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Dear Colleagues,

You are cordially invited to participate in the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Brain Sciences. This event aims to bring together researchers working in the field of neuroscience, to present and discuss their recent contributions, without the need for travel. During this e-conference, a live session will also be held. The field of neuroscience is one of the last frontiers in biomedical studies, as many of the details that control brain function are still not well understood. This makes the study of the nervous system very exciting and fast moving. This conference will address a variety of research topics that reflect some of the current areas of focus.

Dr. Evanthia Bernitsas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Clinical neuroscience
Cognitive neuroscience
Systems neuroscience
Molecular and cellular neuroscience
Developmental neuroscience
Behavioral neuroscience
Environmental neuroscience

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1605 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Olfactory Dysfunction, Headache, and Mental Clouding in Adults with Long-COVID-19: What Is the Link between Cognition and Olfaction? A Cross-Sectional Study

by Arianna Di Stadio, Michael J. Brenner, Pietro De Luca, Maria Albanese, Luca D’Ascanio, Massimo Ralli, Dalila Roccamatisi, Cristina Cingolani, Federica Vitelli, Angelo Camaioni, Stefano Di Girolamo and Evanthia Bernitsas

Brain Sci. 2022, 12(2), 154; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci12020154 - 24 Jan 2022

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 5022

Abstract

Smell alteration and cognitive impairment are common features of the Long-COVID Syndrome. Mental clouding, often described as brain fog, might affect smell by altering recollection of odors or through a share mechanism of neuroinflammation. We investigated mental clouding, headache, and cognitive function in adult patients with persistent COVID-19 olfactory dysfunction. This multi-center cross-sectional study enrolled 152 adults with self-reported olfactory dysfunction from 3 tertiary centers specialized in COVID-19 olfactory disorders. Inclusion criteria were smell alterations after COVID-19 persisting over 6 months from infection, age >18 and < 65. Exclusion criteria included smell alterations, headache, or memory problems prior to COVID-19 infection. The patients were evaluated by olfactometry, nasal endoscopy, headache scale, cognitive assessment, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and self-reported measures. Smell dysfunction was stratified and classified based on olfactory deficit severity and presence of olfactory distortion (parosmia, cacosmia). Data on smell disorder, mental clouding, MMSE, and headache were analyzed to assess correlations. Among the 152 patients studied, 50 (32.8%) presented with anosmia, 25 (16.4%) with hyposmia, 10 (6.6%) with parosmia/cacosmia, and 58 patients (38.2%) with a combination of hyposmia and parosmia; seven (4.6%) patients suffered from headache exclusively, and two (1.4%) had headache and mental clouding as their primary symptom. Headache was reported by 76 (50%) patients, and mental clouding by 71 (46.7%). The patients reporting headache, mental clouding, or both, had significantly increased risk of suffering from anosmia and/or hyposmia when compared with their counterparts without these neurological symptoms. No patients had reduced MMSE scores. In our cohort of adult patients with post-COVID-19, smell alterations persisting over 6 months, cognitive impairment and headache were associated with more severe olfactory loss, consistent with neuroinflammatory mechanisms mediating a variety of Long-COVID symptoms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Brain Sciences)

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18 pages, 937 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Secondary Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic in Fatigue, Self-Compassion, Physical and Mental Health of People with Multiple Sclerosis and Caregivers: The Teruel Study

by Lydia Giménez-Llort, Juan José Martín-González and Sara Maurel

Brain Sci. 2021, 11(9), 1233; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci11091233 - 18 Sep 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3431

Abstract

The secondary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are distress triggers and risk factors for mental health. Conversely, self-compassion skills and compassionate thoughts/behaviors towards suffering may contribute to their alleviation. Both psychological constructs are interrelated in life-threatening diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The Teruel Study retrospectively evaluated the impact of strict confinement on the 44 people with MS of this Spanish province and 24 caregivers, specifically assessing (1) fears and perceptions; (2) self-compassion (people with MS) and compassion (caregivers); (3) physical and mental health, and fatigue. Despite better housing conditions, people with MS considered confinement very difficult to handle, more than their caregivers, but they were less afraid of COVID-19 and worsening of MS. Still, they recognized worse health than before confinement. Reclusion and lack of walks were the worst of confinement. Caregivers also referred to lack of leisure and uncertainty–fear. All agreed the best was staying with the family, but some found ‘nothing’ positive. Self-compassion remained moderate–high and strongly correlated with their moderate levels of social function, vitality, physical role, and global health. Physical and cognitive fatigue scores were high, and self-compassion negatively correlated with them, explaining a 19% variance in global health. The high compassion of the caregivers did not correlate with any variable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Brain Sciences)

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