An appraisal to Hans Berger by the time of his 150th birthday: the human EEG and tales of blood flow, heat and brain waves.

More than 100 years of research have passed by and still the human electroencephalogram (EEG) remains a puzzle to be solved. Starting from his studies on plethysmography until his theories on brain thermodynamics, Hans Berger was able to refine his method of recording cortical signs with the apparatus at his disposal in an ordinary neuropsychiatric yard towards an early account of human EEG. This review is an appraisal of his contribution to the field of modern neurophysiology.

Predictive factors for successful vagus nerve stimulation in patients with refractory epilepsy: real-life insights from a multicenter study.

Introduction: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy is an established treatment for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy that reduces seizure frequency by at least 50% in approximately half of patients; however, the characteristics of the patients with the best response have not yet been identified. Thus, it is important to identify the profile of patients who would have the best response to guide early indications and better patient selection.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as an adjuvant therapy for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy from six epilepsy centers in Brazil.

HLA alleles and antiseizure medication-induced cutaneous reactions in Brazil: A case-control study.

In this observational case-control study, 107 cutaneous adverse reaction (CAR) cases (CAR+) manifesting up to 12 weeks after the start of treatment with antiseizure medication (ASM) were identified. Control groups consisted of 98 epilepsy patients without a history of CAR (CAR-) and 3965 healthy individuals in the Brazilian National Registry of Bone Marrow Donors. All participants were HLA typed by high-resolution Next Generation Sequencing for HLA-A, B, C, DQB1 and DRB1; HLA-DPA1, DPB1, DQA1, DRB3, DRB4 and DRB5 were also sequenced in samples from CAR+ and CAR- individuals.

Les démoniaques dans l'art: Charcot and the "hysterical saints".

Professor Jean-Martin Charcot was the founder of clinical neurology and one of the prominent researchers in the field of hysteria in the 19 century. His book is a representation of hysterical symptoms in religion and religious art. This paper aims to discuss Charcot's descriptions of hysteria in religion and his "hysterical saints".

Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test: Comparison of traditional and qualitative scoring systems after unilateral temporal lobectomy.

Objective: We compared the performance on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF) of patients that had undergone unilateral anterior temporal lobectomy under both Taylor's and Loring's scoring systems to identify the sensitivity and specificity of each item for differentiating visuospatial memory deficits.

Method: We administered the ROCF to evaluate the visual memory of 37 left anterior temporal lobectomy (LATL) and 38 right anterior temporal lobectomy (RATL) patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy who had undergone a standard unilateral anterior temporal lobectomy between 1996 and 2010. Fisher's exact and Qui-Quadrado tests were used to analyze the relationships between the qualitative variables.

Relationship between hippocampal subfields and Verbal and Visual memory function in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy patients.

Objective: High-resolution protocols used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) currently enable the detailed analysis of the hippocampus along with its subfield segmentation. The relationship between episodic memory and the hippocampus is well established, and there is growing evidence that some specific memory processing steps are associated with individual hippocampal segments, but there are inconsistencies in the literature. We focused our analysis on hippocampal subfield volumetry and neuropsychological visual and verbal memory tests in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) presenting with unilateral hippocampal atrophy.

Cutaneous adverse reactions associated with antiseizure medication: clinical characteristics and implications in epilepsy treatment.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of cutaneous adverse reactions and cross-sensitivity induced by antiseizure medications and compare the pattern of use of antiseizure medications in patients with epilepsy according to skin rash history.

Methods: We analysed patients with a history of skin rash presenting for up to 12 weeks after initiating antiseizure medication. The history of skin rash was verified by medical charts, interviews, and identification of skin lesions by patients based on illustrative images.

Nonverbal fluency assessed by the five-point test in epilepsy patients with unilateral mesial temporal sclerosis-a Brazilian study.

Objective: To investigate the performance of epilepsy patients diagnosed with unilateral mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) on a nonverbal fluency measure using the five-point test (FPT). Our secondary aim was to investigate any differences in FPT and verbal fluency test (VFT) scores between left and right MTS. We hypothesized that scores on the FPT, commonly utilized in the assessment of individuals with presumed frontal lobe damage, would be lower in patients with temporal lobe dysfunction.

The First Unprovoked Seizure in Typically Developing Children: A Real-Life Setting in Southern Brazil.

Aim: To describe the first unprovoked seizure in typically developing children, its clinical characteristics, recurrence rate, and possible risk factors in a real-life setting in Southern Brazil.

Method: In this retrospective cohort study, medical records of typically developing children aged 28 days to 14 years who had a first unprovoked seizure in a single tertiary care center were reviewed, in a 10-year period (2006-2016).

Results: Seventy-four children were included, 41 males and 33 females.

Overcoming bashfulness: how cocaine aided Freud to summon the courage to meet Charcot.

Jean-Martin Charcot, the most celebrated neurologist of the 19th century, had a profound influence on Sigmund Freud's career. Freud spent the winter of 1885-1886 working in Charcot's neurology department in Paris. During this period, he went to Charcot's house on several occasions to participate in the very famous Tuesday soirées under the guidance of Gilles de la Tourette.

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy: Revisiting the relation of hippocampal volumetry with memory deficits.

Objective: Neuropsychological tests can infer the lateralization of the epileptogenic focus, associating verbal memory to mesial structures in the left temporal lobe and visual or nonverbal memory to the right side. High-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with high-resolution protocols allows acquisitions suitable for advanced postprocessing with precise volumetry of brain structures, and functional MRI demonstrates evidence that epilepsy should be seen as a network pathology, involving several structures in the brain. Since the literature showing associations between the volumetry of brain structures in left and right mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) and verbal and visual memory performance on neuropsychological tests is conflicting, we revisited these relationships, considering the hippocampal volumetry of patients with unilateral MTLE.

[Possible role of Lercanidipine in Chiloperitoneum occurrence in CAPD: a case-report].

Chylous ascites is rarely observed in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis Here, we present the occurrence of chyloperitoneum in a peritoneal dialysis patient disappeared immediately after discontinuation of calcium-antagonist.

Neuropsychiatric features of the coexistence of epilepsy and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

Objective: To investigate demographic, epidemiologic and psychiatric features suggestive of the coexistence epilepsy (ES) and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) that may contribute to precocious suspicion of the association.

Methods: In this exploratory study, all patients older than 16 years admitted to prolonged video-electroencephalogram monitoring were evaluated about demographic, epileptological and psychiatric features. Detailed psychiatric assessment using M.

Treatment of epilepsy in patients with myasthenia gravis: Is really harder than it looks?

The relationship between myasthenia gravis (MG) and epilepsy has been rarely reported. As consequence, there are no specific guidelines for the management of these conditions when they mutually occur. We reported on three patients in whom epilepsy and MG are coexisting, but in different clinical settings.

The approach to patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures in epilepsy surgery centers regarding diagnosis, treatment, and education.

Previous studies, using surveys, provided an understanding about how health-care providers address patients with PNES. To date, there is limited information on the management of patients with PNES by tertiary referral centers for epilepsy. In this study, we surveyed 11 Brazilian epilepsy center directors about diagnosis, treatment, education and research on PNES.

Scott Fitzgerald: famous writer, alcoholism and probable epilepsy.

Scott Fitzgerald, a world-renowned American writer, suffered from various health problems, particularly alcohol dependence, and died suddenly at the age of 44. According to descriptions in A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway, Fitzgerald had episodes resembling complex partial seizures, raising the possibility of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Neuromodulation in refractory epilepsy: Brazilian specialists consensus.

Epilepsy is a potentially devastating brain disorder characterized by a predisposition to spontaneous epileptic seizures. In patients with medically refractory epilepsy, new non-pharmacological therapeutic approaches may be considered. In this scenario, palliative surgery such as vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) or deep brain stimulation (DBS) may be indicated in a subset of patients.

Exercise in Patients on Dialysis: A Multicenter, Randomized Clinical Trial.

Previous studies have suggested the benefits of physical exercise for patients on dialysis. We conducted the Exercise Introduction to Enhance Performance in Dialysis trial, a 6-month randomized, multicenter trial to test whether a simple, personalized walking exercise program at home, managed by dialysis staff, improves functional status in adult patients on dialysis. The main study outcomes included change in physical performance at 6 months, assessed by the 6-minute walking test and the five times sit-to-stand test, and in quality of life, assessed by the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF) questionnaire.

Improving first responders' psychogenic nonepileptic seizures diagnosis accuracy: Development and validation of a 6-item bedside diagnostic tool.

Objective: Epileptic seizures (ES) are often seen as a medical emergency, and their immediate and accurate recognition are pivotal in providing acute care. However, a number of clinical situations may mimic ES, potentially leading to misdiagnosis at the emergency room and to inappropriate prescription of antiepileptic drugs (AED) in the acute and chronic settings. Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) play a major role in this scenario and often delay the correct diagnosis and increase treatment morbidity and cost.

Reactivation of herpes simplex virus-1 following epilepsy surgery.

Purpose: The present study reports a case of encephalitis due to herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), following surgical manipulation of the site of a primary infection.

Methods: Herpes simplex virus-1 infection was confirmed by CSF PCR and DNA sequencing.

Results: The patient was an 11-year-old girl who required temporal lobe surgery for epilepsy.