Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Dec 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialMediterranean diet improves cognition: the PREDIMED-NAVARRA randomised trial.
Previous observational studies reported beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) on cognitive function, but results were inconsistent. We assessed the effect on cognition of a nutritional intervention using MedDiets in comparison with a low-fat control diet. ⋯ An intervention with MedDiets enhanced with either EVOO or nuts appears to improve cognition compared with a low-fat diet. ISRCTN:35739639.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Dec 2013
ReviewNeurocognitive assessment following whole brain radiation therapy and radiosurgery for patients with cerebral metastases.
The treatment of metastatic brain lesions remains a central challenge in oncology. Because most chemotherapeutic agents do not effectively cross the blood-brain barrier, it is widely accepted that radiation remains the primary modality of treatment. The mode by which radiation should be delivered has, however, become a source of intense controversy in recent years. ⋯ To disentangle the effects of WBRT on neurocognition from the effects inherent to the underlying disease, we analysed the results from randomised controlled studies of prophylactic cranial irradiation in oncology patients as well as studies where patients with limited cerebral metastasis were randomised to SRS versus SRS+WBRT. In aggregate, these results suggest deleterious effects of WBRT in select neurocognitive domains. However, there are insufficient data to resolve the controversy of upfront WBRT versus SRS in the management of patients with limited cerebral metastases.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Dec 2013
Multicenter StudyNeck weakness is a potent prognostic factor in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.
To clarify the emergence of muscle weakness in regions of the body that affect survival, and deterioration in activities of daily living (ADL) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. ⋯ Neck weakness is an independent prognostic factor for survival and deterioration in ADL in Patients with ALS.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Dec 2013
Elevated occipital β-amyloid deposition is associated with widespread cognitive impairment in logopenic progressive aphasia.
Most subjects with logopenic variant of primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) have β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition on Pittsburgh Compound B positron emission tomography (PiB-PET), usually affecting prefrontal and temporoparietal cortices, with less occipital involvement. ⋯ Unusually high occipital Aβ deposition is associated with widespread cognitive impairment and different imaging findings in lvPPA. These findings help explain clinical heterogeneity in lvPPA and suggest that Aβ influences severity of overall cognitive impairment but not aphasia.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Dec 2013
Clinical TrialProcessing of emotional information in the human subthalamic nucleus.
The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an efficient target for treating patients with Parkinson's disease as well as patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using high frequency stimulation (HFS). In both Parkinson's disease and OCD patients, STN-HFS can trigger abnormal behaviours, such as hypomania and impulsivity. ⋯ These results demonstrate that the ventral part of the STN processes the emotional valence of stimuli independently of the motor context and that dopamine enhances processing of pleasant information. These findings confirm the specific involvement of the STN in emotional processes in human, which may underlie the behavioural changes observed in patients with deep brain stimulation.