Cognition in ALS and people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Cognition in ALS – amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – has received some attention and debate. A longitudinal study in a large cohort of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Piemonte and Valle d’Aosta in Italy found that cognitive and motor deficits evolve in parallel with the course of the disease, according to the natural history of […]
Update on imaging of cerebral palsy and its variants
It has been know now for many years that the classical label “cerebral palsy” encompasses a heterogenous group of patients, many of whom have a vascular lesion acquired in the perinatal period as the origin of the neurological deficit. They had a stroke in the perinatal period, frequently involving the territory of the middle cerebral […]
Microangiopathy and cerebral small vessel disease
Small vessel disease – microangiopathy – was described pathologically in the 1960s, as involving penetrating arterioles, cappilaries, venules, which are <1mm in diameter. These vessels branch off the larger cerebral arteries and pial arterioles. The thicker the wall of these vessels are, the lesser is cerebral blood flow. The vascular tree of the brain, […]
Neuromyelitis optica clinical and therapeutic update
The acronym Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder began to be applied clinically in the past 10 years. For many decades the also called Devic Disease was considered part of Multiple Sclerosis. The identification of a separate disease altogether started with the discovery of aquaporin in 1986, and then of anti-aquaporin 4 immunoglobulin G. This antibody to […]
Body mass index, blood pressure and stroke
Stroke and body mass index have been known to be related for at least a few decades, as the relationship of obesity and stroke became more and more clear in epidemiological studies. The mechanism that links stroke and obesity is the metabolic syndrome. In summary this is a clinical picture that happens when people eat […]
The Insula and the brain seat of Mindfulness
Is there a relationship between the Insula and Mindfulness? One of the core tenets of Mindfulness is to heighten conscious awareness of the body in order to relate better with oneself and with the world in general. In general terms, it is similar to the core concepts on Cognitive behavior therapy, which indicate that you […]
Discinesia tardia e a penitência de psicóticos e anfetamina
Discinesia tardia é uma doença que se tornou endêmica após ser reconhecida nos anos 1960, quando se tornou a Via Crucis de pessoas com psicose, seja doença ou induzida por medicamentos. Trata-se de um distúrbio hiper-motor, quando existem movimentos demais. São movimentos pequenos, descontínuos, de rosto, mãos, pés, tronco, parecem pequenos tiques repetitivos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUr8ltXh1Pc É […]
Child mental health and the relationship of mothers and infants
It is obvious that child mental health is related to the environment. Mothers and infants form an equation that gives unexpected results. It appears to run in my family that the Bittencourt men have an easy way with young kids. So much so that I had a dozen godchildren before I turned 21. My father […]
Agnostic or atheist, and the position of Albert Einstein
The difference between being agnostic or atheist may not be so clear, specially in the case of people who are radical believers in this or that faith. Usually religious people think it is immoral, plain wrong, not to believe in the same faith as they profess. For them, to be agnostic or atheist is the […]
Nazismo e fascismo na medicina contemporânea
A herança do fascismo e nazismo é maior do que todos gostaríamos, mesmo nos dias atuais, quando ocorre uma guinada à direita em vários países de vários continentes. Como lidar com o fato de que muitas das descobertas da medicina foram feitas por médicos que simpatizavam e faziam ativamente parte de um regime tão maligno […]
