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Introduction: Professional work is an extremely important aspect of the life of an adult. Probably we all want to be satisfied with this, and not just financially. It can be a source of positive experiences, but also a huge negative burden. It often generates and provides us with many adverse reactions, strains or stresses. The aim of the study was to determine the current status of psychological support to Medical Rescue Teams, and the opinions of medical rescuers on the need for psychological help in their work. Materials and methods: A questionnaire was addressed to medical rescuers across the country; 115 respondents participated in the study. It was conducted in April 2016. A statistical analysis of results was performed using the statistical package PQStat ver. 1.6. Analyses of dependences were carried out with χ2 tests. Significance was considered at p < 0.05, and highly significant was taken at p < 0.01. Results: Almost 90% of respondents had never taken part in a psychological workshop. About 80% of medical rescuers had never participated in training courses on the techniques of relieving tension. In the workplaces of 98 (85.2%) of the medical rescuers, there had never been any group meetings held in which stress was relieved via conversation. Sometimes such meetings were held in the workplaces of 17 (14.8%) of the medical rescuers. More than the half of respondents, 72 (62.6%) people, believe that such meetings are definitely needed and could be effective. Conclusions: 1. The current level of psychological support for Medical Rescue Teams is negligible. Only in a few workplaces it is offered to the medical rescuers. The majority of the study group were not provided access to a psychologist. 2. Medical rescuers believe that the profession requires working with a psychologist, and this cooperation should be ensured by the employer. 3. In 85.2% of cases there were no conversational meetings after difficult actions, with analysis and relieving of emotional tensions. If such meetings were held, almost 90% of respondents would participate. 4. The current ways of reducing stress for medical rescuers are not always safe for their health and can lead to addictions. A possible cause is non-attendance by the majority in workshops on the techniques of relieving tension and psychological training.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of a standardized placebo protocol using a moist swab pad application in children and adolescents with psychogenic seizures vs epileptic seizures. Methods We retrospectively reviewed clinical data and video-EEG monitoring records with the standardized placebo protocol of 408 patients. Video -EEG diagnosis with PNES-consistent semiology was made in the context of clinical data by a two-certified epileptologist. Results of induction of psychogenic seizure by moist swab pad application were analyzed in 158 patients with PNES. A control group was composed of 74 patients with epilepsy in which induction was performed. Results Sensitivity of placebo test for the diagnosis of PNES was 81.1%, specificity 79.8%, positive predictive value 89.6% and negative predictive value 66.3%. Conclusion The placebo technique with a moist swab can be regarded as helpful in triggering a psychogenic episode in children and adolescents.

Recently, extensive studies investigating executive functions in children with specific language impairment (SLI) have been performed. In the present study, we compared the level of executive functions (i.e., inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility) and literacy skills between 53 healthy children and 53 children with SLIs between the ages of 3 and 11 years. The groups were matched by age, gender and parental education level. Executive functions were assessed using the Children Card Sort, and the Literacy Assessment Battery was applied to measure literacy skills. The patients with SLI displayed a significantly lower level of cognitive flexibility than that of the healthy children. No significant differences were observed between the groups in inhibitory control and the majority of literacy skills. The results confirm the hypothesis that patients with SLI experience difficulties in cognitive flexibility. Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, under grant no. NN106 047839 en-titled: Construction of tools for psychological assessment of learning readiness of children between the age of 3 and 11.

Objective Glucose transporter type 1 deficiency (G1D) syndrome is generally a genetic disorder because of a mutation of the SLC2A1 gene. The clinical picture of G1D is heterogeneous. The aim of this paper was to present the case of G1D, recognized in a three-generation family, caused by missense mutation p.Arg92Trp in SLC2A1 gene, and showing high clinical heterogeneity and evolution of symptoms over time. Methods Three-generation family members, showing symptoms suggesting G1D, have been characterized in terms of the clinical picture, electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings, brain neuroimaging, and the psychological assessment data. All subjects were offered genetic testing of the SLC2A1 gene. Results We sequenced the SLC2A1 gene in the proband of the family and identified the c.274C > T variant (p.Arg92Trp). The presence of the same mutation was confirmed in all affected family members; however, significant variations in the clinical picture among them were observed. In addition to the typical symptoms for G1D (e.g., epilepsy, intellectual disability), patients presented movement disorders, stiffness, and dysarthria, as well as psychiatric symptoms. After using the ketogenic diet, epileptic seizures disappeared, but the rest of the symptoms were resistant to treatment. Conclusions Despite the same underlying mutation, clinical symptoms may vary among members of one family. Different clinical symptoms are observed depending on the patient's age. Not all symptoms occur in all patients within one family despite the same genetic background. However, the importance of early therapy for the clinical course of the disease requires further study.

The problems of children and adolescents with epilepsy pose an important challenge for educational systems around the world. Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease, which occurs in up to 1% of children and adolescents. The largest incidence of onset is from early childhood to adolescence, therefore, mostly the emotional, cognitive and social problems experienced by patients coincide with the school period. It is commonly believed, as indicated by research, that some of the children and adolescents with epilepsy experience learning difficulties and school problems. This article presents the educational problems of a group of patients in Poland with epilepsy and the co-occurring specific difficulties in the acquisition of scholastic skills like dyslexia, spelling disorder or dyscalculia. The work is a review with an analysis of a case study.

Aim. The study of cognitive deficits in patients with multiple sclerosis is now regarded as the gold standard in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. We present the first, so far, unpublished study of cognitive function in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) to be undertaken in Poland Material and methods. The participants, 21 children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS), were aged from 13 to 17 years old and were recruited among patients of the Department of Developmental Neurology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences. The study concerned some of the most studied cognitive processes in MS, ie. executive functions, auditory memory, manual tasks and logical thinking on non-verbal material. The results obtained in patients with MS were compared with the matched pairs of a control group. Results. The results show some differences in the course of cognitive processes (executive functions and manual skills) between the compared groups. At the same time the studies were able to reveal that 4 of the patients displayed a severe decline in the tested functions that required neuropsychological intervention. Conclusions. Due to the practical value of neuropsychological assessment in early course of the disease this procedure is intended for patients with MS.

The present work addresses the identification and qualitative assessment of errors that appear in a free-drawn clock-drawing test representing the time 8:20 in a sample of 455 children and adolescents with neurological diseases and their controls. The authors sought to verify whether the occurrence of particular errors in the clock drawings significantly differentiates the clinical groups. For statistical evaluation of the results, we applied correspondence analysis and cluster analysis. The results of the study showed that three types of errors played an important role in the differentiation of the groups: spatial neglect, mirror reflection, and phonological depletion.

Autorzy prezentują teoretyczne podstawy Dwuwymiarowego testu sortowania kart (DTSK), powszechnie stosowanego w badaniach naukowych funkcji wykonawczych u dzieci. W swoich analizach uwzględniają następujące pojęcia: kontrola hamowania, pamięć, rozumowanie pojęciowe, teorie złożoności. Ze względu na brak argumentów jednoznacznie wykluczających stosowanie któregokolwiek z wymienionych konstruktów do analizy czynności sortowania kart, proponują traktowanie DTSK jako narzędzia pomiaru giętkości poznawczej u dzieci. W artykule zaprezentowano również dwie równoległe wersje Testu sortowania kart dla dzieci (TSKD), opracowane przez autorów na podstawie Dwuwymiarowego testu sortowania kart. Jako narzędzia standardowe, umożliwiają one stosowanie procedury sortowania kart w indywidualnej diagnozie psychologicznej. Podczas pilotażowego badania grupy 41 zdrowych dzieci w wieku 3–8 lat dokonano oceny rzetelności obu wersji TSKD oraz trafności sposobów obliczania wyników dla poszczególnych części narzędzia. Badania potwierdziły rzetelność obu wersji TSKD oraz wykazały konieczność zmiany sposobu obliczania wyników.

Artykuł poświęcony jest prezentacji założeń teoretycznych i konstrukcyjnych Testu Sortowania Kart dla Dzieci (TSKD). Autorzy zaprojektowali go jako standardową metodę indywidualnej diagnozy poziomu rozwoju funkcji wykonawczych. Budowa TSKD została oparta o założenia Dwuwymiarowego Testu Sortowania Kart (DTSK), powszechnie wykorzystywanego w badaniach naukowych z udziałem dzieci. Narzędzie zostało przetestowane w badaniach pilotażowych na grupie 49 dzieci w wieku 3-11 lat. Zaobserwowano w nich identyczne wzorce wykonania testu, jak w przypadku DTSK, co pozytywnie rokuje dla stworzenia ostatecznej wersji TSKD.

Homocysteine (Hcy) is a thyol amino acid resulting from demethylation of methionine. It is metabolized through two pathways: remethylation and trassulfuration, which use as cofactors folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. Hyperhomocysteinemia (hHcy) is a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease, dementia, inborn defects, impaired cognitive function. Several drugs may change metabolic pathways of Hcy, leading to an alteration of plasma Hcy levels. HHcy has been documented in epileptic patients after chronic treatment with antiepileptic drugs (carbamazepine, valproate). HHcy may lead to increase of the level of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). ADMA has been identified as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease and endothelial dysfunction. ADMA is a product of methylation of L-arginine and endogenous nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, and regulator of NO production. NO plays a role in the convulsant effect. Supplementation of B vitamins, folate and L-arginine is a strategy to reduce Hcy levels in patients with epilepsy treatment antiepileptic drugs.

Mutations in nicotinic receptor subunits have been identified in some families with autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE). Normal intelligence has currently been considered the rule, although anecdotal cases with intellectual disability have been reported. We aimed to evaluate the frequency and degree of neuropsychological disorders in ADNFLE associated with nicotinic receptor mutations by testing 11 subjects from four families with a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. General intellectual function was below the normal range in 45% of the subjects. All were abnormal in one or more executive task. Memory was either more affected than executive functions or equally affected in two thirds of subjects, suggesting a frontotemporal pattern of cognitive impairment. Cognitive dysfunction appears to be an integral part of the broad phenotype of ADNFLE with nicotinic receptor mutations, a fact that has been underestimated until now. The cognitive disorder affects executive functions as well as memory in most subjects.