Subcortical neglect as a consequence of a remote parieto-temporal dysfunction. A quantitative EEG study.

In patients with a right-sided deep-seated lesion, a causal relationship between a cortical dysfunction in the right temporo-parietal region and the occurrence of neglect has been suggested. In the present study we tried to correlate clinical and quantitative EEG data from a sample of 33 right stroke patients divided into two subgroups according to the presence or absence of neglect. A 20-channel EEG cartography system was used for EEG mapping.

Mechanisms of functional restoration after brain injury.

The mechanisms accounting for clinical improvement after brain injury are still a matter of debate. Better knowledge of the recovery process is important for it might be influenced by therapy. This article reviews a number of studies devoted to the physiopathology of recovery from aphasia and visuo-spatial neglect after the acute stage, using various methods (cerebral blood flow and metabolism measurements, dichotic listening, transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, functional magnetic resonance imaging) with special reference to the contribution of methods using activation procedures.

[Communication with the aphasic patient].

The consequences of aphasia with reference to the WHO ICIDH classification are evoked. The role of the physician and the behaviour of the relatives are underlined as well as the main parameters to be taken into consideration to communicate with an aphasic patient. As a rule, a dialogue in quiet surroundings will make communication easier with an aphasic patient.

[Lower limb monoplegia and dissociated hypoesthesia after peridural anesthesia].

Neurological sequelae reported after epidural anesthesia include epidural hematoma, spinal cord ischemic injury and lumbosacral nerve root injury. We describe here a case of monoplegia of the right lower limb associated with an ipsilateral loss of perception of pain and temperature following an epidural anesthesia. MRI was compatible with a right centrolateral infarction in the gray matter of the spinal cord below D8.

Complete mutism after midbrain periaqueductal gray lesion.

Several neurophysiological studies have highlighted the role of the midbrain periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) in the initiation of vocalization in various animal species, from frogs to primates. With regard to humans, only two cases of complete mutism following a lesion to the PAG have been reported so far. This article describes a new case of a patient (GM) who, following an ischemic lesion to the periaqueductal gray region of the midbrain, presented with complete and irreversible mutism, though her language comprehension functions and her non-verbal expression capacity were preserved.