Purpose: Subacute combined degeneration (SCD) involves progressive degeneration of the spinal cord, optic nerve, and peripheral nerves. Vitamin B12 (VB12) is a co-factor in myelin synthesis. Because each cell that constitutes the myelin component in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system is different, it is improbable that these cells undergo simultaneous degeneration. However, the sequence of degeneration in SCD has not been established.
Materials And Methods: In this study, we analysed medical records and electrophysiological data of patients who showed neurological symptoms and whose serum VB12 levels were lower than 200 pg/mL.
Results: We enrolled 49 patients in this study. Their mean VB12 level was 68.3 pg/mL. Somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) study showed abnormal findings in 38 patients. Of the 40 patients who underwent visual evoked potential (VEP) study, 14 showed abnormal responses. Eighteen patients showed abnormal findings on a nerve conduction study (NCS). In this study, abnormal posterior tibial nerve SEPs only were seen in 16 patients, median nerve SEPs only were seen in 3 patients, abnormal VEPs only in two, and abnormal NCS responses in one patient. No patient complained of cognitive symptoms.
Conclusion: In SCD, degeneration appears to progress in the following order: lower spinal cord, cervical spinal cord, peripheral nerve/optic nerve, and finally, the brain.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2012.53.2.276 | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
January 2025
Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
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January 2025
Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, United States.
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January 2025
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Sheehan syndrome (SS) is postpartum pituitary necrosis leading to severe hypopituitarism. Severe bleeding during delivery and postpartum period results in ischemic necrosis of the enlarged pituitary gland during pregnancy. The improved obstetrical care decreased the incidence of SS significantly, however SS should always be kept in mind in the etiologies of hypopitutarism in women which can be easily recognized by medical history of the patient.
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January 2025
Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, 4515 McKinley Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has dramatically advanced non-invasive human brain mapping and decoding. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) non-invasively measure blood oxygen fluctuations related to brain activity, like fMRI, at the brain surface, using more-lightweight equipment that circumvents ergonomic and logistical limitations of fMRI. HD-DOT grids have smaller inter-optode spacing (~ 13 mm) than sparse fNIRS (~ 30 mm) and therefore provide higher image quality, with spatial resolution ~ 1/2 that of fMRI, when using the several source-detector distances (13-40 mm) afforded by the HD-DOT grid.
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January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
People with amblyopia show deficits in global motion perception, especially at slow speeds. These observers are also known to have unstable fixation when viewing stationary fixation targets, relative to healthy controls. It is possible that poor fixation stability during motion viewing interferes with the fidelity of the input to motion-sensitive neurons in visual cortex.
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