The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences
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J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci · Jan 2015
Letter Case ReportsMultiple tics in a patient with Adams-Oliver syndrome.
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J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci · Apr 2014
Case ReportsInefficacy of antipsychotics in treatment of delirium and agitation in two cases of bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis.
The authors report two unusual cases of Bickerstaff encephalitis that presented with encephalopathy and severe agitation. Management with neuroleptics typically used for management of delirium was not effective and worsened agitation. Valproic acid was effective in treatment of agitation and well tolerated.
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J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci · Jan 2014
Somatosensory investigation of patients with orofacial pain compared with controls.
The objective of this study was to investigate the sensorial characteristics of orofacial pain in patients compared with control subjects. A total of 336 subjects (282 patients and 54 control subjects) were evaluated to identify their thermal (cold and warm), tactile, and pain thresholds. ⋯ Patients with trigeminal postherpetic neuralgia and burning mouth syndrome showed loss of thermal perception; patients with postherpetic neuralgia, burning mouth syndrome, and posttraumatic painful neuropathy had a decrease in tactile perception compared with the control subjects (p<0.001). In conclusion, other sensorial modalities besides pain are affected by neuropathic orofacial pain; these findings can help in the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms in orofacial pain.
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Central sensitization is a process that links a variety of chronic pain disorders that are characterized by hypersensitivity to noxious stimuli and pain in response to non-noxious stimuli. Among these disorders, treatments that act centrally may have greater efficacy than treatments acting peripherally. Because many individuals with post-treatment Lyme syndrome (PTLS) have a similar symptom cluster, central sensitization may be a process mediating or exacerbating their sensory processing. This article reviews central sensitization, reports new data on sensory hyperarousal in PTLS, explores the potential role of central sensitization in symptom chronicity, and suggests new directions for neurophysiologic and treatment research.