Management of postural sensory conflict and dynamic balance control in late-stage Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is known to affect postural control, especially in situations needing a change in balance strategy or when a concurrent task is simultaneously performed. However, few studies assessing postural control in patients with PD included homogeneous population in late stage of the disease. Thus, this study aimed to analyse postural control and strategies in a homogeneous population of patients with idiopathic advanced (late-stage) PD, and to determine the contribution of peripheral inputs in simple and more complex postural tasks, such as sensory conflicting and dynamic tasks.

Interactions between volitional and automatic breathing during respiratory apraxia.

The sites and forms of interactions between voluntary breathing acts and automatic respiratory rhythm generation are the subject of considerable research interest. We report here observations of the control of breathing in a patient suffering from an advanced form of progressive supranuclear palsy (Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome). This patient demonstrated a severely compromised ability to perform volitional respiratory acts upon command, despite exacerbated behavioural and automatic control of respiration.

Bilateral subthalamic nucleus stimulation improves balance control in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD), the most common basal ganglia degenerative disease, affects balance control, especially when patients change balance strategy during postural tasks. Bilateral chronic stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is therapeutically useful in advanced PD, and reduces the motor signs of patients. Nevertheless, the effects of STN stimulation on postural control are still debatable.

[Thrombus of the left lateral sinus spreading to the internal jugular vein].

Cerebral venous thrombosis is an uncommon event which presents a wide spectrum of sometimes extraneurological signs different from the classical clinical presentation. We report the cases of two middle-aged women who developed thrombosis of the left lateral sinus spread-ing to the internal jugular vein from the sigmoid sinus. The time course of the symptoms suggested that intracranial thrombosis occurred first.

Levorotatory form of 5-hydroxytryptophan in Friedreich's ataxia. Results of a double-blind drug-placebo cooperative study.

Objective: To study the effect of the levorotatory form of 5-hydroxytryptophan on the cerebellar symptoms of Friedreich's ataxia.

Design: Cooperative double-blind study of the levorotatory form of 5-hydroxytryptophan vs placebo.

Setting: Twelve centers in research hospitals.

[Intracerebral cavernous angioma].

Thirty four cases (18 operated, 16 non-operated), of cavernous angioma are reported. The presenting symptoms and signs were epilepsy in 22 cases, neurologic deficit in 9 and cerebromeningeal hemorrhage without vigilance disorders in 3. In the operated group 15 angiomas were supratentorial, 3 were subtentorial.

[Value of mazindol in Gélineau's disease. Apropos of 10 cases].

Ten narcoleptic patients were treated daily with Mazindol 2-6 mg for 42.2 months (31-63 months). The response was excellent on narcoleptic attacks in 6 and on cataplexy in 7 cases.

[HLA and familial multiple sclerosis].

Some data suggest an environmental perhaps a viral factor but also of a genetic factor in the etiology of multiple sclerosis. Among the latter is the notably increased risk for a twin when the other twin has the disease, a risk further increased if they are monozygotic. There is also a greater than chance frequency of common HLA haplotypes in 2 affected siblings.

[Acute leukemia secondary to the treatment of multiple sclerosis with chlorambucil].

A new case is reported here of acute myeloid leukemia after chlorambucil therapy for multiple sclerosis. This is the sixth case seen at our institution during the period 1978 to 1984. The leukemogenic potential of the immunosuppressive cytotoxic drugs in patients with multiple sclerosis is emphasized.

Pergolide in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Pergolide, a long-acting central dopamine agonist, was used as monotherapy in 16 parkinsonian patients. A mean daily dose of 6.3 mg resulted in 73% improvement of parkinsonian disability.

Dopamine receptor stimulating agonists in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

In this article, the clinical actions of the principal dopamine receptor stimulating agents (apomorphine and its derivatives; piribedil, rye-ergot derivatives) are discussed on the basis of their biochemical and pharmacological properties.