Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Apr 2004
The MS Symptom and Impact Diary (MSSID): psychometric evaluation of a new instrument to measure the day to day impact of multiple sclerosis.
This study aimed to develop further a diary originally devised to measure the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) as part of a cost utility study of beta interferon, and to evaluate its reliability, validity, and responsiveness in an outpatient sample of people with MS. ⋯ The MSSID may provide a useful complement to currently available instruments to measure the outcomes of MS within clinical trials. Further research is needed to explore its feasibility in the context of a randomised controlled trial and its utility for clinicians.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Apr 2004
Emotional memory and perception in temporal lobectomy patients with amygdala damage.
The human amygdala is implicated in the formation of emotional memories and the perception of emotional stimuli--particularly fear--across various modalities. ⋯ Bilateral amygdala damage is particularly disruptive of emotional memory processes in comparison with unilateral temporal lobectomy. On a cognitive level, the pattern of results implies that perception of emotional expressions and emotional memory are supported by separate processing systems or streams.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Apr 2004
Neuropsychological effects associated with temporal lobectomy and amygdalohippocampectomy depending on Wada test failure.
To compare the neuropsychological effects of temporal lobectomy (TL) and amygdalohippocampectomy (AH), depending on whether the patients had passed or failed the Wada test. ⋯ No profound changes in intelligence quotient or memory scores were found after TL or AH. Nevertheless, patients who underwent TL and failed the Wada test showed more deficits than those who passed the test or those who had AH. The presence of a correlation between contralateral Wada scores and verbal deficits in TL patients who failed the Wada test but not among AH patients suggests that, if temporal surgery is required, AH might be preferred to TL in patients who fail the Wada test.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Apr 2004
Comparative StudyStroke in Devon: knowledge was good, but action was poor.
Effective implementation of early treatment strategies for stroke requires prompt admission to hospital. There are several reasons for delayed admission. Good awareness should facilitate early admission. We identified local targets for education. ⋯ Public knowledge about stroke is good. However, stroke patients access acute services poorly. At risk patients have limited awareness of their increased risk. A campaign should target people at risk, reinforcing the diagnosis of stroke and access to medical services.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Apr 2004
Reliability of self-reported diagnoses in patients with neurologically unexplained symptoms.
Patients with neurologically unexplained symptoms (NUS) often have a previous history of other medically unexplained symptoms. A past history of such symptoms can help make a positive diagnosis of a somatoform or affective disorder, and enable appropriate management strategies. However, information on past medical diagnoses is primarily obtained from patient interviews and may be inaccurate, particularly in patients with NUS. ⋯ Reported previous diagnoses should not be taken at face value when the current differential diagnosis includes a functional/somatoform neurological syndrome, particularly if the list of past medical diagnoses is long. Confirmation of previous diagnoses from alternative sources may contribute to a diagnosis of somatoform disorder, allowing appropriate management strategies for the current (and past) complaints to be initiated.