Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry articles from July 2002

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry archives from July 2002

Head drop and camptocormia: the spectrum of bent spine disorders.
July 1, 2002... Head ptosis (drop) results from weakness of the neck extensor, or increased tone of the flexor muscles. It is characterised by marked anterior curvature or angulation of the cervical spine and is associated with various neuromuscular (table 1)...

"Normal pressure hydrocephalus": what's in a name? A nomenclature based on pathophysiology would improve treatment. (Editorial Commentary).
July 1, 2002... In their paper in this issue (pp 9-12), Bret et al (1) question the concept of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and propose renaming the condition chronic hydrocephalus. The original description of the condition is usually attributed to...

Is normal pressure hydrocephalus a valid concept in 2002? A reappraisal in five questions and proposal for a new designation of the syndrome as "chronic hydrocephalus". (Review).
July 1, 2002... The authors question the current validity of the traditional concept of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) as it was described by Adams and Hakim in 1965. The classic features of the disease are addressed. It is concluded that most of the...

Minor head injury as cause and co-factor in the aetiology of stroke in childhood: a report of eight cases. (Paper).
July 1, 2002... Background: Traumatic stroke usually occurs after dissection of large extracranial or intracranial vessels, leading to disseminated cerebral embolism. Stretching and distorting forces in cerebral intraparenchymal end arteries can cause intimal...

Feasibility and validity of transcranial duplex sonography in patients with acute stroke. (Paper).
July 1, 2002... Objectives: To evaluate in a prospective multicentre setting the feasibility of transcranial colour coded duplex sonography (TCCS) for examination of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in patients with acute hemispheric stroke, and to assess the...

Outcome, observer reliability, and patient preferences if CTA, MRA, or Doppler ultrasound were used, individually or together, instead of digital subtraction angiography before carotid endarterectomy. (Paper).
July 1, 2002... Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of routinely available non-invasive tests (spiral computed tomographic angiography (CTA), time of flight magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), and colour Doppler ultrasound (DUS)), individually and together,...

Transoesophageal echocardiography in selecting patients for anticoagulation after ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack. (Paper).
July 1, 2002... Objectives: To investigate prospectively the role of transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in selecting patients for anticoagulation in an unselected stroke population. Methods: Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and TEE were done in...

Cerebral haemodynamics and depression in the elderly. (Paper).
July 1, 2002... Background: Evidence from epidemiological and neuroimaging studies suggests that cerebrovascular disease is associated with depressive disorders in the elderly, but the extent to which it contributes to the pathogenesis of late life depression...

Enduring increased risk of developing depression and mania in patients with dementia. (Paper).
July 1, 2002... Objective: To investigate the time relation between dementia and major affective disorders (major depression and mania). Methods: Register linkage study of the Danish Hospital Register and the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register,...

Inflammation and neuropathic attacks in hereditary brachial plexus neuropathy. (Paper).
July 1, 2002... Objective: To study the role of mechanical, infectious, and inflammatory factors inducing neuropathic attacks in hereditary brachial plexus neuropathy (HBPN), an autosomal dominant disorder characterised by attacks of pain and weakness,...

Quantitative oculographic characterisation of internuclear ophthalmoparesis in multiple sclerosis: the versional dysconjuqacy index Z score. (Paper).
July 1, 2002... Background: There is a poor correlation between multiple sclerosis disease activity, as measured by magnetic resonance imaging, and clinical disability. Objective: To establish oculographic criteria for the diagnosis and severity of...

Neuropsychological and quantitative oculometric study of a case of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease at predementia stage. (Short Report).
July 1, 2002... A quantitative assessment of eye movements and a detailed neuropsychological profile were conducted at predementia stage in a patient who later had histological confirmation of sporadic Creutzfeldt--Jakob disease (CJD). The patient was a middle...

Morphometry of the corpus callosum in patients with questionable and mild dementia. (Short Report).
July 1, 2002... Previous studies have shown a reduction in corpus callosum area in advanced Alzheimer's disease, but it is unclear whether callosal atrophy is present in the transitional phase between health and the onset of dementia. The aim of this study was...

Association study of three polymorphisms of TGF-[beta]1 gene with Alzheimer's disease. (Short Report).(transforming growth factor)
July 1, 2002... Background: There is evidence that inflammatory processes may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease through production of cytokines and free radicals that damage neurones. A recent study has shown that transforming growth factor...

Familial isolated hyperCKaemia associated with a new mutation in the caveolin-3 (CAV-3) gene. (Short Report).
July 1, 2002... An 18 year old man and his mother bath presented with persistent, isolated raised serum creatine kinase (hyperCKaemia) without muscle symptoms. Analysis of caveolin-3 protein expression in muscle biopsy of the propositus showed a reductian in...

Progressive sudomotor dysfunction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. (Short Report).
July 1, 2002... Autonomic dysregulation is part of the complex degenerative process in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To investigate this, sweating was examined at rest in 39 patients with ALS in comparison with a control group. Sweat was collected over...

High blood pressure and decreased heart rate variability in the Cuban epidemic neuropathy. (Short Report).
July 1, 2002... Autonomic cardiovascular reflexes were investigated in patients with an epidemic optic and peripheral neuropathy, which affected more than 50 000 people in Cuba between 1991 and 1994 and was probably caused by nutritional deficiency. Affected...

Sex differences and lateral asymmetry in heart rate modulation in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. (Short Report).
July 1, 2002... This study was designed to study the influence of gender and lateral hemispheric asymmetry on heart rate modulation during temporal lobe seizures. Heart rate was recorded during complex partial seizures in 10 female and 11 male patients (12...

An antibody to r-VacA of Helicobacter pylori in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome. (Short Report).(recombinant vacuolating cytotoxin)
July 1, 2002... Objective: To detect antibodies to recombinant vacuolating cytotoxin (r-VacA) of Helicobacter pylori in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). Methods: CSF samples from 13 patients with GBS...

Phosphorylated tau in cerebrospinal fluid as a marker for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. (Short Report).
July 1, 2002... Objective: To determine the concentrations of microtubule associated protein tau and multiple phosphorylated tau epitopes in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), dementias, and controls, in order...

Constantin von Economo (1876-1931). (Neurological Stamp).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Baron Constantin von Economo was the first Austrian to obtain a pilot's diploma. He served aviation with distinction and supported preparations for the International Aviation Congress held in Vienna. Economo, of Greek parentage, was brought up...

Louis pasteur and rabies: a brief note. (Historical Note).
July 1, 2002... The almost universal fatality in victims of untreated human rabies surrounds the disease with understandable terror. The word comes from the Latin rabere to rage or rave. It was known as canine madness, or hydrophobia that produces paralysis or...

Don't throw in the towel! A case of reversible coma. (Lesson of the Month).
July 1, 2002... A young woman with pre-eclampsia become unresponsive shortly after delivery. Examination revealed extensive brain stem dysfunction with absent pupillary light reflexes and decerebrate posturing. Computed tomography showed hypodensity throughout...

Tumefactive multiple sclerosis plaque. (Neurological Picture).
July 1, 2002... We present a case of a large solitary demyelinating plaque in the brain masquerading as tumour. A 34 year old healthy woman presented with sudden onset of left hemiparesis. Subsequent MRI of the brain showed a single large 2.5 cm right sided...

Letters.("Sporadic" familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy in a German patient with B cell lymphocytic leukaemia)(Aneurysm of the extracranial internal carotid artery presenting as the syndrome of glossopharyngeal pain and syncope)(Acute hyperperfusion syndrome complicating EC-IC bypass)(A Japanese case of steroid responsive myopathy with deficient chondroitin sulphate)(Fulminant progression of hyperammonaemic encephalopathy after treatment with valproate in a patient with ureterosigmoidostomy)(Palatal tremor and cognitive decline in neuroferritinopathy)(Cocaine induced hypokalaemic periodic paralysis)(Sulcal abnormalities on brain magnetic resonance imaging in the Guillain-Barre syndrome)(Muscle tissue oxygenation as a functional tool in the follow up of dermatomyositis)(Propofol in myoclonus status epilepticus in comatose patients following cardiac resuscitation)(Chronic asymmetric progressive external ophthalmoplegia with right facial weakness: a unique presentation of mitochondrial myopathy)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2002... "Sporadic" familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy in a German patient with B cell lymphocytic leukaemia We report a 70 year old German man presenting with a three year history of progressive numbness and painful tingling and burning...

Correspondence.(Radiology of stroke)(Thunderclap headache, reversible cerebral arterial vasoconstriction, and unruptured aneurysms)(Cochlear implantation in a profoundly deaf patient with MELAS syndrome)(Bilateral lesions restricted to the posteroventral pallidum are unlikely to provoke corticobulbar syndrome and psychic akinesia)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2002... Radiology of stroke The optimum time frame for imaging embolic infarcts for stigmata of haemorrhagic transformation should have merited discussion under the heading "special clinical circumstances", (1) not least because of conflicting...

Ischemic Cerebrovascular Disease.
July 1, 2002... By Harold P Adams, Vladimir Hachinski, and John W Norris (Pp 575, [pounds sterling]95.00). Published by Oxford University Press, New York, 2001. ISBN 01951-328.90 The most recent book in the very successful "black book" Contemporary...

The Behavioral Neurology of White Matter.
July 1, 2002... Edited by Christopher M Filley (Pp 267, [pounds sterling]43.50). Published by Oxford University Press, New York, 2001. ISBN 0-19-513561-X This is a single author review and is a small book of 279 pages. It is divided into three parts, the...

Disorders of Voluntary Muscle, 7th ed.
July 1, 2002... Edited by G Karpati, D Hilton-Jones, and R C Griggs (Pp 775, [pounds sterling]140.00). Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2001. ISBN 0-521-65062-3 It is estimated that at least one in 500 people will be affected by...

Clinical Guidelines in Old Age Psychiatry.
July 1, 2002... By A Burns, T Dening, and B Lawlor (Pp 208, [pounds sterling]29.95). Published by Martin Dunitz, London, 2002. ISBN 1-84184-0297 Do we really need a book on clinical guidelines for old age psychiatry? Read this book and I think you will...

Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: A Psychopharmacological Approach.
July 1, 2002... By David Nutt, Caroline Bell, Christine Masterson, and Clare Short (Pp 110, [pounds sterling]19.95). Published by Martin Dunitz Publishers, London, 2001. ISBN 1-85317-924-8 Anxiety disorders are among the more common psychiatric disorders...

Neurological Eponyms.
July 1, 2002... Edited by Peter J Koehler, George W Bruyn, and John M S Pearce (Pp 386, [pounds sterling]39.50). Published by Oxford University Press, New York, 2000. ISBN 0-19-513366-8 I enjoyed this book. It is one to delve into rather than to read...

Arachnoiditis: The Silent Epidemic.
July 1, 2002... Edited by J Antonio Aldrete (Pp 339, US$110.00). Published by Futuremed Publishers, Denver, and the Arachnoiditis Foundation Inc, Seaside, 2000. ISBN 968-7860-56-1 This book provides a comprehensive analysis, and comments on a condition we...

Texture of the Nervous System of Man and the Vertebrates, vol. 2.
July 1, 2002... By Santiago Ramon y Cajal. Translated and edited by Pedro Pasik and Tauba Pasik (Pp 667, US$150.00). Published by Springer Verlag, Wien, 2000. ISBN 3-211-83201-7 This is the second of three projected volumes that present for the first time...

Clinical Evaluation and Management of Spasticity.
July 1, 2002... Edited by David A Gelber and Douglas R Jeffery (Pp 385, US$125.00). Published by Humana Press, Totowa, 2002. ISBN 0-89603-636-7 This is a useful and interesting book. It is increasingly recognised that several treatment strategies can be...

Autoantibodies in Neurological Diseases.
July 1, 2002... Edited by Angela Vincent and Gianvito Martino (Pp 160, US$64.00). Published by Springer-Verlag Italia, Milan, 2002. ISBN 88-470-0119-6 Antineuronal antibodies were initially described 40 years ago and since then many autoantibodies have...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2002... Goertler M, Blaser T, Krueger S, et al. Cessation of embolic signs after antithrombotic prevention is related to reduced risk of recurrent arterioembolic transient ischaemic attack and stroke. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2002; 72:338-42. ...

Channelopathies of the Nervous System.
July 1, 2002... Edited by M R Rose and RC Griggs (Pp 347, [pounds sterling]60.00). Published by Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, 2001. ISBN 0-7506-4507-5 Over the past few years there has been an explosion of knowledge regarding a group of diseases that have...