Classification of methods in transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES) and evolving strategy from historical approaches to contemporary innovations

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES) encompasses all methods of non-invasive current application to the brain used in research and clinical practice. We present the first comprehensive and technical review, explaining the evolution of tES in both terminology and dosage over the past 100 years of research to present day. Current transcranial Pulsed Current Stimulation (tPCS) approaches such as Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES) descended from Electrosleep (ES) through Cranial Electro-stimulation Therapy (CET), Transcerebral Electrotherapy (TCET), and NeuroElectric Therapy (NET) while others like Transcutaneous Cranial Electrical Stimulation (TCES) descended from Electroanesthesia (EA) through Limoge, and Interferential Stimulation. Prior to a contemporary resurgence in interest, variations of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation were explored intermittently, including Polarizing current, Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS), and Transcranial Micropolarization. The development of these approaches alongside Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and pharmacological developments are considered. Both the roots and unique features of contemporary approaches such as transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) and transcranial Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS) are discussed. Trends and incremental developments in electrode montage and waveform spanning decades are presented leading to the present day. Commercial devices, seminal conferences, and regulatory decisions are noted. We conclude with six rules on how increasing medical and technological sophistication may now be leveraged for broader success and adoption of tES.     

Neonatal Seizures: Problems in Diagnosis and Classification

Summary: The clinical identification of neonatal seizures is critical for the recognition of brain dysfunction; however, diagnosis is often difficult because of the poorly organized and varied nature of these behaviors. Current classification systems are limited in their ability to communicate motor, autonomic, and electroencephalo-graphic features of seizures precisely and to provide a basis for uniform effective diagnosis, therapy, and determination of prognosis. Recent investigations of neonates, utilizing bedside electroencephalographic/polygraphic/ video monitoring techniques, have provided the basis for improved diagnosis and classification of seizures in the newborn. These studies have demonstrated that not all clinical phenomena currently considered to be seizures require electrocortical epileptiform activity for their initiation or elaboration. In addition, the specific clinical character of the phenomena considered to be seizures, the clinical state of the infant, and the character of the EEG indicate the probable pathophysiological mechanisms involved and suggest probable etiologies, prognosis, and therapy. Similarities between animal models that demonstrate reflex physiology and neonates with motor automatisms and tonic posturing suggest that these clinical behaviors may not be epileptic in origin but, rather, primitive movements of progression and posture mediated by brainstem mechanisms. Although not all clinical behaviors currently considered to be neonatal seizures may have similar pathophysiological mechanisms, they are clinically significant because they all indicate brain dysfunction.     

Valproate Monotherapy in the Management of Generalized and Partial Seizures

Summary: For decades, therapeutic tradition has promoted the concept of polypharmacy in the management of epilepsy. In recent years, however, studies have shown that, for most patients, monotherapy can provide comparable or better seizure control than administration of multiple anticonvulsants, while diminishing the potential for adverse reactions, drug interactions, and poor compliance. Valproate is an important monotherapeutic agent that is highly effective in the control of idiopathic primary and secondarily generalized epilepsies, and partial seizures that do not generalize. Comparative studies have found that valproate is at least as effective as phenytoin and carbamazepine in the treatment of generalized and partial seizures. Given the similar efficacy, other factors such as pharmacokinetics and side effects may therefore determine anticonvulsant selection for monotherapy.     

Un nouveau cadre conceptuel de travail pour la psychiatrie

In an attempt to place psychiatric thinking and the training of future psychiatrists more centrally into the context of modern biology, the author outlines the beginnings of a new intellectual framework for psychiatry that derives from current biological thinking about the relationship of mind to brain. The purpose of this framework is twofold. First, it is designed to emphasize that the professional requirements for future psychiatrists will demand a greater knowledge of the structure and functioning of the brain than is currently available in most training programs. Second, it is designed to illustrate that the unique domain which psychiatry occupies within academic medicine, the analysis of the interaction between social and biological determinants of behavior, can best be studied by also having a full understanding of the biological components of behavior.     

Clobazam for Treatment of Intractable Epilepsy: A Critical Assessment

Summary: Clobazam (CLB), a 1,5-benzodiazepine, is a remarkably effective add-on drug for individual patients with refractory partial epilepsy. CLB has an excellent safety record. As with all benzodiazepines used for treating epilepsy, sedation and withdrawal effects, together with the development of tolerance, limit its usefulness. Recent efforts to prevent or reverse tolerance with intermittent administration of CLB or periodic injection of a benzodiazepine antagonist, flumazenil, are encouraging and justify further investigations.     

La passion de Torquemada et le terrorisme islamique : quelques points de comparaison

This original research compares the doctrinal, psychopathological and operational standpoints of the 15th century Spanish Inquisition (Torquemada) with those of radical Islamism from 1988 to 2005 (Al-Qaeda). The following are reviewed: (a) the main texts codifying the procedure for conducting the criminal investigation of a Holy Office trial (Directorium inquisitorum); (b) the life and work of the grand inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada (1420–1498); (c) the psychopathological relations between passion (passionate psychoses, passionate idealism, paranoid personality) and fanaticism; (d) “the madmen, the enlightened and the criminals” of Islamic terrorism; (e) the cognitive and emotional motives for engagement in the jihadist radicalization of young people; (f) the common principles of monotheistic fanaticism (Inquisition, Al-Qaeda) and the particular dogmas of Islamic terrorism in our time; (g) the operating modes of the Inquisition and the Jihadist holy war. The author concludes that the rigour and seriousness of the inquisitorial judicial procedure, which was precise, individual and personalized, contrasts with the revolutionary pamphlets of Al-Qaeda, which only provide broad guidelines for the modus operandi of the fight against infidels, who are usually random victims.     

Claustration et collectionnisme : réflexions à propos d’un cas de syndrome de Diogène avec vols kleptomaniaques et vengeurs

Social withdrawal is a pathognomonic behaviour that is consistently associated with mental illnesses. Compulsive hoarding can also be interpreted as a pathological behaviour, even when it does not involve kleptomania. Diogenes syndrome (DS) was first described in 1975, and is characterized by both behaviours - social withdrawal and compulsive hoarding. Even though it is often the manifestation of a psychiatric condition, its aetiology is diverse. The most frequent ones are however: dementia, schizophrenia and mental retardation. In this study, we describe an atypical case presenting with DS. Il consists of a young man, seen in a forensic setting, who had been diagnosed with kleptomania in the past, presents with compulsive hoarding, and whose recent thefts were fuelled by revenge. Finally, to our knowledge, the way social withdrawal is viewed is seldom taken into account. We analyse its implication on social withdrawal.     

Neurological soft signs and schizophrenia: a review of current knowledge

Schizophrenia is a frequent and disabling disorder emerging during adolescence or early adulthood. The identification of underlying processes has been hampered by the complex clinical expression and the probable etiological heterogeneity. The frequency of neurological soft signs (NSS) in patients with schizophrenia and their presence early in life (during the first two years) in high risk subjects support the hypothesis that schizophrenia is a "brain disease" reflecting pre- or perinatal insults during development. The growing interest for NSS has lead to multiple studies that are often difficult to compare. The objective of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on NSS, methodological issues and the future perspectives.     

Lacan, lecteur de Minkowski : l'approche structurale

The notion of structure occupies a predominant place in the theory of Lacan. He indicates that was developed from the work of Minkowski. In fact, through his phenomeno-structural approach, Minkowski does not limit himself to purely observable phenomena, but attempts to determine the underlying structure. He refers to the comprehensive phenomenology and psychopathology, and this method provides him with clinical finesse and another means of determining a diagnosis. Thus Lacan has used this as a basis for his approach to structure to develop a theory regarding the individual. This implies that the structure of the individual is based on his relation to language. From this concept, he then develops the clinical structures of neurosis, psychosis, and perversion. These structural landmarks also have an effect on the course of treatment.     

Regard phénoménologique sur le noyau sensitif

In 1927, Ernst Kretschmer published the second German edition of “Paranoia and sensitivity: contribution to the problem of paranoia and psychiatric theory of character” in which Kretschmer opposes Kraepelin and abandons the idea of a persecutory delusion arising from an isolated point, evolving inexorably to the chronic state according to a rigid and progressive paranoid schema. In opposition to this implacable evolution, which for Kraepelin shows the progressive advance of an illness, Kretschmer posits the instabililty of the delusion and the frequent occurrence of an “abortive” paranoia: sensitive to the context, variable over time.Moreover, this author abandons the idea of identifying a single sensitive character, describing asthenic, psychopathic, expansive forms. He does nevertheless bring out an essential type of existence, seeking a common trait behind this clinical variability: retention of affects. This clinical approach is similar in some respects to the phenomenological approach: the reduction of any theory on paranoia and the free variation on the sensitive characters make it possible to go beyond the facticity of clinical pictures and to identify the eidetic characters of a paranoid type.We propose to identify other essential manifestations of such an existential type, and to envisage their relations with the melancholic type and the schizophrenic type. In particular we will examine the essential reasons for the sensitive's failure in meeting others, in reference to Buytendjik's phenomenology of meeting.     

Apports des dispositifs robotisés à la rééducation du membre supérieur hémiplégique

Introduction

Poststroke rehabilitation care has evolved considerably over the last decade. The emergence of the concepts of brain plasticity and motor learning has led to the development of new therapeutic approaches. Most of the new strategies are based on movement therapy, which can have a real impact on neurological recovery, sometimes with significant functional benefit for the patient.

State of the Art

In this context of evolving practices, the hemiplegic arm is the subject of special attention. Considering the often unfavorable “natural” prognosis and the relatively limited impact of conventional therapies; researchers have focused work on new alternatives. Cooperation between developers of technological advances and the medical community has led to the development of innovative therapeutic options often based on the use of specific technological tools (functional electric stimulation, virtual reality, transcranial magnetic stimulation…) to solicit or facilitate movement.

Perspectives/conclusion

Robot-assisted rehabilitation lies within this scope. The positive results reported in the most recent publications and the growing interest for this type of therapy in the fields of medical and engineering research should open the way for extremely promising prospects. The technological performance of new robots has nevertheless raised a large number of unanswered questions, implying a significant amount of further research.     

The neurochemistry and pharmacology of extinction behavior

The role of various neurotransmitter systems in the brain in extinction behavior is examined. An attempt is made to suggest psychological mechanisms (such as attention, secondary reinforcement or internal inhibition) by which the neurotransmitter systems or drugs act to produce the observed alteration in extinction behavior. The putative neurotransmitters acetylcholine, noradrenaline, dopamine, serotonin, endorphins and the peptides are reviewed, as are pharmacological agents such as the benzodiazepines, the barbiturates, the psychodelics, the neuroleptics, the psychomotor stimulants and cannabinoids. Other treatments and factors are considered such as peripheral hormones and the adrenal-pituitary axis. It is suggested that the noradrenergic system may be involved in the expression of extinction behavior by a role in selective attention, the dopamine system via an involvement with secondary reinforcement, the cholinergic system by a mechanism of response inhibition and the barbiturates and benzodiazepines by a block of nonreward.     

Diagnostic Difficulties and Treatment Implications

Summary: Differentiation between types of epileptic seizures has been aided in recent years by the introduction of intensive neurodiagnostic techniques and the development of increasingly detailed classification systems. Paradoxically, these developments have not simplified the task of matching the appropriate antiepileptic drug to a particular seizure type. It is reasonable to assume that anticonvulsant drugs will have different effects on different types of seizures, but faulty, circular reasoning can enter the picture if one also assumes that responses of seizures to different drugs signify different seizure types. There are several examples of differential diagnoses that can fall prey to this problem, including the diagnosis between partial seizures with secondary generalization and generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and the diagnosis between complex partial seizures and absence seizures with automatisms, among others. Considerations of etiology in future classification systems can further complicate the problem: should one then choose an anticonvulsant drug on the basis of individual seizure type or on the basis of the type of epilepsy? Ramifications of this issue extend even to the drug approval process. Official sanction is not given for use of a drug for a seizure type not included in the original efficacy studies, even if later scientific evidence shows that seizure type to be related to a type that is included. New trials must be undertaken. These problems arise from how we choose to classify seizures.     

Les poèmes français de Michel Mitsakis : néologies d’aède ou néologismes de phrénopathe ?

The Greek writer Michel Mitsakis (1863-1916) rapidly became known for the dynamic nature of his work, but also for his most singular behavior. His text on a village idiot and on the psychiatric hospital in Corfu are major literary works. After a first hospitalization for “dementia praecox” in 1896, after that date he hardly ever wrote in his native language. On the contrary, between 1900 and 1911, he wrote several poems in French scribbled in the margins of a volume of the Iliad, or on pieces of paper which he left on journalists’ desks. These poems are of great literary importance. The implication of the psychopathological process in Michel Mitsakis’s work is also of major interest.     

Using translational medicine to understand clinical differences between botulinum toxin formulations

When using botulinum toxin-based products, the physician must decide the optimal location and dose required to alleviate symptoms and improve the patient's quality of life. To deliver effective treatment, the physician needs to understand the importance of accurate target muscle selection and localization and the implications of each product's migration properties when diluted in different volumes. Pre-clinical mouse models of efficacy and safety have been utilized to compare local and distal muscle relaxation effects following defined intramuscular administration. Data from the model allow the products to be ranked based on their propensity for local efficacy versus their distal migration properties. Using standardized dilutions, the non-parallel dose–response curves for the various formulations demonstrate that they have different efficacy profiles. Distal effects were also noted at different treatment doses, which are reflected in the different safety and/or therapeutic margins. Based on these pre-clinical data, the safety and therapeutic margin rankings are ordered, largest to smallest, as BOTOX^®, Dysport^® and Myobloc^®. The results of subsequent clinical trials are variable and dose comparisons are inconclusive, thus supporting the regulatory position that the dose units of the individual preparations are unique and cannot be simply converted between products.     

Cognitive Dysfunction Associated with Antiepileptic Drug Therapy

Summary: Epilepsy is frequently associated with cognitive dysfunction. However, the reasons for this correlation are unclear. Possible influential factors include patient age; duration, frequency, etiology, and type of seizures; hereditary factors; psychosocial issues; and antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy. Whereas many of these factors are beyond the physician's control, AED therapy is one element that can be addressed in treatment decisions by recognizing the potential cognitive effects of particular AEDs. For example, phenobarbital impairs memory and concentration; phenytoin affects attention, problem solving ability, and performance of visuomotor tasks. In contrast, carbamazepine may affect concentration, while valproate would appear to have minimal effects on cognition. Moreover, cognitive effects of AEDs are amplified with coadministration of multiple anticonvulsants (polytherapy). A review of studies on the cognitive effects of monotherapy with AEDs, as opposed to those of polytherapy, provides evidence that drug-related cognitive dysfunction can be reversed if patients are switched to a simpler therapeutic regimen. Future research should be directed toward developing reliable measures for assessing and monitoring cognition, and understanding the particular cognitive side effects of each AED. Physicians also need to revise their opinions about which side effects are "tolerable" for epileptic patients.     

Hepatic Considerations in the Use of Antiepileptic Drugs

Summary: Virtually all of the major antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) can cause hepatotoxicity, although fatal hepatic reactions are rare. The mechanisms, incidences, and risk profiles for such reactions differ from drug to drug. With carbamazepine and phenytoin, hepatotoxicity may be due to drug hypersensitivity. Although the profiles of patients at risk have not been well-defined for these two antiepileptic drugs, it would appear from reports in the literature that older adolescents and adults are at higher risk than children of developing serious or fatal hepatotoxicity. Once hepatotoxicity develops, mortality rates are 10–38% with phenytoin and 25% for carbamazepine. The risk profile for valproate fatal hepatotoxicity has been more clearly defined. Those at primary risk of fatal hepatic dysfunction are children under the age of 2 years who are receiving multiple anticonvulsants and also have significant medical problems in addition to severe epilepsy. The risk is considerably lower for patients over the age of 2 years on valproate monotherapy. In contrast to the risk profile with other AEDs, adults receiving valproate as monotherapy have the lowest risk of hepatotoxicity. Fatal hepatic dysfunction coincident with valproate may be the result of aberrant drug metabolism. Concomitant use of AEDs that induce microsomal P450 enzymes (e.g., phenytoin and phenobarbital) may enhance the production of a toxic metabolite, and hence the greater risk of hepatotoxicity with polypharmacy.     

Pour une distinction de la machine à influencer et de l’objet autistique

While research on autism continues to progress, it is interesting to return to a particular point of view on the conception of Mahler and Elkisch's pathology, including the controversial assumption which was to consider some autistic constructions as preliminary to the development of the ‘Influencing Machine’. Consideration of the cas princeps of Tausk, in association with the more detailed Haslam, Porter and Williams, allows a demonstration of the function of these machines within the mental processes of the subjects presented. This subjective work engages the subjects to find the cause of bodily manifestations and hallucinations while delirious. The response is to blame ‘Influencing Machines’ considered by the subject as driven by an autonomous dynamic system linked to a participating elementary phenomena of psychosis. Gradually the conclusion is reached that there is a machine and this signifies the systematization of psychotic delirium as a result of mental automatism. Different to this, the autistic machine is the result of knowledge that comes from an elaboration trying to compensate for the absence of the symbolic function. While the friends of the psychotic are subject to the same punishment as him, the autistic person is the only one driven by the machines he imagines. Their functioning in connections come to affect the enigma of the body, libidinal function and distinction with the Other. It is a question of created machines, controlled by the autistic person, unlike the delusions of machines by the psychotic subject, where the initiation and execution come from the Other, and which therefore exert an influence on the subject.     

Violences, homicides et délires de persécution

Persecution and prejudice are the most common themes of delirium. Psychotic subjects (paranoiacs or schizophrenics) who suffer from delirium are therefore liable to defensive behavioural characteristics and mechanisms. These characteristics include behaviour of avoidance or escape and even aggression towards the persecutor/s. In such cases, violent acts are committed in an effort to control or destroy the source of suffering and persecution. Several examples regularly attest this claim. In complement to classical therapeutic methods, certain new cognitive and behaviourist psychotherapies of chronic psychoses, appear to be promising therapeutic and preventive vectors, which reduce or resolve the different intensity of criminal urges caused by certain delirium of persecution and prejudices. Delirium of prejudice and persecution, whether isolated or associated with other themes of delirium, are a risk factor for emotional changes, which can engender self or heteroaggressive acts (once or multiple), carried out by subjects who suffer from them. The interruption of treatment of these psychotic processes, when they exist, is a possible factor for maintaining or increasing these troubles and sometimes of the dangers associated with them. Therefore, to avoid subjects committing dangerous acts, constant and regular checks of psychotherapeutic and psychotropic treatment, with constrained hospitalisation if necessary, are curative and preventive measures, should be systematic.