[Development of neurology in Germany after 1960].

The still continuing accelerated development of neurology in Germany is described in this article by a contemporary witness who was active in this field from 1965 to 2005. The personal experiences of the author are obviously only reflected over these 40 years so that the glorious antecedents in the period up to 1933, the era in which our predecessors were the world leaders in neurology, is not sufficiently covered. This dominance was lost by the anti-Semitism during the era of National Socialism and the sequelae of World War II.

[Does youth mean vigorous and age, feeble biological repair mechanisms?].

All living creatures are subject to aging, but our understanding of what governs aging is limited. In the course of a lifetime, with the constant renewal of the organic substance of living creatures errors arise, e.g.

PCV chemotherapy for recurrent glioblastoma.

The authors administered procarbazine, 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea (CCNU, lomustine), and vincristine (PCV) to 86 patients with recurrent glioblastoma. There were three partial responses, but no complete responses. Median progression-free survival was 17.

Coherent corticomuscular oscillations originate from primary motor cortex: evidence from patients with early brain lesions.

Coherent oscillations of neurons in the primary motor cortex (M1) have been shown to be involved in the corticospinal control of muscle activity. This interaction between M1 and muscle can be measured by the analysis of corticomuscular coherence in the beta-frequency range (beta-CMCoh; 14-30 Hz). Largely based on magnetoencephalographic (MEG) source-modeling data, it is widely assumed that beta-CMCoh reflects direct coupling between M1 and muscle.

Surviving glioblastoma for more than 5 years: the patient's perspective.

The authors performed a comprehensive analysis of the functional outcome of 10 patients who had survived 5 years from a diagnosis of glioblastoma. Neurologic deficits were mild in most patients, but neuropsychological testing demonstrated cognitive deficits in all patients. Depression and anxiety were common.

Enhanced episodic-like memory and kindling epilepsy in a rat model of tuberous sclerosis.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a common neurological autosomal-dominant syndrome caused by mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes. TSC starts in early childhood and is characterized by cerebral hamartomas (benign tumours), severe epilepsy and cognitive deficits such as mental retardation and autism. The hamartomas are characterized by loss of the remaining wild-type TSC allele, and clinical data implicate cerebral hamartomas in the generation of epileptic seizures, which may play a significant role in the development of mental retardation.

Adult medulloblastoma: prognostic factors and response to therapy at diagnosis and at relapse.

Adult medulloblastoma is a rare tumor with few retrospective studies published so far. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy or chemotherapy at relapse is unclear. This study reports therapy and outcome in all adult (>or=16 years old) medulloblastoma (n=34) and supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) patients (n=2) treated in 2 neuro-oncological centers between 1976 and 2002.

Eosinophilic meningomyelitis in toxocariasis: case report and review of the literature.

Toxocariasis is a worldwide-occurring parasitic infection leading to tissue damage in various organs due to wandering Toxocara larvae (visceral larva migrans). More than 40 cases of CNS involvement in children and immunocompetent adults have been documented in detail to date. Here, we present evidence of eosinophilic meningomyelitis in an adult without known risk factors and with positive Toxocara antibody response in CSF, but not in blood.

Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of sporadic cerebellar ataxia.

Background: It is unknown whether multiple system atrophy of the cerebellar type (MSA-C) and idiopathic cerebellar ataxia with extracerebellar presentation (IDCA-P) represent distinct entities.

Objective: To investigate the discriminative validity of magnetic resonance imaging in sporadic cerebellar ataxia.

Design: Basal ganglia and infratentorial structures were screened for signal abnormalities and atrophic changes.

UKT-04 trial of continuous metronomic low-dose chemotherapy with methotrexate and cyclophosphamide for recurrent glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma is a highly angiogenic tumor with a dismal prognosis. Continuous oral low-dose chemotherapy with methotrexate (MTX) and cyclophosphamide (CPM) has modest activity in heavily pretreated patients with breast cancer. We explored the efficacy of 100 mg CPM daily and 5 mg MTX twice weekly in relapsed glioblastoma.

[Familial cavernous malformations of the central nervous system. A clinical and genetic study of 15 German families].

In 1928, Hugo Friedrich Kufs reported on a family with cerebral, retinal, and cutaneous cavernous malformations. Since then, more than 300 families with inherited cavernous malformations have been reported. Genetic studies showed three loci, on chromosomes 7q21-q22 (with the gene CCM1), 7p15-p13 (CCM2), and 3q25.

Monocyte-derived HLA-G acts as a strong inhibitor of autologous CD4 T cell activation and is upregulated by interferon-beta in vitro and in vivo: rationale for the therapy of multiple sclerosis.

Peripheral antigen presenting cells (APCs) contribute to the maintenance of immune tolerance and are considered to play a critical role in promoting the (re)activation of autoreactive T cells in multiple sclerosis (MS). Interferon-beta (IFN-beta) is the principle immune-modulatory agent used in the treatment of MS, but its mechanism of action remains elusive. HLA-G is a non-classical MHC molecule (MHC class Ib) attributed chiefly immune-regulatory functions.

Chemotherapy-induced cell death in primary cerebellar granule neurons but not in astrocytes: in vitro paradigm of differential neurotoxicity.

The nervous system is frequently the site of symptomatic toxicity of antineoplastic agents. However, there is limited information about the differential vulnerability of neurons, astrocytes and glioma cells. We have analyzed the effects of four chemotherapeutic drugs (lomustine, cisplatin, topotecan and vincristine) on primary cerebellar granule neurons and astrocytes derived from rats.

Intracranial metastatic esthesioneuroblastoma responsive to temozolomide.

Successful management of a heavily pretreated 58-year-old woman with metastatic esthesioneuoblastoma using temozolomide is reported. There is no standard treatment of this tumors with extra- and intracranial manifestations. The response, long term stability and high quality of life using temozolomide for this tumor entity should be recognized.

A patient with Marfan's syndrome and neurofibromatosis type 1 with polyneuropathy.

Both Marfan's syndrome and neurofibromatosis type 1 are hereditary, autosomal dominant conditions. Here, we report the rare case of a patient fulfilling the clinical criteria for both diseases. In the absence of a family history of either of the two conditions, two independent de novo mutations are the most likely cause.

Characterization of motor skill and instrumental learning time scales in a skilled reaching task in rat.

Successful motor skill learning requires repetitive training interrupted by rest periods. In humans, improvement occurs within and between training sessions reflecting fast and slow components of motor learning [Karni A, Meyer G, Rey-Hipolito C, Jezzard P, Adams MM, Turner R, et al. The acquisition of skilled motor performance: fast and slow experience-driven changes in primary motor cortex.

Leptomeningeal metastasis: survival and prognostic factors in 155 patients.

In this single-center retrospective study, 155 consecutive patients with leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) were analyzed for the prognostic role of patient- and therapy-related variables. Ten percent of the patients received radiotherapy alone, 32% had chemotherapy alone, 31% received radiochemotherapy, 17% had supportive therapy only, and 10% were not evaluable for therapy. Chemotherapy was systemic (17%), combined systemic and intrathecal (10%), or intrathecal only (35%).

Protein synthesis inhibition blocks consolidation of an acrobatic motor skill.

To investigate whether motor skill learning depends on de novo protein synthesis, adult rats were trained in an acrobatic locomotor task (accelerating rotarod) for 7 d. Animals were systemically injected with cycloheximide (CHX, 0.5 mg/kg, i.