Brain microdialysate tau dynamics predict functional and neurocognitive recovery after poor-grade subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Subarachnoid haemorrhage is a devastating disease that results in neurocognitive deficits and a poor functional outcome in a considerable proportion of patients. In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of microtubule-associated tau protein measured in the cerebral microdialysate for long-term functional and neuropsychological outcomes in poor-grade subarachnoid haemorrhage patients. We recruited 55 consecutive non-traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage patients who underwent multimodal neuromonitoring, including cerebral microdialysis. Mitochondrial dysfunction was defined as lactate-to-pyruvate ratio >30 together with pyruvate >70 mmol/L and metabolic distress as lactate-to-pyruvate ratio >40. The multidimensional 12-month outcome was assessed by means of the modified Rankin scale (poor outcome: modified Rankin scale ≥4) and a standardized neuropsychological test battery. We used multivariable generalized estimating equation models to assess associations between total microdialysate-tau levels of the first 10 days after admission and hospital complications and outcomes. Patients were 56 ± 12 years old and presented with a median Hunt & Hess score of 5 (interquartile range: 3-5). Overall mean total microdialysate-tau concentrations were highest within the first 24 h (5585 ± 6291 pg/mL), decreased to a minimum of 2347 ± 4175 pg/mL on Day 4 (P < 0.001) and remained stable thereafter (P = 0.613). Higher total microdialysate-tau levels were associated with the occurrence of delayed cerebral ischaemia (P = 0.001), episodes of metabolic distress (P = 0.002) and mitochondrial dysfunction (P = 0.034). Patients with higher tau levels had higher odds for a poor 12-month functional outcome (adjusted odds ratio: 2.61; 95% confidence interval: 1.32-5.17; P = 0.006) and impaired results in the trail making test-B (adjusted odds ratio: 3.35; 95% confidence interval: 1.16-9.68; P = 0.026) indicative of cognitive flexibility. Total microdialysate-tau levels significantly decreased over the first 10 days (P < 0.05) in patients without delayed cerebral ischaemia or good functional outcomes and remained high in those with delayed cerebral ischaemia and poor 12-month outcomes, respectively. Dynamic changes of total tau in the cerebral microdialysate may be a useful biomarker for axonal damage associated with functional and neurocognitive recovery in poor-grade subarachnoid haemorrhage patients. In contrast, ongoing axonal damage beyond Day 3 after bleeding indicates a higher risk for delayed cerebral ischaemia as well as a poor functional outcome.

The amnestic syndrome of posterior cerebral artery infarction.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Little is known about the character and underlying lesions of ischaemic amnesia. Episodic memory functions and brain lesions were therefore studied in 84 patients with acute ischaemic infarcts in the supply territory of the posterior cerebral artery. The aim was also to learn how the neural memory systems are organized. METHODS: Standard neuropsychological tests were used to assess verbal and figural memory. Patients were split into memory-impaired and memory-intact groups. Lesions were demarcated, normalized and anatomically labelled, using standard mapping procedures. RESULTS: Of the 84 patients more than 80% had an amnestic syndrome, mostly with combined memory impairment, less often with figural or verbal memory impairment. Amnesia in subjects with left hemispheric lesions was more frequent and more severe, with significantly lower scores on the verbal memory test. Normal performance or figural amnesia were prevalent after right hemispheric lesions. However, no amnesia subtype was strictly tied to left- or right-sided brain damage. Hippocampal and thalamic lesions were common, but 30% of lesions were extrahippocampal located in the ventral occipito-temporal cortex and long occipital white matter tracts. Most amnestic patients lacked awareness for their memory impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Memory impairment is a key clinical manifestation of acute posterior cerebral artery stroke. Amnesia is more frequent and more severe after left stroke, suggesting a left hemisphere dominance of the two memory systems. Domain specific memory appears not to be strictly lateralized, since deficits in verbal and figural memory were found after lesions of both sides. Extrahippocampal lesions may also cause memory impairment.

Symptom and Performance Validity Assessment in European Countries: an Update.

In 2013, a special issue of the Spanish journal Clínica y Salud published a review on symptom and performance validity assessment in European countries (Merten et al. in Clínica y Salud, 24(3), 129-138, 2013). At that time, developments were judged to be in their infancy in many countries, with major publication activities stemming from only four countries: Spain, The Netherlands, Great Britain, and Germany. As an introduction to a special issue of Psychological Injury and Law, this is an updated report of developments during the last 10 years. In that period of time, research activities have reached a level where it is difficult to follow all developments; some validity measures were newly developed, others were adapted for European languages, and validity assessment has found a much stronger place in real-world evaluation contexts. Next to an update from the four nations mentioned above, reports are now given from Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, too.

Differential Impact of Education on Cognitive Performance in Neurological Patients with Progressive Cognitive Decline.

BACKGROUND: Education has a protective effect toward cognitive decline in advanced age and is an important factor contributing to cognitive reserve. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the interaction effect of education and global mental status on cognitive performance of older patients with progressive cognitive decline. METHODS: This retrospective study included 1,392 patients. We performed moderation regressions to examine the interaction between education and global mental status (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score) on performance in episodic memory, executive functions (EF), language, and constructional praxis tests. Significant interaction effects were further explored through separate linear regressions by MMSE level (inferior: ≤24; intermediate: 25-27; superior: 28-30). RESULTS: There was an interaction between MMSE and education for some but not all variables. At intermediate and superior MMSE levels, high-educated people had a clear advantage relative to low-educated people in verbal memory and EF tests. This advantage was not significant at an inferior MMSE level. In object naming, constructional praxis recall, and constructional praxis, high-educated people performed better than low-educated people, independently of MMSE level. CONCLUSION: Education has a differential effect on cognitive performance in patients with cognitive decline. While high education is not helpful for episodic memory and EF at low cognitive levels, it is still beneficial for retrieving words or other semantic knowledge. These findings suggest an interaction between global mental status and education on different cognitive domains and have strong clinical implications. Diagnostic judgments should be based on the knowledge of such interaction. This study highlights the beneficial but selective effects of high education.

Sector Irradiation vs. Whole Brain Irradiation After Resection of Singular Brain Metastasis-A Prospective Randomized Monocentric Trial.

To minimize recurrence following resection of a cerebral metastasis, whole-brain irradiation therapy (WBRT) has been established as the adjuvant standard of care. With prolonged overall survival in cancer patients, deleterious effects of WBRT gain relevance. Sector irradiation (SR) aims to spare uninvolved brain tissue by applying the irradiation to the resection cavity and the tumor bed. 40 were randomized to receive either WBRT (n = 18) or SR (n = 22) following resection of a singular brain metastasis. Local tumor control was satisfactory in both groups. Recurrence was observed earlier in the SR (median 3 months, 1-6) than in the WBRT cohort (median 8 months, 7-9) (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.03-10.62). Seventeen patients experienced a distant intracranial recurrence. Most relapses (n = 15) occurred in the SR cohort, whereas only two patients in the WBRT group had new distant tumor manifestation (HR, 6.59; 95% CI, 1.71-11.49; p = 0.002). Median overall survival (OS) was 15.5 months (range: 1-61) with longer OS in the SR group (16 months, 1-61) than in the WBRT group (13 months, 3-52), without statistical significance (HR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.69-3.64). Concerning neurocognition, patients in the SR group improved in the follow-up assessments, while this was not observed in the WBRT group. There were positive signals in terms of QOL within the SR group, but no significant differences in the global QLQ and QLQ-C30 summary scores were found. Our results indicate comparable efficacy of SR in terms of local control, with better maintenance of neurocognitive function. Unsurprisingly, more distant intracranial relapses occurred. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT01667640.

Cognition in multiple system atrophy: a single-center cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive impairment in multiple system atrophy (MSA) is common, but remain poorly characterized. We evaluated cognitive and behavioral features in MSA patients and assessed between-group differences for MSA subtypes and the effect of orthostatic hypotension (OH) on cognition. METHODS: This retrospective study included 54 patients with clinical diagnosis of possible and probable MSA referred to the Department of Neurology at Medical University of Innsbruck between 2000 and 2018. Neurological work-up included comprehensive neuropsychological testing including Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD-plus) test battery, Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), digit span test (DST), clock drawing task (CLOX1), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D). RESULTS: The mean MMSE score was 27.6 points. Overall, slight to moderate cognitive impairment was noted in up to 40% of patients, with predominant impairment of executive function and verbal memory. Patients with the cerebellar variant performed significantly worse than patients with the parkinsonian type (P < 0.05) in a screening of executive functions (FAB) and in phonemic verbal fluency. Depression and anxiety scores were elevated in 28% and 22% of MSA patients, respectively. Cognitive profile, depression, and anxiety levels were comparable between patients with and without OH. INTERPRETATION: Cognitive deficits are relatively frequent in MSA and primarily affect executive functions and verbal memory. Future comparative studies including Parkinson dementia, Lewy body disease, and MSA cases with and without OH are required to elucidate disease-specific cognitive profiles in these synucleinopathies and to examine the influence of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction on cognitive function in MSA.

Performance validity measures in clinical patients with aphasia.

INTRODUCTION: Performance validity testing has developed into an indispensible element of neuropsychological assessment, mostly applied in forensic determinations. Its aim is to distinguish genuine patient performance from invalid test profiles. Limits to the applicability of performance validity tests (PVTs) may arise when genuine cognitive symptoms are present. METHOD: We studied the robustness of four commonly used PVTs in a sample of 15 acute patients after cerebrovascular stroke, with first manifestations of aphasia. Severity of aphasia varied from very mild to severe. Subsequent neuroimaging revealed left-hemisphere infarction for all participants. RESULTS: The Test of Memory Malingering was the only measure found to be robust against effects of genuine language impairment (one positive on Trials 1 and 2, none on Trial 3), while unacceptable false-positive rates were found for the Fifteen-Item Test (60%) and two embedded measures, Reliable Spatial Span (40%) and Reliable Digit Span (73.3%). Four patients (26.7%) scored positive on at least three of the four PVTs. CONCLUSIONS: These data add to the ongoing discussion about the risk of false-positive classifications in genuine patient populations. Misdiagnosis with severe consequences for the patient in question may arise if results of PVTs are interpreted without concurrently considering the whole context of clinical evidence.

Optical Neuronavigation without Rigid Head Fixation During Awake Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Optical neuronavigation without rigid pin fixation of the head may lead to inaccurate results because of the patient's movements during awake surgery. In this study, we report our results using a skull-mounted reference array for optical tracking in patients undergoing awake craniotomy for eloquent gliomas. METHODS: Between March 2013 and December 2014, 18 consecutive patients (10 men, 8 women) with frontotemporal (n = 16) or frontoparietal (perirolandic; n = 2) lesions underwent awake craniotomy without rigid pin fixation. All patients had a skull-mounted reference array for optical tracking placed on the forehead. Accuracy of navigation was determined with pointer tip deviation measurements on superficial and bony anatomic structures. Good accuracy was defined as a tip deviation <2 mm. RESULTS: Gross total resection (>98%) was achieved in 7 patients (38%); >90% of tumor was resected in 8 patients (44%). In 3 patients, only subtotal resection or biopsy was performed secondary to stimulation results. In all patients, good accuracy of the optical neuronavigation system could be demonstrated without intraoperative peculiarities or complications. The reference array had to be repositioned because of loosening in 1 patient. Neuronavigation could be reliably applied to support stimulation-based resection. CONCLUSIONS: A skull-mounted reference array is a simple and safe method for optical neuronavigation tracking without rigid pin fixation of the patient's head.

Longitudinal profile of iron accumulation in good-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: MRI parameters of iron concentration (R2*, transverse relaxation rate), microstructural integrity (mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy), as well as gray and white matter volumes were analyzed in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and uncomplicated clinical course to detect the evolution of brain tissue changes 3 weeks and 12 months after ictus. METHODS: MRI scans of 14 SAH patients (aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery, n = 5; no aneurysm n = 9) were compared with 14 age-matched healthy control subjects. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was applied to objectively identify focal changes of MRI parameters throughout the entire brain and to correlate image parameters with neuropsychological measures. RESULTS: SPM localized significant bilateral increases in R2* signal within the white matter compartment of the temporal and parietal lobe and the cingulate gyrus (P < 0.001) which did not change significantly at 12 months. Significant gray matter volume reduction of the left insula and superior temporal gyrus (P < 0.001), as well as decreases in fractional anisotropy of the cingulate gyrus (P < 0.01) were also evident at 12 months. Significant correlations were found between fractional anisotropy signal alterations adjacent to the left middle and superior frontal gyrus and cognitive parameters of executive dysfunction (P < 0.001). INTERPRETATION: The study indicates that iron is trapped predominantly throughout large portions of the white matter compartment in SAH patients at 12 months postbleeding. Increased disintegration of fiber tracts colocalizing with iron overload and correlating with lower executive function performance suggests that the white matter compartment is primarily susceptible toward long-term damage in patients with good clinical grade SAH.

Remote ischemic preconditioning in the prevention of ischemic brain damage during intracranial aneurysm treatment (RIPAT): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of intracranial aneurysms may be associated with cerebral ischemia. We hypothesize that pre-interventional remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) reduces ischemic cerebral tissue damage in patients undergoing elective intracranial aneurysm treatment. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a single-center, prospective, randomized, double-blind explorative trial. Patients with an unruptured intracranial aneurysm admitted to Innsbruck Medical University Hospital for coiling or clipping will be consecutively randomized to either the intervention group (= RIPC by inflating an upper extremity blood-pressure cuff for 3 x 5 min to 200 mmHg) or the control group after induction of anesthesia. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to either the preconditioning group or the sham group using a random allocation sequence and block randomization. The precalculated sample size is n = 24 per group. The primary endpoint is the area-under-the-curve concentration of serum biomarkers (S100B, NSE, GFAP, MMP9, MBP, and cellular microparticles) in the first five days after treatment. Secondary endpoints are the number and volume of new ischemic lesions in magnetic resonance imaging and clinical outcome evaluated with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, the modified Rankin Scale, and neuropsychological tests at six and twelve months. All outcome variables will be determined by observers blinded to group allocation. This study was approved by the local institutional Ethics Committee (UN5164), version 3.0 of the study protocol, dated 20 October 2013. DISCUSSION: This study uses the elective treatment of intracranial aneurysms as a paradigmatic situation to explore the neuroprotective effects of RIPC. If effects are demonstrable in this pilot trial, a larger, prospective phase III trial will be considered.

Intact information sampling in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have reported deficits in decision making under ambiguity for patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE). It is unknown whether mTLE is also associated with alterations at a predecisional stage. This study aimed to gain insight into predecisional processing of patients with mTLE. METHOD: We compared performance of patients with mTLE (n = 25) with that of healthy controls (n = 75) on the information sampling task (IST), a task assessing reflection-impulsivity and predecisional information sampling. RESULTS: Patients and healthy controls showed a similar performance pattern in both conditions of the IST as indicated by the amount of information gathered, the degree of uncertainty tolerated, and the number of decision errors made. They both also demonstrated a significant sensitivity to the different reward characteristics of the task. For the patient group, we found no significant effects on performance on the IST of epilepsy lateralization, abnormality side, structural abnormality (hippocampus vs. amygdala), and medication (monotherapy vs. polytherapy). CONCLUSIONS: Reflection processes and predecisional information sampling as tested by the IST are intact in mTLE. Patients collect as much information as healthy individuals and adapt their behavior according to the changing reward conditions. Our findings indicate that in well-defined risk situations, where memory demands are sufficiently minimized, patients with mTLE should be able to gather sufficient information, weight risks and benefits, and make advantageous decisions.

Cerebral tau is elevated after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage and associated with brain metabolic distress and poor functional and cognitive long-term outcome.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests axonal injury after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH). The microtubule-associated protein, tau, has been shown to be elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid after aSAH, however, brain extracellular tau levels and their relation to long-term neurological and cognitive outcomes have not been investigated. METHODS: Serial cerebral microdialysis (CMD) samples were collected from 22 consecutive aSAH patients with multimodal neuromonitoring to determine CMD-total-tau by ELISA. CMD-total-tau was analysed considering other brain metabolic parameters, brain tissue oxygen tension (PbtO2), and functional and neuropsychological outcome at 12 months. All outcome models were analysed using generalised estimating equations with an autoregressive working correlation matrix to account for multiple measurements of brain extracellular proteins per subject. RESULTS: CMD-total-tau levels positively correlated with brain extracellular fluid levels of lactate (r=0.40, p<0.001), glutamate (r=0.45, p<0.001), pyruvate (r=0.26, p<0.001), and the lactate-pyruvate ratio (r=0.26, p<0.001), and were higher in episodes of hypoxic (PbtO2<20 mm Hg) brain extracellular lactate elevation (>4 mmol/L) (p<0.01). More importantly, high CMD-total-tau levels were associated with poor functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale ≥4) 12 months after aSAH even after adjusting for disease severity and age (p=0.001). A similar association was found with 3/5 neuropsychological tests indicative of impairments in cognition, psychomotor speed, visual conceptualisation and frontal executive functions at 1 year after aSAH (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that CMD-total tau may be an important biomarker for predicting long-term outcome in patients with severe aSAH. The value of axonal injury needs further confirmation in a larger patient cohort, preferably combined with advanced imaging techniques.

Do patients with mild cognitive impairment understand numerical health information?

Patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are by definition still autonomous in daily life and therefore make their own decisions, for example, concerning their own or their partners' health care. Health care information typically contains complex mathematical constructs like proportions, probabilities, and survival rates. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether patients with MCI have difficulties with understanding health numeracy questions and to explore the impact of declining cognitive functions. The performance of 25 patients with MCI in a health numeracy questionnaire was compared with the performance of a control sample including 164 healthy older adults, matched in age and educational level. Participants were asked to convert percentages, assess different probabilities, or understand the dosage of a short patient information leaflet. Additionally, neuropsychological background tests were administered. Patients with MCI answered fewer items correctly than controls in the health numeracy questionnaire. A correlation analysis showed statistically significant associations between performance in the health numeracy task and mental arithmetic, executive functions (psychomotor speed, conceptualization), and global cognitive status, respectively. Patients with MCI show problems in understanding numerical information concerning health care. Since patients with MCI are confronted with several health care decisions, special attention has to be paid to presenting information in an easily understandable way, to make additional sources of information available, and to provide adequate support.

Friedreich ataxia: executive control is related to disease onset and GAA repeat length.

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is the most frequent inherited ataxia. Neuropsychological studies suggest that FRDA may be associated with specific cognitive impairment. Very little is known about the relation between cognitive performance, demographics and disease-related parameters, such as GAA repeat size, age of onset and disease duration. The present investigation aimed at assessing cognitive functions in a representative sample of FRDA patients and at identifying the most relevant disease-related parameters. Twenty-nine adult FRDA patients underwent neuropsychological tests assessing executive functions, attention, memory and visual perception. Performance was compared with 28 age- and education-matched controls as well as with standardized norms. The relation between neuropsychological outcome, demographical variables and disease-related parameters was assessed. Cognitive impairment affected only a subgroup of patients and mostly concerned attentional and executive functions. Good cognitive performance was associated with a later disease onset, shorter GAA repeat length and lower burden of disease. Age at disease onset has been found to be a good predictor when a cut-off of 14 years was chosen. No correlation was found between cognitive performance and education, age or disease duration. The present study extends earlier findings in FRDA showing that performance in attentional and executive function tasks is best predicted by the age at disease onset. Moreover, executive functions show a clear relationship to disease severity and repeat size of the shorter GAA allele. These findings therefore have important implications for patient counselling regarding education and career choices.

Life-style characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors in regular downhill skiers: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Downhill skiing is part of active life style in many residents of Alpine regions. However, only very little information is available whether downhill skiing on a regular basis is associated with a healthier life style resulting in the reduction of major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and memory deficits when compared to the general population. Thus, the aim of the study was to compare life-style characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors between regular downhill skiers and the general population. METHODS: Self-reported health and life-style data were collected by questionnaire from 1259 long-term downhill skiers (971 males, aged 57.3 ± 14.6 years; 288 females, aged 47.7 ± 16.4 years) and compared with data from the general population. RESULTS: Long-term skiers showed more favourable life-style characteristics and a better health status than the general population. Prevalences of hypercholesterolemia, systemic hypertension, diabetes, the frequency of mental stress and the occurrence of memory deficits declined with increasing yearly skiing frequency. CONCLUSION: Long-term alpine skiing on a regular basis may contribute to healthy aging by its association with a healthier life style.

Long-term outcome of cognitive functions, emotional behavior, and quality of life in a family with familial hemiplegic migraine.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate long-term cognitive outcome, mood, and quality of life in a family with genetically proven familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM). BACKGROUND: FHM is a rare autosomal-dominant subtype of migraine with aura, characterized by some degree of hemiparesis during the aura. In a previous study, we showed preserved and impaired cognitive functions in patients with FHM. Until now, the progression of cognitive dysfunctions has not been known. However, the ability to predict progression is important for counseling patients about education, career, and family life. METHODS: Seven years after extensive baseline neuropsychological testing, we retested 6 members of a family with FHM, including questionnaires about mood and quality of life. RESULTS: The follow-up assessment revealed no global cognitive decline. All the patients' linguistic abilities and verbal memory remained intact; however, their figural memory, attention, and some aspects of executive function were impaired. Half the patients had a slight deterioration in their visuoconstructional functions. Half had higher scores on the trait and state anxiety measures. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive deficits in a family with FHM persisted, but without marked progression. Worsening of visuoconstructional abilities may be related to executive dysfunction, confirming a disturbance of cerebrocerebellar circuits.

Anhydrous thallium hydrogen L-glutamate: polymer networks formed by sandwich layers of oxygen-coordinated thallium ions cores shielded by hydrogen L-glutamate counterions.

Anhydrous thallium hydrogen L-glutamate [Tl(L-GluH)] crystallizes from water (space group P2(1)) with a layer structure in which the thallium ions are penta- and hexacoordinated exclusively by the oxygen atoms of the γ-carboxylate group of the hydrogen L-glutamate anions to form a two-dimensional coordination polymer. The thallium-oxygen layer is composed of Tl(2)O(2) and TlCO(2) quadrangles and is only 3 Å high. Only one hemisphere of the thallium ions participates in coordination, indicative of the presence of the 6s(2) lone pair of electrons. The thallium-oxygen assemblies are shielded by the hydrogen l-glutamate anions. Only the carbon atom of the α-carboxylate group deviates from the plane spanned by the thallium ions, the γ-carboxylate groups and the proton bearing carbon atoms, which are in trans conformation. Given the abundance of L-glutamic and L-aspartic acid in biological systems on the one hand and the high toxicity of thallium on the other hand, it is worth mentioning that the dominant structural motifs in the crystal structure of [Tl(L-GluH)] strongly resemble their corresponding analogues in the crystalline phase of [K(L-AspH)(H(2)O)(2)].

Supernumerary phantom limb as a rare symptom of epileptic seizures--case report and literature review.

Supernumerary phantom limbs, that is, the awareness of an illusory extra limb is a fascinating neurologic symptom that has been described in a number of neurologic diseases including stroke, spinal injury, and epilepsy. Herein we report a case of a 70-year-old male patient with new-onset focal seizures with left-sided supernumerary phantom arm and leg as the only seizure manifestation. Ictal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) revealed a hyperperfusion in the right temporoparietal junction and allowed localization of the seizure-onset zone. This report is accompanied by a discussion of phenomenology and terminology in the context of existing literature.

One decade of microwave-assisted polymerizations: quo vadis?

The application of microwave irradiation in polymer syntheses and modifications is of continuously growing interest and has received significant international interest since the beginning of the millennium. Preceded by a review that was published 6 years ago, the present paper summarizes the most recent trends in this research area. Radical as well as step-growth and ring-opening polymerizations will be addressed; furthermore, the evolution from microwave-assisted polymerizations to microwave-assisted material fabrication will be described on the examples of polymeranalogous reactions, polymer/metal composites and bio-based materials.

Executive functions in chronic mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

There is no consensus as to whether mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) leads to executive function deficits. In this study, we adopted an extensive neuropsychological test battery and assessed different executive functions in chronic, unilateral MTLE. Performance of MTLE patients was compared with that of healthy peers and with normative data. Several MTLE patients had scores below cut-off or below the 10th percentile of normative data. Scores of the whole patient group were overall in the average range of normative data. Relative to controls, MTLE patients performed poorly in tests of working memory, cognitive flexibility, categorical verbal fluency, set-shifting, categorization, and planning. These findings raise an important methodological issue as they suggest that executive function deficits in chronic MTLE may be individually variable and that their assessment should include different tests. Deficits in chronic MTLE are not limited to temporal lobe functions, such as memory, but may extend to extra temporal cognitive domains, such as executive functions.