RESUMEN

Forty-three patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and thirty-seven normal volunteers were subjected to clinical, neuropsychological, neurophysiological (P300 component of the event-related potentials ERP) and radiological (cranial computerized tomographic scanning CCT) evaluation. Intentional memory was more impaired in PD than in normal controls, more so in the demented group of patients, and was related to enlargement of third ventricular size in CCT. While intentional memory was age related in PD patients, perception was age-related in normal controls. Neither global nor specific cognitive functions were related to duration, severity of parkinsonian motor disability, or depression. However, depression in PD was significantly related to parkinsonian motor disability. P300 latency was more prolonged in PD patients than normal controls. P300 parameters of PD patients were not influenced by age, cognitive functions, duration or severity of motor disability, or depression. The reaction time was the only P300 parameter that was age-related in normal controls. Subcortical atrophy as indicated by CCT was more marked in PD and correlated with age in both patients and controls. Subcortical atrophy was significantly related to cognitive functions in PD but not in normal controls. It was concluded that cognitive impairment in PD could be attributed to complex cognitive changes rather than age. It is a disease process, though not directly related to parkinsonian motor disability or depression. PD differed from normal aging as regards the effect of age on the specific cognitive functions, where in PD patients, age was related to intentional memory, yet in normal controls, it was related to perception. Intentional memory deterioration was found to be specific of PD, being related to subcortical atrophy as well as being more pronounced in the demented group of patients.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Global and specific cognitive functions were assessed in 57 patients with ischemic strokes subjected to clinical neuropsychiatric, psychometric, electrophysiological and cranial tomographic evaluation. Patients did significantly worse than normal controls in the Blessed dementia scale, Sandoz clinical assessment geriatric scale but not the Folstein mini-mental state examination. Of the specific cognitive functions, attention and psychomotor performance were significantly impaired in stroke patients when compared to normal controls. The impairment in global cognitive functions, attention and psychomotor performance was more evident in chronic than acute cases. Increasing age correlated positively to the deterioration in psychomotor performance and perception. Cranial tomographic size of infarction was significantly related to global cognitive as well as intentional (sensory) memory impairment. The more marked the conventional electroencephalographic abnormalities, the more impaired were the global cognitive functions. High limit of the theta percent power correlated positively to deterioration in psychomotor performance. All P300 parameters except amplitude correlated significantly with impairment of global cognitive function and psychomotor performance in stroke patients.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

The value of electrophysiological tests: conventional electroencephalography (EEG), topographic EEG analysis as well as computerized tomography (CT) in the diagnosis and evaluation of 25 patients with manifestations of transient ischemic attacks (TIA) in the domain of the carotid system was assessed. Normal CT was the rule in TIA patients except in 8% of the cases, where nonspecific changes of brain atrophy were described. Conventional EEG, topographic EEG and spectral analysis could detect abnormalities in 48%, 80% and 64% of TIA cases respectively. None of the abnormal EEG records could be missed by topographic EEG analysis. 32% of the records were diagnosed as abnormal by topographic EEG, while conventional EEG failed to detect abnormalities. Spectral analysis of the EEG results revealed a significant decrease regarding mean high limit alpha percent power, and a significant increase regarding mean low and high limit theta percent power, as well as a significant increase of the mean high limit of the slow activities (delta + theta)/fast activities (alpha + beta) percent power ratio in the TIA group as compared to the normal control group.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

CT of the brain was carried out in 43 chronic schizophrenics of more than 5 years' duration and less than 60 years of age, and 39 normal controls matched for age, sex and education. There was no statistical difference between controls and schizophrenics as regards cortical atrophy (as measured by the interhemispheric and Sylvian fissures and mean sulcal width). Highly significant differences were found regarding central atrophy. Third ventricle measurements were normal in 9.3%, there was slight enlargement in 37.2%, moderate in 48.8% and extreme in 4.7%. The cella media index denoting lateral ventricle dilatation showed changes in 46.5%, slight in 9.3% and the remaining 44.2% were normal. This study shows that a large number of chronic schizophrenics have an associated central atrophy.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

PIP: The neuropsychiatric and electroencephalographic (EEG) complications of oral contraceptive (OC) use were investigated in 8 groups of 10 patients each. 61 of the women (76.2%) reported neuropsychiatric side effects, and changes in EEG were found in 48 patients. The reported symptoms were tension and anxiety states (45%), neurasthenic states (62.5%), and depressive states (52.5%). The administration of progesterone or estrogens alone increased the incidence of side effects. It is concluded that the ideal OC formulation provides a balance of both components in the lowest effective concentrations.^ieng

Asunto(s)

Asunto(s)

Asunto(s)

Asunto(s)