This update aimed to assess whether recent studies offer confirmation or new insights into the debated relationship between alcoholic drinks (AD) and migraine. Reported discrepancies in alcohol consumption and its triggering role across primary headache types may reflect methodological differences and variations in headache classification by the International Headache Society. Recent prospective studies focusing on the triggering role of AD, vasodilation as a possible mechanism, alcohol consumption patterns, alcohol infusion, and alcohol-induced analgesia were evaluated and discussed. These studies largely confirm the limited role of AD as a triggering factor for migraine. In addition, recent evidence once again highlights the lower consumption of AD among migraine patients, raising the question of whether this finding reflects reverse causality, rather than a protective effect of avoidance. Although many substances have been tested for their ability to provoke migraine and induce cerebrovascular dilatation, ethanol—a natural vasodilator—has never been systematically tested in migraine patients. Some studies show that ethanol infusion does not provoke headache within 5 to 8 hours, but may induce a delayed hangover headache in certain individuals. Finally, despite evidence that moderate alcohol consumption may have analgesic effects and be associated with reduced chronic pain, it remains unclear why this does not occur in migraine patients.

Grief is a universal yet multifaceted emotional response to loss, profoundly affecting psychological and biological systems. This review aims to examine the neurobiological mechanisms underlying grief, with a particular focus on prolonged grief disorder, a condition characterized by persistent, maladaptive grief symptoms that extend beyond culturally normative grieving periods. This narrative review synthesizes recent findings on the neurobiology of grief. Hormonal dysregulation, such as elevated oxytocin and cortisol levels, plays a significant role in the physiological response to grief. Epigenetic modifications of stress-related genes further contribute to individual variability in grief responses. Neural alterations are observed in key brain regions associated with memory, emotion regulation, and attachment, including the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, coupled with disruptions in the default mode network and reward systems, have been implicated in the persistence of pathological grief symptoms. These neurobiological disruptions reflect the interplay among emotional processing, cognitive regulation, and the stress response during grief. By improving our understanding of the biological basis of maladaptive grief responses, these findings provide a foundation for developing targeted therapeutic interventions and guiding future research to better address the needs of individuals experiencing prolonged grief.

Background: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms that can overlap with other movement disorders, complicating accurate diagnosis and monitoring. Wearable technologies, such as smartwatches, offer continuous and objective assessment of motor function, but their clinical utility in multiclass classification and symptom prediction remains underexplored. This study aimed to determine whether smartwatch-derived motor features can distinguish idiopathic PD from other movement disorders and whether motor variability is associated with non-motor symptom burden in PD. Methods: We analyzed data from the Parkinson’s Disease Smartwatch (PADS) dataset ( N = 469), which includes accelerometer and gyroscope signals recorded during 20 standardized motor tasks. For each participant, mean and standard deviation values for each axis were averaged across tasks. Diagnostic group classification was assessed using multinomial logistic regression. Among individuals with idiopathic PD ( n = 276), linear regression evaluated associations between motor variability and total non-motor symptom scores from a 30-item questionnaire. Results: Motor variability features, particularly accelerometer Y-axis and gyroscope X-axis standard deviations, significantly differentiated diagnostic groups (pseudo R 2 = 0.068). Age, sex, and handedness also contributed. In the PD subgroup, higher accelerometer X and gyroscope X variability were associated with greater non-motor symptom burden, while greater stability in the mediolateral (Y) axis was linked to fewer symptoms (adjusted R 2 = 0.0081, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Smartwatch-derived motor variability features can modestly differentiate movement disorder diagnoses and are associated with non-motor symptom severity in PD. Our findings support the complementary use of wearable sensors in clinical assessment and remote monitoring. Our findings also lay the foundation for future integration of wearable-derived data into telemedicine workflows.

Brain aneurysms can be treated with flow diversion embolization. We describe a case of an internal carotid artery aneurysm treated with the Pipeline Vantage flow diverter device, who developed a post-procedural retinal hemorrhage, presenting as an acutely- presenting, painless “floater” in the visual field. Outpatient evaluation by a retinal specialist yielded a recommendation to observe the hemorrhage, with the option to intervene with retinal surgery if the hemorrhage worsens or does not resolve. Within one month, there was substantial improvement in his visual symptoms without need for further intervention, and follow-up imaging demonstrated that the aneurysm was successfully treated.

Background: The L-oxiracetam Outcomes in Clinical Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury Effects (LOCATE) trial is a national, multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, phase III trial including 74 centers across 51 hospitals from 2019 to 2024. The objective is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of L-oxiracetam in improving memory and cognitive impairment in patients with acute traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: A total of 591 patients aged 18-75 years will be enrolled with mild acute TBI. The primary outcome is the change in scores on the Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA) at 90 days post-treatment compared to baseline. Secondary outcomes included change from baseline in LOTCA, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E), and Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living (ADL-BI) assessed at the end of treatment, 30 days, 60 days, and/or 90 days. A sample size of 591 allows 80% power (a=0.05) for the efficacy test in the primary outcome of LOTCA assessed at 90 days. Results: A detailed statistical analysis plan was developed for the LOCATE trial following international guidelines. The plan determined the statistical models for the primary and secondary outcomes and defined the covariates to be controlled and the content of the exploratory analyses. Conclusion: The application of this statistical analysis plan in the upcoming LOCATE trial will support an unbiased analysis of these important clinical data.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate if high amplitude high frequency oscillations (haHFOs) could be a biomarker of posttraumatic epileptogenesis. Methods: After an initial craniotomy of rats and inducement of traumatic brain injury (TBI) through a fluid percussion, recording microelectrodes were implanted bilaterally in different brain areas. Wideband brain electrical activity was recorded intermittently from Day 1 of TBI and continued till week 21. HaHFO analysis was performed during the first 4 weeks to investigate whether the occurrence of this brain activity predicted development of epilepsy or not. Results: Of the 21 rats which received the TBI, 9 became epileptic (E+) and 12 did not (E−). HaHFOs were observed in the prefrontal and perilesional cortices, hippocampus, and striatum in both E+ and E− group. In comparison to the rats in E−, the E+ group showed a significant increase in the rate of haHFO from weeks 1 to 4 after TBI. Conclusion: The results indicate that an increase in the rate of haHFOs after TBI could be an electroencephalographic biomarker of posttraumatic epileptogenesis.

Large-conductance calcium- and voltage-dependent potassium (BK) channels are ubiquitously expressed in mammalian cells and participate in various physiological and pathological processes such as neurotransmission and cerebral ischemia. BK channels comprise up to four pore-forming α subunits and zero to four accessory subunits. Although microglial BK currents were initially recorded 27 years ago, their roles have long been elusive. Studies have demonstrated that BK channels modulate the activation, phagocytosis, and probably migration of microglia and have associated microglial BK channels with many neurological diseases, including neuropathic pain and stroke. This review summarizes the available information regarding the biophysical, functional, and pathological aspects of microglial BK channels and discusses future directions of research into these channels.

Background: One of the most prestigious competitions in the world is the World Robot Conference. This paper presents the winning solution to the supervised motor imagery (MI) task in the BCI Controlled Robot Contest in World Robot Contest 2021. Methods: Data augmentation, preprocessing, feature extraction, and model training are the main components of the solution. The model is based on EEGNet, a popular convolutional neural networks model for classifying electroencephalography data. Results: Despite the model’s lack of stability, this solution was the most successful in the task. The channels closest to the vertex were the most helpful in feature extraction. Conclusion: This solution is suitable for supervised MI tasks not only in this competition but also in future scenarios.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to check the potential interaction of two neurodevelopmental proteins, Disc1 and Gas7, in the adult mice brain. Methods: Twenty-four male Swiss albino mice were used for the study. The mice were 12 weeks old in the beginning of the experiment. Immunohistochemistry and co-immunofluorescence were performed on the coronal sections of mice brain and immunoblotting and co-immunoprecipitation were done on the whole brain lysate. Results: Data from immunohistochemistry and co-immunofluorescence indicate the occurrence and co-localization of Disc1 and Gas7 proteins in soma and projections of the brain cells. Immunostaining was observed in cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata and CA3 of hippocampus of the brain. The data from Immunoblotting and co-immunoprecipitation validates the presence and interaction of Disc1 and Gas7 protein in whole brain lysate. Conclusion: Data indicates the potential interaction of Disc1 and Gas7 protein in adult brain. The study highlights the need for further research on Disc1–Gas7 protein interaction in brain development and neuro-disorders.