[Effect of cognitive-behavioral group therapy on perception of stressors in recurrent headache patients]

A specific event is not stressor for all persons. It is perception that determines an event is stressor or not. Headache causes that peoples have problems to evaluate events. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of group therapy on perception of stressors in recurrent headache patients. In this semi-experimental study on female students of Shiraz University, 20 students diagnosed as having headache were selected as case group. Control group was consisted of 32 normal students with same sex and age as case group. Both groups [case and control] were asked to fill a Daily Minor Hassles Questionnaire. They were compared for two variables, perception of the unpleasant stressors and the frequency of unpleasant stressors. In second part of the research, patients in the case group were asked to participate in a 90 minute session per week for 9 weeks. They were compared in three conditions of pre-test, mid-test and post-test. Data were analyzed using independent t-student and paired t-test. Our results showed a significant difference between headache [case] group and normal [control] group in perception of the unpleasant stressors and the frequency of unpleasant stressors [P<0.05]. We also found that cognitive-behavioral group therapy throughout the therapeutic sessions decreased perception of the unpleasant stressors and the frequency of unpleasant stressors in headache patients. Cognitive-behavioral group therapy decreases perception of the unpleasant stressors and the frequency of unpleasant stressors in patients with recurrent headache

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a patient with Behcet's disease

Behcet's disease is a multisystem vasculitis. Its neurological involvement mostly includes parenchymal and nonparenchymal central nervous system manifestations. Peripheral nervous system presentations are rare. A 32-yr-old male patient who fulfilled the international study group criteria for Behcet's disease, referred to our center with walking difficulty and repeated falling downs. Neurological examination revealed weakness, wasting and fasciculation of distal muscles associated with corticospinal signs. Neuroimaging data were insignificant but electrodiagnostic studies were in favor of motor neuron disease. To best of our knowledge, this is the first report of association of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [ALS] and Behcet's disease

Abnormalities of visual evoked potential in migraine patients

Visual evoked potential [VEP] is regarded as a useful, reliable and non-invasive technique for the diagnosis of lesions in the optic pathway. This technique was used to investigate visual function in migraine. Materials and 53 migraine patients [27 migraine cases with aura and 26 common migraine cases] and 55 controls were prospectively enrolled in this study. Visual evoked potential using the pattern reversal stimuli was performed in all patients and controls, and abnormalities of visual evoked potential were evaluated. In subjects with classic migraine mean latencies of the P100 wave was increased by 6.7% [P<0.05] compared with controls. Common migraine subjects did not show significant difference with controls in regard to P100 latency [P>0.05]. Also no significant difference was observed in P100-N140 peak-to-peak amplitude between the patients and controls. The results of this study demonstrate subtle neuronal damage within the visual system of migraine patients which may be due to repeated transient ischemia experienced during the aura or more likely as a constitutional change