Genetic approach to the study of heterogeneity of affective disorders

In the present paper we compared the results of the application of segregation analysis, under two different single major locus (SML) transmission hypotheses, a dominant one with sex effect and a recessive one, to the families of 202 probands with major depression, recurrent and bipolar disorder. In the first analysis we considered only secondary cases with major affective disorders (bipolar disorders and major depression, recurrent), in the second one we included as affected phenotypes also relatives with atypical depression, dysthymic and cyclothymic disorders. Results indicated that considering spectrum disorders greatly modified familial segregation patterns.     

Adult myelination： wrapping up neuronal plasticity

In this review, we outline the major neural plasticity mechanisms that have been identified in the adult central nervous system （CNS）, and offer a perspective on how they regulate CNS function. In particular we examine how myelin plasticity can operate alongside neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity to influence information processing and transfer in the mature CNS.     

Exit strategies for “needle fatigue” in multiple sclerosis: a propensity score-matched comparison study

Journal of Neurology - Patients with multiple sclerosis on long-term injectable therapies may suffer from the so-called “needle fatigue”, i.e., a waning commitment to continue with the...     

Phase angle in systemic sclerosis: a marker for pulmonary function and disease severity

Clinical Rheumatology -     

Job satisfaction among physicians and nurses involved in the management of multiple sclerosis: the role of happiness and meaning at work

Neurological Sciences - Health professionals caring for persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) are faced with increasingly complex working conditions that can undermine their job satisfaction and the...     

Subtypes of developmental dyslexia in transparent orthographies: A comment on Lachmann and Van Leeuwen (2008)

Lachmann and Van Leeuwen (2008) proposed two diagnostic subtypes of developmental dyslexia in a language with transparent orthography (German). The classification was based on reading time, rather than reading errors, for lists of words and nonwords. The two subtypes were “frequent-word reading impaired” (FWRI) and “nonword reading impaired” (NWRI). Notably, FWRI were very slow in reading high-frequency words but as fast as controls in reading nonwords; ca. one-third of these children showed this “reversed lexicality effect” in a particularly marked fashion (i.e., read nonwords two to three times faster than high-frequency words). Since Italian is a highly transparent language, we applied this classification to 87 third- and sixth-grade dyslexics from various previously published studies. Some children showed a marked lexicality effect, while others showed small or no difference between word and nonword reading speed. However, regardless of stimulus length, grade and presence/absence of a previous language delay, no child showed a marked reversed lexicality effect; more generally, no child could be classified as FWRI. These findings indicate that the search for subtypes of developmental dyslexia in transparent orthographies still constitutes an open question.