137 2008-126X Iran University of Medical Sciences 83 The Prospects of Epigenetics in Neuroscience Mostafavi Abdolmaleky Hamid 1 9 2011 2 2 3 5 16 09 2011
84 Where Neuroscience and Art Embrace The Neuroaesthetics Torabi Nami Mohammad Ashayeri Hasan 1 9 2011 2 2 6 11 16 09 2011 Neuroscience has recently contributed a lot to the understanding of aesthetic experience features. Science, art and creativity are not really distinctively different entities. The parallelism seen between the properties of art and organizational principals of the brain has been highlighted through neuroaesthetic studies. Aesthetic as a subjective experience has comprehensively been studies through neuro-scientific, psychological, sociologic and cultural standpoints. This is a controversial topic in cognitive neuroscience, meanwhile seemingly varied results of the conducted researches in this field may be conceptualized in a framework linking aesthetics to neuroscience of affective visual processing, reward circuitries and the nature of decision making. Approaching the question of art-brain parallelism, is along side with elucidating the relation between perception and aesthetic experience,and the features of aesthetic judgment and reward. Moreover, other factors such as cultural underpinnings undoubtedly come into play. In this review we used expert opinions and literary notions to present a report on how neuroscience has so far elaborated on different features of the aesthetic phenomenon hoping to probe areas of neuroaeshetic research which can potentially assess our cultural interface with the aesthetics and cognitive neuroscience. 85 Cognitive Flexibility, Attention and Speed of Mental Processing in Opioid and Methamphetamine Addicts in Comparison with Non-Addicts Hekmat Suzan Alam Mehrjerdi Zahra Moradi Afsane Ekhtiari Hamed Bakhshi Sara 1 9 2011 2 2 12 19 16 09 2011  Introduction: Many studies have revealed that drug addicted individuals exhibit impaired performance on executive function tests but a few studies have been conducted on executive functions of drug addicts in Iran. To contribute to this understanding, the present study was designed to assess some domains related to executive functions including cognitive flexibility, attention and speed of mental processing in a sample of drug addicts in comparison with a sample of non-drug addicts. Methods: 155 male addicts between 25 to 35 years of age were selected from outpatient addiction clinics in Karaj, Iran. This group consisted of 3 subgroups of opium (n=40), hydrochloride heroin (n=63), and methamphetamine (n=52) addicts. A control group was selected matching the drug addicts in gender, age, education and scio-economic status and included 130 healthy non-drug taking males. A battery of standardized executive function tests including the Color trail making test, Stroop color word test, and Symbol digit modalities test were administered. Data analysis was conducted by performing Co-variance (MANCOVA) in SPSS.v.16.0. Results: The study findings indicated that the group of drug addicted subjects performed significantly worse compared with the controls on all executive measures. There were also significant differences among the 3 subgroups. The hydrochloride group had the worst performance compared the methamphetamine and opium groups respectively. Drug addicted subjects with longer duration of drug addiction were much worse on all measures in comparison with drug addicted subjects with shorter duration of drug addiction. Discussion: The study results confirmed that the functions of specific brain regions underlying cognitive flexibility, attention and speed of mental processing were significantly impaired in the group of drug addicted subjects. These impairments were also significantly related to type of drug used and duration of drug addiction that may contribute to most of behavioral disturbances found in drug addicts and need specific attention for intervention and treatment programs. 86 Prevalence of Migraine Among Medical Students in Zahedan Faculty of Medicine (Southeast of Iran) Shahrakai Mohammad R. Mirshekari Hamide Ghanbari Ali Tajik Shahraki Ahmad R. Shahraki Elham 1 9 2011 2 2 20 25 16 09 2011  Introduction: Migraine is a refer pain which is common in adults and children. Migraine and its frequently limits the daily life activities. Since medical students are subjected to stresses regarding lots of tests and the implicit responsibility to the courses, the purpose of the present study carried out to evaluate the prevalence of migraine among medical students in Zahedan University. Methods: This cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was performed on 210 (male 94 and female 116) medical students in Zahedan faculty of Medicine during an academic year (2005 to 2006). The questionnaire was specified on demographic data and headache questions based on International Headache Society (IHS). Students’ Migraine was confirmed by clinical interviews, general physical and neurological examinations then the data obtained were analyzed using v 11 of SPSS, Chi square. Afterward the percentage and the mean (±SD) along with the statistical difference (P<0.05) of the T-tests were calculated. Results and Discussion: The present study showed that the rate of headache during recent academic years was 90.5% in males and 88.8 % in females. The prevalence of migraine was 7.14 % in both sex (migraine without aura 4.29% and migraine with aura 2.86%). The most common of migraine triggers was stress, (73%) sleeplessness (52.5%), too much reading (39.25%) and fasting (39.55%). In this sense the moderate light and severe incidence were 52.27%, 38.18% and 9.09%. The prevalence of migraine did not have any relations with gender but there was a relation between having migraine and number of studying years. 87 Prenatal Mercuric Chloride Exposure Causes Developmental Deficits in Rat Cortex Rastegar Tayebeh Parivar Kazem Nobakht Maliheh Shahbazi Ali Alizadeh Zendehrood Siamak Mehdizadeh Mehdi 1 9 2011 2 2 26 30 16 09 2011 Introduction: Environmental pollution with heavy metals such as mercury is a major health problem. Growing studies on the field have shown the deleterious effects of mercury on human and nonhuman nervous system, especially in infants, however the effects of prenatal exposure to mercuricchloride on cortical development are not yet well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of prenatal exposure to mercuric chloride on morphological characteristics of brain cortex. Methods: Mercuric chloride (2 mg/kg) or normal saline were injected (I.P.) to 36 Sprague – dawley rats in the 8th, 9th or 10th day of gestation. The embryos were surgically removed in the 15th day of gestation, and brain cortices were studied by histological techniques. Results: Histological studies showed that embryos of mercuric chloride treated rats hadcortical neuronal disarrangement withdifferent orientations of nuclei, increased diameter of cortex, increased mitosis of cells, increased cell death, decreased cellular density and increased intracellular space. Conclusion: These findings suggest some micro structural abnormalities in cortical regions after prenatal exposure to mercuric chloride. These structural abnormalities may underliesome neurologic disturbances following mercury intoxication. 88 Inhibition of Cyclooxygenase Type 1 and 2 Enzyme by Aqueous Extract of Elaeagnus Angustifolia in Mice Farahbakhsh Shahedeh Arbabian Sedigheh Emami Fatemeh Rastegar Moghadam Banafsheh Ghoshooni Hassan Noroozzadeh Ali Sahraei Hedayat Golmanesh Leila Jalili Cyrus Zrdooz Homeira 1 9 2011 2 2 31 37 16 09 2011  Introduction: It has been shown that the extract of Elaeagnus angustifolia can inhibit inflammation and pain induced by formalin in mice and rats. The aim of the present study is to reach evaluations of possible cellular and molecular mechanisms of Elaeagnus angustifolia extract in reducing pain and inflammation through examining the extract ability for inhibition of cyclooxygenase (Cox) type 1 and 2 enzymes and corticosterone release from adrenal glands in mice. Methods: Male Swiss Webster mice were evaluated through the injection of 2 μliters to the plantar part of right foot. Elaeagnus angustifolia extract was injected to the animals 30 minutes before formalin. In order to evaluate the mechanism of extract, naloxone and memantine were administered intrapretonealy 30 minutes before the extract administration. In separate groups, after injection of extract, blood samples were taken from animals and corticosterone concentrations were measured. In an in vitro study the effect of extract on the activity of cyclooxygenase type 1 and 2 was assessed. Results: the research data showed the ineffectiveness of the extract on acute phase of pain induced by formalin but it completely inhibits the chronic phase. Naloxone and Memantine administration had no effect on the efficacy of extract in the chronic phase. Also the extract administration did not increase the plasma concentration of corticosterone in mice, but in vitro inhibited Cox1 and Cox 2 enzymes. Discussion: These results indicate that Elaeagnus angustifolia extract probably reducesww pain and inflammation caused by formalin in mice by inhibiting cyclooxygenase type 1 and 2 enzymes. 89 Emotion-Cognition Interactions A Study on Coping Responses of Methamphetamine Dependent Women Alam Mehrjerdi Zahra Tasnim Farbod Farahani Linda 1 9 2011 2 2 38 43 16 09 2011 Introduction: Coping responses are complex dynamic behavioral reactions that involve reciprocal influences between emotion and cognition but cognitive studies in Iran have less emphasized coping responses of methamphetamine dependent individuals to distressing situations. To address this aim, the current study was designed to investigate the coping responses of a group of methamphetamine dependent women in comparison with a group of healthy women. Methods: 80 women with mean age 24(SD=6.8) years who met DSM.IV-TR criteria for methamphetamine dependence were recruited from the department of psychostimulant use treatment program of Rojan psychiatric center and 4 other local clinics in Tehran, Iran and were matched with a sample of 80 non-drug taking women. First, demographics and details of substance use were completed based on items elicited from Addiction Severity Index (ASI), then the Persian version of Billings and Moos Coping Checklist was completed by participants in each group. Data was further analyzed by performing independent sample t-test and logistic regression model in SPSS.v.16.0. Results: The study findings indicated that the methamphetamine dependent group applied less problem-solving response and had lower reliance on seeking social support and cognitive evaluation compared with the controls. In addition, the methamphetamine dependent group applied significantly more emotional and physical control oriented responses compared with the controls. Discussion: The study results yielded that coping responses of the methamphetamine dependent group were less problem-focused strategies which show an impaired aspect of cognitive functioning which is subject to clinical and treatment implications. Study in the context of identifying aspects that are fundamental to understanding the neural mechanisms underlying emotion-cognition interactions in the paradigm of coping responses is discussed. 90 The Effect of Acute Ethanol and Gabapentin Administration on Spatial Learning and Memory Yeganeh Fahimeh Nikbakht Farnaz Rasouli Homa 1 9 2011 2 2 44 47 16 09 2011  Introduction: Patients with epilepsy can have impaired cognitive abilities. Many factors contribute to this impairment, including the adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs like Gabapentin (GBP). Apart from anti-epilectic action, Gabapentin is used to relieve ethanol withdrawal syndrome. Because both GBP and ethanol act on GABA ergic system, the purpose of this study was to evaluate their effect and interaction on spatial learning and memory. Material and Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained in the Morris water maze for 5 consecutive days. On the sixth day, a probe test was performed to assess the retention phase or spatial rats’ memory ability. Ethanol (1.5 g/kg i.p.) and GBP (30 mg/kg i.p.) was administered each day 30 and 40 minutes before testing respectively. Results: Acute ethanol administration selectively impaired spatial memory (p<0.05), yet it failed to impair the acquisition phase (learning). Contradictorily GBP selectively impaired learning on second and forth days. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that GBP and acute ethanol impair different phases of learning probably by modifying different neuronal pathways in cognitive areas of the brain. 91 Measurement of Cue-Induced Craving in Human Methamphetamine- Dependent Subjects New Methodological Hopes for Reliable Assessment of Treatment Efficacy Alam Mehrjerdi Zahra Tasnim Sara Ekhtiari Hamed 1 9 2011 2 2 48 53 16 09 2011 Methamphetamine (MA) is a highly addictive psychostimulant drug with crucial impacts on individuals on various levels. Exposure to methamphetamine-associated cues in laboratory can elicit measureable craving and autonomic reactivity in most individuals with methamphetamine dependence and the cue reactivity can model how craving would result in continued drug seeking behaviors and relapse in real environments but study on this notion is still limited. In this brief article, the authors review studies on cue-induced craving in human methamphetamine- dependent subjects in a laboratory-based approach. Craving for methamphetamine is elicited by a variety of methods in laboratory such as paraphernalia, verbal and visual cues and imaginary scripts. In this article, we review the studies applying different cues as main methods of craving incubation in laboratory settings. The brief reviewed literature provides strong evidence that craving for methamphetamine in laboratory conditions is significantly evoked by different cues. Cue-induced craving has important treatment and clinical implications for psychotherapists and clinicians when we consider the role of induced craving in evoking intense desire or urge to use methamphetamine after or during a period of successful craving prevention program. Elicited craving for methamphetamine in laboratory conditions is significantly influenced by methamphetamine-associated cues and results in rapid craving response toward methamphetamine use. This notion can be used as a main core for laboratory-based assessment of treatment efficacy for methamphetamine-dependent patients. In addition, the laboratory settings for studying craving can bridge the gap between somehow-non-reliable preclinical animal model studies and budget demanding randomized clinical trials.