Analogical Matrices in Young Children and Students with Intellectual Disability: Reasoning by Analogy or Reasoning by Association?

Background Analogical reasoning (AR) is renowned for being a complex activity. Young children tend to reason by association, rather by analogy, and people with intellectual disability present problems of memorization. Both these populations usually show low performances in AR. The present author investigated whether familiar material and external memories could enable them to obtain better performances. Material Our computerized AR test uses a touch screen. The 2 × 2 matrices are composed of familiar pictures and relations, and declined in two versions. The classic version requires memorizing all the relations involved in order to discover the solution, whereas the construction version requires constructing the answer part by part by using external memories, which potentially unload the memory. Results Our results showed that people with intellectual disability reached lower performances than typically developing children in the classic version, but similar performances in the construction version. In addition, both these populations reasoned mostly by analogy and not by association.     

Functional Impairments in a Patient with Morvan Syndrome: A Case Presentation

A 48-year-old man with lung squamous cell carcinoma was admitted to acute care with cognitive impairment after recent chemotherapy. He developed myoclonus, ataxia, agitation, and visual hallucinations. Morvan syndrome, a rare voltage-gated potassium channel antibody disorder characterized by neuromyotonia with central nervous system dysfunction, was eventually diagnosed. He received plasmapheresis and was admitted to inpatient rehabilitation, where he safely participated in therapies. By focusing on neuromuscular rehabilitation, balance training, fine motor skills, and cognitive retraining emphasizing skills relevant to the patient’s premorbid cognitive activities, the patient demonstrated significant functional improvement, decreasing the burden of care of his caregivers.

Hemicrania Continua–Like Headache With Leprosy: Casual or Causal Association?

Hemicrania continua is a strictly unilateral, moderate to severe, continuous, indomethacin-responsive primary headache disorder with ipsilateral autonomic cranial symptoms at the time of exacerbations. We describe a 30-year-old woman with a 4-month history of indomethacin-responsive hemicrania continua–like headache and one-month history of mononeuritis multiplex due to leprosy. Indomethacin was successfully weaned off after completion of antileprotic therapy.     

Pancreatic fat in type 2 diabetes: Causal or coincidental?

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a multifactorial metabolic disorder affecting more than 450 million people across the globe. With the increasing prevalence of T2D and obesity, the role of fat accumulation at sites other than subcutaneous adipose tissue has received significant attention in the pathophysiology of T2D. Over the past decade and a half, a pressing concern has emerged on investigating the association of pancreatic fat accumulation or pancreatic steatosis with the development of disease. While a few reports have suggested a possible association between pancreatic fat and T2D and/or impaired glucose metabolism, a few reports suggest a lack of such association. Pancreatic fat has also been linked with genetic risk of developing T2D, prediabetes, reduced insulin secretion, and beta cell dysfunction albeit some confounding factors such as age and ethnicity may affect the outcome. With the technological advancements in clinical imaging and progress in assessment of pancreatic beta cell function, our understanding of the role of pancreatic fat in causing insulin resistance and development of various etiologies of T2D has significantly improved. This review summarizes various findings on the possible association of pancreatic fat accumulation with the pathophysiology of T2D.     

Gabapentin Withdrawal Syndrome in a Post–Liver Transplant Patient

ABSTRACT

A 41-year-old male with a previous orthotopic liver transplant began experiencing insomnia, anxiety, diaphoresis, headaches, and palpitations that progressed over a 2-day period. As part of his home medication regimen, the patient was taking gabapentin for peripheral neuropathy. His acute onset of increasing symptoms coincided with an inadvertent discontinuation of gabapentin. After reinitiation of gabapentin therapy, the symptoms slowly improved over the next 24 hours and the episode of gabapentin withdrawal syndrome resolved.     

Narrow QRS Tachycardia in a Patient with Tachycardiomyopathy: What Is the Mechanism?

A 50‐year‐old female presented with incessant palpitation of 2 weeks duration. She was hemodynamically stable and there was no evidence of heart failure. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed mild left ventricular (LV) dysfunction with LV ejection fraction of 45%. Electrocardiogram (12 lead and rhythm strip) was taken during the palpitation. What is the mechanism?     

Red Ear: Syndrome or Symptom?

Red ear syndrome (RES) is a rare disorder characterized by attacks of unilateral ear pain during which the ear becomes red. Episodes can occur spontaneously, or be triggered, in most cases, by rubbing or touching the ear. Both duration and frequency are variable. RES has been explained by a dysfunction of cervical spinal nerves (C3 root) and a dysregulation with disinhibition of brainstem trigemino‐autonomic circuits, leading to sympathetic inhibition and parasympathetic hyperactivity producing vasodilation. We describe 6 new cases of RES with different characteristics. Although all presented the cardinal symptom of red ear, the headache patterns were suggestive of other primary headaches (migraine or cluster headache). Therapeutic response was obtained when directed to the associated primary headache phenotype, suggesting that RES may be a phenomena associated with different headaches, rather than a syndrome in itself.