Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry articles from February 2004

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry archives from February 2004

Cortical Lewy body disease: cortical Lewy body disease reflects the presence of cortical Lewy bodies but without a clear clinical correlation.(Editorial)
February 1, 2004... Cortical Lewy body disease is a pathological observation rather than a distinct clinicopathological entity. Cortical Lewy bodies (CLB) are typically found in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), although they may also occur...

Hemicraniectomy after massive hemispheric cerebral infarction: are we ready for a prospective randomised controlled trial? Quality of survival after hemicraniectomy remains a key factor.(Editorial Commentary)
February 1, 2004... Hemicraniectomy for massive cerebral infarction remains a controversial issue within neurosurgery and neurology. In this issue, Uhl et al (1) provide us with valuable insight into the factors that influence outcome in this situation. Their...

Visualisation of the circumventricular organs by fluorescence endoscopy.(Neurological Picture)
February 1, 2004... The circumventricular organs are highly specialised sites in the brain. They lie outside of the blood-brain barrier, are located periventricularly, and are thought to play an important role as the gateway through which information reciprocates...

How to spot bias and other potential problems in randomised controlled trials.(Neuroscience for Neurologists)
February 1, 2004... These days, all clinical trials should be reported using the CONSORT guidelines (1) (table 1); indeed JNNP recommends this in its instructions for authors. However, not all trials are reported in this way, and many journals do not insist on it....

The importance of suspecting superficial siderosis of the central nervous system in clinical practice.(Lesson of the Month)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:188-190. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2003.023648 Once the central nervous system surface is greatly encrusted with haemosiderin, even removing the source of bleeding will have little effect on the progression of...

Premorbid proneness to distress and episodic memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:191-195 Background: Chronic stress has been associated with impaired episodic memory, but the association of premorbidly experienced distress with memory function in Alzheimer's disease is unknown. ...

Walking difficulties in patients with Alzheimer's disease might originate from gait apraxia.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:196-201 Objectives: To investigate whether gait apraxia is a possible cause for some of the walking abnormalities shown by patients with Alzheimer's disease. Methods: 60 patients with Alzheimer's...

Progression to malignancy in gliomas reflects inverse relation of PEDF and VEGF expression.(ECHO)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... A Chinese study has been the first to suggest that pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF) expression is a marker for gliomas and might eventually be used to stop their growth. PEDF mRNA in normal brain tissue was five times more abundant...

Subthalamic nucleus stimulation induces deficits in decoding emotional facial expressions in Parkinson's disease.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:202-208 Background: Bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation is recognised as a treatment for parkinsonian patients with severe levodopa related motor complications. Although adverse effects are...

Children surviving severe meningococcal disease have a high incidence of immune complex associated complications.(Echo)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... The incidence of immune complex associated complications of severe meningococcal disease such as arthritis, vasculitis, and pleuritis, has not declined despite better treatment. The documented incidence in the literature is 6-11%, although...

Rate and correlates of weight change in Huntington's disease.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:209-212. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2003.017822 Objective: To determine the rate and correlates of weight change in a large, well characterised sample of patients with Huntington's disease followed at 44 sites...

Topography of cerebral atrophy in early Huntington's disease: a voxel based morphometric MRI study.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:213-220 Objectives: To analyse grey matter changes in early stages of Huntington's disease using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the technique of voxel based morphometry (VBM). Methods: Forty...

Corpus callosum signal intensity in patients with bipolar and unipolar disorder.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:221-225 Background: Anatomical abnormalities in the corpus callosum have been reported in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in patients with bipolar but not unipolar disorder. MRI signal...

Oral atypical antipsychotics for agitated patients in emergency situations.(Echo)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Support for the use of atypical antipsychotics for treating agitated patients in emergency situations comes from a recent review of published studies. Five trials were identified with a total of 711 subjects. Atypical antipsychotics were...

Correlation of anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with restless legs syndrome: a population based survey.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:226-230 Background and objectives: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is an important and common cause of insomnia, and previous studies indicate that psychiatric wellbeing may be impaired among RLS patients....

Clinical study of 35 patients with dysarthria-clumsy hand syndrome.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:231-234 Objectives: Although dysarthria-clumsy hand syndrome (DCHS) is a well known and infrequent lacunar syndrome, there are few data regarding the spectrum of associated clinical characteristics,...

Visuospatial abilities in cerebellar disorders.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:235-240 Background: Cerebellar involvement in spatial data management has been suggested on experimental and clinical grounds. Objective: To attempt a specific analysis of visuospatial abilities in...

Interrater agreement of the diagnosis and classification of a first seizure in childhood. The Dutch Study of Epilepsy in Childhood.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:241-245. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2003.015826 Objective: To assess the interrater agreement of the diagnosis and the classification of a first paroxysmal event in childhood. Methods: The descriptions of...

Voxel based morphometry reveals a distinct pattern of frontal atrophy in progressive supranuclear palsy.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:246-249 Background: Frontal lobe atrophy is a well known neuropathological feature of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), accompanied by characteristic neuropsychological deficits. Objective: To...

Topodiagnostic investigations on the sympathoexcitatory brain stem pathway using a new method of three dimensional brain stem mapping.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:250-255 Objectives: To study the incompletely understood sympathoexcitatory pathway through the human brain stem, using a new method of three dimensional brain stem mapping on the basis of digitally...

The use of evoked potentials for clinical correlation and surgical outcome in cervical spondylotic myelopathy with intramedullary high signal intensity on MRI.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:256-261 Objective: To investigate the use of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) for clinical significance and surgical outcome in patients with cervical...

A novel mutation of myelin protein zero associated with an axonal form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:262-265 Objective: To report a new mutation in the MPZ gene which encodes myelin protein zero (P0), associated with an axonal form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). Methods: Three patients from...

The multiple sclerosis impact scale (MSIS-29) is a reliable and sensitive measure.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:266-269 Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29) for patients in the community and in a hospital setting. Methods:...

Outcome and prognostic factors of hemicraniectomy for space occupying cerebral infarction.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:270-274 Objective: To determine long term functional outcome and length of survival of patients undergoing decompressive craniectomy for space occupying infarction of the middle cerebral artery (MCA),...

Sudomotor function in familial dysautonomia.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:275-279 Background: Patients with familial dysautonomia (FD) manifest episodic hyperhidrosis despite the reduction of sudomotor fibres and sweat glands associated with this autonomic neuropathy. We...

False negative findings in intraoperative SEP monitoring: analysis of 658 consecutive neurosurgical cases and review of published reports.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:280-286 Objectives: To determine the sensitivity of intraoperative monitoring in neurosurgical operations using somatosensory evoked potentials and to identify reasons for false negative findings and...

Micturition disturbance in acute idiopathic autonomic neuropathy.(Paper)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:287-291 Objective: To define the nature of micturition disturbance in patients with acute idiopathic autonomic neuropathy (AIAN). Methods: Micturitional symptoms were observed during hospital...

Bladder dysfunction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy can be treated.(Echo)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Men and boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy may be suffering with bladder problems unnecessarily, a UK study has found. Symptoms of detrusor hyperreflexia, at least, can be treated successfully. A chance finding of reported urinary...

Prediction of treatment response to rivastigmine in Alzheimer's dementia.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:292-294 Objectives: To predict the treatment response to rivastigmine in patients with Alzheimer's dementia using neuropsychological and EEG data. Methods: A neuropsychological examination and a...

Low dose quetiapine for drug induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease: a double blind cross over study.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:295-297 Objective: Drug induced dyskinesias remain a challenging problem in the long term management of Parkinson's disease (PD). We have assessed the effect of quetiapine on dyskinesias in a double...

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is increased in serum, but not in cerebrospinal fluid in HIV associated CNS diseases.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:298-300. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2003.016287 Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic and mitogenic peptide, which also induces several mediators that may play a role in HIV induced...

Mutations in the neurofibromatosis type 1 gene.(Echo)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) affects about one person in 3500 and is one of the most common human autosomal dominant disorders. The gene is very large (60 exons spanning more than 300 kb of genomic DNA) and the mutation rate is high. Linkage...

Tangier disease--a diagnostic challenge in countries endemic for leprosy.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:301-304. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2003.022277 A case of Tangier disease (TD) is reported from India. The patient had presented with indolent mononeuritis multiplex and trophic ulcers of 16 years duration...

Multiple microembolic borderzone brain infarctions and endomyocardial fibrosis in idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome and in Schistosoma mansoni infestation.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:305-307 We report two cases of multiple distal borderzone ischaemic strokes associated with hypereosinophilia due to idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome in one patient and to acute Schistosoma mansoni...

Detection of oligoclonal free kappa chains in the absence of oligoclonal IgG in the CSF of patients with suspected multiple sclerosis.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:308-310. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2003.010710 Background: Oligoclonal free kappa bands are present as frequently as oligoclonal IgG bands in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with definite multiple...

Isolated pulmonary arteriovenous fistula without Rendu-Osler-Weber disease as a cause of cryptogenic stroke.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:311-313 There has been uncertainty as to whether a right to left shunt through an isolated pulmonary arteriovenous fistula (P-AVF) without Rendu-Osler-Weber (ROW) disease can cause paradoxical brain...

The use of contact lenses to treat visually symptomatic congenital nystagmus.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:314-316. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2003.010678 It has been suggested that contact lens wear improves the visual function of patients with visual loss from congenital nystagmus. In this study, four patients...

Activity patterns of leg muscles in periodic limb movement disorder.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:317-319 The movements of leg muscles in reference to periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) have only been described in global terms. The sequences of contracting muscles that cause the PLMs are said to...

Barre-Lieou "syndrome".(Historical Note)(Biography)
February 1, 2004... Sometimes, non-entities are instructive. Barre's name is commemorated in the Guillain-Barre eponym, (1) but unfortunately, also in the contentious Barre-Lieou syndrome. (2 3) Barre described a syndrome of the posterior cervical sympathetic...

No benefit derived from repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in depression: a prospective, single centre, randomised, double blind, sham controlled "add on" trial.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:320-322 Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been reported to demonstrate slight effects in the treatment of depression. Hence, a novel bilateral versus unilateral and sham...

Collateral brain damage, a potential source of cognitive impairment after selective surgery for control of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:323-326 Background: Highly selective epilepsy surgery in temporal lobe epilepsy is intended to achieve seizure freedom at a lower cognitive risk than standard en bloc resections, but bears the risk of...

Oral contraceptive induced chorea: another condition associated with anti-basal ganglia antibodies.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:327-328 Use of oral contraceptives is a recognised but infrequent cause of chorea. This type of chorea has usually been considered a reactivation of Sydenham's chorea by an unknown mechanism. A patient...

Characteristics of dystonic movements in primary and symptomatic dystonias.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:329-330. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2003.017632 Objective: To compare clinical characteristics of the involuntary movements in primary and symptomatic dystonias. Patients and methods: 132 consecutive...

Cutaneous reactions in patients with solitary cysticercus granuloma on phenytoin sodium.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:331-333 Several medical conditions are believed to be associated with an increased risk of cutaneous adverse reactions to antiepileptic drugs. The aim of this study was to study the frequency and nature...

Clinical, molecular, and PET study of a case of aceruloplasminaemia presenting with focal cranial dyskinesia.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:334-337. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2003.017434 Aceruloplasminaemia is a rare recessive disorder caused by mutations in the gene encoding the multicopper ferroxidase ceruloplasmin, thought to be involved in...

A new anti-neuronal antibody in a case of paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis associated with breast cancer.(Short Report)
February 1, 2004... J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2004;75:338-340 Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes are rare remote effects of different types of cancer. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis is a specific syndrome, most often associated with small cell lung...

Tiagabine for treating painful tonic spasms in multiple sclerosis: a pilot study.(Letters)
February 1, 2004... Tiagabine (Gabitril, Paris, France) is a new antiepileptic drug that acts as a selective inhibitor of the [gamma]-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter, GAT-1. (1) It has recently been reported to be effective in diseases other than epilepsy,...

Harlequin syndrome: an association with overlap parasomnia.(Letters)
February 1, 2004... We describe the novel association of Horner syndrome and contralateral paroxysmal facial flushing and sweating (Harlequin syndrome) with overlap parasomnia. CASE 1 A 66 year old woman suffered right jaw and multiple limb fractures...

An expansion in the ZNF9 gene causes PROMM in a previously described family with an incidental CLCN1 mutation.
February 1, 2004... In 1997 Mastaglia et al described a two generation family of Macedonian origin with phenotypic features of PROMM and an incidental CLCN1 mutation. (1) Affected individuals had mild myotonia, predominantly proximal muscle weakness, and...

The validity of using the mini mental state examination in NICE dementia guidelines.
February 1, 2004... The mini mental state examination (MMSE) is widely used as a rapid means of quantifying cognitive function. (1) The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines concerning the use of cholinesterase inhibitors (CI) in Alzheimer's...

"When the feeling's gone": a selective loss of musical emotion.
February 1, 2004... Loss of "feeling" is a common lament in popular music: Tragedy: when the feeling's gone and you can't go on (Tragedy as performed by the Bee Gees. Spirits have flown, 1979.) Here we describe loss of the feeling or emotion...

Potentially misleading extratemporal lobe lesions.(Correspondence)
February 1, 2004... We read with interest the paper by Dr Alsaadi and colleagues on "potentially misleading extratemporal lobe lesions" in patients with symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy. (1) Most of their successfully operated patients with extratemporal lesions...

Author's reply.(Correspondence)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... We appreciate the comments from Dr Szucs and colleagues. As not all of our patients became completely free from seizures after temporal lobe surgery, we cannot exclude secondary epileptogenesis or propagation through temporal structures in a...

Brain tissue guided treatment supplementing ICP/CPP therapy after traumatic brain injury.(Correspondence)
February 1, 2004... The recent article by Meixensberger and colleagues comparing a brain tissue oxygen guided treatment protocol with a ICP/CPP protocol (1) presents insufficient evidence to support the conclusion that [P.sub.ti][O.sub.2] guided cerebral perfusion...

Dural tear and intracranial hypotension in a chiropractic patient.(Correspondence)
February 1, 2004... The report of Dr Beck et al that a spinal chiropractic manipulation may lead to intracranial hypotension opens a debate between internal/genetic forces versus external/epigenetic events in the aetiology of dural tears. (1) Considering that only...

Botulinum toxin in painful diseases.(Book Reviews)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... Edited by W H Jost. Published by Karger, Basel, 2003, pp 168, [euro] 128.50. ISBN 3-8055-7500-9 It is not surprising that botulinum toxin is now an increasingly popular treatment for pain disorders including tension headache, migraine, and...

Textbook of clinical psychiatry, 4th edition.(Book Reviews)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... Edited by Robert E Hales and Stuart C Yudofsky. Published by The American Psychiatric Publishing Inc, Washington DC, 2003, pp 1764, US$229.00. ISBN 1-58562-032-7 This is an impressive textbook; experts with international reputations have...

The treatment of obsessions.(Book Reviews)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... By S Rachman. Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2003, pp 158, [pounds sterling]22.95. ISBN 0-19-851537-5 This practical manual on the cognitive behavioural treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) was recently published...

NINDS at 50: an incomplete history celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.(Book Reviews)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... By Lewis P Rowland. Published by Demos Medical Publishing, New York, 2003, pp 321, $44.95. ISBN 1-888799-71-4 The epicentre of neurological research, which in the 1950's was Cambridge, England, has since shifted to Bethesda, Maryland. If...

Sleep and dreaming: scientific advances and reconsiderations.(Book Reviews)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... Edited by Edward F Pace-Schott, Mark Solms, Mark Blagrove, and Stevan Hamad. Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2003, pp 350, [pounds sterling]65.00 (hardback). ISBN 0-521-81044-2 How and why the brain produces dreams...