We report a case study of a 60-year-old man with bipolar disorder on stable lithium treatment who developed severe toxicity while admitted to ICU with sepsis and multiorgan failure. Despite unchanged lithium administration, his serum levels escalated due to renal dysfunction, resulting in lithium toxicity. After regaining consciousness, he exhibited a cerebellar syndrome marked by ataxia, tremor, and scanning speech.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: In clinical practice, we have observed that patients with Parkinson disease (PD) often have blepharoclonus, but its prevalence is not well described in the literature. Understanding the relative frequencies of blepharoclonus in PD and atypical parkinsonian syndromes may shed light on the diagnostic utility of this clinical sign. We aimed to assess (1) the frequency of blepharoclonus in patients with PD in a single-center cohort; (2) the association of blepharoclonus with disease stage, tremor severity, and non-motor symptoms; and (3) the frequency of blepharoclonus in synucleinopathy vs non-synucleinopathy-associated parkinsonism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Education on the management of neurologic emergencies is vital for neurology residents, and effective educational methods are needed. This study aims to implement and evaluate the impact of a podcast-based flipped classroom curriculum in neurologic emergencies. "Flipped classroom" instructional methods have been used in GME and informed by experiential learning theory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransient visual loss (TVL) is a common complaint in the emergency department, with numerous possible etiologies. Prompt evaluation and management of TVL can potentially prevent progression to permanent visual loss. In this case, a 62-year-old woman presented with acute, painless, unilateral TVL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTher Clin Risk Manag
December 2022
Mov Disord Clin Pract
October 2022
Background: The phenotypic diversity of functional movement disorders (FMD) is considered a reflection of its many etiological subtypes. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a joint hypermobility syndrome, also has variable phenotypes, which may include functional symptoms.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of combined diagnoses of FMD and EDS.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case to address episodic ataxia (EA) as a possible phenotypic feature of HECW2-related disorder. This single case study describes a 26-year-old female born at term with mild intellectual disability, neonatal hypotonia, and a history of febrile seizures who presented with paroxysmal events since the age of 2. These episodes include frequent falls due to imbalance, dilated pupils, vertigo, diaphoresis, nausea, vomiting, and nystagmus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA majority of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) patients on oral levodopa experience motor fluctuations, including sudden OFF and delayed ON periods. Fast-acting rescue medications are a vital part of the clinician's armamentarium in the treatment of motor fluctuations. Sublingual apomorphine is the first sublingual rescue medication on the market for the treatment of OFF times in PD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe best practice for the initiation of symptomatic motor treatment for Parkinson's disease is an ongoing topic of debate. Fueled by interpretation of the results of the LEAP and MED Parkinson's disease studies, many practitioners opt for early initiation of levodopa formulations, avoiding dopamine agonists to circumvent potential deleterious side effects, namely impulse control disorder. Compared with levodopa, monoamine oxidase inhibitors may lack necessary potency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Hughes-Stovin syndrome (HSS) is a systemic vasculitis characterized by widespread venous/arterial thrombosis and pulmonary artery aneurysms (PAAs), which is associated with serious morbidity and mortality. All fatalities reported in HSS resulted from unpredictable fatal suffocating hemoptysis. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize pulmonary complications at an early stage of the disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis systematic MDSGene review covers individuals with confirmed genetic forms of primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) available in the literature. Data on 516 (47% men) individuals, carrying heterozygous variants in SLC20A2 (solute carrier family 20 member 2, 61%), PDGFB (platelet-derived growth factor subunit B, 12%), XPR1 (xenotropic and polytropic retrovirus receptor, 16%), or PDGFRB (platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta, 5%) or biallelic variants in MYORG (myogenesis-regulating glycosidase, 13%) or JAM2 (junctional adhesion molecule 2, 2%), were extracted from 93 articles. Nearly one-third of the mutation carriers were clinically unaffected.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent racial inequities as illustrated by the health disparities in COVID-19 infections and deaths, the recent killings of Black men and women by law enforcement, and the widening socioeconomic inequality and have brought systemic racism into a national conversation. These unprecedented times may have deleterious consequences, increasing stress, and trauma for many members of the neurology workforce. The Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Committee within our Department of Neurology provides infrastructure and guidance to foster a culture of belonging and addresses the well-being of faculty, staff, and trainees.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGuillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an inflammatory polyneuropathy that classically presents with low back pain, sensory paresthesias, and rapidly progressive weakness. Patients with GBS can develop dysautonomia, and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a rare potential manifestation of this dysautonomia. This association has been reported only 12 times in the literature so far, which we review here.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLevodopa formulations are the workhorses of the labor against motor symptoms management in Parkinson's disease (PD). Progression of PD on levodopa inevitably leads to motor fluctuations. It is important to understand the safety and efficacy of opicapone, the most recent addition to the clinician's armamentarium against these fluctuations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground Anxiety and sleep disturbances are prevalent in Parkinson's disease (PD). Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are commonly used to treat these symptoms; however, they are associated with unfavorable side effects such as falls and cognitive slowing in the general non-PD population. Examining the effects of BZDs in PD is imperative as these medications could pose an increased risk to PD patients who are already vulnerable to falls and cognitive deficits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 25-year-old female veterinarian presented with 1-week of flu-like symptoms followed by progressive encephalopathy. She was originally from Nicaragua and had been in the USA for 4 months. In the emergency department, she was confused and non-verbal with meningismus and facial myoclonus, but with an otherwise non-focal neurological exam.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) have historically enrolled a low number of underrepresented minorities, lessening the generalizability of therapeutic developments. Although there are racial disparities in PD, little is known regarding neuropsychiatric symptoms and other nonmotor manifestations across all races/ethnicities.
Objective: To assess minority participation in PD trials evaluating the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms and explore underlying reasons.