scholarly journals Music training is neuroprotective for verbal cognition in focal epilepsy

Brain ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 142 (7) ◽  
pp. 1973-1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J Bird ◽  
Graeme D Jackson ◽  
Sarah J Wilson

AbstractFocal epilepsy is a unilateral brain network disorder, providing an ideal neuropathological model with which to study the effects of focal neural disruption on a range of cognitive processes. While language and memory functions have been extensively investigated in focal epilepsy, music cognition has received less attention, particularly in patients with music training or expertise. This represents a critical gap in the literature. A better understanding of the effects of epilepsy on music cognition may provide greater insight into the mechanisms behind disease- and training-related neuroplasticity, which may have implications for clinical practice. In this cross-sectional study, we comprehensively profiled music and non-music cognition in 107 participants; musicians with focal epilepsy (n = 35), non-musicians with focal epilepsy (n = 39), and healthy control musicians and non-musicians (n = 33). Parametric group comparisons revealed a specific impairment in verbal cognition in non-musicians with epilepsy but not musicians with epilepsy, compared to healthy musicians and non-musicians (P = 0.029). This suggests a possible neuroprotective effect of music training against the cognitive sequelae of focal epilepsy, and implicates potential training-related cognitive transfer that may be underpinned by enhancement of auditory processes primarily supported by temporo-frontal networks. Furthermore, our results showed that musicians with an earlier age of onset of music training performed better on a composite score of melodic learning and memory compared to non-musicians (P = 0.037), while late-onset musicians did not differ from non-musicians. For most composite scores of music cognition, although no significant group differences were observed, a similar trend was apparent. We discuss these key findings in the context of a proposed model of three interacting dimensions (disease status, music expertise, and cognitive domain), and their implications for clinical practice, music education, and music neuroscience research.

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 631
Author(s):  
Karin Alvarez ◽  
Alessandra Cassana ◽  
Marjorie De La Fuente ◽  
Tamara Canales ◽  
Mario Abedrapo ◽  
...  

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most frequent neoplasm in Chile and its mortality rate is rising in all ages. However, studies characterizing CRC according to the age of onset are still lacking. This study aimed to identify clinical, pathological, and molecular features of CRC in Chilean patients according to the age of diagnosis: early- (≤50 years; EOCRC), intermediate- (51–69 years; IOCRC), and late-onset (≥70 years; LOCRC). The study included 426 CRC patients from Clinica Las Condes, between 2007 and 2019. A chi-square test was applied to explore associations between age of onset and clinicopathological characteristics. Body Mass Index (BMI) differences according to age of diagnosis was evaluated through t-test. Overall (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method. We found significant differences between the age of onset, and gender, BMI, family history of cancer, TNM Classification of Malignant Tumors stage, OS, and CSS. EOCRC category was characterized by a family history of cancer, left-sided tumors with a more advanced stage of the disease but better survival at 10 years, and lower microsatellite instability (MSI), with predominant germline mutations. IOCRC has shown clinical similarities with the EOCRC and molecular similarities to the LOCRC, which agrees with other reports.


1987 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-14
Author(s):  
Frederick Hecht

Medical genetics is currently enjoying a time of exploration and discovery. Huntington disease has long been of interest in adult medicine. The onset of clinical signs and symptoms is usually delayed until midadulthood. It may seem strange in this context to focus on Huntington disease, but advances in molecular genetics have brought Huntington disease into the purview of pediatrics. These advances in molecular genetics make it possible to detect Huntington disease in a preclinical stage at or even before birth. The molecular approach does not replace prior approaches to Huntington disease but is synergistic and provides a model of the new genetics. Huntington disease is synonymous with Huntington chorea. It is named after George Huntington who, like his father and grandfather before him, studied the disease in families on Long Island, NY. Huntington disease is a more common hereditary disorder than phenylketonuria, which occurs in one of about 10,000 newborns in the United States. By contrast, about one in 2,000 persons is at risk for Huntington disease. Although most cases start clinically in midadulthood, usually between 35 and 42 years of age, there is great variability in age of onset. About 3% of cases are diagnosed as juvenile Huntington disease before the age of 15 years. Late onset is well known after 50 years of age.


1983 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin G. Cole

Thirty-eight elderly patients with primary depressive illness (Feighner criteria) were followed up for 7–31 months. In the absence of persistent organic signs and severe physical illness, age of onset (first depressive episode after 60) but not age was significantly related to course of illness. Compared to early onset depressives, late onset depressives were more likely to remain completely well during the follow-up period and less likely to have frequent or disabling relapses.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S211-S211
Author(s):  
N. Smaoui ◽  
L. Zouari ◽  
N. Charfi ◽  
M. Maâlej-Bouali ◽  
N. Zouari ◽  
...  

IntroductionAge of onset of illness may be useful in explaining the heterogeneity among older bipolar patients.ObjectiveTo examine the relationship of age of onset with clinical, demographic and behavioral variables, in older patients with bipolar disorder.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, including 24 patients suffering from bipolar disorders, aged 65 years or more and followed-up in outpatient psychiatry unit at Hedi Chaker university hospital in Sfax in Tunisia. We used a standardized questionnaire including socio-demographic, behavioral and clinical data. Age of onset was split at age 40 years into early-onset (< 40 years; n = 12) and late-onset (≥ 40 years; n = 12) groups.ResultsThe mean age for the entire sample was 68.95 years. The mean age of onset was 39.95 years. The majority (60%) of patients were diagnosed with bipolar I. Few meaningful differences emerged between early-onset and late-onset groups, except that tobacco use was significantly higher in the late-onset group (66.6% vs. 16.6%; P = 0.027). No significant differences between the early-onset and late-onset groups were seen on demographic variables, family history and number of medical diagnoses or presence of psychotic features.ConclusionOur study found few meaningful behavioral differences between early versus late age at onset in older adults with bipolar disorder.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


Author(s):  
Poornima Shankar ◽  
Kavitha Karthikeyan ◽  
Amrita Priscilla Nalini ◽  
Sindhura M. ◽  
Gowtham Kim

Background: Preeclampsia is being increasingly recognized as two different entities: early-onset preeclampsia occurring at less than 34 weeks of gestation, and late-onset disease occurring at 34 or more weeks of gestation. Early-onset and late-onset pre-eclampsia are found to have different implications for the mother and neonate. The aim of this study is to compare the risk factors, maternal and fetal outcomes in early (<34 weeks) versus late (≥34weeks) onset preeclampsia.Methods: 208 patients diagnosed with pre-eclampsia in Chettinad Academy of Research and Education over a period of three years (From January 2014 to December 2016) were retrospectively studied. Patients were classified as early onset and late onset pre-eclampsia based on the gestational age of onset. Data on risk factors, maternal and fetal outcomes were collected and analyzed using Chi Square and Fisher’s test and compared.Results: The overall preeclampsia rate was 6.3%. Early onset and late onset were 34.6% and 65.3% respectively and the rate increased with increasing gestational age.35.3% of patients with late onset preeclampsia and 55.6% patients of early onset type required more than one drug which is a statistically significant difference. Proteinuria more than 3gm/l/day was significantly more in late onset preeclampsia than in early onset preeclampsia. 55.5% of patients with early onset pre-eclampsia required MgSO4 when compared to 17.4%. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of caesarean section (61.1% vs 73.5%). Altered coagulation profile was significantly more in early onset preeclampsia (11.1%). The incidence of oligohydramnios, SGA and low APGAR at 5 minutes of birth were significantly high in early onset pre-eclampsia when compared to late onset type.Conclusions: Patients with early onset pre-eclampsia are found to have significantly higher rates of specific maternal and fetal morbidity when compared to the late onset type.


Author(s):  
Alexandre A. Jácome ◽  
Timothy J. Vreeland ◽  
Benny Johnson ◽  
Yoshikuni Kawaguchi ◽  
Steven H. Wei ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The impact of molecular aberrations on survival after resection of colorectal liver metastases (CLM) in patients with early-age-onset (EOCRC) versus late-age-onset colorectal cancer (LOCRC) is unknown. Methods Patients who underwent liver resection for CLM with known RAS, BRAF and MSI status were retrospectively studied. The prognostic impact of RAS mutations by age was analysed with age as a categorical variable and a continuous variable. Results The study included 573 patients, 192 with EOCRC and 381 with LOCRC. The younger the age of onset of CRC, the greater the negative impact on overall survival of RAS mutations in the LOCRC, EOCRC, and ≤40 years (hazard ratio (HR), 1.64 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.23–2.20), 2.03 (95% CI, 1.30–3.17), and 2.97 (95% CI, 1.44–6.14), respectively. Age-specific mortality risk and linear regression analysis also demonstrated that RAS mutations had a greater impact on survival in EOCRC than in LOCRC (slope: −4.07, 95% CI −8.10 to 0.04, P = 0.047, R2 = 0.08). Conclusion Among patients undergoing CLM resection, RAS mutations have a greater negative influence on survival in patients with EOCRC, more so in patients ≤40 years, than in patients with LOCRC and should be considered as a prognostic factor in multidisciplinary treatment planning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. e233403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samer El Hayek ◽  
Joseph El-Khoury

Episodes of mania typically occur in the context of bipolar disorder, with an average age of onset of 25 years. A condition with identical symptoms, known as secondary mania, generally occurs in isolation in older adults and has an identifiable organic etiology. Here, we report a 57-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with a 3 weeks history of sudden onset mania with psychotic symptoms. He had no previous psychiatric history, and his presentation coincided with the initiation of a course of steroids. Despite the absence of physical symptoms, investigations revealed a previously undetected adrenocorticotropic hormone-releasing small cell lung carcinoma that led to his death within months. This case highlights the complexity of distinguishing primary from secondary mania when it occurs after the peak incidence period of early adulthood. Undertaking a comprehensive medical workup is generally recommended.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edurne Álvaro ◽  
Juana M. Cano ◽  
Juan L. García ◽  
Lorena Brandáriz ◽  
Susana Olmedillas-López ◽  
...  

Our aim was to characterize and validate that the location and age of onset of the tumor are both important criteria to classify colorectal cancer (CRC). We analyzed clinical and molecular characteristics of early-onset CRC (EOCRC) and late-onset CRC (LOCRC), and we compared each tumor location between both ages-of-onset. In right-sided colon tumors, early-onset cases showed extensive Lynch syndrome (LS) features, with a relatively low frequency of chromosomal instability (CIN), but a high CpG island methylation phenotype. Nevertheless, late-onset cases showed predominantly sporadic features and microsatellite instability cases due to BRAF mutations. In left colon cancers, the most reliable clinical features were the tendency to develop polyps as well as multiple primary CRC associated with the late-onset subset. Apart from the higher degree of CIN in left-sided early-onset cancers, differential copy number alterations were also observed. Differences among rectal cancers showed that early-onset rectal cancers were diagnosed at later stages, had less association with polyps, and more than half of them were associated with a familial LS component. Stratifying CRC according to both location and age-of-onset criteria is meaningful, not only because it correlates the resulting categories with certain molecular bases, but with the confirmation across larger studies, new therapeutical algorithms could be defined according to this subclassification.


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