Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder mainly characterized by progressive calcium deposition bilaterally in the brain, accompanied by various symptoms, such as dystonia, ataxia, parkinsonism, dementia, depression, headaches, and epilepsy. Currently, the etiology of PFBC is largely unknown, and no specific prevention or treatment is available. During the past 10 years, six causative genes (SLC20A2, PDGFRB, PDGFB, XPR1, MYORG, and JAM2) have been identified in PFBC. In this review, considering mechanistic studies of these genes at the cellular level and in animals, we summarize the pathogenesis and potential preventive and therapeutic strategies for PFBC patients. Our systematic analysis suggests a classification for PFBC genetic etiology based on several characteristics, provides a summary of the known composition of brain calcification, and identifies some potential therapeutic targets for PFBC.
Animals ; Brain Diseases/therapy* ; Xenotropic and Polytropic Retrovirus Receptor ; Brain/pathology*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the utilization of medical rehabilitation services and the degree of satisfaction about rehabilitation services in patients with brain disorders. METHOD: A total of 1903 patients agreed to participate in this study and were interviewed from September 2005 to May 2006. The subjects completed the questionnaires about the utilization of medical rehabilitation services and the degree of satisfaction with those treatments. Pearson's chi-square test, Student t-test and frequency analysis were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A 78.0 percent of patients received inpatient rehabilitation treatment. A 66.9 percent of all patients were served of only physical therapy and 31.6 percent received both physical and occupational therapy. The main reason why patients could not have a chance to experience rehabilitation treatment was associated with environmental problems, such as the ignorance of the need about rehabilitation treatment, or the insufficient communication between doctors and patients. Most patients (54.6%) were satisfied with the rehabilitation treatment. However, as the number of admission was increased, patients tended to be less satisfied with the rehabilitation treatment. CONCLUSION: The inpatient rehabilitation treatment was limitedly served to patients with brain disorders mostly when the patients required rehabilitation services. It is necessary to provide more effective and various rehabilitation services to patients under the comprehensive guideline of the process of rehabilitation services.
Brain ; Brain Diseases ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Korea ; Occupational Therapy ; Surveys and Questionnaires

We have tracked the response of host and transplanted neural progenitors or stem cells to hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury, and explored the therapeutic potential of neural stem cells (NSCs) injected into mice brains subjected to focal HI injury. Such cells may integrace appropriately into the degenerating central nervous system (CNS), and showed robust engraftment and foreign gene expression within the region of HI inury. They appeared to have migrated preferentially to the site of ischemia, experienced limited proliferation, and differentiated into neural cells lost to injury, trying to repopulate the damaged brain area. The transplantation of exogenous NSCs may, in fact, augment a natural self-repair process in which the damaged CNS "attempts" to mobilize its own pool of stem cells. Providing additional NSCs and trophic factors may optimize this response. Therefore, NSCs may provide a novel approach to reconstituting brains damaged by HI brain injury. Preliminary data in animal models of stroke lends support to these hypotheses.
Animal ; Brain/pathology ; Brain Diseases/therapy* ; Brain Diseases/pathology ; Brain Ischemia/therapy* ; Brain Ischemia/pathology ; Gene Therapy* ; Human ; Nerve Tissue/cytology* ; Stem Cells/transplantation* ; Tissue Therapy*

Under the guidance of traditional acupuncture theory and modern medical knowledge, with long-term clinical practice, professor SHI Xue-min, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, has made new recognitions on the concept of Shen (mind or vitality, a general term for life processes of the human body, referring to mentality, consciousness and thinking) and the brain, established the ideas of "Xingshen" (to cause resuscitation), "Tiaoshen" (to regulate the function of mental activity) and "Anshen" (to tranquilize the mind), promoted the application of the above ideas into acupuncture treatment on acute syndromes and intractable diseases, which is approved to have significant effect. The article dedicats to introduce professor SHI's experiences of using his idea of mental regulation with the combination of standard quantitative manipulations to treat acute, severe and intractable diseases such as stroke, central respiratory failure, angina pectoris, temporary syncope, pseudobular palsy, vascular dementia and dysuria.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Brain Diseases ; psychology ; therapy ; Consciousness ; Humans

Acupuncture-moxibustion is remarkably effective on encephalopathy, but its mechanism is unclear. With the continuous development of imaging technology, the in vivo brain imaging technology has been used increasingly in life science research and it also becomes a more effective tool for the basic research of acupuncture-moxibustion in treatment of encephalopathy. The paper summarizes the application of its technology in the basic research of acupuncture-moxibustion for encephalopathy and the characteristics of imaging, as well as the advantages and shortcomings. It is anticipated that the references may be provided for the basic research of acupuncture-moxibustion in treatment of encephalopathy and be conductive to the modernization of acupuncture-moxibustion.
Humans ; Moxibustion ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture ; Brain Diseases/therapy* ; Neuroimaging

"Wentong needling method" is professor ZHENG Kui-shan's needling manipulation of original creation for treatment of various difficult and complicated cases with distinguishing feature in clinical practice of dozens of years, which has both reinforcing and reducing actions, with functions of promoting the flow of qi by warming the channels, removing the phlegm, dispelling wind and cold, promoting flow of qi and blood circulation, and strengthening the body resistance to eliminate pathogenic factors. Clinically, it is used for treatment of difficult diseases such as coronary disease, diseases of the head, face and five sense organs, brain diseases, and wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, etc. with good results.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Brain Diseases ; therapy ; Coronary Disease ; therapy ; Eye Diseases ; therapy ; Facial Paralysis ; therapy ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo search for an effective method for treatment of obstinate hiccup.

METHODSNinety cases of obstinate hiccup secondary to cerebral diseases were randomly divided into 3 groups, 30 cases in each group. Group A were treated by injection of compound chlorpromazine into Yintang (Ex-HN 3), group B by intramuscular injection of compound chlorpromazine and group C by acupuncture at Yintang (Ex-HN 3). Their therapeutic effects were compared.

RESULTSThe effective rate was 93.3% in the group A, 10.0% in the group B and 30.0% in the group C, the group A being better than the group B and the group C (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONInjection of compound chlorpromazine into Yintang (Ex-HN 3) has a significant therapeutic effect on obstinate hiccup.

The naturally-occurring dipeptide carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) is found exclusively in animal tissues, such as brain and skeletal muscle tissues. Carnosine is a potent hydrophilic antioxidant, antiglycating agent, reactive oxygen species scavenger and pH-buffer. Recent reports suggest that carnosine has potential therapeutic applications in many diseases of central nervous system, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and cerebral ischemic diseases. To investigate the relationship between carnosine and diseases of central nervous system, and to research and develop carnosine drugs will shed light on a new way for treatment of diseases of central nervous system.
Alzheimer Disease ; drug therapy ; Brain Diseases ; drug therapy ; Brain Ischemia ; drug therapy ; Carnosine ; therapeutic use ; Central Nervous System Diseases ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Parkinson Disease ; drug therapy

Neurodegenerative diseases are a collective term for a large group of diseases caused by degenerative changes in nerve cells. Aging is the main risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. The neurovascular unit(NVU) is the smallest functional unit of the brain, which regulates brain blood flow and maintains brain homeostasis. Accelerated aging of NVU cells directly impairs NVU function and leads to the occurrence of various neurodegenerative diseases. The intrinsic mechanisms of NVU cell aging are complex and involve oxidative stress damage, loss of protein homeostasis, DNA damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, immune inflammatory response, and impaired cellular autophagy. In recent years, studies have found that traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) can inhibit NVU aging through multiple pathways and targets, exerting a brain-protective effect. Therefore, this article aimed to provide a theoretical basis for further research on TCM inhibition of NVU cell aging and references for new drug development and clinical applications by reviewing its mechanisms of anti-aging, such as regulating relevant proteins, improving mitochondrial dysfunction, reducing DNA damage, lowering inflammatory response, antioxidant stress, and modulating cellular autophagy.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/drug therapy* ; Brain ; Aging ; Neurons ; Blood-Brain Barrier

Investigating the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying brain disorders is a priority if novel therapeutic strategies are to be developed. In vivo studies of animal models and in vitro studies of cell lines/primary cell cultures may provide useful tools to study certain aspects of brain disorders. However, discrepancies among these studies or unsuccessful translation from animal/cell studies to human/clinical studies often occur, because these models generally represent only some symptoms of a neuropsychiatric disorder rather than the complete disorder. Human brain slice cultures from postmortem tissue or resected tissue from operations have shown that, in vitro, neurons and glia can stay alive for long periods of time, while their morphological and physiological characteristics, and their ability to respond to experimental manipulations are maintained. Human brain slices can thus provide a close representation of neuronal networks in vivo, be a valuable tool for investigation of the basis of neuropsychiatric disorders, and provide a platform for the evaluation of novel pharmacological treatments of human brain diseases. A brain bank needs to provide the necessary infrastructure to bring together donors, hospitals, and researchers who want to investigate human brain slices in cultures of clinically and neuropathologically well-documented material.
Brain ; drug effects ; physiopathology ; Brain Diseases ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Tissue Culture Techniques