Evaluation of Heart Rate Variation Analysis during Rest and Tilting in Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Objective. To evaluate spectral heart rate (HR) variation using short-term ECG recordings at rest and during the tilt table test. Methods.

Heart rate dynamics in temporal lobe epilepsy-A long-term follow-up study.

The aim of the present study was to prospectively evaluate long-term changes in interictal heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). A 24-h ECG was recorded at baseline and after a mean follow-up of 6.1 years in 18 patients with refractory TLE and 18 patients with well-controlled TLE.

Sudomotor dysfunction in patients with optic neuritis.

Objectives: Optic neuritis (ON) is a frequent initial manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS). Autonomic failure affecting the pupillary function is known to exist in ON patients, and patients with MS are known to have more widespread autonomic dysfunction. For example, sudomotor dysfunction is well known in MS.

Orthostatic hypotension, balance and falls in Parkinson's disease.

Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a common feature in Parkinson's disease (PD). As the control of balance and gait is already affected by PD per se, OH may further predispose patients to falls and accidents. The study was conducted to evaluate the clinical correlates of OH and its association with mobility and balance in PD.

F413C and A531V but not R894X myotonia congenita mutations cause defective endoplasmic reticulum export of the muscle-specific chloride channel CLC-1.

In northern Finland myotonia congenita is caused by three main mutations in the ClC-1 chloride channel. We studied the molecular basis of these mutations (1238T>G/F413C, 1592C>T/A531V, and 2680C>T/R894X). The mutated cDNAs were expressed either in L6 myotubes or in isolated rat myofibers using recombinant Semliki Forest virus.

Postural sway and falls in Parkinson's disease: a regression approach.

A population-based study was designed to evaluate the clinical associates of postural sway and to identify the risk factors for falls in Parkinson's disease (PD). From a total population of 205,000 inhabitants, 215 PD patients were identified of which 120 home-dwelling cases were finally included in the study. Medical data were collected and patients were clinically examined and tested for static balance using an inclinometric device.

Sweating in Parkinsonian patients with wearing-off.

Disorders of the autonomic nervous system are common in Parkinson's disease (PD). Earlier studies suggest that some nonmotor symptoms may fluctuate with the motor symptoms, but the possible interrelationship between motor phenomena and sweating has not been studied. The authors measured sweating by using an evaporimeter on three different areas of the body (right hand, left hand, chest) immediately before the morning PD medication (baseline), and thereafter hourly up to 4 hour, in 16 PD patients with wearing-off type of motor fluctuations and in 15 patients without clinical motor fluctuations.

Cardiac autonomic control in patients with refractory epilepsy before and during vagus nerve stimulation treatment: a one-year follow-up study.

Purpose: To elucidate possible effect of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy on interictal heart rate (HR) variability in patients with refractory epilepsy before and after 1-year VNS treatment.

Methods: A 24-hour electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded at the baseline and after 12 months of VNS treatment in 14 patients with refractory epilepsy, and once in 28 healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects. Time and frequency domain measures, along with fractal and complexity measures of HR variability, were analyzed from the ECG recordings.

Cardiovascular regulation and hippocampal sclerosis.

Purpose: Cardiovascular dysregulation has been detected in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) by using cardiovascular reflex tests and analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). The two methods have not previously been used in the same study to compare them in the assessment of cardioregulatory function. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered the best method to reveal structural changes such as hippocampal sclerosis associated with TLE.

Nocturnal cardiac autonomic regulation in Parkinson's disease.

Diminished heart rate (HR) variability has been reported in patients with early phase Parkinson's disease (PD) using standardized cardiovascular reflex tests. However, limited data exist on HR variability during sleep; thus the present study was performed to investigate the characteristics of HR variability during different sleep stages. The HR variability of 21 newly diagnosed and untreated PD patients and of 22 control subjects was evaluated by using time domain, frequency domain and non-linear methods and by analyzing HR reactions to body movements during the different sleep stages (non-REM stages S1-4 and the REM stage).

Thyroid function in girls with epilepsy with carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, or valproate monotherapy and after withdrawal of medication.

Purpose: Antiepileptic drugs may affect the serum thyroid hormone concentrations. The aim of this study was to evaluate thyroid function in 78 girls taking carbamazepine (CBZ), oxcarbazepine (OXC), or valproate (VPA) monotherapy for epilepsy and after withdrawal of the treatment.

Methods: Forty-one girls taking VPA, 19 taking CBZ, and 18 taking OXC for epilepsy, as well as 54 healthy age-matched controls, aged 8 to 18 years, participated in the study.

Circadian heart rate variability in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease is known to affect the reflex cardiovascular control systems, resulting in a suppressed heart rate variability, but present knowledge concerning the long-term characteristics of heart rate and heart rate variability, e. g. circadian regulation, is limited.

Analysis of sway in Parkinson's disease using a new inclinometry-based method.

In order to analyze balance control, we developed a new inclinometry-based method to provide direct information about body sway in the side-to-side and forward-backward directions. We tested the clinical utility of this method for analyzing balance in Parkinson's disease (PD), and studied the clinical correlates of the balance measures in PD. Postural sway was measured during quiet stance with eyes open and eyes closed in 28 PD patients and in 32 age- and sex-matched control subjects.