Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Apr 2004
Meta Analysis Comparative StudyAre men at greater risk for Parkinson's disease than women?
Parkinson's disease seems to occur more commonly in men than women based primarily on studies of death rates and prevalence. In recent years, several population based incidence studies of Parkinson's disease that included sex data have been conducted in a variety of populations around the world. ⋯ A significantly higher incidence rate of Parkinson's disease was found among men with the relative risk being 1.5 times greater in men than women. Possible reasons for this increased risk of Parkinson's disease in men are toxicant exposure, head trauma, neuroprotection by oestrogen, mitochondrial dysfunction, or X linkage of genetic risk factors.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Apr 2004
Comparative StudyLatitudinal variation in the prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Ireland, an effect of genetic diversity.
Northern Ireland has a high and rising prevalence rate of multiple sclerosis (MS). The most recent survey in 1996 found a rate of 168.7/100 000. Recorded prevalence rates for the south of Ireland, including County Wexford, have been markedly lower and seemed to suggest the existence of a prevalence gradient within the island. ⋯ There is a latitudinal variation in the prevalence rate of MS between the north and the south of Ireland. The increased prevalence of MS seen in Co. Wexford is likely to represent better case ascertainment and improved diagnostic accuracy rather than an actual increase in prevalence. The north/south variation in prevalence may represent a variation in the genetic predisposition to MS between the background populations of the two counties.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Apr 2004
Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialNeurogenic pain relief by repetitive transcranial magnetic cortical stimulation depends on the origin and the site of pain.
Drug resistant neurogenic pain can be relieved by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the motor cortex. This study was designed to assess the influence of pain origin, pain site, and sensory loss on rTMS efficacy. ⋯ Motor cortex rTMS was found to result in a significant but transient relief of chronic pain, influenced by pain origin and pain site. These parameters should be taken into account in any further study of rTMS application in chronic pain control.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Apr 2004
Motor cortex hyperexcitability to transcranial magnetic stimulation in Alzheimer's disease.
Recent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies demonstrate that motor cortex excitability is increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and that intracortical inhibitory phenomena are impaired. The aim of the present study was to determine whether hyperexcitability is due to the impairment of intracortical inhibitory circuits or to an independent abnormality of excitatory circuits. ⋯ The change in threshold did not seem to correlate with dysfunction of inhibitory intracortical cholinergic and GABAergic circuits, nor with the central cholinergic activity. We propose that the hyperexcitability of the motor cortex is caused by an abnormality of intracortical excitatory circuits.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Apr 2004
Review Case ReportsReversible corpus callosum lesion in legionnaires' disease.
Legionnaires' disease is often associated with neurological findings. Despite such findings, computed tomography and neuropathological investigations are typically normal. ⋯ MRI may show previously undocumented neuropathology in acute legionnaires' disease. Legionella pneumophila infection should be included in the differential diagnosis of conditions associated with reversible lesions of the corpus callosum.