by Ilirjana Zekja  , Fatjona Kamberi  , Ria Bruijn  , Tedi Kokuri  and Evanthia Asimakopoulou

Received: 18 January 2023;  Published: 10 April 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2302166

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the worst public health catastrophe in recent history, impacting people's mental health and increasing concern over vaccinations. Between early May and late June 2021, a web-based survey that included higher education institutions from three countries (Albania, Belgium, and Cyprus) was conducted. The purpose was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of academic staff, what affects their readiness to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and whether there is a l [...]

by Ines Testoni  , Lorenza Palazzo  , Sara Pompele  , Ciro De Vincenzo  , Maria Perardi  and Lucia Ronconi

Received: 13 November 2022;  Published: 31 March 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2301165

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects motor neurons, the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord that enable voluntary muscle movement. Managing ALS is complex and increasingly requires informal care, most often by the patient's companions/spouses or children. The COVID-19 pandemic posed additional critical issues, particularly the disruption of home care and the increased time caregivers spent on patient care. One aim of this research was to assess caregiv [...]

by Xiaohui Wang  , Shaozhuang Ma  and Wenyu Liao

Received: 09 January 2023;  Published: 27 March 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2301164

China adopted a “Zero-COVID” policy for nearly three years, making Chinese healthcare workers constantly involved in COVID-19-related work. However, little is known about how involvement in COVID-19-related work shaped Chinese nurses’ burnout. This study explores how nurses’ job demands and job resources are associated with their burnout by considering high and low frequent involvements in COVID-19-related work in China. This study employed a cross-sessional design. Guided by Job Demands-Resources (JDR) model, we d [...]

by Donatella Ciarmoli  and Fabrizio Stasolla

Received: 04 September 2022;  Published: 13 March 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2301163

Neurodevelopmental disorders represent a cluster of conditions first diagnosed during childhood or adolescence (i.e., including intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders, motor deficits, and communication deficits). The main characteristic of neurodevelopmental disorders is the presence of a deficit or a delay in the acquisition of skills that may affect different areas of evolution (e.g., cognitive, affective, and motor). These clinical conditions make the child or adolescent passive, isolated, and unable [...]

by Adriano Zamperini  , Antonella Pittella  , Cristina Rizzo  , Giulia Marangon  , Erika Iacona  and Ines Testoni

Received: 24 July 2022;  Published: 10 March 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2301162

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our daily lives. One of the sectors most affected was tourism and travel – and, more specifically, cruises, given the prolonged time passengers spend with others within the small spaces of the cruise ship. While finding well-organised entertainment opportunities on cruises is possible, emergency conditions may cause panic. On such occasions, reactions can be highly stressful or even traumatic. This research explores the events and emotions experienced by passengers duri [...]

by Michael Joseph Diaz  , Kevin Thomas Root  , Alice Beneke  , Yordan Penev  and Brandon Lucke-Wold

Received: 07 October 2022;  Published: 06 March 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2301161

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant source of brain deficit and death among neurosurgical patients, with limited prospects for functional recovery in the cases of moderate-to-severe injury. Until now, the relevant body of literature on TBI intervention has focused on first-line, invasive treatment options (namely craniectomy and hematoma evacuation) with underwhelming focus on non-invasive therapies following surgical stabilization. Recent advances in our understanding of the impaired brain have encourage [...]

by Frank M. Mezzacappa  , Caroline Davidson  and Michele R. Aizenberg

Received: 22 February 2022;  Published: 03 March 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2301160

Glioblastoma (GBM) is malignant, primary intracranial neoplasm associated with poor outcomes. Maximal, safe cytoreduction remains an important component of effective treatment for patients with this disease; however, some patients are not candidates for resection due to comorbid status, tumor location, or other factors. In this review, we aimed to describe minimally invasive surgical techniques that are emerging as important tools for improving safety and efficiency in GBM cytoreduction, including for patients with [...]

by Ellen Kuo  , Esther Belogolovsky  , Sarah Fracci  , Amy Wozniak  , Marina Feffer  , Rachel Klauber  , Theodote K. Pontikes  and Edwin Meresh

Received: 03 October 2022;  Published: 02 March 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2301159

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has contributed to a co-occurring psychiatric epidemic. Children and adolescents have been particularly impacted, with disruptions in continuity of learning and healthcare. Psychological stressors such as fear of infection, boredom, decreased socialization, supply shortages, and incomplete information have contributed to low mood, irritability, insomnia, and emotional exhaustion. Our study contributes to this research by quantifying the devastating psychiatric toll that t [...]

by Isabella Zuccaroli  , Brandon Lucke-Wold  , Adhith Palla  , Alexander Eremiev  , Zachary Sorrentino  , Rasheedat Zakare-Fagbamila  , Jack McNulty  , Carlton Christie  , Vyshak Chandra  and David Mampre

Received: 16 November 2022;  Published: 22 February 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2301158

Reported neuro-modulation schemes in the literature are typically classified as closed-loop or open-loop. A novel group of recently developed neuro-modulation devices may be better described as a neural bypass, which attempts to transmit neural data from one location of the nervous system to another. The most common form of neural bypasses in the literature utilize EEG recordings of cortical information paired with functional electrical stimulation for effector muscle output, most commonly for assistive application [...]

by Sai Batchu  , Michael Diaz  , Keldon Lin  , Namrata Arya  , Karan Patel  and Brandon Lucke-Wold

Received: 04 September 2022;  Published: 20 February 2023;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2301157

Pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) are common intracranial tumors comprising numerous subtypes whose metabolic profiles have yet to be fully examined. The present in silico study analyzed single-cell expression profiles from 2311 PitNET cells from various lineages and subtypes to elucidate differences in metabolic activities. Gonadotroph tumors exhibited high activities with histidine metabolism, whose activity is low in lactotroph tumors. Somatotroph tumors enriched for sulfur and tyrosine metabolism, while [...]