Alpha-dihydroergocryptine in Parkinson's disease: a multicentre randomized double blind parallel group study.

Introduction: A multicentre randomized double-blind parallel group study was carried out on 68 patients suffering from idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) treated with L-dopa for at least 1 year with inadequate therapeutic responsiveness. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of alpha-dihydroergocryptine (alpha-DHEC) vs lisuride as an adjunct therapy to L-dopa on dyskinesias and clinical fluctuations (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale [UPDRS] part IV), on the symptoms pattern (Columbia University Rating Scale [CURS]), on disability (Northwestern University Disability Scale [NUDS]), and to evaluate the incidence of adverse events.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-two patients (18 males, 14 females with a mean age of 64.

Platelet as a model to test autonomic function in migraine.

In order to evaluate the role of the sympathetic autonomic nervous system (SANS) in common migraine we measured platelet catecholamine levels in a group of patients and in control subjects after 1 and 30 min of supine rest. Common migraine patients showed, at 1 min of supine rest, higher platelet norepinephrine (NE) content in comparison with the controls. This result may reflect a decreased release of platelet dense bodies in migraineurs.

Recovery from herpes simplex encephalitis: selective impairment of specific semantic categories with neuroradiological correlation.

The clinical, neuropsychological and neuroradiological features of two patients affected by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) encephalitis are described. An experimental study for the assessment of naming, recognition and description displayed in one patient a persistent significant impairment in naming living things. The other patient showed a failing "semantic memory" for the same categories, although a significant impairment emerged only for plants.