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Biomedical subjects

A B Joseph

Publications and source records attributed to A B Joseph.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The use of intramuscular midazolam for acute seizure cessation or behavioral emergencies in patients with traumatic brain injury.

Brain-injured patients involved in rehabilitation programs are susceptible to the occurrence of acute seizures or severe behavioral episodes. Effective pharmacological management in this setting should ideally include rapid onset without severe adverse effects. Previous treatments have generally included intramuscular diazepam or lorazepam, as well as intramuscular antipsychotic drugs. These options have proved problematic due to poor absorption, slow onset of activity, or potential for unacceptable side effects. We report 10 cases involving the use of intramuscular midazolam, a rapid-acting, short half-life benzodiazepine, in treating acute seizures or behavioral problems. We conclude that this drug demonstrates great promise for the rapid, effective treatment of these conditions without significant adverse effects and deserves further study in these areas.

Adult

Non-right-handedness and maleness correlate with tardive dyskinesia among patients taking neuroleptics.

Forty-eight consecutive psychiatric outpatients receiving neuroleptics were assessed for handedness and the presence of tardive dyskinesia (TD). Twenty-seven patients had TD and 21 did not. Twenty-one of the patients with TD had some degree of non-right-handedness compared with 3 of the patients without TD. These results were found to be statistically significant. Maleness also correlated with the presence of TD, but the results were less robustly significant. These findings indicate that non-right-handedness and maleness may correlate with the risk of developing TD. To the author's knowledge, these findings have not been previously reported.

Adult

Bilateral atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes in schizophrenic patients with Capgras syndrome: a case-control study using computed tomography.

The computed tomographic scans of 12 patients with Capgras syndrome and 12 matched controls were blindly assessed. A variety of statistical comparisons between the two groups consistently showed that patients with Capgras syndrome had significantly more bilateral frontal and temporal lobe atrophy. Capgras syndrome may be associated with dysfunction of these areas. Interestingly, all of the index patients had paranoid schizophrenia, and these results suggest the hypothesis that in some schizophrenic patients the presence of Capgras syndrome may be a marker for the coexistence of a focal idiopathic neurodegenerative process that preferentially affects the anterior cerebrum bilaterally.

Adult

Delusional misidentification of the Capgras and intermetamorphosis types responding to clorazepate. A case report.

A patient with chronic psychosis and intermittent psychotic misidentification of the Capgras and intermetamorphosis types refractory to neuroleptic treatment was given a trial of clorazepate. Complete remission of psychotic symptoms was achieved for the first time in 19 years, but these recurred when the patient discontinued her clorazepate. It is concluded that clorazepate may be a useful treatment for some cases of chronic psychosis and psychotic misidentification. A possible mechanism for this is discussed.

Anti-Anxiety Agents

Anterior cortical atrophy in Fregoli syndrome.

The computed tomography scans of 10 patients with Fregoli syndrome and 10 matched controls were blindly assessed. Patients with Fregoli syndrome showed more frontal and temporal lobe atrophy than controls. Fregoli syndrome may be associated with dysfunction of these areas.

Adult

A hypergraphic syndrome of automatic writing, affective disorder, and temporal lobe epilepsy in two patients.

Two patients are described who wrote complex textual material suddenly, automatically, and without volitional control. Each met DSM-III criteria for a major affective disorder, had clinical and electrophysiologic temporal lobe epilepsy, absence spells, episodic expressive aphasia, and a history of traumatic loss of consciousness. The episodes of automatic writing met the criteria for ictal events. These patients may have experienced an ictal analogue of interictal hypergraphia. The behavioral neurologic features of this syndrome are discussed in relation to its clinical presentation and known disorders of writing.

Adolescent

Koro: computed tomography and brain electrical activity mapping in two patients.

In koro, the sensation of penile retraction is coupled with an intense fear that death will occur once the retraction is complete. Koro has been reported mainly in Southeast Asia, and it occurs in both epidemic and sporadic forms. Two cases, the first each in natives of Haiti and Ethiopia, are presented. Similarities between them and computed tomography and brain electrical activity mapping data are used to support the concept that sporadic koro may be a form of right temporoparietal or bitemporoparietal dysfunction similar to sexual epilepsy. The hypothesis is advanced that epidemic koro occurs in permissive cultures when groups of individuals imitate sporadic koro.

Adult

Brain atrophy and interhemispheric fissure enlargement in Cotard's syndrome.

The hallmark of Cotard's syndrome is the delusion of being dead. The literature indicates that it is often associated with parietal lobe lesions. This association was investigated by blindly comparing the computed tomographic scans of eight patients who had Cotard's syndrome (one of whom is described) with those of eight controls matched as closely as possible for age, sex, race, and principal psychiatric diagnosis. Two trends emerged. Compared with controls, patients with Cotard's syndrome had more brain atrophy in general and more median frontal lobe atrophy in particular. Parietal disease did not discriminate between the index and control groups. Cotard's syndrome may be associated with multifocal brain atrophy and medial frontal lobe disease.

Adolescent

Cotard's syndrome in a patient with coexistent Capgras' syndrome, syndrome of subjective doubles, and palinopsia.

The hallmark of Cotard's syndrome is the delusion of being dead. It is usually seen in affective disorders, and its existence as a separate entity is controversial. A patient is described who presented with paranoid schizophrenia, Cotard's syndrome, the misidentification syndromes of Capgras and subjective doubles, and palinopsia (visual perseveration). Focal theories for these conditions are briefly outlined and the patient is discussed with reference to them. It is proposed that this case supports the concept that Cotard's syndrome is a distinct disorder. The possibility of cerebral dysfunction in the confluence of the parietal, temporal, and occipital regions accounting for this specific clinical presentation is considered.

Adult

Design considerations for the brain-machine interface.

Implantation of prosthetic devices designed to complement the function of the human brain is a rare but well recognized innovative treatment for some patients. If this technique is to become clinically useful special attention will have to be paid to the bio-engineering requirements of the prosthesis-brain interface.

Biomedical Engineering

Brainstem and vermis atrophy in catatonia.

The computerized tomographic scans of five catatonic patients and five matched controls were blindly assessed. The catatonic patients showed preponderant atrophy of the brainstem and cerebellar vermis. Catatonia may be associated with lesions in these areas.

Aged