Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome associated with mtDNA disease.

Introduction: Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) are well-known disorders caused by thiamine deficiency. In addition to the classical concept of these diseases, some literature data suggest a connection between mitochondrial dysfunction and WE/WKS. Psychotic disorders and WKS seem to run in families, as the deficiency of the oxidative phosphorylation can be a trigger factor in psychotic events and WE/WKS as well.

Risk of mental disorders, their changes and somatic consideration in rural Hungary.

Objective: Although the primary purpose of the study reported here was to identify stroke risk factors among the residents of a village in eastern Hungary, the study also included a multi-faceted survey conducted in 1992-94 to ascertain the somatic, mental and socio-economic conditions of the residents. Here we report data from the survey on prevalence of mental disorders (a cross-sectional descriptive study).

Method: The screenings included the following tests administered to 535 subjects: anxiety, depression, dementia, neurosis were measured; recent medical records were compared to survey data for 330 of the same subjects.

Developing multimedia software and virtual reality worlds and their use in rehabilitation and psychology.

The multimedia and virtual reality projects performed at our laboratory during the last ten years can be grouped into the following groups: 1) tutorial and entertainment programs for handicapped children, 2) rehabilitation programs for stroke patients and patients with phobias. We have developed multimedia software for handicapped children with various impairments: partial vision, hearing difficulties, locomotive difficulties, mental retardation, dyslexia etc. In the present paper we show the advantages of using multimedia software to develop mental skills in handicapped people and deal with the special needs of handicapped children.

Development of a computer controlled cognitive diagnostics and rehabilitation method.

In this paper we introduce a computer controlled method (HELp Neuropsychology = HELEN) which enables - as a difference to methods used internationally--not only the establishment of the diagnosis, but permits measurement of the effectiveness of the therapy. It allows: --To produce a database of the patients that contains not only their personal data but also the results of the tests, their drawings and audio recordings. --It is an intensive therapeutic test, which contains tutorial programs too.