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Individual differences in pitch discrimination have been associated with the volume of both the bilateral Heschl’s gyrus and the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). However, most of these studies used samples composed of individuals with different amounts of musical training. Here, we investigated the relationship between pitch discrimination and individual differences in the gray matter (GM) volume of these brain structures in 32 adult musicians, 28 adult non-musicians, and 32 children without musical training. The results showed that (i) the individuals without musical training (whether children or adults) who were better at pitch discrimination had greater volume of auditory regions, whereas (ii) musicians with better pitch discrimination had greater volume of the IFG. These results suggest that the relationship between pitch discrimination and the volume of auditory regions is innately established early in life, and that musical training modulates the volume of the IFG, probably improving audio-motor connectivity. This is the first study to detect a relationship between pitch discrimination ability and GM volume before beginning any musical training in children and adults. This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PSI-2016-78805-R and PID2019-108198GB) to C.Á. Authors M-Á. P-G and A.M-P were supported by a postdoctoral graduate program grant (Jaume I University). Author M.H was supported by Ramón y Cajal Research Program of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (RYC-2016-19477). Authors J.A-V and E.V-R were supported by a predoctoral graduate program grant (National FPU). Author V.C was supported by a postdoctoral grant (Juan de la Cierva).

Previous investigations have used global graph theory measures in order to disentangle the complexity of the neural reorganizations occurring in cocaine use disorder (CUD). However, how these global topological alterations map into individual brain network areas remains unknown. In this study, we used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to investigate node-level topological dysfunctions in CUD. The sample was composed of 32 individuals with CUD and 32 healthy controls, matched in age, years of education and intellectual functioning. Graph theory measures of optimal connectivity distance, node strength, nodal efficiency and clustering coefficient were estimated in each participant using voxel-wise functional connectivity connectomes. CUD individuals as compared with healthy controls showed higher optimal connectivity distances in ventral striatum, insula, cerebellum, temporal cortex, lateral orbitofrontal cortex, middle frontal cortex and left hippocampus. Furthermore, clinical measures quantifying severity of dependence were positively related with optimal connectivity distances in the right rolandic operculum and the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex, whereas length of abstinence was negatively associated with optimal connectivity distances in the right temporal pole and the left insula. Our results reveal a topological distancing of cognitive and affective related areas in addiction, suggesting an overall reduction in the communication capacity of these regions. Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume I This research was supported by grant 040/2011 from Spanish National Drug Strategy, Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo to ABL. JAV was supported by a predoctoral graduate programme grant (National FPU). MPG and AMP were supported by a postdoctoral graduate programme grant (postdoc-UJI). VC was supported by grant PID2019-105077RJ-I00 from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.

This is a pre-print of an article published in Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-020-00856-8

Structural and functional neuroimaging studies have shown that brain areas associated with fear and anxiety (defensive system areas) are modulated by individual differences in sensitivity to punishment (SP). However, little is known about how SP is related to brain functional connectivity and the factors that modulate this relationship. In this study, we investigated whether a simple methodological manipulation, such as performing a resting state with eyes open or eyes closed, can modulate the manifestation of individual differences in SP. To this end, we performed an exploratory fMRI resting state study in which a group of participants (n = 88) performed a resting state with eyes closed and another group (n = 56) performed a resting state with eyes open. All participants completed the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire. Seed-based functional connectivity analyses were performed in the amygdala, hippocampus, and periaqueductal gray (PAG). Our results showed that the relationship between SP and left amygdala-precuneus and left hippocampus-precuneus functional connectivity was modulated by eye state. Moreover, in the eyes open group, SP was negatively related to the functional connectivity between the PAG and amygdala and between the PAG and left hippocampus, and it was positively related to the functional connectivity between the amygdala and hippocampus. Together, our results may suggest underlying differences in the connectivity between anxiety-related areas based on eye state, which in turn would affect the manifestation of individual differences in SP.

The adhesio interthalamica (AI) is a small midline brain structure that connects the left and right thalamus. According to in vivo data, between 2.3–22.3% of the general population lack the AI, and the question of whether this absence is more prevalent in males than in females is a matter of debate. Despite the existence of these demographic figures, it remains unclear how this distinctive feature affects healthy people, or what specific anatomic profile is related to the presence or absence of the AI. The aim of this study was to investigate whole brain gray matter (GM) volumetric differences depending on the presence or absence of the AI. A total of 240 healthy adult volunteers completed one MRI scanning session. After the AI assessment, the data from 110 participants were included in the final sample, of which 12.9% of the participants (n = 31) presented complete AI absence vs. 32.9% of participants (n = 79) who presented complete AI presence. Then, whole-brain group comparison analysis revealed that the absent AI brain, compared to the present AI brain, was associated with lower GM volume in the premotor cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, and anterior temporal cortex. Interestingly, neuroscience research has linked emotional and cognitive control brain processing to the latter two regions. The importance of these findings lies in providing a neuroanatomical profile for the absent AI brain in healthy human adults.

Music processing and right hemispheric language lateralization share a common network in the right auditory cortex and its frontal connections. Given that the development of hemispheric language dominance takes place over several years, this study tested whether musicianship could increase the probability of observing right language dominance in left-handers. Using a classic fMRI language paradigm, results showed that atypical lateralization was more predominant in musicians (40%) than in nonmusicians (5%). Comparison of left-handers with typical left and atypical right lateralization revealed that: (a) atypical cases presented a thicker right pars triangularis and more gyrified left Heschl's gyrus; and (b) the right pars triangularis of atypical cases showed a stronger intra-hemispheric functional connectivity with the right angular gyrus, but a weaker interhemispheric functional connectivity with part of the left Broca's area. Thus, musicianship is the first known factor related to a higher prevalence of atypical language dominance in healthy left-handed individuals. We suggest that differences in the frontal and temporal cortex might act as shared predisposing factors to both musicianship and atypical language lateralization.

Working memory training causes functional adaptations in the brain, which include changes in activation and functional connectivity that remain stable over time. Few studies have investigated gray matter (GM) changes after working memory training, and they have produced heterogeneous results without clarifying the stable effects of training. The present study was designed to test for sustained and transient anatomic changes after only 200 min of working memory training. The voxel-based morphometry technique was used in order to investigate the GM changes produced by a brief single n-back training, immediately and 5 weeks after finishing it. The sample was composed by 59 human participants who underwent MRI scanning and were assigned to either a training group or a passive control group. Results showed sustained GM volume enlargement in the right superior parietal cortex and a transient GM decrease in the right putamen. The brain adaptation in the right superior parietal cortex was stronger in individuals who showed greater improvements in performance. The results provide further evidence that a brief working memory training is able to produce brain plasticity in structures related to the trained task. This work was supported by grants from Universitat Jaume I (P1•1B2013-63) and Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (PSI2013-47504-R and PSI2016-78805-R). Authors J. Adrián-Ventura, E. Villar-Rodriguez, L. Marin-Marin and N. Aguirre were supported by a pre-doctoral graduate program grant (National FPU to J.A-V, L.M-M, E.V-R and N.A). In addition, this work was supported by a post-doctoral graduate program grant to V. Costumero, M-Á. Palomar-García and A. Miró-Padilla (Juan de la Cierva to V.C and postdoc-UJI to M-Á.P-G and A.M.P). Author E. Bueichekú was funded by a postdoctoral grant from the "Generalitat Valenciana (2018 APOSTD)" and the "European Social Fund (Investing in your future)".

El test de Jake Mandell (JMT) es un test online diseñado para evaluar la discriminación tonal en la población normal. El test está disponible online desde 2006, pero no se han publicado datos psicométricos. La presente investigación fue diseñada para proporcionar datos de validez y fiabilidad para este test. El estudio 1 se realizó en estudiantes universitarios, y el rendimiento en el JMT se comparó con las pruebas de detección online de AMUSIA. Las correlaciones fueron altas con los subtests de AMUSIA, pero especialmente con el de discriminación de tonos. El estudio 2 se realizó en niños, y el JMT se comparó con diferentes pruebas de habilidades musicales. El JMT mostró una buena relación con el subtest de discriminación de tono e imitación de ritmo, pero especialmente con la puntuación global de las habilidades musicales. Además, el test mostró una buena fiabilidad test-retest al cabo de un año. Finalmente, la validación externa del JMT se obtuvo al señalar que los músicos obtuvieron puntuaciones más altas que los no músicos. La discusión se centra en la posibilidad de utilizar el JMT como una medida de detección rápida de las diferencias individuales en la discriminación de tono en la población normal. The Jake Mandell Tone Deaf Test (JMT) is an online measure designed to evaluate pitch discrimination in the normal population. The test has been available online since 2006, but no psychometric data have been published. The present research was designed to provide validity and reliability data for this test. Study 1 was conducted in university students, and the performance on the JMT was compared to the AMUSIA online screening tests. Correlations were high with the subtests of the AMUSIA online screening tests, but especially with the Tone discrimination test. Study 2 was conducted in children, and the JMT was compared to different tests of musical abilities. The JMT showed a good relationship with the Tone Discrimination and Rhythm Imitation subtest, but especially with the global score of musical abilities. In addition, the test showed good one-year test-retest reliability. Finally, external validation of the JMT was obtained by noting that musicians obtained higher scores than non-musicians. Discussion is focused on the possibility of using the JMT as a rapid screening measure of individual differences in pitch discrimination in the normal population.

Individual differences in the level of pleasure induced by music have been associated with the response of the striatum and differences in functional connectivity between the striatum and the auditory cortex. In this study, we tested whether individual differences in music reward are related to the structure of the striatum and the ability to discriminate pitch. We acquired a 3-D magnetization-prepared rapid-acquisition gradient-echo image for 32 musicians and 26 nonmusicians who completed a music-reward questionnaire and a test of pitch discrimination. The analysis of both groups together showed that sensitivity to music reward correlated negatively with the volume of both the caudate and nucleus accumbens and correlated positively with pitch-discrimination abilities. Moreover, musicianship, pitch discrimination, and caudate volume significantly predicted individual differences in music reward. These results are consistent with the proposal that individual differences in music reward depend on the interplay between auditory abilities and the reward network.

Research has shown that syllables play a relevant role in lexical access in Spanish, a shallow language with a transparent syllabic structure. Syllable frequency has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on visual word recognition in Spanish. However, no study has examined the syllable frequency effect on spoken word recognition. The present study tested the effect of the frequency of the first syllable on recognition of spoken Spanish words. A sample of 45 young adults (33 women, 12 men; M = 20.4, SD = 2.8; college students) performed an auditory lexical decision on 128 Spanish disyllabic words and 128 disyllabic nonwords. Words were selected so that lexical and first syllable frequency were manipulated in a within-subject 2 × 2 design, and six additional independent variables were controlled: token positional frequency of the second syllable, number of phonemes, position of lexical stress, number of phonological neighbors, number of phonological neighbors that have higher frequencies than the word, and acoustical durations measured in milliseconds. Decision latencies and error rates were submitted to linear mixed models analysis. Results showed a typical facilitatory effect of the lexical frequency and, importantly, an inhibitory effect of the first syllable frequency on reaction times and error rates. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The authors received financial support for the research and publication of this article from the University Jaume I.

Gaining experience on a cognitive task improves behavioral performance and is thought to enhance brain efficiency. Despite the body of literature already published on the effects of training on brain activation, less research has been carried out on visual search attention processes under well controlled conditions. Thirty-six healthy adults divided into trained and control groups completed a pre-post letter-based visual search task fMRI study in one day. Twelve letters were used as targets and ten as distractors. The trained group completed a training session (840 trials) with half the targets between scans. The effects of training were studied at the behavioral and brain levels by controlling for repetition effects using both between-subjects (trained vs. control groups) and within-subject (trained vs. untrained targets) controls. The trained participants reduced their response speed by 31% as a result of training, maintaining their accuracy scores, whereas the control group hardly changed. Neural results revealed that brain changes associated with visual search training were circumscribed to reduced activation in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) when controlling for group, and they included inferior occipital areas when controlling for targets. The observed behavioral and brain changes are discussed in relation to automatic behavior development. The observed training-related decreases could be associated with increased neural efficiency in specific key regions for task performance. This research has been supported by grants from the Spanish Department of Economy and Competitiveness (PSI2013-47504-R), and the Universitat Jaume I (P1•1B2013-63). Authors EB, AMP, and MAPG have been supported by pre-doctoral graduate program grants (National FPU to EB; Universitat Jaume I FPI to AMP; and National FPI to MAPG).

The present research used fMRI to measure brain activity in passive listening and picture-naming tasks with a group of early high proficient Spanish–Catalan bilinguals, in which Spanish was dominant, and a group of Spanish monolinguals. Both tasks were conducted in Spanish and the effect of cognateness was studied. The behavioural results showed slow naming responses in bilinguals. The fMRI results revealed that bilinguals and monolinguals differed only during the picture naming task. Unlike previous results, obtained mainly with L2, monolinguals displayed more activity in receptive language areas and less activity in the posterior cingulate cortex and right STG in the picture-naming task than bilinguals. As far as we know, this is the first study to investigate the neural basis of L1 processing in bilinguals and monolinguals by performing the task in the same language and in a monolingual context. The results indicate more efficient use of language networks in monolinguals because bilinguals utilised a more distributed network, which may imply subtle processing disadvantages. This research has been supported by the Brainglot Project of the CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010 Programme (CSD2007-00012). The project has also been supported by Grants PSI2010-20168 and PSI2013-47504-R from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, one grant from the European Research Council under the European Community’s Seventh Framework (FP7/2007-2013 Cooperation grant agreement 613465-AThEME) and Grants P1-1B2012-38 and P1-1B2011-09 from the Universitat Jaume I. MAPG was supported by a FPI fellowship and EB was supported by a FPU fellowship, both from the Spanish Government.

Esta tesis tiene como objetivo investigar los cambios cerebrales que se producen como consecuencia de la estimulación audio-motora. Para ello, se han utilizado medidas de actividad y de conectividad funcional entre las regiones cerebrales implicadas en el procesamiento audio-motor. Dichos cambios se miden en tres estudios en los que la estimulación audio-motora tiene lugar mediante el aprendizaje de cómo tocar un instrumento musical (Estudio 1) y el aprendizaje de un vocabulario nuevo (Estudio 2 y 3). En conjunto, los resultados de estos tres estudios evidencian que ambos aprendizajes, ya sea musical o de un vocabulario nuevo, producen una huella a nivel cerebral en las interacciones audio-motoras incluso en ausencia de una tarea específica. Además, esta tesis muestra los cambios que produce el aprendizaje de un vocabulario nuevo no solo a corto sino a largo plazo, así como las modificaciones que produce en la lengua nativa., The aim of the present thesis was to investigate neural changes associated with audiomotor stimulation. We measured brain activation as well as functional connectivity between brain regions implicated in audiomotor processing. Three studies were conducted to investigate the neural changes in audiomotor connectivity. The first study investigated the learning processes required to play a musical instrument, whereas the second and third investigated the acquisition of a new vocabulary. My thesis demonstrated that both musical training and learning a new vocabulary leaves an imprint in the brain that affects the audiomotor interactions, even in the absence of a specific task. Furthermore, my thesis showed that the acquisition of a new vocabulary not only produces short-term effects in the brain but even extends to long- term effects over a few weeks and, in addition, modifies the native language. Overall, my thesis provided insight in the ongoing neural changes during language and musical training.

The journal Psychological Science (PS) has undergone various changes over 22 years since its birth in 1990. Analysis of Web of Science's records shows that the publication has increased in volume and collaborations between authors, and has become more international. Keyword analysis suggests the new role of neuroscience in contemporary psychology and indicates that the PS of today is more oriented than in the 1990s towards psychosocial and emotional issues as well as natural situations in our daily lives (ecological validity).

Can learning capacity of the human brain be predicted from initial spontaneous functional connectivity (FC) between brain areas involved in a task? We combined task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) before and after training with a Hindi dental–retroflex nonnative contrast. Previous fMRI results were replicated, demonstrating that this learning recruited the left insula/frontal operculum and the left superior parietal lobe, among other areas of the brain. Crucially, resting-state FC (rs-FC) between these two areas at pretraining predicted individual differences in learning outcomes after distributed (Experiment 1) and intensive training (Experiment 2). Furthermore, this rs-FC was reduced at posttraining, a change that may also account for learning. Finally, resting-state network analyses showed that the mechanism underlying this reduction of rs-FC was mainly a transfer in intrinsic activity of the left frontal operculum/anterior insula from the left frontoparietal network to the salience network. Thus, rs-FC may contribute to predict learning ability and to understand how learning modifies the functioning of the brain. The discovery of this correspondence between initial spontaneous brain activity in task-related areas and posttraining performance opens new avenues to find predictors of learning capacities in the brain using task-related fMRI and rs-fMRI combined. This work was supported in part by Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacio/ńn Grants PSI2010-20168, PSI2012-/n34071, and CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010 Programme CDS-2007-00012, Generalitat Valenciana Grant APOSTD//n2012068, and Universitat Jaume I Grant P1-1B2012-38. G.D. was supported by the ERC Advanced Grant/nDYSTRUCTURE (no. 295129). by the Spanish Research Project SAF2010-16085, and by the CONSOLIDER-INGENIO/n2010 Program CSD2007-00012

There is some evidence that functional connectivity (FC) measures obtained at rest may reflect individual differences in cognitive capabilities. We tested this possibility by using the FAS test as a measure of phonemic fluency. Seed regions of the main brain areas involved in this task were extracted from meta-analysis results (Wagner et al., 2014) and used for pairwise resting-state FC analysis. Ninety-three undergraduates completed the FAS test outside the scanner. A correlation analysis was conducted between the F-A-S scores (behavioral testing) and the pairwise FC pattern of verbal fluency regions of interest. Results showed that the higher FC between the thalamus and the cerebellum, and the lower FCs between the left inferior frontal gyrus and the right insula and between the supplementary motor area and the right insula were associated with better performance on the FAS test. Regression analyses revealed that the first two FCs contributed independently to this better phonemic fluency, reflecting a more general attentional factor (FC between thalamus and cerebellum) and a more specific fluency factor (FC between the left inferior frontal gyrus and the right insula). The results support the Spontaneous Trait Reactivation hypothesis, which explains how resting-state derived measures may reflect individual differences in cognitive abilities. This research was supported by grants from the Spanish Department of Economy and Competitiveness (PSI2013-47504-R); and Jaume I University (P1·1B2013-63). Authors AMP, EB and MAP were supported by Pre-doctoral Graduate Program grants (Jaume I University FPI to AMP; National FPU to EB; and National FPI to MAPG).

Introduction Asymptomatic unilateral tonsillar enlargement is usually treated with systematic tonsillectomy under suspicion of malignancy. Due to the fact that most of the cases are benign pathologies, we set out to study the clinical signs that would help us in the diagnosis in order to avoid unnecessary tonsillectomies. Material and methods We reviewed 267 tonsillectomies performed from 1996 to 2006 and 30 of these were indicated because of asymmetry. We evaluated risk factors for malignancy: cervical lymphatic node enlargement, sex, age, tonsillar enlargement noticed by the patient, suspicious appearance, systemic symptoms, history of malignancy, and immunocompromise. Results Histopathologic study revealed 80% to be benign and 20% malignant. The risk factors with the strongest association were enlargement of cervical lymphatic nodes and suspicious appearance of the tonsil. Conclusions Strict control of a unilateral tonsillar enlargement is possible, but it is mandatory to perform a tonsillectomy when the appearance of the tonsil raises suspicions or there are enlarged lymphatic nodes.

Introduccion y objetivos La fistula faringocutanea es la complicacion postoperatoria mas frecuente de la laringectomia total. Los factores implicados en su aparicion han sido estudiados por numerosos autores sin obtener resultados concluyentes. El principal objetivo de este estudio es conocer los factores de riesgo implicados en la aparicion de fistulas en nuestro medio. Metodos Disenamos un estudio retrospectivo de casos y controles. Incluimos en ambos grupos a 33 pacientes a los que se practico laringectomia total con el mismo protocolo en todos los casos. Excluimos a los pacientes en que se realizo una reconstruccion compleja para evitar sesgos. Resultados Observamos que la extension de la cirugia a la faringe es el unico factor asociado significativamente (p = 0,04) a la aparicion de fistulas en nuestro medio (odds ratio [OR] = 2,83). La asociacion de radioterapia previa y vaciamientos cervicales muestra una tendencia importante (OR = 3,2), no significativa (p = 0,099). Otros factores como la edad del paciente, la radioterapia previa, los vaciamientos cervicales, la traqueotomia previa o la hemoglobina postoperatoria no se asocian estadisticamente a la aparicion de esta complicacion. La mayoria de las fistulas se cierran con medidas conservadoras (72,7 %), pero en pacientes irradiados previamente requieren reparacion quirurgica con mayor frecuencia que en los no irradiados (p Conclusiones En nuestro medio el factor mas asociado a la aparicion de fistulas tras laringectomia es la extension de la cirugia a la faringe. Las fistulas en pacientes irradiados tienen menor tendencia a la reparacion conservadora y requieren cirugias mas agresivas para solucionarlas.

Introduction and objectives Pharyngocutaneous fistula is the most frequent complication after total laryngectomy. Risk factors involved in its appearance have been studied by many authors without conclusive results. Our main objective is to identify the risk factors involved in the onset of fistulae at our institution. Methods Aretrospective case-control study was designed. Thirty-three patients subjected to total laryngectomy with the same protocol were included in both groups. Patients who required a complex surgical reconstruction were excluded in order to avoid biases. Results The only risk factor with statistical significance (P = 04) for the onset of fistulae in our setting is the extension of the surgery to the pharynx (OR = 2.83). The association of prior radiotherapy and concurrent neck dissection displayed a notable trend (OR = 0.32) but without significance (P = 099). Patient age, prior radiotherapy, concurrent neck dissection, prior tracheotomy, and post-operative haemoglobin level did not predispose to this complication in our study. Nonsurgical closure of the pharyngocutaneous fistula was achieved in most cases (72.7%) but patients who had preoperative radiotherapy required surgical closure more frequently (P Conclusions At our centre the main risk factor associated with post-laryngectomy fistulae is the extension of surgery to the pharynx. In previously-irradiated patients, fistulae have a lower incidence of non-surgical closure and require more aggressive surgery to resolve them.

Spatiotemporal activity that emerges spontaneously “at rest” has been proposed to reflect individual a priori biases in cognitive processing. This research focused on testing neurocognitive models of visual attention by studying the functional connectivity (FC) of the superior parietal lobule (SPL), given its central role in establishing priority maps during visual search tasks. Twenty-three human participants completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging session that featured a resting-state scan, followed by a visual search task based on the alphanumeric category effect. As expected, the behavioral results showed longer reaction times and more errors for the within-category (i.e., searching a target letter among letters) than the between-category search (i.e., searching a target letter among numbers). The within-category condition was related to greater activation of the superior and inferior parietal lobules, occipital cortex, inferior frontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and the superior colliculus than the between-category search. The resting-state FC analysis of the SPL revealed a broad network that included connections with the inferotemporal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and dorsal frontal areas like the supplementary motor area and frontal eye field. Noteworthy, the regression analysis revealed that the more efficient participants in the visual search showed stronger FC between the SPL and areas of primary visual cortex (V1) related to the search task. We shed some light on how the SPL establishes a priority map of the environment during visual attention tasks and how FC is a valuable tool for assessing individual differences while performing cognitive tasks. This research was supported by grants from the Spanish Department of Economy and Competitiveness (PSI2013-47504-R); and Jaume I University (P1·1B2013-63). Authors E.B., MA.PG and A.MP. were supported by pre-doctoral graduate program grants (National FPU to E.B; National FPI to MA.PG; and Jaume I University FPI to A.MP)

Resumen Introduccion La fijacion del estribo combinada con trastornos del complejo incudo-maleolar requiere una reconstruccion de la transmision del sonido, que, a menudo, resulta dificil de resolver. Esta situacion puede presentarse en diversas patologias u observarse en revisiones de estapedectomia. Pacientes y metodos Presentamos nuestra experiencia de cuatro pacientes en los que hemos realizado una maleoestapedotomia, con eliminacion del ligamento anterior y la apofisis anterior del mango del martillo. Resultados Comentamos los hallazgos observados en cada uno de los casos, previos a la realizacion de la tecnica. En dos casos se consiguio un cierre del umbral diferencial audiometrico, mientras en los otros dos se obtuvo una mejoria auditiva sin cierre completo. Discusion Exponemos las distintas causas que pueden originar la hipomovilidad del martillo y del yunque. Realizamos una revision de la literatura sobre los resultados obtenidos mediante esta tecnica en revisiones de estapedectomia.

Previous research has found evidence in favor of two subsystems underlying object recognition: an abstract-category subsystem that mainly works in the left hemisphere (LH) and a specific-exemplar subsystem that mainly works in the right hemisphere (RH). This asymmetry has been observed in both the visual and auditory domains by means of long-term repetition priming experiments. This study explored whether this asymmetrical pattern extends to the haptic domain through an experiment in which 30 right-handed participants (24 women) ages 18 to 38 years could identify familiar objects with a single hand. The procedure included two blocks of trials, the study (presentation of primes) and the test phase (presentation of targets), separated by a short distractor task. Of interest was if repetition of the same exemplar object (e.g., the same cigarette lighter) produced more priming than repetition of a different exemplar of the same object category (e.g., a different cigarette lighter), and, crucially, if this hypothetical same-exemplar advantage (specificity) was larger when objects were identified with the left hand (RH). An ANOVA was performed on RTs with priming type (same-exemplar primed, different-exemplar primed and unprimed) and hand (left, right) as within-participants factors. Results showed a main effect of priming type due to a same-exemplar advantage (shorter RTs) both for the left and the right hand, but a non-significant interaction between specificity effects and hands.

We carried out a review of the literature published over the last 10 years on drug-induced ototoxicity by means of a Medline search using the terms 'clinical ototoxicity' for the period January 1990 to September 2000 and found 414 published articles. In order to summarize the content of these articles, we asked ourselves a series of nine questions and answered them based on the most widely-held views and those we considered of greatest interest in the articles reviewed. The questions asked were: what are the most commonly used ototoxic drugs? what is the site of action of ototoxic drugs? what is the importance of the dose and dosing interval? does age influence ototoxicity? are all humans equally prone to the ototoxic effects of drugs? are there substances that are protective against ototoxicity? can hearing loss be monitored? should hearing loss be attributed to ototoxic drugs in all cases? and is ototoxicity in animals the same as in humans?

El sindrome del seno silente es una afeccion muy poco frecuente. Se describe como un enoftalmos unilateral secundario a colapso y opacificacion del seno maxilar sin sintomas nasosinusales. La obstruccion del complejo osteomeatal es el factor fisiopatologico desencadenante. El diagnostico se basa en los hallazgos clinicos y radiologicos. El tratamiento ira dirigido a restablecer la ventilacion del seno y, si es necesario, corregir el suelo orbitario. Presentamos el caso de una mujer diagnosticada y tratada en nuestro hospital por esta entidad.

The silent sinus syndrome is a very infrequent pathology. It is described as an enophthalmos secondary to collapse and opacification of maxillary sinus without presenting sinus or nasal symptoms. Osteomeatal complex obstruction is the triggering physiopathologic factor. The clinical symptoms and imaging findings lead to the diagnosis. The treatment consists in restoring sinus ventilation and, if necessary, correcting the orbital floor. We report a case of a woman who was diagnosed and treated because of this entity in our hospital.

We report the case of a 4 year old boy that arrived to our department refering a 4 months history of dysphony complicated in the last week with inspiratory estridor. He was diagnosed of respiratory papillomatosis. In the next 10 months he underwent 6 operations to remove papillomas with CO2 laser. In the last operation we decided to add adjuvant therapy with intralesional injections of cidofovir once all papillomas had been removed. After more than a year of monitoring he remains disease free.

The journal Psychological Science (PS) has undergone various changes over 22 years since its birth in 1990. Analysis of Web of Science's records shows that the publication has increased in volume and collaborations between authors, and has become more international. Keyword analysis suggests the new role of neuroscience in contemporary psychology and indicates that the PS of today is more oriented than in the 1990s towards psychosocial and emotional issues as well as natural situations in our daily lives (ecological validity).

Infantile myofibromatosis is an infrequent and benign pathology. It can turn up as a single or multiple tumour. The prognosis depends on visceral involvement. The differential diagnosis includes some pathologies with similar clinical appearance but worse prognosis. We report a 6 months old boy that arrived to our office refering a short progress and fast growth facial mass. The diagnosis after hystologic study and immunohistochemistry was infantile myofibromatosis. After more than a year of monitoring he is actually disease free.

Myoepitheliomas are rare benign tumours of head and neck. The parotid gland is the most common site of origin. It consists on proliferation of myoepithelial cells and it shows some features similar to preomorphic adenoma although the ductal elements are very low. Diagnosis requires histology and immunohistochemistry because fine needle aspiration often shows erroneous results. Limited parotidectomy is the choice treatment. We report two cases of parotid gland myoepithelioma confirmed by immunohistochemistry.

Peritonsillar infections are the most frequent deep infections in head and neck. The estimated annual incidence is 30 cases per 100.000 inhabitants.A retrospective study was undertaken in 132 patients with peritonsillar infection. A diagnostic and therapeutic protocol was used consisting on diagnostic needle aspiration, incision and drainage and intravenous antibiotic and steroids.35,6% were peritonsillar phlegmons and 64,4% were abscesses. The median of hospital monitoring was 9,2 hours. Only 25,8% were admitted to the hospital. Six patients had recurrences of the symptoms during the study.The needle aspiration is useful in differential diagnosis between phlegmons and abscesses. Bacteriologic studies are not necessary in the routine management of peritonsillitis. Surgical treatment of these patients is controversial. Incision and drainage seems to be appropiated in the management of this pathology. Admission to the hospital is not always necessary if a correct outpatient control is possible.

Extramedullary plasmacytoma are rare plasma cell neoplasias. Eighty percent of these tumours grow in the ENT region. We report a typical case of a woman with a single tumour in the nasopharynx. Actually she is in complete remission after surgical and radiotherapic treatment. We also report an atypical case of a woman with a tumour in the nasopharynx associated with a cervical metastatic adenopathy and a plasmacytoma of bone. The treatment of this widespread disease was systemic chemotherapy. An update on this subject is done.

The authors bring up the matter of the usefulness of laser in otosclerosis surgery. They set out some advantages of laser utilization. A bibliografic review is done and some important authors are found explaining the advantages of this instrument. Some new tendencies on stapes surgery are presented. Teaching on otosclerosis surgery problems are stated, with some different criteria. The idea that improvement of audiologic results in stapes surgery is not easy is strengthened, because the results obtained with the classic techniques are excellent, but some of these methods increase the surgical comfort and reduce the potential risks to the patient.

The familial paraganglioma syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the presence of carotid body paragangliomas and, less frequently, paragangliomas of the glomus jugulare, glomus vagale, and adrenal pheochromocytomas. Germline mutations of the genes for succinate dehydrogenase subunits D, B, or C (SDHD, SDHB, SDHC) have been identified in some kindreds with familial paraganglioma. In this study, we report the clinicopathologic features offour different kindreds with familial paraganglioma, which were screened for germline mutations in the SDHD gene. DNA was obtained from tumor and normal tissue, as well as from peripheral blood. Mutation analysis was performed by single-strand conforma- tion polymorphism analysis and DNA sequencing. SDHD germline mutations were detected in the affected family members of the four families, as well as in several asymptomatic carriers. An identical mutation in exon 4 of SDHD (334-337delACTG) was identified in two apparently unrelated kindreds. The third family showed a germline mutation in exon 2 (W43X). The mutations present in these three families had been previously described in Spanish families, suggesting a founder effect. The fourth family exhibited a mutation in exon 2 of SDHD (170-171delTT), which had not been previously identified. The affected family members of the four kindreds showed paragangliomas, located in the head and neck region, and all of them were benign. These results confirm that genetic testing of SDHD may be a powerful tool for the identification of the syndrome in patients with multiple or bilateral paragangliomas.

We report the case of a 4 year old boy that arrived to our department refering a 4 months history of dysphony complicated in the last week with inspiratory estridor. He was diagnosed of respiratory papillomatosis. In the next 10 months he underwent 6 operations to remove papillomas with CO2 laser. In the last operation we decided to add adjuvant therapy with intralesional injections of cidofovir once all papillomas had been removed. After more than a year of monitoring he remains disease free.

In this article we review the literature concerning the capacity of certain substances to cause ototoxicity when administered topically. The ototoxicity experimentally observed in animals only occurs in humans under certain circumstances. It is concluded that many of these products, which are commonly used for treatment in humans, are ototoxic in animals and may also be ototoxic in humans. Therefore, the use of other substances which have the same action but are not ototoxic is recommended.

E48 and Ep-CAM are involved in epithelial cell adhesion in healthy and neoplastic tissues. E48 is associated with desmosomes (desmosome core) and Ep-CAM molecules are present mainly in the basolateral plasma membrane. These molecules are involved in classic cadherin-modulated cell-cell interactions. We used immunohistochemistry (avidin-biotin-peroxidase) to investigate the pattern of expression of both molecules in healthy tissue and squamous-cell carcinoma of the larynx and in metastatic and healthy lymph nodes. Specimens were obtained from 18 patients with squamous-cell carcinoma. In the healthy tissue, every specimen had E48 in the suprabasal layers (15 samples) and expression was intense in half of them. Ep-CAM was expressed in the basal layer of 12 of 15 cases, also with high intensity in a half of them. In squamous-cell carcinoma of the larynx, E48 had a homogeneous distribution while Ep-CAM was prevalent in the outer part of the tumor. Both cell adhesion molecules, E48 and Ep-CAM, are involved in the invasion process of larynx tumor.

El sindrome del primer mordisco consiste en la aparicion de dolor en la parotida al inicio de la masticacion, por lesion de la cadena simpatica cervical o del plexo simpatico que inerva la parotida. El diagnostico es fundamentalmente clinico en un paciente con antecedentes de cirugia del espacio parafaringeo. Presentamos un paciente con sindrome del primer mordisco tras ser intervenido de schwannoma del simpatico cervical. © 2008 Elsevier Espana, S.L. Todos los derechos reservados.

First-bite syndrome consists of the appearance of pain in the parotid at the beginning of mastication, due to damage to the cervical sympathetic chain or the sympathetic plexus innervating the parotid gland. Clinical presentation in a patient who has undergone surgery of the parapharyngeal space suggests the diagnosis. We report here the case of a patient who presented first bite syndrome after being operated on for a cervical sympathetic chain schwannoma.

Inferior nasoantral windows, with or without radical surgical removal of the maxillary sinus mucosa, were evaluated in 15 New Zealand white rabbits. After three months, specimens were obtained for examination. Bacteriological cultures and light and electron microscopic studies were made. Mucociliary clearance was studied. Differences were found in the antrostomy patency rate between radical antrostomy and inferior nasoantral windows. After three months, the creation of a temporary inferior nasoantral window did not change the maxillary sinus mucosa and did not increase the rate of sinus infections in rabbits.

In the occurrence of long term dysfunction of the tuba eustachii a series of alterations in continuity of the middle ear mucosa are verified. We studied which these changes could be in the mongolian gerbil, when the obstruction is prolonged for a long time.

Paget's disease presents frequently in skull bones with incidence in temporal bone, causing vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus. The AA. present one case in a woman, 60-year-old, diagnosed as Paget's disease, complaining of left ear deafness and hearing impairment of the right ear resulting from a conductive disorder.

Prolonged tubal dysfunction produces changes in the mucosa and subepithelial space. We report the results of an experimental study in Mongolian gerbils.

The present work describes the anatomy of the rabbit nasal cavity and maxillary sinus. Studies of mucociliary clearance in the maxillary sinus and of the sinus mucosa by light and electronic microscopy are also carried out.

Cancer of the larynx in the province of Lérida and its west border affects men (52:1). The majority are engaged in rural activities, ranging in age between 50-70 years. Supraglottic site showed predominance. At first examination in 73 per cent of the cases no palpable cervical nodes could be detected. Almost all the cases belong to the epidermoid carcinoma type (98 per cent).