[Treatment of spontaneous intracranial hypotension by epidural saline infusion].

Introduction: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is an uncommon cause of secondary headache due to a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypotension. Lumbar epidural blood-patch (LEBP) is the most effective treatment and can be repeated in case of relapse. There is no standard therapeutic strategy for patients free of dural tears who fail to respond to several consecutive blood-patches.

Recurrence of the T666M calcium channel CACNA1A gene mutation in familial hemiplegic migraine with progressive cerebellar ataxia.

Familial hemiplegic migraine (HM) is an autosomal dominant migraine with aura. In 20% of HM families, HM is associated with a mild permanent cerebellar ataxia (PCA). The CACNA1A gene encoding the alpha1A subunit of P/Q-type voltage-gated calcium channels is involved in 50% of unselected HM families and in all families with HM/PCA.

Mapping of a complicated familial spastic paraplegia to locus SPG4 on chromosome 2p.

Autosomal dominant familial spastic paraplegia (AD-FSP) is a degenerative disorder of the central motor system characterised by progressive spasticity of the lower limbs. AD-FSP has been divided into pure and complicated forms. Pure AD-FSP is genetically heterogeneous; three loci have been mapped to chromosomes 14q (SPG3), 2p (SPG4), and 15q (SPG6), whereas no loci responsible for complicated forms have been identified to date.

[A focus of multiple sclerosis in Bretagne: HLA markers and evaluation of consanguinity].

In a previous study, we established the overall prevalence of multiple sclerosis at 25 per 100,000 inhabitants in the French province of Brittany and found that the geographical distribution was uneven with four circumscribed high prevalence areas with more than 45 per 100,000. We conducted the present study to try to ascertain whether the existence of such clusters of MS could be explained by genetic factors, using two ways: the major histocompatibility markers and the frequency of intermarriage. Among the four areas of high prevalence, we examined the one with the highest prevalence, exempt from migratory movements over the last 100 years.