Neurology
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To determine whether exposure to repetitive head impacts over a single season affects white matter diffusion measures in collegiate contact sport athletes. ⋯ This study suggests a relationship between head impact exposure, white matter diffusion measures, and cognition over the course of a single season, even in the absence of diagnosed concussion, in a cohort of college athletes. Further work is needed to assess whether such effects are short term or persistent.
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To examine the influence of subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) on driving in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). ⋯ This study provides Class IV evidence that STN-DBS in patients with PD is associated with a reduction in driving errors and improvements in driving accuracy in driving simulations.
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a lethal, progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of motor neurons.(1) Patients with ALS lose function in the limbs, speech, swallowing, and breathing muscles. The cause of the disease is still not known for most patients. ⋯ Cognitive dysfunction is seen in 20% to 50% of patients.(2) The disease burden for patients and caregivers is enormous. The average cost of care has been estimated at $50,000 per patient per year.(3.)
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To examine the underlying pathophysiology of mild traumatic brain injury through changes in gray matter diffusion and atrophy during the semiacute stage. ⋯ Increased cortical FA is largely consistent with an emerging animal literature of gray matter abnormalities after neuronal injury. Potential mechanistic explanations for increased FA include cytotoxic edema or reactive gliosis. In contrast, there was no evidence of cortical or subcortical atrophy in the current study, suggesting that frank neuronal or neuropil loss does not occur early in the chronic disease course for patients with typical mild traumatic brain injury.