[Comparative study of visual evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging in multiple sclerosis]. / Etude comparative des potentiels évoqués visuels et de l'imagerie par résonnance magnétique dans la sclérose en plaques.

19 patients with clinically definite, probable or possible multiple sclerosis were examined by means of visual evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging. The patients were classified in three groups according to the criteria of Mac Alpine. 11 patients had definite multiple sclerosis: 8 of these patients, who had visual disorders evoking an optic neuropathy, had abnormal visual evoked potentials and 7 of these 8 patients had a pathological magnetic resonance imaging. In the other 3 patients of this group without optic neuropathy. 2 of them had abnormal visual evoked potentials and the 3 had a pathological magnetic resonance imaging. Two patients had probable multiple sclerosis, one of them had abnormal visual evoked potentials and a pathological magnetic resonance imaging. Finally, 6 patients had possible multiple sclerosis, one had a optical neuropathy, with abnormal visual evoked potentials but with a normal magnetic resonance imaging. Among the 5 other patients, 2 had abnormal visual evoked potentials and a pathological magnetic resonance imaging. The results obtained in comparison with the other reported in the literature show that magnetic resonance imaging brings a certain number of criteria which when associated with visual evoked potentials seem to be a further development in the diagnosis of the affection. However, despite of the existence of correlations, the lack of specificity of the lesions found with magnetic resonance imaging should lead the clinicians to a cautions optimism.

[Tiapride in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders in the elderly (author's transl)]. / Le tiapride en neurologie et en psychiatrie chez la personne âgée.

One hundred patients, aged between 60 and 92 years, were treated with tiapride for neurological disorders (abnormal movements, buccofacial dyskinesias, dopa therapy complications, ballism, eyelid tics, senile tremor, post-traumatic headache, delirium tremens), psychiatric disorders with more or less marked agitation and of various types (hysteria, depression, mood disturbances, hypochondria, delusions, hallucinations), or for mental deficiency, senile dementia, or arteriopathic dementia. Results were excellent, being satisfactory in 70 p. cent, and even more marked in some groups. Tolerance was very good, with some rare cases of somnolence. The efficacy and safety of tiapride makes it of particular value for treating neuropsychiatric disorders in geriatric patients.

[Traditional concept of epilepsy in Dogon people (author's transl)]. / Vues traditionnelles sur l'épilepsie chez les Dogons.

Dogon people has a very particular culture which has been rather thoroughly studied in the last fifty years. Dogons do know the successive aspects of generalized grand mal epilepsy and its differences with sacred fits and other magic behaviours. Epilepsy is believed to be of magic origin. Its is caused by a malignant spirit from, most often, an hereditary transmission. Inside families, segregating measures are still generally taken in order to prevent contamination. The mental features often observed in epileptic patients have been noted by Dogons. Indigenous treatments receive little confidence among the Dogons themselves.