Search results for " Brain"
showing 10 items of 985 documents
Dissociation of emotional processes in response to visual and olfactory stimuli following frontotemporal damage.
2005
Contemporary neuropsychological studies have stressed the widely distributed and multicomponential nature of human affective processes. Here, we examined facial electromyographic (EMG) (zygomaticus and corrugator muscle activity), autonomic (skin conductance and heart rate) and subjective measures of affective valence and arousal in patient TG, a 30 year-old man with left anterior mediotemporal and left orbitofrontal lesions resulting from a traumatic brain injury. Both TG and a normal control group were exposed to hedonically valenced visual and olfactory stimuli. In contrast with control subjects, facial EMG and electrodermal activity in TG did not differentiate among pleasant, unpleasant…
Perceptual Pseudoneglect in Schizophrenia: Candidate Endophenotype and the Role of the Right Parietal Cortex
2013
Several contributions have reported an altered expression of pseudoneglect in psychiatric disorders, highlighting the existence of an anomalous brain lateralization in affected subjects. Surprisingly, no studies have yet investigated pseudoneglect in first-degree relatives (FdR) of psychiatric patients. We investigated performance on “paper and pencil” line bisection (LB) tasks in 68 schizophrenic patients (SCZ), 42 unaffected FdR, 41 unipolar depressive patients (UP), and 103 healthy subjects (HS). A subgroup of 20 SCZ and 16 HS underwent computerized LB and mental number line bisection (MNL) tasks requiring judgment of prebisected lines and numerical intervals. Moreover, we evaluated, in …
A multiple biomarker risk score for guiding clinical decisions using a decision curve approach.
2011
Aims: We assessed whether a cardiovascular risk model based on classic risk factors (e.g. cholesterol, blood pressure) could refine disease prediction if it included novel biomarkers (C-reactive protein, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, troponin I) using a decision curve approach which can incorporate clinical consequences. Methods and results: We evaluated whether a model including biomarkers and classic risk factors could improve prediction of 10 year risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD; chronic heart disease and ischaemic stroke) against a classic risk factor model using a decision curve approach in two prospective MORGAM cohorts. This included 7739 men and women with 457 CVD …
Visuospatial attention lateralization in volleyball players and in rowers.
2011
In the present study, differences in visuospatial attention lateralization were evaluated in athletes engaged in open- compared to closed-skill sports and sedentary nonathletes. 23 volleyball players (open skill; Italian national level and regional level), 10 rowers (closed skill, Italian national level), and 23 sedentary participants responded to a computerized line-length judgment task. Five lines, differing in the length of their right and left segments, were randomly presented; the respondent made a forced-choice decision about the respective length of the two segments. Volleyball players responded significantly faster; those at the higher competitive level were also more accurate, mak…
Biomarkers for characterization of heart failure - Distinction of heart failure with preserved and reduced ejection fraction.
2016
Heart failure (HF) incidence is rising worldwide and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) represents nearly half of all cases. Treatment options are still limited in HFpEF in comparison to HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).We analyzed biomarkers in the general population to characterize HFpEF and HFrEF and defined a biomarker index to differentiate HFpEF from HFrEF. Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), soluble source of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2), C-reactive protein (CRP) and NT-proBNP were measured in 5000 individuals of the population-based Gutenberg Health Study (GHS). The median follow-up time for all-cause mortality was 7.3years with 213 events.Identification of subje…
Cerebral blood flow in autogenic training and hypnosis.
1987
In 12 healthy volunteers with at least an experience of six months in autogenic training (AT), the cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured at rest, in AT and in hypnosis (H). The results were correlated with individual test profiles. The cortical flow pattern at rest of our AT trained volunteers did not show the hyperfrontality which is described in the literature. This may be interpreted as an effect of better and habitualized relaxation in long trained AT practitioners. This flow pattern corresponds to the low grades of neuroticism and aggressivity found in the tests. Furthermore an activation in central cortical areas and a deactivation in regions which are associated with acoustic and au…
Spectroscopic axonal damage of the right locus coeruleus relates to selective attention impairment in early stage relapsing-remitting multiple sclero…
2003
Summary Lower levels of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), a marker of axonal damage, have been found in the normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with low physical disability. However, its relation to the clinical status of these patients remains unclear. We explored the association between NAA levels [normalized to creatine (Cr), NAA/Cr] and a cognitive feature that is not measured by the standard scales that address functional disability [e.g. Expanded Disability Scale Score (EDSS)] in early RRMS. Given that a considerable number of RRMS patients present attentional dysfunction early in the disease and assuming a functional-anatomical orient…
Isolated cranial nerve palsies in multiple sclerosis
1997
During a 10 year period 24 patients with definite multiple sclerosis with isolated cranial nerve palsies were studied (third and fourth nerve: one patient each, sixth nerve: 12 patients, seventh nerve: three patients, eighth nerve: seven patients), in whom cranial nerve palsies were the presenting sign in 14 and the only clinical sign of an exacerbation in 10 patients. MRI was carried out in 20 patients and substantiated corresponding brainstem lesions in seven patients (third nerve: one patient, sixth nerve: four patients, eighth nerve: two patients). Additional abnormal findings of electro-oculography, or masseter reflex, or blink reflex, or combinations of these were found in 20 patients…
The location by early auditory evoked potentials (EAEP) of acoustic nerve and brainstem demyelination in multiple sclerosis (MS).
1980
Tone pips of suprathreshold intensities elicit an acoustic nerve response (I) and six low amplitude brainstem potentials (II-VII) during the initial 10 ms. Seven waves were studied in 40 control subjects and 5 waves (I-V) in 47 patients with MS. The results suggest involvement of the auditory pathway of 24 of 27 patients in the clinically "definite", of 5 of 9 cases in the "probable" and in none of 5 patients in the "possible" MS groups. EAEPs were normal in 6 cases with a spinal form with one exception where changes of potential were indicative of a midbrain lesion. Dysfunction within the acoustic pathway was observed at the level of the acoustic nerve and in the medulla oblongata, pons an…
How many parkinsonian patients are suitable candidates for deep brain stimulation of subthalamic nucleus? Results of a questionnaire.
2008
We used a CAPSIT-based questionnaire to estimate the percentage of parkinsonian patients suitable for subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) in a movement disorders clinic. We found that out of 641 consecutive PD patients only 1.6% fulfilled strict STN-DBS criteria. When we applied more flexible criteria, the percentage of eligibility increased to 4.5%. Most patients (60%) were ineligible because they did not satisfy multiple questionnaire items. Items related to disease severity were responsible for the largest number of exclusions. This knowledge will help make decisions on resource allocation in centres wishing to start DBS surgery.