Oral sensorimotor therapy: Assessment,efficacy and future directions

This review addresses the current state of knowledge in oral sensorimotor therapy for children with neurological impairments and ingestive problems. Comprehensive assessment of the child with dysphagia looks at the interaction of oral performance and growth. These domains include eating efficiency, oral-motor skills, oral sensory evaluation, classification of the severity of an eating problem, interaction of respiration and ingestion, aspiration, positioning for feeding, social skills assessment, careload and assessment technologies. Oral sensorimotor therapy improves eating but not drinking skills in children 3–12 years of age. Weight gain is sufficient so that children maintain their growth channel but they do not show catchup growth. Many factors thought to contribute to better ingestive performance need further study, such as jaw and lip control in association with drinking. The earliest possible identification of infants at risk for eating impairments needs to be rigorously pursued. Such an approach offers hope that the later growth deterioration now seen in children with eating impairments may be prevented. Finally, the effect of positioning and the use of eating equipment to promote self-feeding need further study.     

Peripheral seventh nerve palsy due to transorbital intracranial penetrating pontine injury

The case of a child injured by a knitting needle penetrating transorbitally and intracranially, resulting in carotid cavernous fistula and pontine injury, is reported. After receiving medical and endovascular treatment, the only remaining abnormal neurological manifestation was right peripheral facial nerve palsy. The clinical sequences of events and the demonstration of a pontine lesion leading to peripheral facial palsy are presented. Facial nuclear injury with a penetrating trauma is an extremely rare condition. It is important to identify the anatomical regions injured in penetrating traumas. The lesions must be identified by computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, clinical and laboratory investigation.     

面神经颅外段血供的应用解剖学研究

目的探讨面神经颅外段的动脉来源及分布. 方法 15例新鲜尸体头颈部标本经双侧颈总动脉插管,加压注入红色乳胶或过氯乙烯填充剂,观察面神经颅外段的血供来源及分布. 结果面神经营养动脉来源于耳后动脉的茎乳动脉、颞浅动脉面神经支、面横动脉、颈外动脉上面神经支、颈外动脉下面神经支、面动脉后面神经支和面动脉前面神经支,其外径分别为(0.8±0.2) mm、(0.9±0.4) mm、(1.9±0.3) mm、(1.0±0.2) mm、(1.1±0.4) mm、(1.0±0.2) mm和(1.1±0.6) mm.各营养动脉除营养面神经外还发出分支相互吻合,构成了丰富的面神经血管网. 结论了解面神经颅外段动脉血供来源及分布,为避免腮腺咬肌区手术损伤面神经营养血管提供了解剖学基础.     

体外培养诱导外周血淋巴细胞促进大鼠面神经再生的实验研究

目的:通过在神经缺损处局部回输体外分离培养纯化的淋巴细胞,了解此种方法促进面神经损伤修复的效果。方法:将20只Wistar大鼠的面神经颊支剪断并立即缝合(其余3支反折缝合)制成面神经损伤模型大鼠,将其分成淋巴细胞组和对照组,每组10只,每组再分成2周组和8周组。淋巴细胞组局部回输体外分离培养的外周血淋巴细胞,对照组作对照。于2周和8周测定面神经颊支-触须肌复合动作电位传导速度,辣根过氧化物酶(HRP)神经逆行示踪测定面神经核团的神经元阳性数目。结果:淋巴细胞组面神经颊支-触须肌复合动作电位传导速度8周时为0.64±0.07,与对照组(0.56±0.07)相比,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。HRP神经逆行示踪测定面神经核团神经元阳性数目,淋巴细胞组2周及8周与对照组同时间段相比差异均无统计学意义(均P>0.05)。结论:体外分离培养纯化的淋巴细胞在局部应用于神经损伤处对面神经再生修复可起一定的促进作用。     

王静安治脾肾两虚脑瘫的比较研究

小儿脑瘫在中医学中属于五迟、五软的范畴,儿科鼻祖钱乙在治疗本病上重视培补先天,并创立了著名的"六味地黄丸"。身为中华医学会儿科专委会名誉主任委员的王静安,认为先天虚损是本病的重要病因之一,但是后天失养,亦可导致先天愈加亏虚,所以在治疗时重视顾护中州生升之气。对王老与钱乙在诊治脑瘫足软行迟方面的比较,另又比较了两例不同类型的脑瘫。     

Prefrontal cortex dysfunction and depression in atypical parkinsonian syndromes.

Depressive symptoms are common in patients with neurodegenerative disorders. Imaging studies suggest that a disruption of frontal-subcortical pathways may underlie depression associated with basal ganglia disease. This pilot study tested the hypothesis that frontal dysfunction contributes to depression associated with multiple system atrophy (MSA) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Depressed patients with MSA (n = 11), PSP (n = 9), and age-matched controls (n = 25) underwent measures of cerebral glucose metabolism applying positron emission tomography with (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose. Regional metabolism in the patient groups was compared to the normal subjects using the voxel-based statistical parametric mapping. Depressive symptom severity (Hamilton Depression Rating) and degree of locomotor disability (Hoehn & Yahr) were assessed in the patient groups. The association between prefrontal metabolism and the occurrence of depressive symptoms and the degree of locomotor disability was investigated. When compared to controls, MSA patients revealed significant metabolic decreases in bilateral frontal, parietal, and cerebellar cortex and in the left putamen. In PSP patients, significant hypometabolism was demonstrated in bilateral frontal cortex, right thalamus, and midbrain. Depression severity but not the patients' functional condition was significantly associated with dorsolateral prefrontal glucose metabolism in both patient groups. The findings of this pilot study support the hypothesis that depressive symptoms in MSA and PSP are associated with prefrontal dysfunction.     

Oculomotor nerve palsy due to thrombosis of a posterior communicating artery aneurysm following diagnostic angiography

We present a patient who developed a painful third nerve galsy two days after angiography had demonstrated a large aneurysm on the P1 segment of the left posterior cerebral artery. CT at this stage demonstrated extensive thrombus within the previously uncomplicated aneurysm. The haemodynamics of this aneurysm resulted in incomplete clearance of contrast medium from its fundus and we posit that this may have promoted thrombus formation. Six months later the aneurysm was shown angiographically to be completely occluded.     

Progressive supranuclear palsy with asymmetric lesions in the thalamus and cerebellum,with special reference to the unilateral predominance of many torpedoes

This report concerns a notable case of progressive supranuclear palsy exhibiting asymmetric dentate nucleus and thalamic degeneration with numerous torpedoes. The neuronal loss in the ventral lateral nucleus of the thalamus was predominant on the right side, while in the cerebellum, a quantitative study revealed the contralateral predominance of the neuronal loss in the dentate nuclei and torpedo formation, with preserved Purkinje cells. The abnormal tau-protein-related profiles in the two nuclei did not show any laterality in their distribution, indicating that the dentatothalamic tract may have been affected in a non-specific way in this case. In addition, the fact that the prominent sites of torpedo formation and loss of dentate nucleus neurons are identical supports the hypothesis that the torpedoes may be formed in association with neuronal loss in the dentate nucleus because of a plausible metabolic change in Purkinje cells through synaptic detachment of their axon terminals. Received: 4 January 1996 / Revised: 27 March 1996 / Accepted: 5 April 1996     

Fear and the startle reflex: Blink modulation and autonomic response patterns in animal and mutilation fearful subjects

The present study was designed to examine the pattern of startle reflex modulation and autonomic responses for individuals high in animal or blood-injury fear when viewing pictures of their feared objects. Sixteen individuals in each fear group and 16 low-fear control individuals viewed 32 color slides depicting fear-relevant, unpleasant but fear-unrelated, neutral, and pleasant scenes. Free viewing times were assessed in a second phase of the procedure as an index of avoidance behavior. Exposure to pictures of feared objects resulted in a consistent startle reflex potentiation and behavioral avoidance in both fear groups. This activation of the basic aversive system was independent of the autonomic pattern of the fear responses, which differed for the high-fear groups. These results suggest that the probe startle response indexes the organism's basic motivational disposition and add new information to the assessment of fear.