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Biomedical subjects

L Cocito

Publications and source records attributed to L Cocito.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Further evidence for asymmetry of point localization in normals and unilateral brain damaged patients.

The properties of errors made by normals and unilateral brain damaged patients in localizing points in each half of a plane have been further investigated. A lesion of either hemisphere affects specifically the performance in the left half of the plane, where controls attain the highest degree of constancy. Consideration of the orientation of pathologic vectors may contribute to differentiation between damage of the two hemispheres.

Brain Damage, Chronic↗
PubMed1983

Skin fibroblasts in Huntington's disease. An electron microscopic study.

Cultured skin fibroblasts of 3 patients with Huntington's disease (HD) and of 3 normal individuals have been examined by electron microscopy during the log phase of growth and at confluence. Though HD fibroblasts achieve higher maximal densities than controls, this is not associated with abnormal ultrastructural aspects of the cells. In particular, microfilaments and microtubules are identical in HD and normal fibroblasts.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Point localisation in patients with unilateral brain damage.

The ability to reproduce the position of points in a plane was examined by a copying test in a control group and in unilaterally brain damaged patients. The procedure was designed to minimise the influence of visual field defects and of spatial hemi-inattention on performance. Accuracy of of localisation and direction of errors were studied in each half of the plane. Analysis showed a greater impairment of localisation ability in the patients with right hemisphere disease; however, the performance of both hemispheric groups was characterised by a reduction of accuracy in half of the plane contralateral to the side of the lesion. Both hemispheric groups showed an abnormal direction of errors in the left half of the plane, but the two groups presented a different pattern of errors.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1981

A reassessment of sensory evoked potential parameters in multiple sclerosis: a discriminant analysis approach.

The sensitivity of the different parameters (absolute latency, interwave latency, latency asymmetry, amplitude) of both cervical and cerebral responses evoked by stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist was assessed in patients with multiple sclerosis by discriminant analysis. The peak latency of N13 or N20 SEP components or both was found to be more sensitive than their amplitude, provided that a preliminary covariation with the height of the subjects was performed. The measurement of latency asymmetry between the two sides increased the test's sensitivity, while amplitude asymmetry turned out to be of little diagnostic value. A linear discriminant function with four variates (that is mean amplitude, mean latency, latency asymmetry and height of the subject) was computed to summarise the information provided by the different parameters to give a rapid and exact method for the assessment of SEP abnormalities in multiple sclerosis patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Conduction time of the lemniscal pathway in males and females.

The central conduction time of the lemniscal pathway is not statistically different in the two sexes, while the peak latencies of both S13 and N20 components are significantly longer in males than in females. However, multivariate analysis of covariance of data showed that such a result is not related to sex, but to the difference in height between the two sexes.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

[Further research on the functional asymmetry between the superior and inferior visual hemifields: analysis of the reaction time to simultaneous stimulation of the two hemi-fields].

It has been previously reported that presentation of square-wave gratings to either side of the horizontal meridian of the visual field gives rise to different Simple Reaction Times (RTs), depending upon the spatial frequency of the stimuli. Specifically, for 1 c/deg stimulus RT is faster in the lower hemefield, whereas the reverse is true for 3 c/deg pattern, RT being faster in the upper visual field. In the reported experiment, RT to simultaneous presentation of either the same (alternatively 1 c/deg or 3 c/deg) or different (i.e. 1 c/deg and 3 c/deg combined) spatial frequencies to both hemifields was analyzed. The data show that whenever the two half components correspond to different RTs, the resulting RT equates that of the faster component. Conversely, when the two components give rise to identical RTs, the resulting RT does not differ from the value obtained with each half stimulus. Implications of this result for the functional organization of the visual system are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Interactions between central monoaminergic systems: dopamine-serotonin.

Concentration of dopamine and serotonin metabolites (HVA and 5-HIAA) in the CSF was evaluated before and after pharmacological treatment in 19 patients with different neuropsychiatric diseases. In every case a reciprocal modification of the two metabolites occurred after treatment. The result supports the hypothesis of a functional balance between the monoaminergic systems in the central nervous system.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

[Neuro-ophthalmological problems: the diagnostic value of contrast sensitivity].

The evaluation of the individual contrast sensitivity function may prove useful in cases affected by lesions of the optic pathways, even when the usual neuro-ophthalmological tests (i.e. visual acuity, visual field examination) are normal. The contrast sensitivity function represents an alternative method to assess the power of spatial resolution of the visual system: in particular, it enables to measure the sensitivity at high, medium and low ranges of spatial frequencies, this being unique to such a procedure. The possible physiological mechanisms underlying the contrast sensitivity function as well as its pathological changes are reviewed.

Form Perception↗
PubMed1977

Trazodone by intravenous infusion in depressions secondary to organic disease.

16 patients with organic depression were treated with low doses of trazodone (100 mg/day) by i.v. infusion. This drug was shown to have a marked antidepressant and anxiolytic action and did not produce any significant side-effects. The authors suggest that on the basis of the diminished 24-hour urinary excretion of 5-HIAA, trazodone seems to have an antiserotonin action at low doses.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Vigabatrin in complex partial seizures: a long-term study.

The efficacy and safety of oral vigabatrin (VGB) as add-on therapy in the long-term treatment of poorly controlled epilepsy were evaluated in 19 patients with complex partial seizures, either with or without secondary generalization. The study was run with a single-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design, and included 2 months of placebo and 13-15 months of treatment with VGB, at doses ranging from 1 to 4 g/day. Of the 14 patients who completed the trial, 2 were seizure free, in 5 seizure frequency dropped by more than 75% and in another 5 by more than 50% with respect to baseline. The decrease in seizure frequency in the group as a whole was significant at all observation points of the trial. Three patients were not entered into the long-term phase due to lack of improvement (an increase in seizure frequency was observed in one of them), and 2 were excluded later because improvement disappeared leading to unauthorized changes in comedication. Side effects were mild and never caused discontinuation of treatment. In conclusion, VGB showed a remarkable efficacy and safety in the long-term treatment of complex partial seizures.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epileptic seizures in cerebral arterial occlusive disease.

The occurrence of epileptic seizures was investigated in 141 patients with angiographically proven carotid or MCA occlusive disease. Epileptic seizures occurred some time during the clinical course of the disease in 17.3% of carotid patients and in 10.8% of MCA patients, being mainly represented by partial motor seizures. The pattern of occurrence of seizures in the natural history of cerebral arterial disease was different in the two groups. In the carotid group, epilepsy was the presenting symptom in 6.7% of patients, whereas no MCA patient had seizures prior to the appearance of a neurological deficit. Since epileptic seizures may complicate an otherwise asymptomatic carotid obstruction, angiography should be performed whenever the other standard investigations, including CT-scan, fail to reveal the cause of late-onset epilepsy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

May focal epileptic seizures be considered a marker of TIAs?

Late-onset focal epileptic seizures occurred in 8 patients with ischemic cerebro-vascular disease (ICVD) and were associated with TIAs in 6 of them. History, physical, laboratory, ancillary examinations and follow-up revealed no other disease which might be responsible for the seizures. Moreover, time of onset and appropriate signs of ICVD suggested that transient cerebral ischemia was the most likely cause of seizures.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Arterial hypertension caused by carbamazepine].

A 20-year-old epileptic patient developed hypertension during CBZ treatment, without any demonstrable etiological factor. After CBZ discontinuation, a gradual normalization of blood pressure values was observed. The authors discuss the possible role of ADH in the production of this unfrequent side effect.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Transitory global amnesia].

The authors studied 18 cases of transient global amnesia, a syndrome occurring in middle age, characterized by a sudden memory loss of recent events and transient inability to acquire new knowledge, while consciousness and personal identity are preserved. Chemical and laboratory findings indicates that TGA is probably due to transient ischemia in the temporal lobe and hippocampus.

Aged↗