ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Vitamin B12 deficiency is often associated with neurological disorders of which combined sclerosis of the spinal cord is a common manifestation. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a woman who presented cerebellar ataxia and cognitive deficits associated with leukoencephalopathy on the brain MRI. These symptoms were associated with vitamin B12 deficiency due to Biermer's disease. Vitamin B12 supplementation led to symptom improvement. Later her treatment was discontinued and the patient's clinical status worsened to a bedridden status. CONCLUSION: Ataxia cerebellar dementia and leukoencephalopathy can result from vitamin B12 deficiency. To limit the risks of sequelae, vitamin B12 supplementation should be started at an early stage.
Subject(s)
Cerebellar Ataxia/pathology , Cognition Disorders/pathology , Leukoencephalopathies/pathology , Vitamin B 12 Deficiency/complications , Cerebellar Ataxia/etiology , Cerebral Ventricles/pathology , Cognition Disorders/etiology , Female , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Middle AgedABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To compare cognitive impairments in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD), to discriminate between the two entities. METHODS: 10 DLB and 12 PDD consecutive patients performed a neuropsychological battery designed to assess several cognitive domains: verbal and visual memory (Delayed Matching to Sample (DMS)-48), language, gnosia, praxia and executive functions. RESULTS: DLB patients had poorer performances in orientation (p<0.05), Trail Making Test A (p<0.05) and reading of names of colours in the Stroop Test (p<0.05). Their scores were also lower in the visual object recognition memory test (DMS-48), in both immediate (p<0.05) and delayed recognition (p<0.05). No differences were observed in the other tests. CONCLUSION: Despite global similarities in cognitive performances between DLB and PDD patients, we observed important differences: in particular, DMS-48, a test of visual object recognition memory and visual storage capacity, was poorer in DLB patients.
Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/etiology , Dementia/diagnosis , Lewy Body Disease/diagnosis , Parkinson Disease/diagnosis , Recognition, Psychology , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Dementia/complications , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Lewy Body Disease/complications , Male , Memory Disorders/etiology , Parkinson Disease/complications , Visual PerceptionABSTRACT
Hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) phenotypes are heterogeneous. We report the case of a 52-year-old woman without medical history, who complained of bilateral hand weakness suggestive first of a motor neuron disorder. The presence of a diffuse predominant distal demyelinating neuropathy suggested a deletion of PMP-22 gene, which was confirmed by genetic analysis. This case report underlines a novel phenotype related to the deletion of PMP-22 gene.
Subject(s)
Gene Deletion , Hand/pathology , Hereditary Sensory and Motor Neuropathy/genetics , Myelin Proteins/genetics , Female , Hand/physiology , Hereditary Sensory and Motor Neuropathy/diagnosis , Hereditary Sensory and Motor Neuropathy/physiopathology , Humans , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Neurological syndromes secondary to acute aortic dissection (AAD) are uncommon and usually consist of focal deficits after an embolic cerebral infarction. This article reports the observation of an AAD with the chief complaint of transient acute memory impairment-that is, a non-usual stroke-like symptom.
