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Background: Most of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients without previous optic neuritis (ON) show

Background In the absence of a vaccine or effective treatment for COVID-19, countries have adopted nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as social distancing and full lockdown. An objective and quantitative means of passively monitoring the impact and response of these interventions at a local level is needed. Objective We aim to explore the utility of the recently developed open-source mobile health platform Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse (RADAR)–base as a toolbox to rapidly test the effect and response to NPIs intended to limit the spread of COVID-19. Methods We analyzed data extracted from smartphone and wearable devices, and managed by the RADAR-base from 1062 participants recruited in Italy, Spain, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. We derived nine features on a daily basis including time spent at home, maximum distance travelled from home, the maximum number of Bluetooth-enabled nearby devices (as a proxy for physical distancing), step count, average heart rate, sleep duration, bedtime, phone unlock duration, and social app use duration. We performed Kruskal-Wallis tests followed by post hoc Dunn tests to assess differences in these features among baseline, prelockdown, and during lockdown periods. We also studied behavioral differences by age, gender, BMI, and educational background. Results We were able to quantify expected changes in time spent at home, distance travelled, and the number of nearby Bluetooth-enabled devices between prelockdown and during lockdown periods (P<.001 for all five countries). We saw reduced sociality as measured through mobility features and increased virtual sociality through phone use. People were more active on their phones (P<.001 for Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), spending more time using social media apps (P<.001 for Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands), particularly around major news events. Furthermore, participants had a lower heart rate (P<.001 for Italy and Spain; P=.02 for Denmark), went to bed later (P<.001 for Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands), and slept more (P<.001 for Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom). We also found that young people had longer homestay than older people during the lockdown and fewer daily steps. Although there was no significant difference between the high and low BMI groups in time spent at home, the low BMI group walked more. Conclusions RADAR-base, a freely deployable data collection platform leveraging data from wearables and mobile technologies, can be used to rapidly quantify and provide a holistic view of behavioral changes in response to public health interventions as a result of infectious outbreaks such as COVID-19. RADAR-base may be a viable approach to implementing an early warning system for passively assessing the local compliance to interventions in epidemics and pandemics, and could help countries ease out of lockdown.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most memory clinics have had to suspend their activities. On the other hand, international dementia experts have recommended to provide urgently worldwide support for people living with dementia. This situation urges to play out new strategies to guarantee adequate care. Telemedicine and digital technology (DT) devices, such as smartphones, can be very helpful in remote monitoring and care. Technological devices such as videoconference or smartphone apps might be used for follow-up visits and support to patients and caregivers and to acquire digital markers of clinical progression. Hopefully, this dramatic situation would facilitate the process of progressive familiarization of neurologists with telemedicine and DT approach.

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Imaging and histopathological studies have demonstrated that structural changes of the retina affect subjects with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The aim of this study was to quantitatively investigate the retinal vessels in these disorders, using dynamic vessel analyzer (DVA) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) analysis. Twelve subjects with AD, 12 subjects with MCI, and 32 gender- and age-matched controls were prospectively enrolled. Mean ± SD age was 72.9 ± 7.2 years in the AD group, 76.3 ± 6.9 years in the MCI group, and 71.6 ± 5.9 years in the control group (p = 0.104). In the DVA dynamic analysis, the arterial dilation was decreased in the AD group (0.77 ± 2.06%), in the comparison with the control group (3.53 ± 1.25%, p = 0.002). The reaction amplitude was decreased both in AD (0.21 ± 1.80%, <0.0001) and MCI (2.29 ± 1.81%, p = 0.048) subjects, compared with controls (3.86 ± 1.94%). OCTA variables did not differ among groups. In the Pearson correlation analysis, amyloid β level in the cerebrospinal fluid was directly correlated with the arterial dilation (R = 0.441, p = 0.040) and reaction amplitude (R = 0.580, p = 0.005). This study demonstrate that Alzheimer’s and MCI subjects are characterized by a significant impairment of the retinal neurovascular coupling. This impairment is inversely correlated with the level of amyloid β in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Background and Purpose— Transcranial direct current stimulation is emerging as a promising tool for the treatment of several neurological conditions, including cerebral ischemia. The therapeutic role of this noninvasive treatment is, however, limited to chronic phases of stroke. We thus ought to investigate whether different stimulation protocols could also be beneficial in the acute phase of experimental brain ischemia. Methods— The influence of both cathodal and anodal transcranial direct current stimulation in modifying brain metabolism of healthy mice was first tested by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Then, mice undergoing transient proximal middle cerebral artery occlusion were randomized and treated acutely with anodal, cathodal, or sham transcranial direct current stimulation. Brain metabolism, functional outcomes, and ischemic lesion volume, as well as the inflammatory reaction and blood brain barrier functionality, were analyzed. Results— Cathodal stimulation was able, if applied in the acute phase of stroke, to preserve cortical neurons from the ischemic damage, to reduce inflammation, and to promote a better clinical recovery compared with sham and anodal treatments. This finding was attributable to the significant decrease of cortical glutamate, as indicated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Conversely, anodal stimulation induced an increase in the postischemic lesion volume and augmented blood brain barrier derangement. Conclusions— Our data indicate that transcranial direct current stimulation exerts a measurable neuroprotective effect in the acute phase of stroke. However, its timing and polarity should be carefully identified on the base of the pathophysiological context to avoid potential harmful side effects.