusion: Based on the study results, rTMS has significant preventive and protective effects in CSD-induced damages in cortical and hippocampal regions of the rat’s brain.
Javad Hatami, Babak Hemmatian Borujeni, Ehsan Abdekhodaie, Reza Kormi-Nouri, Zahra Mayeli, Atieh Sadat Mottaghi Ghamsari, Maryam Taghavi,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (July & August - Special Issue on Memory, Reward & Stress 2020)
Abstract
Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of an Iranian computerized memory battery modeled after the Betula study.
Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of an Iranian computerized memory battery modeled after the Betula study (Nilsson et al., 1997). The researchers developed this battery as an assessment tool in the Sepidar prospective cohort study. One hundred and ninety-nine participants aged 19-83 years were tested extensively on different aspects of memory. Exploratory factor analysis of the data demonstrated factors similar to those reported by the Betula study.
Results: The authors succeeded to converge the cross-sectional findings of the study and the data from longitudinal studies of memory aging by correcting possible cohort effects. Investigating age differences in episodic and semantic memory factor scores corrected by education and socioeconomic status revealed no significant difference between younger and older adults before ages 53 to 60, though linear age-related declines existed thereafter.
Conclusion: The results support the reliability and construct validity of this computerized battery for memory assessment in Iranian adults.