Dysarthria is the principal motor abnormality following vascular damage to pontine paramedian structures, owing to the involvement of corticobulbar fibres. Here we describe 2 cases of adults affected by dysarthria following transient muteness as the result of a stroke in pontomesencephalic structures. Their clinical outcome was very similar to that of young patients who have undergone surgery of the 4th ventricle. Recently the importance of pons involvement has also been underlined in these cases. This case report suggests the existence of a functional network for speech, in which the pontomesencephalon is an important station for the triggering and the efficacy of verbal production.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Semantic paralexias facilitated by tachistoscopic reading in a patient with impairment of phonological recoding.

This study of a dyslexic patient supports the view that the level of impairment of the phonological route plays a role in the production of semantic paralexias. The patient's reading was based on a defective phoneme-to-grapheme transcoding, in spite of evidence that semantic information was available through non phonological routes. The hypothesis that the residual ability to carry out phonological recoding could block the production of semantic paralexias was confirmed by tachistoscopic reading, assumed to interfere with phonological recoding in this patient, that provoked a definite rise of this type of error. The relationship between the degree of damage of phonological route and the clinical expression of the syndromes of phonological dyslexia and deep dyslexia is also discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Are patients with constructional disorders different in visuo-spatial abilities?

Many authors hypothesized a linkage between the anatomical region of damage and the nature of constructional apraxia. In particular, the functional impairment of right brain damaged patients should consist in a visuo-spatial defect. However a large amount of researches have showed impaired visuo-spatial abilities in apraxic subjects respect to non-apraxics, but independently by the side of brain damage. In these researches constructional and visuo-spatial abilities have been often evaluated by methods not comparable among them. Aim of this paper is to verify the constructional performances of left and right brain damaged patients, utilizing exclusively the copy of geometric figures and tasks considered specific in detecting visuo-spatial disabilities. The experimental results show that both left and right brain lesions produce impairments of visuo-spatial abilities. Lastly, the utility of a cognitive approach of study is discussed.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Electroencephalographic and electrocardiographic features of vasovagal syncope induced by head-up tilt.

Two hundred and seventy-nine consecutive patients referred for transient loss of consciousness, compatible with syncope, underwent head-up tilt to 70 degrees during polygraphic (EEG, ECG, pneumographic) and blood pressure monitorings. Vasovagal syncopes occurred in 28 patients with the following EEG changes: progressive slowing until the appearance of middle or high amplitude delta waves generalized and synchronous in 9 patients; delta waves suddenly followed by transient flattening of EEG activity in 16 patients. In 2 patients EEG could not be interpreted because of muscle and/or movement artifacts. Fifteen out of 28 patients exhibited a marked cardioinhibition, expressed by long-lasting cardiac pauses; a relationship between duration of EEG flat and duration of asystole was not found.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Memory encoding processes in mild and severe dementia. Preliminary data.

Memory coding processes can be divided according to their attentional requirement into "automatic" and "effortful". The aim of current research was to explore both automatic and effortful processes in early and late stages of Alzheimer type dementia. Patients were classified on the basis of restrictive clinical and neuropsychological criteria, in order to pinpoint possible specific impairments in the two patients' subgroups. The present paper reports preliminary data about 15 mildly and 15 severely demented patients. Statistical analysis showed that both the automatic and the effortful coding processes are impaired at the late but also at the early stages of dementia.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Head-up tilt for triggering and diagnosing syncope.

Head-up tilt to 70 degrees lasting for 30 min is a further useful test for studying syncope. In 26.69% of 109 consecutive out-patients referred for loss of consciousness, it induced vasodepressor and/or cardioinhibitory reactions. All symptomatic patients had similar EEG changes and blood pressure fall during symptoms: by contrast, ECG features, due to vagal activation, were different. The pathogenetic mechanism of vasovagal or vasodepressor syncope is an abrupt sympathetic cardiovascular inhibition with more or less marked vagal cardiac activation. This cardiovascular pattern is due to a cardiac reflex in orthostatic syncope or, probably, to a central activation in emotional fainting.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Recognition of object figures in unusual perspective and mental imagery].

Two cases are described: one with left occipital lesion and the other one with bilateral occipital damage; the first showed deficit of Mental Imagery and preserved recognition of pictures in unusual perspective; the second, vice-versa, showed integrity of Mental Imagery and deficit in visual recognition. The relationship between Mental Imagery and recognition of pictures in unusual perspective is discussed.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied