Premature centromere division of metaphase chromosomes in peripheral blood lymphocytes of Alzheimer's disease patients: relation to gender and age.

Chromosomal alterations are a feature of both aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study examined if premature centromere division (PCD), a chromosomal instability indicator increased in AD, is correlated with aging or, instead, represents a de novo chromosomal alteration due to accelerating aging in AD. PCD in peripheral blood lymphocytes was determined in sporadic AD patients and gender and age-matched unaffected controls.

Beneficial effects of ceftriaxone against pentylenetetrazole-evoked convulsions.

Although considered to be generally safe, a number of beta-lactam antibiotics have been associated with epileptic seizures in humans. Furthermore, some beta-lactam antibiotics, including ceftriaxone, are used to evoke convulsions under experimental conditions. Recently it was demonstrated that ceftriaxone increased expression of the glutamate transporter (GLT1) and its biochemical and functional activity in the brain of rodents.

[Clinical characteristics of speech-language dysfunctions in thalamic aphasia].

The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristic symptom cluster and the course of aphasia in 12 patients with single left thalamic lesion verified by CAT scan. The testing of language disorder was performed by standard linguistic tests for aphasia in the acute stage and one month after the insult. Although this clinical syndrome varied greatly it was possible to point out some common characteristics.

Serial position learning effects in patients with aneurysms of the anterior communicating artery.

Ruptured and repaired Anterior Communicating Artery (ACoA) aneurysm can result in devastating impairments involving memory, executive function, confabulation, and personality changes. This study tested serial position learning effects (SPEs) in patients following repaired and ruptured ACoA aneurysm, using results on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). Thirty patients with ruptured aneurysms of the ACoA and 31 matched controls were included in the study.

Declarative memory in early Parkinson's disease: serial position learning effects.

This study tested the question of whether executive failure associated with frontal lobe deficit is associated with, and therefore, may influence declarative memory dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD). A variety of memory and 'frontal sensitive' tasks were used. The 'frontal lobe dysfunction' hypothesis was tested in part, by examining the serial position effects (SPE) of word list learning across five successive trials.

Visuomotor skill learning on serial reaction time task in patients with early Parkinson's disease.

This study tested the role of basal ganglia in visuomotor skill learning. Thirty-nine patients early in the course of Parkinson's disease (PD) and 30 patients after operation for an aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery (ACoA) were compared with 31 matched control subjects on a Serial Reaction Time test (SRTt). The patients with PD showed impaired visuomotor skill learning across the repeating blocks, in the presence of preserved declarative knowledge of embedded sequences, in contrast to the ACoA group in whom the reverse pattern was observed.

[Disorders of olfactory function in penetrating head injuries sustained during war].

Olfactory function was estimated in the group of 37 patients with the penetrating war head injury. In 4 (10.8%) patients mutual anosmia was found.

[Application of LNNB in patients with closed brain injury].

Closed brain injury (CBI) has become epidemiological problem with important neuropsychological consequences that, although often not obvious without formal testing, are of great influence on cognitive and social functioning of these patients. We applied Luria Nebrasca Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB) to 24 victims of moderate and severe CVI after they regained proper orientation for time and place, and 75 to 180 days later. There were 18 male and 6 female patients, age from 16 to 55 years.

[Aphasia arising from left thalamic haemorrhage].

A patient, aged 58, with sudden loss of speech and right-sided haemiparesis is described. CT brain showed intracerebral haemorrhage in the left thalamus. The examination of speech functions established aphasia characterized by anomia, comprehension disorders, paraphasia, perseveration, reduction of spontaneous speech, dyslexia and agraphia.

[Neuropsychological impairments in non-demented patients with multiple sclerosis].

Neuropsychological investigation of 25 patients with multiple sclerosis was carried out. The aim of the study was the detection of vulnerability of certain neuropsychological functions caused by demyelinating process and estimation of impact of the clinical characteristics of the disease on cognitive functioning. Neuropsychological evaluation was performed by Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery.

[Rhombencephalitis as a manifestation of neuroborreliosis].

Rhombencephalitis is a rare neurological manifestation of stage II of Lyme disease. We presented two cases with no recollection of tick bite nor erythema migrans and with cranial nerve nuclei, pyramidal tract and cerebellar tracts involvement of sudden onset, inflammatory syndrome in cerebrospinal liquor, positive oligoclonal bands and elevated IgG index. A spontaneous remission occurred in both cases, but antibiotic was given intravenously for prevention of relapses and disease progression.

[Chronic encephalomyelitis caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Case report].

We present a female patient with typical third stage neuroborreliosis with progressive chronic encephalomyelitis. One month after a tick bite, in the first stage of Lyme disease, she had myalgias during ten days and after one year polyarthralgias and polyarthritis. Neurological problems occurred 15 years after the tick bite with headache, nystagmus, intentional tremor and spastic paraparesis with sphincter disturbances.

[Idiopathic normotensive hydrocephalus. Neuropsychologic evaluation after ventriculo-atrial shunt].

Two patients with normal-pressure hydrocephalus were assessed with Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery, before ventriculo-atrial shunting and six months later. The best improvement was recorded in attention, visuospatial and intellectual functions. It is well documented that normal-pressure hydrocephalus dementia can be reversible if proper selection for neurosurgical treatment is made.

[The intrathecal manometric lumbar infusion test (Katzman Test) in the diagnosis of normotensive hydrocephalus].

Over 12-months 17 patients were admitted to the hospital for the presumed diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). Four patients had cardinal signs of the syndrome: gait disturbance, dementia and urinary incontinence. Six patients had gait disturbance and dementia.

Dexamethasone suppression test in patients with Parkinson's disease.

The Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST), supposed to effectively distinguish between endogenous and nonendogenous depression, was performed in a group of 34 patients with Parkinson's disease. Abnormal DST results were observed in 50% of the patients. The patients were clinically divided into subgroups of depressed and nondepressed parkinsonians.

Auditory event-related potentials in different types of dementia.

Auditory event-related potentials were recorded in demented, drug-free patients with Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease, as well as in demented and nondemented patients with Parkinson's disease, who were matched for age, duration and stage of the disease. The normal P3 latency at a given age was predicted by using an age regression equation that had been calculated on the basis of the findings in 42 normal adults. Using this procedure, a prolonged P3 latency was found in about two thirds of demented patients, irrespectively of the underlying disease.

The disturbance of nonverbal functions in dysphasia.

Various modalities of six neuropsychological functions (graphia, calculia, finger gnosis, right-left orientation, praxia and constructive praxia) referred to as parietal or nonverbal have been investigated in the light of speech disorders. We examined 20 patients with brain lesion of vascular origin, who met the diagnostic criteria of mild and moderate dysphagia, 13 patients with Wernicke's and 7 with Broca's dysphasia. Verbal and nonverbal functions in patients with ischemic focuses of the speech area of the left hemisphere were investigated the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE).

[Thinking disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease].

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was carried on patients with Parkinson's disease in order to examine their conceptual thinking. On the basis of the Mini Mental State Examination and Self Rating Depression Scale 30 patients without dementia and depression of different aetiology and clinical picture, were selected. The comparison with the control group revealed a less successful Wisconsin Card Sorting test results in patients with Parkinson's disease, regarding the number of successfully tested categories and the number of perseverations.

Alexia with agraphia.

The authors presented a case of relatively pure syndrome of alexia with agraphia in a patient speaking Serbo-Croatian language. Reading disturbances showed some characteristics of a deep dyslexia. Besides severely impaired reading and writing abilities, some components of Gerstamnn's syndrome were also present.