Experiences of patients with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy with facial weakness: a qualitative study.

Purpose: This study focuses on the functional and psychosocial consequences of facial weakness of patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and how they manage their daily lives.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a qualitative study. Sixteen FSHD patients with varying degrees of facial weakness were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide.

A visual brain-computer interface as communication aid for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Objective: Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) spellers that make use of code-modulated Visual Evoked Potentials (cVEP) may provide a fast and more accurate alternative to existing visual BCI spellers for patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). However, so far the cVEP speller has only been tested on healthy participants.

Methods: We assess the brain responses, BCI performance and user experience of the cVEP speller in 20 healthy participants and 10 ALS patients.

Implicit Motives as Determinants of Networking Behaviors.

In today's world of work, networking behaviors are an important and viable strategy to enhance success in work and career domains. Concerning personality as an antecedent of networking behaviors, prior studies have exclusively relied on trait perspectives that focus on how people feel, think, and act. Adopting a motivational perspective on personality, we enlarge this focus and argue that beyond traits predominantly tapping social content, motives shed further light on instrumental aspects of networking - or why people network.

Detecting fasciculations in cranial nerve innervated muscles with ultrasound in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Introduction: Cranial muscle fasciculations may be difficult to detect in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Ultrasound (US) detection of fasciculations in these muscles may have clinical utility.

Methods: Patients with suspected ALS were prospectively enrolled.

Botulinum toxin-A injections vs radiotherapy for drooling in ALS.

Objectives: Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) injections in the salivary glands and radiotherapy (RT) on these glands are commonly used to alleviate severe drooling in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study compares BoNT type A with RT based on patient-rated evaluations.

Materials & Methods: A prospective randomized controlled pilot study to compare RT (n = 10; on the parotid and the posterior part of the submandibular glands) with BoNT-A treatment (n = 10; in the parotid glands only, because of the risk of increasing oropharyngeal weakness) in patients with ALS.