Horizons in neuroscience researchVolume 40

In this compilation, the authors review current literature concerning the identification and neuro-imaging of children with cerebral visual impairment, describing their clinical and rehabilitative management while recognizing the role of adaptive neuroplasticity in their visual development.

The data published to date on the chemical and functional neuroanatomy of the adult human brainstem obtained through the application of different techniques, from histochemical staining to modern imaging techniques, is compiled.

The involvement of acetylcholine, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, GAP-43, glutamate, hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha, microtubule-associated protein 2, nestin, neurofilament, noradrenaline, serotonin, somatostatin, substance P and vitamin C in the development of the human brainstem is discussed.

The authors also discuss sirtuins, a family of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent protein deacetylases that play a regulatory role in multiple pathways such as mitochondrial energetics, cell-cycle regulation, oxidative stress resistance, inflammation, and insulin secretion.

The subsequent study examines how distractibility during the learning process is related to a history of traumatic brain injury, utilizing a 2x2 between subjects factorial ANOVA.

In closing, the gravitational mass spectroscopy method is used to study the process of HSV-I herpes virus attack on the affected area of the human brain in vivo.

The mechanism of ring attack by CccDNA plasmid cytolinker MACF1 is proposed.