Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (t-VNS): A novel effective treatment for temper outbursts in adults with Prader-Willi Syndrome indicated by results from a non-blind study.

Temper outbursts are a severe problem for people with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). Previous reports indicate that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) may reduce maladaptive behaviour in neurodevelopmental disorders, including PWS. We systematically investigated the effectiveness of transcutaneous VNS (t-VNS) in PWS.

Understanding self-reported difficulties in decision-making by people with autism spectrum disorders.

Autobiographical accounts and a limited research literature suggest that adults with autism spectrum disorders can experience difficulties with decision-making. We examined whether some of the difficulties they describe correspond to quantifiable differences in decision-making when compared to adults in the general population. The participants (38 intellectually able adults with autism spectrum disorders and 40 neurotypical adults) were assessed on three tasks of decision-making (Iowa Gambling Task, Cambridge Gamble Task and Information Sampling Task), which quantified, respectively, decision-making performance and relative attention to negative and positive outcomes, speed and flexibility, and information sampling.

Prevalence, associations, and predictors of apathy in adult survivors of infantile (<5 years of age) posterior fossa brain tumors.

Background: Apathy is associated with pervasive and disadvantageous effects on daily functioning. It has been observed transiently in some children after surgery for posterior fossa tumors. In this study, our objective was to examine prevalence, associations, and predictors of apathy in adult survivors of an infantile posterior fossa brain tumor (PFT).

Atypical movement performance and sensory integration in Asperger's syndrome.

The aims of this study were to investigate whether individuals with AS have impaired motor abilities and sensorimotor processing and whether these impairments were age-related. Sensorimotor abilities were examined using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2, and the Sensory Integration Praxis Test. Fifty boys with AS aged 7-14 years old were compared with typically developing boys.

A comparative study of mismatch negativity (MMN) in epilepsy and non-epileptic seizures.

This study investigated mismatch negativity (MMN) differences between subjects with non-epileptic seizures (NES), subjects with epilepsy, and healthy controls. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were obtained from 14 patients with NES, 15 patients with epilepsy and 16 healthy control subjects. A conventional MMN procedure was used with a random sequence of 12% deviant tones (922 Hz) and 88% standard tones (1000 Hz).

Making sense of non-epileptic seizures.

Background: Non-epileptic seizures (NES) are a chronic condition that is frequently misdiagnosed. Limited awareness of the condition may contribute to mismanagement and poor outcome.

Methods: Medline and PsycLit review of clinical and laboratory studies.

Evidence supporting a cognitive model of depression in Parkinson's disease.

The objective of this study was to explore the possibility that depression in Parkinson disease (PD) arises from an illness-related vulnerability to negative emotional stimuli. The Color-Word and Emotional Stroop tasks were performed by 27 nondepressed patients with PD and 27 healthy volunteers. Patients with PD showed greater interference to the sad words of the Emotional Stroop than did control patients, despite similar performances to the controls on the neutral and Color-Word Stroop tasks.