Right cerebral motor areas that support accurate speech production following damage to cerebellar speech areas

Pycnogenol® improves cognitive function in post-stroke patients: a 6 month-study

BACKGROUND

This pilot study in post-stroke patients evaluated the effects of supplementation with Pycnogenol® on alterations in cognitive functions (COFU) over a period of 6 months, starting 4 weeks after the stroke.

METHODS

The effects of supplementation - possibly acting on residual brain edema, on global cognitive function, attention and on mental performance - were studied. A control group used standard management (SM) and the other group added Pycnogenol®, 150 mg daily to SM.

RESULTS

38 post-stroke patients completed the 6-month-study, 20 in the Pycnogenol® group and 18 in the control group. No side effects were observed with the supplement. The tolerability was very good. The patients included into the two groups were comparable for age, sex and clinical distribution. There were 2 dropouts in the control group, due to non-medical problems. Main COFU parameters (assessed by a cognitive questionnaire) were significantly improved (all single items) with the supplement compared to controls (P<0.05). Additional observations indicate that Pycnogenol® patients experienced significantly less mini-accidents (including falls) than controls (P<0.05). The incidences of (minor) psychotic episodes or conflicts and distress and other problems including rare occurrence of minor hallucinations, were lower with the supplementation than in controls (P<0.05). Single observations concerning daily tasks indicated a better effect of Pycnogenol® compared to controls (P<0.05). Plasma free radicals also decreased significantly with the supplement in comparison to controls (P<0.05). Globally, supplemented subjects had a better recovery than controls.

CONCLUSIONS

In post-stroke subjects, Pycnogenol® supplementation resulted in better recovery outcome and faster COFU 'normalization' after the stroke in comparison with SM; it can be considered a safe, manageable post-stroke, adjuvant management possibly reducing local brain edema. Nevertheless, more patients and a longer period of evaluation are needed to confirm these results.

Conceptualizing Epigenetics and the Environmental Landscape of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Complex interactions between gene variants and environmental risk factors underlie the pathophysiological pathways in major psychiatric disorders. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neuropsychiatric condition in which susceptible alleles along with epigenetic states contribute to the mutational landscape of the ailing brain. The present work reviews recent evolutionary, molecular, and epigenetic mechanisms potentially linked to the etiology of autism. First, we present a clinical vignette to describe clusters of maladaptive behaviors frequently diagnosed in autistic patients. Next, we microdissect brain regions pertinent to the nosology of autism, as well as cell networks from the bilateral body plan. Lastly, we catalog a number of pathogenic environments associated with disease risk factors. This set of perspectives provides emerging insights into the dynamic interplay between epigenetic and environmental variation in the development of Autism Spectrum Disorders.