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Biomedical subjects

M Kurthen

Publications and source records attributed to M Kurthen.

64 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

[MR tomography following craniocerebral trauma: comparison with computed tomography, electroencephalography and neurologic status].

56 patients with head and brain trauma and in coma were studied prospectively by means of MRT, CT, EEG and neurological examination. All patients had initial CT and EEG admission. MRT showed that in our patients morphological return to normal was the exception. Patients with head and brain injuries should be examined by MRT during the course of their illness. The use of special sequences, such as gradient-echo sequences for the diagnosis of haemorrhagic contusions, is indicated. CT should be retained for evaluating bone injury and cerebral damage during the acute stage.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Depth EEG and evoked potentials using an intravascular catheter electrode in the baboon].

Obtaining an intracranial EEG, as well as a depth recording of the somatosensory evoked potentials, via a vascular approach are described. Experimentally, a directable microcatheter was placed in the middle cerebral artery of baboons. Using the catheter guide wire as electrode, intracranial electrical activity was recorded from within the cerebral vessels. Significantly, depth recordings of the SEP showed waves of thalamic origin not present in surface recordings. Advantages of this method over surface recordings are the greater gain of information possible and, over other techniques of depth recording, the comparibly lesser invasiveness.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

[Cognitive processes in unconscious patients? A brain mapping study of the P300 potential].

P300 is the most investigated component of the event-related potentials. Being the correlate of an active target discrimination and decision making process it is seen as related to cognition. Such elementary cognitive processes--as expressed in P300--can happen even in states of coma. In four of 35 comatose patients with diffuse head injury we were able to measure the P3-wave showing frontal and parietal components. Accordingly some unawakable patients can still recognize differences in pitch. The structure of components and their psychophysiological meaning are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Once again: is psychoanalysis a science? Fundamentalism and coherentism as "scientific theories of psychoanalysis"].

In accordance with Freud's own conception of a theory of the unconscious, philosophy of science has discussed psychoanalysis mainly in terms of classical empiricism and foundationism. Thus the discussion was focused on the question if the "clinical data", which had to carry the burden of epistemic justification, were "reliable" or rather an artifact of the analyst's suggestions and expectations.--Recent arguments against foundationism have supported the development of a coherentist epistemology. In this paper it is argued that coherentism might allow a more adequate discussion of the theoretical status of psychoanalysis than did classical foundationism. This is shown by a consideration of the conditions of truth, meaning, and justification of psychoanalytical statements.

Freudian Theory↗
PubMed1988

[Preoperative diagnosis: the Wada test with SPECT control for localizing brain function in therapy-refractory epilepsy].

Extensive diagnostic measures are necessary to clarify the indication for surgery in patients suffering from epilepsy that is refractory to treatment. Within the overall framework of neuropsychological diagnosis we conducted the Wada test, injecting 200 mg (or 3 mg/kg body weight) of sodium amytal on different days, in each case into the left or right internal carotid artery. This results in a 3-5 minute anaesthesia of the relevant hemisphere. By means of a neuropsychological short test it is possible to determine the performance of the non-blocked hemisphere. The extent of the blocking is also determined by simultaneous i.v. injection of HM-PAO (hexamethyl propylene amine oxime) labelled with 99m Tc, the uptake of which by various cerebral regions is visualised via SPECT. The Wada test supplies information on the lateralisation of cognitive functions (speech, memory etc.) whereas the SPECT examination enables additional determinations not only of processes that must be characterised as diaschisis, but also on the extent of blocking of a hemisphere. The results supply clues to expected postoperative cognitive deficits and thus enable a differentiated assessment of the indication for surgery. This is discussed on the basis of two clinical cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Technetium-99m HM-PAO brain SPECT in epileptic patients before and during unilateral hemispheric anesthesia (Wada test): report of three cases.

The lipophilic brain SPECT agent [99mTc]hexamethyl propylene amine oxime (HM-PAO) was used in three cases before and during unilateral anesthesia of one hemisphere for lateralization of speech dominance (Wada test). This procedure led to a decrease of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in each of the hemispheres to 55 and 90%, respectively. Diminution of rCBF was significantly more pronounced in the dominant hemisphere. A second phenomenon observed during the Wada test was crossed cerebellar diaschisis. These findings support the assumption that HM-PAO allows monitoring of brain perfusion, as rapid changes of rCBF due to decreased neuronal activity cause respective alterations of cerebral and cerebellar uptake of this new brain agent.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Psychoanalysis and science-theoretical critique--new aspects of an old controversy].

Up to now, relations between psychoanalysis and philosophy of science have mainly been confined to controversies about the scientific status of psychoanalysis. Freud himself had tried to reject classifications of psychoanalysis as a non- or pseudoscience by maintaining a sort of foundationist empiricism, which is philosophically problematic in several respects. The discussion of one classical (Popper) and one recent (Grünbaum) critique of psychoanalysis shows that the arguments are still broadly determined by Freuds own philosophical prejudice. It is then argued that a coherentist philosophy of science would allow a more adequate discussion of the problem of the scientific status of psychoanalysis than did classical foundationism.

Freudian Theory↗