Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
-
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Dec 2014
Observational StudyHyperoxia may be related to delayed cerebral ischemia and poor outcome after subarachnoid haemorrhage.
To determine the association between exposure to hyperoxia and the risk of delayed cerebral ischaemia (DCI) after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). ⋯ In SAH patients, exposure to hyperoxia was associated with DCI. Our findings suggest that exposure to excess oxygen after SAH may represent a modifiable factor for morbidity and mortality in this population.
-
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Dec 2014
Neuropsychiatric symptoms in a European Huntington's disease cohort (REGISTRY).
The majority of Huntington's disease (HD) mutation carriers experience some psychopathology during their lifetime, varying from irritability to psychosis, but prevalences of particular symptoms vary widely due to diverse study populations in different stages of HD and the use of different assessment methods. ⋯ A variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms are highly prevalent in different stages of HD in this European HD population, with apathy as the most frequent symptom. Depression, irritability/aggression and OCBs are prevalent in all stages of HD. Apathy was the key neuropsychiatric symptom occurring most often in advanced HD stages. Due to possible selection of relatively healthy participants, prevalences reported in this study might be an underestimation of prevalence in the entire HD population.
-
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Dec 2014
Progression of cognitive impairment in stroke/TIA patients over 3 years.
To examine how cognitive deficits progress in the years following a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA). ⋯ In poststroke patients, cognitive decline was not greater than in comparison subjects, except for verbal memory, unless they had another stroke/TIA. However, dementia incidence was higher in patients, as might be expected from their poorer baseline cognitive functioning. Smaller hippocampi were associated with an increased risk of decline in memory, and APOE ε4 was a risk factor in those without a subsequent stroke/TIA.
-
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Dec 2014
Measuring functional recovery in stroke patients: the responsiveness of ACTIVLIM-stroke.
To determine the efficacy of the ACTIVLIM-Stroke questionnaire in detecting changes in functional status of stroke patients. ⋯ ACTIVLIM-Stroke showed good responsiveness and can detect accurately clinical changes in the functional status of stroke patients. The BI and the 6MWT were also responsive and may provide complementary information while investigating change in functional status. However, in addition to being highly sensitive to change, ACTIVLIM-Stroke presents significant methodological advantages for quantifying functional changes in stroke patients.
-
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Dec 2014
Is overwork weakness relevant in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease?
In overwork weakness (OW), muscles are increasingly weakened by exercise, work or daily activities. Although it is a well-established phenomenon in several neuromuscular disorders, it is debated whether it occurs in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). Dominant limb muscles undergo a heavier overload than non-dominant and therefore if OW occurs we would expect them to become weaker. Four previous studies, comparing dominant and non-dominant hand strength in CMT series employing manual testing or myometry, gave contradictory results. Moreover, none of them examined the behaviour of lower limb muscles. ⋯ Our data does not support the OW hypothesis and the consequent harmful effect of exercise in patients with CMT1A. Physical activity should be encouraged, and rehabilitation remains the most effective treatment for CMT patients.