Pheochromocytoma - review and biochemical workup.

A commonly received question in the clinical laboratory is as follows: what is the best test for pheochromocytoma? A widely variable presentation and potentially catastrophic consequence make this a feared neoplasm despite its infrequent encounter. Because various biochemical testing modalities are available, test selection is often confusing. This selection process can be made easier through a better understanding of catecholamine producing neoplasms.

Cortical neuronal dysgenesis mimicking a malignant neoplasm.

An 18-year old woman, presenting with seizures, had an MRI of the head which suggested the presence of a malignant lesion. Interestingly, biopsy of this lesion ultimately confirmed cortical neuronal dysgenesis.

Comparison of the retrieval of item versus spatial position information.

It has been argued that temporal and spatial position information are represented similarly, but prior research comparing their time course of retrieval with item information has not supported this conclusion. The time course of retrieval was compared for spatial position and item information in 3 response signal experiments, and differences were found in the time course of retrieval that paralleled those found previously for temporal position and item information (B.M.