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OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between balance, falls and loss of functional capacity in mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease(AD). METHOD: 40 subjects without cognitive impairment (control group) and 48 AD patients (25 mild, 23 moderate) were evaluated with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD). Subjects answered a questionnaire about falls occurrence in the last twelve months. RESULTS: Moderate AD patients showed poorer balance (p=0.001) and functional capacity (p

Subcortical structures are in a strategic functional position within the cognitive networks and their lesion can interfere with a great number of functions. In this study, we describe fourteen subjects with exclusively subcortical vascular lesions (eight in the basal ganglia and six in the thalamus) and the interrelation between their language alterations and other cognitive abilities, as attention, memory and frontal executive functions. All patients were evaluated through the following batteries: Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, Boston Naming Test, Token Test, Benton Visual Retention Test, Trail Making, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and a frontal scripts task. All patients underwent MRI and twelve underwent SPECT. Results show that these patients present impairment in several cognitive domains, especially attention and executive functions. These alterations affect language abilities, and this fact must be considered in the rehabilitation efforts. As estruturas subcorticais ocupam posição funcional estratégica nas redes cognitivas e sua lesão pode interferir com um grande número de funções. Neste estudo, descrevemos 14 indivíduos com lesões vasculares exclusivamente subcorticais (oito em núcleos da base e seis no tálamo) e a interrelação entre suas alterações de linguagem e de outras funções cognitivas, como atenção, memória e funções executivas. Todos os pacientes foram avaliados através dos seguintes testes: Teste de Boston para Diagnóstico da Afasia, Teste de Nomeação Boston, Teste Token, Teste Benton de Retenção Visual, Trail Making, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test e uma tarefa de scripts frontais. Todos os pacientes realizaram RM de crânio e doze realizaram SPECT. Os resultados mostram que estes pacientes apresentam prejuízo nas várias funções cognitivas, especialmente atenção e funções executivas. Estas alterações afetam as habilidades lingüísticas e devem ser levadas em consideração nos esforços de reabilitação.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the third-leading cause of cortical dementia after Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, and is characterized by a dementia where behavioral disturbances are prominent and appear early in the course of the disease. We report the case of a 58 year-old man affected by dementia with behavioral disturbances, in addition to rigid-hypokinetic and a lower motor neuron syndrome that were present at later stages of the illness. Neuroimaging studies showed frontotemporal atrophy. Neuropathological studies revealed intense thalamic neuronal loss and astrocytic gliosis, as well as moderate frontotemporal neuronal loss, astrocytosis and spongiform degeneration. Thalamic degeneration has previously been described among the wide group of neuropathological features of FTD. The aim of the present study is to show the clinical and neuropathological aspects of thalamic degeneration in FTD, along with its role in behavioral disturbances, a common finding in this condition. Demência frontotemporal (DFT) é a terceira causa de demência cortical, após doença de Alzheimer e demencia dos corpos de Lewy, caracterizando-se por ser uma síndrome demencial em que as alterações de comportamento são proeminentes e aparecem precocemente. Descrevemos o caso de um homem de 58 anos apresentando demência com expressiva alteração de comportamento, somadas a síndrome rígido-hipocinética e de neurônio motor inferior. Os exames de neuroimagem mostraram atrofia frontotemporal. O exame neuropatológico revelou intensa perda neuronal e astrocitose talâmica, bem como moderada depleção neuronal frontotemporal, com astrocitose e degeneração espongiforme. Degeneração talâmica já foi descrita entre os possíveis achados neuropatológicos na DFT. O objetivo deste estudo é contribuir com uma descrição dos aspectos clínicos e neuropatológicos da degeneração talâmica na DFT, bem como seu envolvimento nos transtornos de comportamento, tão freqüentes nesta condição clínica.

Subcortical structures are in a strategic functional position within the cognitive networks. Their lesion can interfere with a great number of functions. We studied six patients with thalamic vascular lesions (three left sided, two right sided and one bilateral), to characterize their repercussion in the communicative abilities and the interface between language alterations and other cognitive abilities, as attention, memory and frontal executive. All patients were evaluated through a functional interview (discourse analysis), and the following batteries: Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, Boston Naming Test, Token Test, Benton Visual Retention Test, Trail Making, Wisconsin Card Sorting and frontal scripts. All patients performed MRI and five underwent SPECT. Results show that these patients present impairment in several cognitive domains, especially attention and executive functions (working memory, planning and self-monitoring); those with right lesions have an additional visuospatial impairment. Such alterations interfere with language abilities, and this fact must be considered in the rehabilitation efforts.

OBJETIVO: Descrever o perfil de atendimento de pacientes com acidente vascular cerebral (AVC) realizado no Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo (HU-USP), pela equipe de Clínica Médica do Setor de Emergência, como padrão de hospital secundário. MÉTODO: Análise retrospectiva de 228 prontuários de pacientes com doença cerebrovascular, no período de 1989 a 1993. RESULTADOS: Encontramos a seguinte distribuição para os subtipos: 53% AVC isquêmico, 26 % AVC hemorrágico, 2% associação de ambos e 19% não classificados. Incidência dos fatores de risco: hipertensão arterial sistêmica, 67,5 %; cardiopatias, 24,6%, sendo mais frequente a fibrilação auricular crônica; diabetes, 20,2%. Entre as complicações, coma foi constatado em 22,4% dos casos; insuficiência respiratória, em 15%; infecção, em 29%. A taxa de óbito foi 14,5%. A média de permanência no hospital foi 4,11 dias. CONCLUSÕES: Os aspectos epidemiológicos e complicações obtidos reproduziram o padrão descrito na literatura. Aspectos negativos observados foram a insuficiência de leitos e a incidência elevada de infecções pulmonares. A taxa de mortalidade foi comparável às mais baixas da literatura mundial. OBJECTIVE: To describe the assistance profile of stroke patients accomplished in Hospital Universitário of University of São Paulo (HU-USP), by the Internal Medicine team of the Emergency Room, as being a standard of non-tertiary hospital. METHOD: Retrospective analysis of 228 patients with cerebrovascular disease, assisted from 1989 to 1993. RESULTS: We found the following subgroup distribution: 53% of patients had ischemic strokes, 26%, had hemorrhagic strokes, 2% had association from both and 19% were not classified. Among risk factors, we found an incidence of 67,5% for arterial hypertension; 24.6% for cardiac disease (chronic atrial fibrillation being the most frequent); diabetes occurred in 20.2% of cases. Among complications, coma was present in 22.4% of cases; respiratory insufficiency occurred in 15%; infection, in 29%. Death rate was 14.5%. Average permanence in hospital was 4.11 days. CONCLUSIONS: The epidemiological aspects and complications reproduced the data described in the literature. Some negative aspects were inadequacy of accommodations and the great incidence of pulmonary infections. However, the mortality rate was comparable to the lowest found in literature.

Language alterations in Huntington's disease (HD) are reported, but their nature and correlation with other cognitive impairments are still under investigation. This study aimed to characterize the language disturbances in HD and to correlate them to motor and cognitive aspects of the disease. We studied 23 HD patients and 23 controls, matched for age and schooling, using the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, Boston Naming Test, the Token Test, Animal fluency, Action fluency, FAS-COWA, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test, the Stroop Test and the Hooper Visual Organization Test (HVOT). HD patients performed poorer in verbal fluency (p

Interest in the function of subcortical structures in cognitive function has grown in the last decades. Such interest has increased after the advent of modern innovations in radiology techniques, which provide a better visualization of subcortical lesions, like computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) […] DISTURBANCES OF SPEECH AND LANGUAGE IN SUBCORTICAL LESIONS (ABSTRACT).

The assessment of blood flow velocities in basal arteries through transcranial Doppler (TCD) has appeared as an extremely valuable method in the management of therapeutic measures applied to patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage, before and after surgery […] USE OF TRANSCRANIAL DOPPLER IN MONITORATION OF CEREBRAL VASOSPASM SECONDARY TO SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE (ABSTRACT)