Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2011
Prognostic significance of third ventricle blood volume in intracerebral haemorrhage with severe ventricular involvement.
Intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) is an independent predictor of poor outcome in spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). Larger IVH volume and increasing number of affected ventricles have been associated with worse prognosis, however, little is known about the prognostic value of blood volume in the different parts of the ventricular system. Therefore, the correlation of IVH volume in the third, fourth and lateral ventricles with outcome in patients with ICH and severe IVH, treated with intraventricular fibrinolysis (IVF), was investigated. ⋯ Despite rapid clot removal, initial IVH volume in the third ventricle was a strong and independent negative predictor. This is possibly explained by irreversible damage of brainstem structures by the initial mass effect of IVH.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2011
Novel optineurin mutations in patients with familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Optineurin (OPTN), a causative gene of hereditary primary open-angle glaucoma, has been recently associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with mainly autosomal recessive, but also dominant, traits. To further define the contribution of OPTN gene in ALS, we performed a mutational screening in a large cohort of Italian patients. ⋯ In this cohort, OPTN mutations were present both in FALS (2/161), accounting for 1.2% cases, and in SALS patients (4/113), thereby extending the spectrum of OPTN mutations associated with ALS. The study further supports the possible pathological role of optineurin protein in motor neuron disease.
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A feeling of presence (FP), that is, the vivid sensation that somebody (distinct from oneself) is present nearby, is commonly reported by patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), but its phenomenology has not been described precisely. The objective of this study was to provide a detailed description of FP in PD and to discuss its possible mechanisms. ⋯ Although FP is not a sensory perception, projection of the sensation into the extrapersonal space, along with the frequent co-occurrence of elementary visual hallucinations and the strong association with visual hallucinations or illusions, supports its hallucinatory nature. FP may be viewed as a 'social' hallucination, involving an area or network specifically activated when a living being is present, independently of any perceptual clue.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Oct 2011
Population based epidemiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using capture-recapture methodology.
Variation in the incidence rate in epidemiological studies on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be due to a small population size and under ascertainment of patients. The previously reported incidence decline in the elderly and a decrease in the male:female ratio in postmenopausal age groups have yet to be confirmed. ⋯ The marked difference in patient characteristics between incident and prevalent cohorts underscores the importance of including incident patients when studying susceptibility or disease modifying factors in ALS. The incidence decline in the elderly may suggest that ALS is not merely the result of ageing. Absence of a significant postmenopausal drop in the male:female ratio suggests that the protective role of female sex hormones in ALS is limited.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Oct 2011
Comparative StudyPrevalence of stroke and related burden among older people living in Latin America, India and China.
Despite the growing importance of stroke in developing countries, little is known of stroke burden in survivors. The authors investigated the prevalence of self-reported stroke, stroke-related disability, dependence and care-giver strain in Latin America (LA), China and India. ⋯ The prevalence of stroke in urban LA and Chinese sites is nearly as high as in industrialised countries. High levels of disability and dependence in the other mainly rural and less-developed sites suggest underascertainment of less severe cases as one likely explanation for the lower prevalence in those settings. As the health transition proceeds, a further increase in numbers of older stroke survivors is to be anticipated. In addition to prevention, stroke rehabilitation and long-term care needs should be addressed.