Relation between neuropsychological impairment and functional disability in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

OBJECTIVES—To examine the relation betweenneuropsychological impairment and functional disability in patientswith chronic fatigue syndrome, and determine whether the relation isindependent of psychiatric factors.
METHODS—The subjects were 53 patients with chronicfatigue syndrome and 32 healthy controls who did not exerciseregularly. Subjects were administered a structured psychiatricinterview and completed questionnaires focusing on depression andfunctional disability. They also completed a battery of standardisedneuropsychological tasks focusing on the cognitive domains thatpatients with chronic fatigue syndrome experience as particularlydifficult: memory (verbal and visual), and attention/concentration. Atest score was defined as failing when it was 2 SD below the meanof the healthy controls after controlling for demographic factors.
RESULTS—Those patients with chronic fatiguesyndrome with higher numbers of failing neuropsychological test scoresreported significantly more days of general inactivity in the pastmonth than those with fewer failing scores. This result remainedsignificant even after partialling out the contribution of the presenceof a comorbid axis I psychiatric episode and the overall level ofdepressive symptomology. Patients with failing verbal memory scoreswere particularly functionally disabled compared with those withpassing scores.
CONCLUSION—A relation was found between cognitiveimpairment and functional disability which could not be explainedentirely on the basis of psychiatric factors.

     

fMRI response during visual motion stimulation in patients with late whiplash syndrome

After whiplash trauma, up to one fourth of patients develop chronic symptoms including head and neck pain and cognitive disturbances. Resting perfusion single-photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT) found decreased temporoparietooccipital tracer uptake among these long-term symptomatic patients with late whiplash syndrome. As MT/MST (V5/V5a) are located in that area, this study addressed the question whether these patients show impairments in visual motion perception. We examined five symptomatic patients with late whiplash syndrome, five asymptomatic patients after whiplash trauma, and a control group of seven volunteers without the history of trauma. Tests for visual motion perception and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measurements during visual motion stimulation were performed. Symptomatic patients showed a significant reduction in their ability to perceive coherent visual motion compared with controls, whereas the asymptomatic patients did not show this effect. fMRI activation was similar during random dot motion in all three groups, but was significantly decreased during coherent dot motion in the symptomatic patients compared with the other two groups. Reduced psychophysical motion performance and reduced fMRI responses in symptomatic patients with late whiplash syndrome both point to a functional impairment in cortical areas sensitive to coherent motion. Larger studies are needed to confirm these clinical and functional imaging results to provide a possible additional diagnostic criterion for the evaluation of patients with late whiplash syndrome.     

Neurobehavioral findings in whiplash patients with long-lasting symptoms

Thirty-four patients with persistent symptoms following whiplash injury and 21 controls with somatic complaints resembling those of the whiplash patients, but with no history of trauma, were studied. Forty-eight neuropsychological test variables were analyzed. The results indicated that whiplash patients with chronic symptoms are not much impaired in their performance as compared with controls. The differences found were not sufficiently strong to be taken as consistent evidence of brain damage occurring as a sequela of whiplash injury.     

The whiplash syndrome: a psychophysiological and neuropsychological study towards attention

Whiplash patients often have physical, psychosomatic and cognitive complaints, although clear neurological and neuropsychological signs of damage are absent. However, in some studies a functional loss of attention was found. In order to compare attentional dysfunctions in whiplash patients with age-matched controls, attention was measured neuropsychologically with the aid of the PASAT, and psychophysiologically with the aid of the prepulse inhibition paradigm. In addition, the reactivity for intense acoustic stimulation was investigated. The POMS and the SCL-90 were used to evaluate psychological and somatic signs. The results showed that whiplash patients ( n =24) had lower scores on the PASAT and higher scores on the questionnaires compared to healthy controls ( n =21). However, no group differences could be determined on the psychophysiological variables. Furthermore, the PASAT and prepulse inhibition data did not correlate. The lower PASAT scores indicate that whiplash patients seem to have deteriorated divided attention, but an attention deficit as measured with the prepulse inhibition paradigm is not disclosed. Finally, there were no signs of a heightened reactivity of the auditory system, which casts doubts on a presumed heightened sensitivity for sound in whiplash patients.     

The late whiplash syndrome: a biopsychosocial approach

Physicians and other therapists continue to grapple in daily practice with the controversies of the late whiplash syndrome. For decades much of the debate and the approach to this controversial syndrome has centred on the natural history of and progression to chronic pain after acute whiplash injury. Recognising that there is recent epidemiological data that defines the natural history of the acute whiplash injury outside of many of the confounding factors occurring in many western countries, and the lack of evidence for a "chronic whiplash injury", this article will thus introduce the biopsychosocial model, its elements, its advantages over the traditional model, and the practical application of this model. The biopsychosocial model recognises physical and psychological sources of somatic symptoms, but fundamentally recognises that the late whiplash syndrome is not the result of a "chronic injury".     

Seizure semiology and neuroimaging findings in patients with midline spikes

PURPOSE: Midline epileptiform discharges are rare compared with discharges at other scalp locations. Neuroimaging results and semiologic seizure characteristics of patients with midline spikes are not adequately described. The aim of this study was to describe the neuroimaging findings and detailed seizure semiologies in patients with midline spikes. METHODS: We reviewed the EEG database of the University of Michigan Medical Center and identified 35 patients with midline spikes. Information about seizure types and neuroimaging results was obtained from a review of medical records. The seizures were classified according to the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) criteria and semiologic classification. RESULTS: Twenty-nine (83%) patients had a history of seizures. Complex partial seizures and simple partial seizures were the most common seizure types, experienced by 66% of patients. The age at seizure onset was within the first 10 years in 90% of patients. According to the semiologic seizure classification, automotor seizures and tonic seizures were the most common seizure types. Neuroimaging studies were abnormal in 45% of patients. When focal abnormalities were detected, they were lateralized to one of the frontal lobes in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that in the majority of patients, midline spikes represent focal epileptiform activity rather than fragments of generalized discharges, and are most commonly associated with seizures of partial onset. Automotor seizures and tonic seizures are the most common semiologies. Focal radiologic abnormalities tend to be lateralized to one of the frontal lobes.     

遗忘型轻度认知损害的神经影像与神经心理特点

目的 了解aMCI脑结构改变和相关认知损害特点,探讨准确诊断aMCI的神经影像和神经心理生物指标。方法 3-DMRI采集35例aMCI患者和35名健康对照者脑结构信息,LEAP软件计算左右侧和均侧海马、杏仁核和颞角体积,MoCA测评认知功能。结果两组被试年龄、性别差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）,受教育年限差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。aMCI的左、右侧及均侧海马萎缩和右侧颞角扩大（P〈0．05）,MoCA总评分和注意力、重复句子、抽象能力、延迟回忆、定向力等亚项得分减低（P〈0．05）,MoCA与右、均侧海马及右侧杏仁核呈正相关（P〈0．05）。ROC分析显示Mo—cA总评分、左、右及均侧海马、左、右及均侧杏仁核等指标诊断aMCI准确性高（P〈0．01）。单独认知指标MoCA总评分和重复句子（wilks’Lambda=0．299,X^2=80．905,df=2,P〈0．01）区分aMCI和NC的准确性为88．6％,单独脑结构指标均侧海马和杏仁核（wilks’Lambda=0．515,X^244．509,df=2,P〈0．01）的准确性为81．4％,认知和脑结构综合指标MoCA总评分、均侧海马和左侧杏仁核（Wilks’Lambda=0．261,X^2=89．228,df=3,P〈0．01）的准确性为95．7％。结论 aMCI期已出现特异的海马、杏仁核萎缩和弥漫性认知损害,在AD非痴呆期联合应用认知测试和神经影像指标更有助于AD早期准确诊断。     

Neural and cognitive correlates of social cognition: findings on neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies

Social cognition includes various components of information processing related to communication with other individuals. In this review, we have discussed 3 components of social cognitive function: face recognition, empathy, and decision making. Our social behavior involves recognition based on facial features and also involves empathizing with others; while making decisions, it is important to consider the social consequences of the course of action followed. Face recognition is divided into 2 routes for information processing: a route responsible for overt recognition of the face's identity and a route for emotional and orienting responses based on the face's personal affective significance. Two systems are possibly involved in empathy: a basic emotional contagion "mirroring" system and a more advanced "theory of mind" system that considers the cognitive perspective. Decision making is mediated by a widespread system that includes several cortical and subcortical components. Numerous lesion and neuroimaging studies have contributed to clarifying the neural correlates of social cognitive function, and greater information can be obtained on social cognitive function by combining these 2 approaches.     

Pathological gambling: a systematic review of biochemical, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological findings

Pathological gambling is an emerging psychiatric disorder that has recently gained much attention because of its increasing prevalence and devastating personal, familial, and social consequences. Although its pathophysiology is largely unknown, the shared similarities with both addiction and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders have suggested the possibility of common psychobiological substrates. As with many other psychiatric disorders, it is believed that pathological gambling may result from the interplay between individual vulnerability and environmental factors. The aim of this article is to offer a comprehensive review of the main neurobiological aspects of pathological gambling, with particular attention to neuropsychological and related findings. A deeper understanding of the biological correlates of pathological gambling is required in order to develop effective treatment strategies.     

Episodic autobiographical memories over the course of time: Cognitive, neuropsychological and neuroimaging findings

The critical attributes of episodic memory are self, autonoetic consciousness and subjectively sensed time. The aim of this paper is to present a theoretical overview of our already published researches into the nature of episodic memory over the course of time. We have developed a new method of assessing autobiographical memory (TEMPau task), which is specially designed to measure these specific aspects, based on the sense of re-experiencing events from across the entire lifespan. Based on our findings of cognitive, neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies, new insights into episodic autobiographical memories are presented, focusing on the effects of age of the subjects interacting with time interval in healthy subjects and lesioned patients. The multifaceted and complex nature of episodic memory is emphasized and it is suggested that mental time travel through subjective time, which allows individuals to re-experience specific past events through a feeling of self-awareness, is the last feature of autobiographical memory to become fully operational in development and the first feature to go in aging and most amnesias. Our findings highlight the critical role of frontotemporal areas in constructive autobiographical memory processes, and especially hippocampus, in re-experiencing episodic details from the recent or more distant past.     

Long-term neuropsychological effects and MRI findings in patients with CS2 poisoning

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long-term neuropsychological effects and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings among retired patients with a history of exposure to carbon disulfide (CS2). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-four patients with a history of exposure to CS2 were divided into two equal groups according to their level of exposure, and they completed a questionnaire and were evaluated for neuropsychological symptoms using the Korean version of the revised Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Thirty-one MRI images were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in total, verbal and performance IQs between high- and low-exposure groups. MRI findings revealed a significantly larger number of cerebral lacunae (five of 12 subjects) in the high-exposure group. Periventricular hyperintensities were mostly located in frontal and occipital areas, and white-matter hyperintensities were mostly in frontal and parietal areas. CONCLUSION: The higher prevalence of lacunae in the high-exposure group as revealed by MRI suggests that further MRI studies are needed into long-term neuropsychological effects induced by CS2.     

Clinical,neuroimaging and cytogenetic findings in 20 patients with corpus callosum dysgenesis

Twenty children with corpus callosum agenesis or hypoplasia were evaluated under a standardized investigation protocol. Psychomotor retardation, seizures, and craniofacial anomalies were the most prominent findings. There were three cases of chromosomal anomalies, all of them representing trisomy of chromosome 8.     

Neurobiological model of obsessive–compulsive disorder: Evidence from recent neuropsychological and neuroimaging findings

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) was previously considered refractory to most types of therapeutic intervention. There is now, however, ample evidence that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and behavior therapy are highly effective methods for treatment of OCD. Furthermore, recent neurobiological studies of OCD have found a close correlation between clinical symptoms, cognitive function, and brain function. A large number of previous neuroimaging studies using positron emission tomography, single‐photon emission computed tomography or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have identified abnormally high activities throughout the frontal cortex and subcortical structures in patients with OCD. Most studies reported excessive activation of these areas during symptom provocation. Furthermore, these hyperactivities were decreased after successful treatment using either selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or behavioral therapy. Based on these findings, an orbitofronto‐striatal model has been postulated as an abnormal neural circuit that mediates symptomatic expression of OCD. On the other hand, previous neuropsychological studies of OCD have reported cognitive dysfunction in executive function, attention, nonverbal memory, and visuospatial skills. Moreover, recent fMRI studies have revealed a correlation between neuropsychological dysfunction and clinical symptoms in OCD by using neuropsychological tasks during fMRI. The evidence from fMRI studies suggests that broader regions, including dorsolateral prefrontal and posterior regions, might be involved in the pathophysiology of OCD. Further, we should consider that OCD is heterogeneous and might have several different neural systems related to clinical factors, such as symptom dimensions. This review outlines recent neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies of OCD. We will also describe several neurobiological models that have been developed recently. Advanced findings in these fields will update the conventional biological model of OCD.     

Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis patients with and without parkinsonism: Clinical characteristics and neuroimaging findings

Parkinsonism in cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) is rare. There are no published studies with imaging findings of dopamine transporter using ^99mTc‐[2‐[[2‐[[[3‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐8‐methyl‐8‐azabicyclo [3,2,1] oct‐2‐yl] methyl] (2‐mercaptoethyl) amino] ethyl] amino]‐ethanethiolato(3‐)‐N2,N2,S2,S2]oxo‐[1R‐(exo‐exo)] (^99mTc‐TRODAT‐1) SPECT in CTX patients. This report is on the clinical details of five genetically‐proven CTX patients (two with and three without parkinsonism). Imaging findings using cranial magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and ^99mTc‐TRODAT‐1 SPECT are also shown. Clinical correlation of neuroimaging findings and clinical presentations was made. A literature review of the clinical and neuroimaging features of eight CTX patients with parkinsonism reported in the English literature is also presented. The parkinsonian features of our two cases and the other eight reported cases occurred before the age of 50 years. The MR imaging study showed variable findings, in which, besides the common diffuse cerebral and cerebellar white matter lesions shown in CTX, several focal brain lesions were also noted. Of the focal lesions, substantia nigra abnormalities were seen only in the two cases with parkinsonism. The ^99mTc‐TRODAT‐1 SPECT study showed different degrees of unilateral or bilateral abnormalities in the striatal binding in both visual and semiquantitative assessments. parkinsonism can be one of the neurologic presentations of CTX. Even though abnormal findings of the substantia nigra were detected in both of our CTX patients with parkinsonism, basal ganglion lesions have not been uniformly described in MR imaging findings of reported CTX patients with parkinsonism. ^99mTc‐TRODAT‐1 SPECT study can be of value in the detection of striatal involvement, and the study results also suggest pre‐synaptic dopamine neuron involvement in CTX patients with parkinsonism. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society