Objective To investigate alterations in the choroid plexus in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) using brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods We prospectively recruited consecutive patients with MS or NMOSD from July 2018 to February 2019. The inclusion criterion was brain MRI within three months from onset of acute neurological symptoms. The thickness and enhancement ratio of the choroid plexus on gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images of patients with MS (n = 51), patients with NMOSD (n = 32), and healthy controls (HCs, n = 28) were compared. Results MRI in patients with MS or NMOSD showed a comparably thick but more enhanced choroid plexus compared with that of HCs. In the axial view, enhancement ratios of the lateral ventricle of MS and NMOSD patients and HCs were 1.64 ± 0.34, 1.65 ± 0.25, and 1.39 ± 0.17, respectively (P > .999 for MS vs. NMOSD; P = .001 for MS vs. HCs; P = .001 for NMOSD vs. HCs). Conclusions The choroid plexus was significantly more enhanced on brain MRI of patients with MS or NMOSD than on that of HCs, suggesting the involvement of the choroid plexus in the autoimmune inflammatory processes in MS and NMOSD.Background and purpose Diabetes may be one of the risk factors of cognitive impairment. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between diabetes status and cognitive impairment among the middle-aged and elderly population (≥40 years) in Chinese rural communities. Methods A sample of 3392 participants aged 40 years or older from the China National Stroke Prevention Project (CSPP) between 2015 and 2017 were enrolled in this study. Cognitive function was assessed by the Beijing edition of the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scale. Cognitive impairment was diagnosed as a MoCA score less then 26. Diabetes status was divided into three groups------Normal fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≤ 5.5 mmol/L, Prediabetes 5.6 ≤ FPG ≤ 6.9 mmol/L, Diabetes FPG ≥ 7.0 mmol/L or with a history of diabetes. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association between diabetes status and cognitive impairment. Results Out of the 3392 enrolled participants, 2023(59.6%) had cognitive impairment, 1586(46.8%) had abnormal fasting plasma glucose including 867(25.6%) prediabetes and 719(21.2%) diabetes. After adjusting for potential risk factors, we found prediabetes (OR 1.22, 95%CI 1.03-1.45) and diabetes (OR 1.28, 95%CI 1.06-1.55) are all associated with cognitive impairment, especially in the domains of language (prediabetes OR 1.14, 95%CI 1.05-1.25; diabetes OR1.13, 95%CI 1.03-1.24), visuospatial/executive functions (diabetes OR 1.50, 95%CI 1.22-1.84) and attention (diabetes OR 1.15, 95%CI 1.02-1.31). Conclusions In this large community-based study, we found diabetes status may be an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment, particularly in domains of language, visuospatial/executive functions, and attention.Sleep disturbance is one of the commonly reported non-motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) as well as in Parkinson plus disorders such as multiple system atrophy (MSA), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and corticobasal syndrome (CBS). Although there is a wealth of literature on sleep disturbances in PD, the same is not robust on the Parkinson plus disorders. This article aims to comprehensively review the sleep disturbances in Parkinson plus disorders. The literature review was as per the guidelines of the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA). find more We searched PubMed and MEDLINE till December 2019 using a combination of words - "Sleep disturbance" with additional search terms such as "synucleinopathy", "tauopathy", "multiple system atrophy", "dementia with Lewy bodies", "progressive supranuclear palsy", and "corticobasal syndrome". A wide range of sleep disorders that include insomnia, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD), periodic limb movement disorder, excessive daytime sleepiness, and sleep apneas, may complicate the course of the Parkinson plus disorders. Pathophysiology of these sleep disorders remains elusive, thus making targeted pharmacotherapy challenging. We describe the cardinal features and the management options of these sleep disorders in the context of Parkinson plus disorders.Background The free radical scavenger edaravone is a proven neuroprotective drug for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Our objective was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of edaravone for oxidative stress and anti-oxidative activity in ALS patients. Methods Twenty-two ALS patients with a disease duration of 2 years, treated by edaravone, and 25 control participants were evaluated according to their clinical scores, including ALS functional rating scale-revised (ALSFRS-R), and serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers of oxidative stress dROM and anti-oxidative activity OXY. Results Serum and CSF markers of anti-oxidative activity OXY were significantly decreased in ALS patients at pre-treatment compared with controls (##p less then .01), which was improved in the course of edaravone treatment. Both serum and CSF OXY were significantly correlated with ALS clinical scores including ALSFRS-R (*p less then .05, **p less then .01, ***p less then .001). Furthermore, serum OXY at pre-treatment was significantly correlated with a change in the ALSFRS-R score in the sixth cycle of edaravone treatment (*p less then .05). Conclusions The present study suggests significant correlations between anti-oxidative activity and ALS clinical severity, and the therapeutic efficacy of edaravone for decreased anti-oxidative activity in ALS.Social cognition is a mediator between nonsocial cognition and functional outcome in schizophrenia. However, the relationship between specific nonsocial cognitive and social cognitive domains is less clear. The aim of this study was to investigate which specific nonsocial cognitive domains best predict theory of mind (ToM) performance in schizophrenia. We indexed ToM by a composite score of the video-based Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition test (MASCtot) in a sample of 91 individuals with schizophrenia. Nonsocial cognition was measured with the nonsocial cognitive subtests of the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) and the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI IQ). Bivariate and multiple regression analyses were applied. We found statistically significant bivariate associations between MASCtot and five nonsocial cognitive tests, measuring intelligence, speed of processing, verbal or visual memory, and non-verbal working memory. Together, they accounted for 17% of the variation in MASCtot, but none of the five tests made significant unique contributions to MASCtot in the regression analysis.