Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry articles from February 2003

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry archives from February 2003

Measuring motor complications in clinical trials for early Parkinson's disease: standardisation is needed. (Parkinson's Disease).
February 1, 2003... The development of dyskinesias and motor fluctuations is a major concern related to dopaminergic treatment for Parkinson's disease. These motor complications are common, (1) and can be a significant source of disability. (2,3) Numerous clinical...

Idiopathic generalised epilepsies: not only for the paediatrician; adult onset IGE is more common than generally realised. (Epilepsy).
February 1, 2003... The commonest epileptic syndrome is the so-called idiopathic generalised epilepsy (IGE), which accounts for at least a third of all cases of epilepsy in the community. (1) This proportion is even higher in the paediatric age range. The syndrome...

Dipoles and dementia: can the link between MEG dipoles and cortical activity lead to increased applications for the unique capabilities of MEG? (Dementia).
February 1, 2003... For almost two decades magnetoencephalography (MEG) has been the stepchild of functional neuroimaging. Despite its evolution from single sensors to arrays of more than 100, with unmatched temporal resolution, the legitimacy of MEG as a clinical...

Multidisciplinary rehabilitation for people with Parkinson's disease: worse general and mental health for patients receiving rehabilitation? (Parkinson's Disease).
February 1, 2003... There is little evidence available to support or explain the role of rehabilitation in progressive neurological disorders, so the paper by Wade et al (this issue, page 158-162) is a welcome contribution. (1) The paper examines whether patients...

Vasospastic amaurosis fugax. (Neurological Picture).
February 1, 2003... A 54 year o]d man was admitted because of repeating (10-12/day) visual disturbances in the left eye. He reported shrinkage of the visual fields and a shadow-like visual impairment progressing to complete darkness within about 3 min and lasting...

The deep tendon and the abdominal reflexes. (Physical Signs).
February 1, 2003... The deep tendon reflexes (and the abdominal reflexes) are important physical signs which have a special place in neurological diagnosis, particularly in early disease when they alone may be abnormal. They act as "hard" signs in situations where...

Internet resources for neurosurgeons and neuropathologists. (Review).
February 1, 2003... Neurosurgical and neuropathological resources on the Internet are rapidly developing. Some excellent clinical, patient information, professional, academic, and teaching web sites are available. This review summarises the most useful online...

Multidisciplinary rehabilitation for people with Parkinson's disease: a randomised controlled study. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objective: To determine whether a programme of multidisciplinary rehabilitation and group support achieves sustained benefit for people with Parkinson's disease or their carers. Methods: The study was a randomised controlled crossover trial...

The relative health related quality of life of veterans with Parkinson's disease. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objectives: To use databases of the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to describe the impact of Parkinson's disease on health related quality of life (HRQoL) of veterans; to compare the HRQoL of veterans with Parkinson's disease with that...

Pick's disease. (Historical Note).(Biography)
February 1, 2003... Arnold Pick (1851-1924)' was born of German-Jewish parents on 20 July 1851 in Velke Mezirici, in Moravia. (2) He studied medicine in Vienna. where Theodore Meynert (1833-1892) stimulated his neurological interests. As with many medical scholars...

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus: effectiveness in advanced Parkinson's disease patients previously reliant on apomorphine. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objectives: To assess the efficacy of bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease previously reliant on apomorphine as their main antiparkinsonion medication. Methods:...

Cognitive and behavioural effects of chronic stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in patients with Parkinson's disease. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objective: To investigate cognitive and behavioural effects of bilateral lead implants for high frequency stimulation (HFS) of the subthalamic nucleus in patients with Parkinson's disease; and to discriminate between HFS and the effects of...

Look before you leap if liable to pressure palsies. (Echo).
February 1, 2003... People with hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) should be warned against sports like parachuting and rock climbing because of their increased risk of severe nerve injury from tight harnesses. An unusual case...

Outcome of epilepsy surgery in focal cortical dysplasia. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objective: To describe the outcome of surgery in patients with drug resistant epilepsy and a histopathological diagnosis of Focal cortical dysplasia. Methods and subjects: Analysis of histories and presurgical and follow up data was...

Non-convulsive status epilepticus: usefulness of clinical features in selecting patients for urgent EEG. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Background: Non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is status epilepticus without obvious tonic--clonic activity. Patients with NCSE have altered mental state. An EEG is needed to confirm the diagnosis, but obtaining an EEG on every patient...

Idiopathic generalised epilepsy of adult onset: clinical syndromes and genetics. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objective: To study the clinical features and genetics of idiopathic generalised epilepsy (IGE) beginning in adult life. Methods: Consecutive patients with IGE, defined as generalised seizures with spike or polyspike and wave on EEG, were...

Expression of [[beta].sub.2] adrenoreceptors on peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with primary and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal six month study. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Background: [[beta].sub.2] Adrenoreceptor expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells is increased in progressive multiple sclerosis. This increase has been correlated with disease activity in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. ...

Sham surgery can be ethical and safe. (Echo).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Sham surgery is justified in clinical trials in Parkinson's disease provided strict criteria are followed to ensure that it is used safely and effectively, according to an article which defends the practice in judging outcome of fetal tissue...

Pyramidal tract mapping by diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging in multiple sclerosis: improving correlations with disability. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Background: Current magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) outcome measures such as T2 lesion load correlate poorly with disability in multiple sclerosis. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the brain can provide unique information regarding the...

Georges Marinescu (1864-1938). (Neurological Stamp).(Brief Article)(Biography)
February 1, 2003... Marinescu was Romanian and a pupil of Charcot, who became professor of neurology in Bucharest. He contributed knowledge to the anatomy and pathology of the nervous system. He coined the term chromatolysis and studied the effects of...

Do cognitive patterns of brain magnetic activity correlate with hippocampal atrophy in Alzheimer's disease? (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Background: Many reports support the clinical validity of volumetric MRI measurements in Alzheimer's disease. Objective: To integrate functional brain imaging data derived from magnetoencephalography (MEG) and volumetric data in patients...

Transient ischaemic attacks are associated with increased rates of global cerebral atrophy. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objectives: To determine whether patients presenting with a first transient ischaemic attack (TIA) subsequently show increased rates of brain atrophy compared with age matched controls; and to assess potential risk factors for brain atrophy in...

Intracerebral microdialysis and CSF hydrodynamics in idiopathic adult hydrocephalus syndrome. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Background: In idiopathic adult hydrocephalus syndrome (IAHS), a pathophysiological model of "chronic ischaemia" caused by an arteriosclerotic process in association with a CSF hydrodynamic disturbance has been proposed. Objective: To...

Effect of endoscopic third ventriculostomy on neuropsychological outcome in late onset idiopathic aqueduct stenosis: a prospective study. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objective: To undertake a prospective study of the long term neuropsychological outcome in patients with late onset idiopathic aqueduct stenosis (LIAS) after endoscopic third ventriculostomy. Methods: Six patients with LIAS were evaluated...

Complications after gamma knife radiosurgery for benign meningiomas. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objectives: To analyse the results of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) for the trreatment of intracranial meningiomas and to assess possible factors related to the outcome and complications of such treatment. Methods: The authors...

Quantitative analysis of continuous intracranial pressure recordings in symptomatic patients with extracranial shunts. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objectives: To explore the outcome of management of possible shunt related symptoms using intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring, and to identify potential methodological limitations with the current strategies of ICP assessment. Methods:...

Lay versus expert interviewers for the diagnosis of migraine in a large sample of elderly people. (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objective: To determine the agreement between lay interviewers and experts in the diagnosis of migraine by questionnaire. Subjects: A population based sample of 1188 individuals aged 64 to 73 years. Methods: Participants who declared...

Deriving summary indices of health status from the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaires (ALSAQ-40 and ALSAQ-5). (Paper).
February 1, 2003... Objectives: To use statistical procedures, operationalising what is known as item response theory (IRT), to assess the unidimensionality of the 40 item Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaire, and consequently to develop a single...

Visual prognosis after indirect traumatic optic neuropathy. (Short Report).
February 1, 2003... Objective: To investigate a possible correlation between final visual acuity and the presence at baseline of various systemic and local (orbital/ocular) signs in patients affected by indirect traumatic optic neuropathy. Methods: 35 cases...

"CADASIL coma": an underdiagnosed acute encephalopathy. (Short Report).
February 1, 2003... The main clinical features of CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leucoencephalopathy) are stroke, dementia, and migraine. A reversible acute encephalopathy was the principal presentation in six of 70...

Dissociation of affective modulation of recollective and perceptual experience following amygdala damage. (Short Report).
February 1, 2003... It has been suggested that similar neural mechanisms may underlie the affective modulation of both recollective and perceptual experience. A case is reported of a patient who has bilateral amygdala damage and marked impairment in the perception...

Development of selective verbal memory impairment secondary to a left thalamic infarct: a longitudinal case study. (Short Report).
February 1, 2003... A 68 year old man suffered an acute dysphasic episode with persistent memory disturbance while taking part as a control in a longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study. A small new left thalamic infarct involving the mamillo-thalamic...

Ataxic arm movements after thalamotomy for Parkinsonian tremor. (Short Report).
February 1, 2003... Voluntary finger-nose movements of the arm were analysed in six patients undergoing stereotaxic nucleus ventralis intermedius thalamotomy for relief of severe Parkinsonian tremor. In all cases thalamotomy acutely abolished tremor in the...

Lack of chromosomal imbalances in adamantinomatous and papillary craniopharyngiomas. (Short Report).
February 1, 2003... Craniopharyngiomas are among the most common paediatric tumours and are thought to arise from embryonic remnants of Rathke's pouch. The molecular mechanisms involved in their formation remain elusive and little is known about chromosomal...

Relapsing herpes simplex encephalitis: pathological confirmation of viral reactivation. (Short Report).
February 1, 2003... This case is reported to raise awareness of herpes simplex encephalitis as a persisting brain disorder. A 66 year old immunocompetent man developed status epilepticus and died of pneumonia in the course of progressive hemiparesis, cognitive...

Does sex influence age at onset in cranial-cervical and upper limb dystonia? (Short Report).
February 1, 2003... The relation between age at dystonia onset and sex was investigated in 264 patients with cranial-cervical dystonia and 56 patients with upper limb dystonia. In cranial-cervical dystonia, women had a significantly greater age at the onset of...

Equal use of heath services does not mean equal care for stroke victims of low socioeconomic status. (Echo).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Authors of a Dutch study suggest that more community based healthcare programmes should be developed for stroke patients of lower socioeconomic status, who have more long term disability and handicap, even though they seemed to have received...

Colonic transit time and rectoanal videomanometry in Parkinson's disease. (Short Report).
February 1, 2003... Background: Constipation is a prominent lower gastrointestinal tract dysfunction that occurs frequently in Parkinson's disease (PD). Objective: To investigate colonic transport and dynamic rectoanal behaviour during filling and defecation...

Two cases of quadriparesis following anterior cervical discectomy, with normal perioperative somatosensory evoked potentials. (Short Report).
February 1, 2003... Two cases illustrate an uncommon failure of perioperative somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) monitoring to detect iatrogenic lesions causing temporary quadriparesis during straightforward cervical surgery. In both cases, anterior cervical...

Letters.
February 1, 2003... Cerebral salt wasting syndrome in meningoencephalitis: a case report Acute hyponatraemia is a common finding in patients with intracranial pathology. Thc diagnosis of the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) is often...

Correspondence.
February 1, 2003... Velocity dependent passive muscle stiffness We refer to thc interesting study by Lee et al concerning quantification of velocity dependent properties of the elbow flexors in patients with spasticity and rigidity. (1) Their main finding was...