Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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To investigate the underlying pathophysiology of primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) regarding possible changes in blink reflex (BR) circuit. ⋯ The study suggests that BR is abnormal in PLS. It also adds some clues regarding PLS pathophysiology and can be helpful as a marker of ALS progression.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Jul 2004
Stops walking when talking as a predictor of falls in people with stroke living in the community.
To test "Stops walking when talking" (SWWT) as a predictor of falls among people with stroke living in the community. ⋯ The specificity of the SWWT test was lower but sensitivity was higher than previously reported. Although the SWWT test was easy to use, its clinical usefulness as a single indicator of fall risk in identifying those community dwelling people with stroke most at risk of falls and in need of therapeutic intervention is questionable.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Jul 2004
Retinal abnormalities in CADASIL: a retrospective study of 18 patients.
CADASIL is an inherited small vessel disease related to Notch3 gene mutations. ⋯ FE and FA revealed silent retinal abnormalities in CADASIL patients with nerve fibre loss in 22% and cotton wool spots in 17%. The presence of these abnormal retinal findings does not seem related to the severity of the disorder but may be considered as peripheral markers of this genetic disease.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Jul 2004
Platelet-leukocyte interaction and platelet activation in migraine: a link to ischemic stroke?
Migraine has been identified as an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. Both neurogenic inflammation and platelet activation have been linked to the pathophysiology of migraine. Increased platelet activation results in up-regulation of specific binding to leukocytes which promotes pro-inflammatory leukocyte secretion and their tethering to endothelium, a mechanism that has been demonstrated in stroke and which could provide a link to migraine. We aimed to determine whether platelet-leukocyte aggregation is increased in migraine patients outside an acute attack. ⋯ In migraine pro-inflammatory platelet adhesion to leukocytes occurs during the headache free interval similar to that seen in acute coronary and cerebrovascular syndromes. This may suggest a link between migraine and stroke on a cellular level.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Jul 2004
Novelty seeking and harm avoidance in Parkinson's disease: effects of asymmetric dopamine deficiency.
Although changes in novelty seeking and harm avoidance have been reported among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), the findings regarding the neurochemical correlates of such changes are inconsistent. This study was designed to examine the hypothesis that different patterns of motor and neurochemical asymmetry in PD may have contributed to the conflicting results. ⋯ Approach and avoidance reflect different patterns of dopaminergic asymmetry. Whereas reduced novelty seeking reflects deficit in the mesolimbic branch of ascending dopamine transmission in the left hemisphere, increased harm avoidance is associated with greater dopamine loss in the right striatum.