ABSTRACT
Dopamine deficiency is found in both chronic cocaine abusers and Parkinson's disease. The authors sought to determine whether parkinsonian signs occur in chronic cocaine abusers. Fifty male patients with a history of chronic heavy cocaine abuse were examined on the Unified Parkinson Disease Scale (UPDS) and compared with 20 non-cocaine-abusing, age- and sex-matched control subjects. UPDS scores of cocaine abusers ranged from 0 to 1 (mean: 0.08 +/- 0.28) and, in control subjects, from 0 to 3 (mean: 0.15 +/- 0.49; P = 0.5; NS). This study suggests that chronic heavy cocaine abuse does not cause parkinsonism.
Subject(s)
Cocaine/adverse effects , Narcotics/adverse effects , Parkinson Disease, Secondary/chemically induced , Substance-Related Disorders , Adult , Brain Chemistry/drug effects , Dopamine/metabolism , Humans , Male , Matched-Pair Analysis , Middle Aged , Parkinson Disease, Secondary/etiologyABSTRACT
Ataxia in the parietal lobe is rarely described. A case of ataxia hemiparesis due to a parietal lobe infarction is described and pathophysiology is discussed.
Subject(s)
Ataxia/etiology , Hemiplegia/diagnosis , Parietal Lobe/pathology , Cerebral Infarction/diagnosis , Hemiplegia/complications , Hemiplegia/pathology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Tomography, X-Ray ComputedSubject(s)
Cranial Nerve Diseases/etiology , Lyme Disease/complications , Neuritis/etiology , Adult , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
Our retrospective review of the charts of patients receiving radiation therapy for brain metastasis revealed that one third presented neurologic symptoms without prior diagnosis of cancer. Lung cancer was detected in two thirds of this group, and in one third, the primary site remained unknown. There was good clinical and CT correlation.