Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:Can we document that posterior cervical surgery (i.e., Laminoforaminotomy (LF) and Laminectomy (L) with Posterior Fusion (PF)) exposes patients to fewer adverse events (i.e., including negligence, multiple risks, negligence, errors, and mistakes) vs. anterior cervical surgery (i.e., Anterior Cervical Diskectomy/Fusion (ACDF) or Anterior Corpectomy/Fusion (ACF))? METHODS/UNASSIGNED:Posterior cervical surgery avoids many of the adverse events uniquely attributed to anterior cervical operations. These include; avoiding fusions with LF vs. ACDF for disc herniations, a lower rate of pseudarthrosis, the avoidance of direct laceration/indirect traction-related carotid/jugular vascular and/or dysphagia/esophageal injuries, fewer neural/cord injuries, vertebral artery injuries, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks/dural tears (i.e., particularly with Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament (OPLL)). RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Posterior cervical surgery also poses no direct risks to the following anteriorly-located nerves: recurrent laryngeal nerve (i.e., vocal cord paralysis), phrenic nerve (i.e., diaphragmatic paralysis), the Vagus nerve (i.e., hypotension, reflux, arrhythmias), and sympathetic trunk (i.e., Horner's Syndrome). However, posterior cervical surgery is generally associated with a higher risk of infection (i.e., 2-10%) vs. anterior surgery (i.e., > 1%), more posterior muscle pain, and a higher risk of kyphosis. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:Posterior cervical surgery exposes patients to many fewer adverse events vs. anterior cervical surgery. We therefore recommend that in appropriately chosen patients, posterior cervical surgical approaches should be chosen over anterior surgery.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:The diagnosis of genetic hyperkinetic movement disorders has become increasingly more complex as new genes are discovered and technologies offer new diagnostic possibilities. As a result, the choice of appropriate gene testing and the interpretation of the results can become difficult to navigate for movement disorder experts and clinicians. In parallel, research is becoming crucial to pair with clinical assessments in order to explore advanced sequencing technologies and allow new genes discovery. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:Systematic review of genetic forms of hyperkinetic movement disorders and of the most relevant genetic terminology was performed. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED:Comprehensive descriptions of genetic lexicon, testing selection, and complex genetic findings related to hyperkinetic movement disorders are reported. DISCUSSION/UNASSIGNED:Here we discuss the terminology of genetic diagnosis that is now part of the clinical practice, the difficulties related to the interpretation of complex genetic results, and provide guidance and tips for gene testing selection in order not to miss important diagnosis of genetic hyperkinetic movement disorders. HIGHLIGHTS/UNASSIGNED:To review the most relevant lexicon related to genetic diagnosis, approach to gene testing, testing selection, and complex genetic findings in genetic hyperkinetic movement disorders.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1590165.].

Depression is a common and debilitating disorder affecting millions. First-line treatments fail to achieve remission in about one-third of patients, highlighting a critical treatment need. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as a novel treatment for depression. Therefore, the aim of this review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the last decade of tDCS trials for depression and propose future research directions. To compile studies of the past decade, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of tDCS for depression. A total of 21 RCTs were included, presenting a moderate effect for active tDCS compared to placebo. We also provided a description of study designs, stimulation parameters, and patients' characteristics. Following, we proposed possible strategies to enhance clinical effectiveness and reduce variability in results, including 1) optimization/personalization of tDCS via spatial and temporal target localization; 2) optimized methodological strategies, including home-based, accelerated tDCS protocols and novel trial designs; and 3) investigate patient profile to identify features that can predict treatment response. In conclusion, tDCS holds promise as a treatment for depression, but variability in trial parameters and outcomes underscores the need for its further optimization. Refining and standardizing protocols may enhance its effectiveness.

Humans primarily use vision to engage with and learn about the world. The hippocampus plays a crucial role in binding visual experiences of people, objects and contexts over time to create event memories. Thus, eye tracking could read out hippocampal dynamics in a precise and sensitive manner. Furthermore, eye tracking could potentially detect subjective memory decline reported by temporal lobe epilepsy patients that is missed by standardized cognitive testing. We asked whether eye movements could precisely and sensitively detect memory variability within trials and between subject cohorts. We predicted that (i) eye-tracking behaviour during visual retrieval could be validated against accuracy-based tests and that (ii) memory failures would be characterized by distinct spatiotemporal patterns of visual scanning. Fourteen healthy controls and 30 temporal lobe epilepsy patients participated in a visual object association task while eye movements and pupil size were recorded. We found a difference in accuracy during retrieval between healthy controls and temporal lobe epilepsy patients. Correct retrieval trials correlated with fewer saccades, early target preference, and a more organized search pattern. Eye-movement patterns could predict retrieval accuracy at the single trial level with outstanding performance, with percentage of gaze time on the target versus the lure as the most important features. Even during correct retrieval trials, temporal lobe epilepsy patients exhibited a more chaotic scanning pattern compared to healthy controls, suggesting a weaker memory trace. Healthy versus epilepsy diagnosis could be predicted with good performance, with trial entropy and pupillary changes as key predictive factors. Saccade patterns correlated with individual subjects' accuracy scores and performance on standardized cognitive tests but provided a greater range of performance. In summary, scanning behaviour provides a continuous measure of associative memory function that capture meaningful variability during trials, between trials, and between subjects. Thus, eye tracking could be a precise and sensitive method to detect subtle memory decline in temporal lobe epilepsy or other neuropsychiatric populations with memory impairment and may generate precise behavioural phenotyping in research settings.

Individuals with Lewy body dementia (LBD) rely on family caregivers. Caregiving demands limit caregivers' ability to attend to their own health needs, increasing their vulnerability to the psychological effects of caregiving. We previously piloted a peer mentoring intervention with experienced (mentor) and less experienced (mentee) LBD caregivers. Matched mentor-mentee dyads spoke weekly for 16 weeks, guided by an intervention handbook. LBD knowledge and attitudes towards dementia improved post-intervention. We hypothesized that caregiver health status moderates response to peer mentoring. Post hoc analyses (N = 30 dyads) showed that 75% of mentees and 66% of mentors endorsed ≥1 comorbidity. Mentees and mentors with comorbidities showed greater improvement in LBD knowledge postintervention (P = 0.039) and dementia attitudes post-training (P = 0.016), respectively. Caregivers with comorbidities and thus greater exposure to health care may derive excess benefit from an effective LBD caregiver intervention than healthier counterparts, enhancing both the objective knowledge and their confidence in caring for their loved ones.

This scientific commentary refers to 'Fatigue in early multiple sclerosis: MRI metrics of neuroinflammation, relapse and neurodegeneration', by Meijboom et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcae278).

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) following viral infections and influenza vaccination has been well documented. However, there have been no confirmed natural influenza A infections leading to development of CIDP. Therefore, we present the case of a 6-year-old male who developed CIDP following a confirmed influenza A infection. Initially presenting with typical flu-like symptoms, the patient experienced a gradual onset of gait instability and leg weakness approximately 1 month later. Despite initial improvement with intravenous immunoglobulin therapy following a diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome, his symptoms relapsed, including lower extremity weakness, incontinence, and sensory loss. Electromyography confirmed a demyelinating polyneuropathy, leading to a diagnosis of CIDP.