Impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on epileptogenic networks: a functional connectivity study.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more common in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Some of these patients experience PTSD due to early psychotraumatic events. This study aims to assess the influence of PTSD on interictal functional connectivity using stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) recordings in patients with temporal lobe DRE (TDRE).

Psychiatric complications following SEEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulations in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

SEEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF-TC) in the epileptogenic regions is a therapeutic option for patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who may have or not indication for epilepsy surgery. The most common adverse events of RF-TC are seizures, headaches, somatic pain, and sensory-motor deficits. If RF-TC could lead to psychiatric complications is unknown.

"Plok-plok" syndrome: Posttraumatic stress disorder following an SEEG thermocoagulation and direct electrical stimulation procedure.

The psychological impact of intracerebral electroencephalography (stereoelectroencephalography [SEEG]) including the thermocoagulation procedure has not yet been clearly studied. We present a case of a patient who, following an SEEG procedure for presurgical evaluation of intractable focal epilepsy, developed severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Such an occurrence may be under-estimated.

Screening for epilepsy-specific anxiety symptoms: French validation of the EASI.

Objectives: (1) To translate and validate the Epilepsy Anxiety Survey Instrument (EASI) in French people with epilepsy (PWE); (2) to further investigate the screening properties of each dimension of the EASI in terms of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) anxiety disorders and of epilepsy-specific anxiety disorders, namely, anticipatory anxiety of seizures (AAS) and epileptic social phobia.

Methods: Following back-translation, the French EASI was tested in PWE > 18 years using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) as gold standard for DSM anxiety disorders. We added 3 original questions to explore epilepsy-specific anxiety symptoms.

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: Chronology of multidisciplinary team approach to diagnosis and management.

While the diagnosis and management of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) remain challenging, certain evidence-based guidelines exist, which can help to optimize patient care. A multidisciplinary team approach appears to have many benefits. Current recommendations exist for some aspects of diagnosis and management of PNES, including levels of diagnostic certainty as proposed by the International League Against Epilepsy's expert Task Force on PNES.

De novo psychosis after left temporal lobectomy: a case of forced normalization?

Forced normalization is a clinical entity defined by the appearance of psychiatric disturbance following control of epileptic seizures that were previously uncontrolled. It was first described by Landolt in 1953. The first cases described were mostly psychosis, however, subsequent work suggested that any behavioural disturbance of acute/or subacute onset concomitant with seizure control could be considered as forced normalization.

Transient cortico-cortical disconnection during psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES).

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are paroxysmal clinical events that are often misdiagnosed as epileptic seizures, but which are not associated with electrographic discharge. Brain connectivity changes occurring during PNES are not known. We studied functional connectivity (Fc) in two patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, explored by stereotactic electroencephalography (EEG), in whom we recorded both epileptic seizures (ES) and PNES.

Resting cortical PET metabolic changes in psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES).

Background: The pathophysiology of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) is poorly understood. Functional neuroimaging data in various functional neurological disorders increasingly support specific neurobiological dysfunction. However, to date, no studies have been reported of positron emission tomography (PET) in patients presenting with PNES.

Alteration of global workspace during loss of consciousness: a study of parietal seizures.

Purpose: Loss of consciousness (LOC) in epileptic seizures has a strongly negative impact on quality of life. Recently, we showed that LOC occurring during temporal lobe seizures was correlated with a nonlinear increase of neural synchrony in associative--and particularly parietal--cortices. Whether these mechanisms might be observed in other types of seizures is unknown.

Counteranion-directed catalysis in the Tsuji-Trost reaction: stereocontrolled access to 2,5-disubstituted 3-hydroxy-tetrahydrofurans.

Hydrogen bonds can play a prominent role in organometallic catalysis, as shown for the title reaction, in which a counteranion directs the cyclization through the formation of hydrogen bonds that likely involve a proton of the π-allyl/palladium species itself. The reaction allows access to four out of the eight stereoisomers of 2,5-disubstitued 3-hydroxy-tetrahydrofurans and thus fragments of complex natural products.

Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of constrained heterocyclic analogues of combretastatin A4.

A series of combretastatin A4 (CA4) analogues with a lactam or lactone ring fused to the trimethoxyphenyl or the B-phenyl moiety were synthesized in an efficient and stereoselective manner by using a domino Heck-Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction. The vascular-disrupting potential of these conformationally restricted CA4 analogues was assessed by various in vitro assays: inhibition of tubulin polymerization, modification of endothelial cell morphology, and disruption of endothelial cell cords. Compounds were also evaluated for their growth inhibitory effects against murine and human tumor cells.

Domino approach to 2-aroyltrimethoxyindoles as novel heterocyclic combretastatin A4 analogues.

Two series of 2-aroyltrimethoxyindoles were designed to investigate the effects of the replacement of the trimethoxyphenyl ring of phenstatin with a trimethoxyindole moiety. These compounds were efficiently prepared through a domino palladium-catalyzed sequence from 2-gem-dibromovinylanilines substituted by three methoxy groups and arylboronic acids under carbon monoxide atmosphere. These novel heterocyclic combretastatin A4 analogues were evaluated for their cell growth inhibitory properties and their ability to inhibit the tubulin polymerization.

Pd(0)-Catalyzed carbonylation of 1,1-dichloro-1-alkenes, a new selective access to Z-α-chloroacrylates.

A novel and fully chemo- and stereoselective three component strategy leading to Z-α-chloroacrylates by a Pd(0)-catalyzed reaction of CO (1 atm) with 1,1-dichloro-1-alkenes and various alcohols is disclosed. This catalytic approach compares favourably with the Wittig type strategies as α-chloroacrylates of pure Z configuration are obtained in high yield.

Palladium-catalyzed domino C,N-coupling/carbonylation/Suzuki coupling reaction: an efficient synthesis of 2-aroyl-/heteroaroylindoles.

A convenient one-pot synthesis of 2-aroylindoles using a domino palladium-catalyzed C,N-coupling/carbonylation/C,C-coupling sequence is described. The reaction involved easily prepared 2-gem-dibromovinylanilines and boronic acids under carbon monoxide. Optimized reaction conditions allowed the construction of a wide variety of highly functionalized 2-aroyl-/heteroaroylindoles in satisfactory yields.

Impaired consciousness during temporal lobe seizures is related to increased long-distance cortical-subcortical synchronization.

Loss of consciousness (LOC) is a dramatic clinical manifestation of temporal lobe seizures. Its underlying mechanism could involve altered coordinated neuronal activity between the brain regions that support conscious information processing. The consciousness access hypothesis assumes the existence of a global workspace in which information becomes available via synchronized activity within neuronal modules, often widely distributed throughout the brain.

Stereoselective synthesis of novel highly substituted isochromanone and isoquinolinone-containing exocyclic tetrasubstituted alkenes.

An efficient synthetic route toward the synthesis of highly substituted arylethylidene-isoquinolinones/isochromanones is reported. The tandem carbopalladation/Suzuki-Miyaura coupling sequence stereoselectively provided various functionalized polycyclic compounds in moderate to excellent yields.

[Diagnosis and treatment of disturbances in eating behavior among adolescents: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa].

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa among youngsters mean heavy disturbances in eating behaviour, but they can be cured. The physician in charge of the treatment has to set up a contract with the patient and his family. The family has to be reassured because she is not responsible.

[Ethics and handicap].

The deprivation of numerous possibilities suffered by the severely-handicapped on account of their somato-psychic deficiency extends to many areas: mobility, relationships, autonomy in their everyday life, dependency, psychological or even mental consequences. The most elementary ethics would require to take all these deprivations into account, not just in the choice of accommodation structures but also in the behaviour of relatives and friends, or of qualified members of staff, in their approach to the handicapped. The range of application of these ethical rules must therefore extend from the quality of life and assistance, and the concern for efficiency of interventions, to the problems of security and securization, the assessment and the prevention of risks deriving from the handicap or its consequences, through the information of the patients regarding their elementary or specific rights, the introduction of the most favourable basis in order to make sure that they enjoy the dignity due to any human being, whatever his condition.

Physical exercise and voluntary hyperventilation in childhood absence epilepsy.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a physical exercise test and of voluntary hyperventilation between controls and children with absence epilepsy. Eighteen children (6 controls and 12 epileptics) were studied during rest (R), a maximal physical exercise test (15 min; PE), recovery (REC) and voluntary hyperventilation (3 min; VHPV). EEG and ECG were recorded during the experiment; respiratory parameters were measured to quantify PE; plasma levels of pH, lactate, pyruvate, glucose and antiepileptic drugs were determined.

[Giant axonal neuropathy: intermediate filament disease with involvement of the peripheral and central nervous system].

We report a case of giant axonal neuropathy in a 14 year-old turkish boy with progressive chronic neuropathy and central involvement with mental retardation. CT showed a low density and MRI imaging multiple cavities and hypersignals of the white matter. Nerve and skin biopsies revealed an accumulation of neurofilaments in axonal swellings and an accumulation of intermediate filaments in fibroblasts, Schwann cells, endothelial cells.

Multiple sclerosis in children: report of clinical and paraclinical features of 19 cases.

We report our experience concerning clinical and paraclinical features of multiple sclerosis in 19 children. The disease was highly variable in its presentation but acute episodes of retrobulbar optic neuritis or transverse myelitis or cerebellitis were commonly observed at the onset. Diagnosis was very often suspected as soon as the first episode when there was clinical evidence of more than one lesion (43%) or study of the cerebrospinal fluid demonstrated a local secretion of immunoglobulins (60%).

Peripheral neuropathy associated with erythrophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

A 12 year old patient who developed clinical, biochemical and histological features of erythrophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is described. In contrast to previously reported cases, the prominent neurological feature was a subacute sensorimotor polyneuropathy. Sural nerve biopsy showed a marked reduction of myelinated fibres and severe axonal lesions, absence of histiocyte infiltration and deposits of IgM along the epineurium.