JAMA neurology
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Seizures are believed to be common presenting symptoms in neonates and children with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, few data are available on the epidemiology of acute symptomatic seizures or the risk for later epilepsy. ⋯ Presenting seizures are common in perinatal and childhood ICH. Continuous electroencephalography may detect electrographic seizures in some subjects. Single remote symptomatic seizures occur in many, and development of epilepsy is estimated to occur in 13% of patients at 2 years. Elevated intracranial pressure requiring acute intervention is a risk factor for acute seizures after presentation, remote symptomatic seizures, and epilepsy.
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Case Reports
Progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus: the first pediatric case with glycine receptor antibodies.
Progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus is characterized by rigidity, painful muscle spasms, hyperekplexia, and brainstem signs. Recently, glycine receptor alpha 1 antibodies have been described in adult patients with progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus. We describe a pediatric case. ⋯ To our knowledge, this is the first pediatric case of progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus associated with glycine receptor alpha 1 antibodies, a potentially severe but treatable antibody-mediated neurological disorder.
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The aging brain and cognition: contribution of vascular injury and aβ to mild cognitive dysfunction.
β-Amyloid (Aβ) deposition and vascular brain injury (VBI) frequently co-occur and are both associated with cognitive decline in aging. Determining whether a direct relationship exists between them has been challenging. We sought to understand VBI's influence on cognition and clinical impairment, separate from and in conjunction with pathologic changes associated with Alzheimer disease (AD). ⋯ In this elderly sample with normal cognition to mild dementia, enriched for vascular disease, VBI was more influential than Aβ in contemporaneous cognitive function and remained predictive after including the possible influence of Aβ. There was no evidence that VBI increases the likelihood of Aβ deposition. This finding highlights the importance of VBI in mild cognitive impairment and suggests that the impact of cerebrovascular disease should be considered with respect to defining the etiology of mild cognitive impairment.
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Recanalization of occluded intracranial arteries remains the aim of intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) therapy in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). ⋯ Intravenous tPA–induced arterial recanalization within the first 24 hours in AIS is a strong predictor of favorable outcomes at 3 months.
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OBJECTIVES To assess cognitive impairment and depression in aging former professional football (National Football League [NFL]) players and to identify neuroimaging correlates of these dysfunctions. DESIGN We compared former NFL players with cognitive impairment and depression, cognitively normal retired players who were not depressed, and matched healthy control subjects. SETTING Research center in the North Texas region of the United States. ⋯ Regional blood flow differences in the cognitively impaired group (left temporal pole, inferior parietal lobule, and superior temporal gyrus) corresponded to regions associated with impaired neurocognitive performance (problems with memory, naming, and word finding). CONCLUSIONS Cognitive deficits and depression appear to be more common in aging former NFL players compared with healthy controls. These deficits are correlated with white matter abnormalities and changes in regional cerebral blood flow.