Neurology
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REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is characterized by vigorous sleep motor activity associated with dream mentation. Patients with RBD frequently report action-filled and violent dreams. ⋯ Dreams in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder were characterized by an elevated proportion of aggressive contents, despite normal levels of daytime aggressiveness. Dreams with aggressiveness and the known excessive phasic muscle activity during REM sleep may be related to the hyperactivity of a common neuronal generator.
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Placebo, or sham surgery, as a control condition in surgical clinical trials in Parkinson disease (PD) remains controversial. The authors reviewed the adverse effects reported in double blind, placebo surgery controlled trials for PD. Placebo surgeries were generally safe and well tolerated but the number of subjects receiving the procedure was small. Harm occurred more frequently in subjects randomized to the experimental intervention.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Is there cognitive decline 1 year after CABG? Comparison with surgical and nonsurgical controls.
It is widely assumed that decline in cognition after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is related to use of the cardiopulmonary bypass pump. Because most studies have not included comparable control groups, it remains unclear whether postoperative cognitive changes are specific to cardiopulmonary bypass, general aspects of surgery, or vascular pathologies of the aging brain. ⋯ Compared with heart healthy controls (HHC), the groups with coronary artery disease had lower cognitive test scores at baseline. There was no evidence that the cognitive test performance of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients differed from that of control groups with coronary artery disease over a 1-year period. This study emphasizes the need for appropriate control groups for interpreting longitudinal changes in cognitive performance after CABG.