Annals of neurology
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Annals of neurology · May 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyPhysical activity and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a European population-based case-control study.
To assess whether physical activity is a risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ⋯ Physical activity is not a risk factor for ALS and may eventually be protective against the disease.
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Annals of neurology · May 2014
Surmounting retraining limits in musicians' dystonia by transcranial stimulation.
Abnormal cortical excitability is evident in various movement disorders that compromise fine motor control. Here we tested whether skilled finger movements can be restored in musicians with focal hand dystonia through behavioral training assisted by transcranial direct current stimulation to the motor cortex of both hemispheres. ⋯ These results suggest a therapeutic potential of behavioral training assisted by bihemispheric, noninvasive brain stimulation in restoring fine motor control in focal dystonia.
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Annals of neurology · May 2014
Observational StudyNonconvulsive seizures in subarachnoid hemorrhage link inflammation and outcome.
Nonconvulsive seizures (NCSz) are frequent following acute brain injury and have been implicated as a cause of secondary brain injury, but mechanisms that cause NCSz are controversial. Proinflammatory states are common after many brain injuries, and inflammation-mediated changes in blood-brain barrier permeability have been experimentally linked to seizures. ⋯ In-hospital NCSz were independently associated with a proinflammatory state following SAH as reflected in clinical symptoms and serum biomarkers of inflammation. Our findings suggest that inflammation following SAH is associated with poor outcome and that this effect is at least in part mediated through in-hospital NCSz.