European journal of paediatric neurology : EJPN : official journal of the European Paediatric Neurology Society
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Eur. J. Paediatr. Neurol. · Jan 2017
ReviewTechnical challenges and safety of magnetic resonance imaging with in situ neuromodulation from spine to brain.
This review summarises the need for MRI with in situ neuromodulation, the key safety challenges and how they may be mitigated, and surveys the current status of MRI safety for the main categories of neuro-stimulation device, including deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, sacral neuromodulation, spinal cord stimulation systems, and cochlear implants. ⋯ The increasing availability of devices conditional for 3 T MRI, whole-body transmit imaging, and imaging in the on-stimulation condition, will be of significant benefit to the growing population of patients benefitting from neuromodulation therapy, and open up new opportunities for functional imaging research.
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Eur. J. Paediatr. Neurol. · Jan 2017
ReviewCerebral plasticity: Windows of opportunity in the developing brain.
Neuroplasticity refers to the inherently dynamic biological capacity of the central nervous system (CNS) to undergo maturation, change structurally and functionally in response to experience and to adapt following injury. This malleability is achieved by modulating subsets of genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms that influence the dynamics of synaptic connections and neural circuitry formation culminating in gain or loss of behavior or function. Neuroplasticity in the healthy developing brain exhibits a heterochronus cortex-specific developmental profile and is heightened during "critical and sensitive periods" of pre and postnatal brain development that enable the construction and consolidation of experience-dependent structural and functional brain connections. ⋯ The different patterns of neuroplasticity and the unique feature of heightened plasticity during critical and sensitive periods are important concepts for researchers and clinicians in the field of pediatric neurology and neurodevelopmental disabilities. These concepts need to be examined systematically in the context of pediatric neuromodulation. We propose that critical and sensitive periods of brain development in health and disease can create "windows of opportunity" for neuromodulatory interventions that are not commonly seen in adult brain and probably augment plasticity responses and improve clinical outcomes.
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Eur. J. Paediatr. Neurol. · Jan 2017
ReviewCurrent experience of spinal neuromodulation in chronic pain: Is there a role in children and young people?
Chronic pain in children has been an under-recognized problem compared to adult pain. The aim of management is to help children and their families cope with the symptoms rather than a cure. Current medical treatments to reduce pain intensity are often short lived, poorly tolerated or ineffective. ⋯ Despite its initial expense, Spinal cord stimulation is a cost effective therapy in the long term and has the advantages of being a minimally invasive therapy and reversible.