Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Feb 2022
[Touch Medicine - a complementary therapeutic approach exemplified by the treatment of depression].
Skin-to-skin-contact presents the earliest sensory experience of men and animals. Deprivation of age-relevant touch experiences during infancy results in compromised psychosocial and biological development. The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded for the discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch. ⋯ Controlled studies and systematic reviews have convincingly shown antidepressive, anxiolytic and analgesic effects of salutary touch. The effectiveness and efficacy of touch therapy has also been demonstrated in many areas such as neonatology, pediatrics, oncology, and geriatrics. We discuss the underlying mechanisms on various explanatory levels including interoceptive and oxytocinergic mechanisms as well as the role of C tactile afferent nerve fibers.
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It is part of the natural aging process that cognitive performance declines and the speed of information processing slows down. However, if brain function deteriorates significantly, spatial and temporal disorientation, speech and recognition disorders, as well as behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) such as apathy, anxiety, depression, social withdrawal or even strong emotional fluctuations with agitation and apathy may occur. ⋯ The current article focuses on the pharmacotherapeutic treatment of the most common dementia syndromes, such as Alzheimer's dementia, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Furthermore, pharmacological treatment of accompanying psychopathological symptoms are highlighted.
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Feb 2022
Case Reports[Late neurological consequences of a SARS-CoV-2 infection].
Persistent neurological late symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection are common and require regular follow-up treatment. In order to establish uniform therapy concepts, it is necessary to evaluate individual therapeutic approaches for long COVID and post-COVID-19 syndrome. ⋯ Whole body and brain FDG PET can be helpful in long COVID and post-COVID-19 syndrome patients with neurological symptoms of unknown origin. These patients benefit from systematic rehabilitation. Glucocorticoids and colchicine appear to accelerate symptom reduction. The rehabilitative therapy should be continued on an outpatient basis.
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For initial cognitive diagnostics in the practice, various screening tools in the form of short paper-pencil-tests are available. Such initial screenings take between 5 and 15 minutes, but do not replace detailed neuropsychological diagnostics. Of the screening-tools reviewed, DemTect is suitable for suspected early onset dementia, while MMSE and MoCA cover other cognitive domains in greater detail. ⋯ A more comprehensive diagnosis of dementia is not possible with the screening tools reviewed. However, they can help to decide whether a detailed dementia analysis is necessary or whether one can wait with it. The screening methods reviewed are freely available on the internet.