Report of the Task Force on pre-graduate education in Europe of the education committee of the European Federation of Neurological Societies Composition of the task force of the education committee on pre-graduate education.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The demographical evolution and the technological revolution seen in the last decades, in developed countries, have dramatically changed the practice of Neurology. However, the academic curriculum in many medical schools has not been updated accordingly over many of the European Countries. The Education Committee of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) implemented in 2000 a Task Force on pre-graduate education trying to give guidelines to adequate pre-graduate education to the present status. METHODS AND DISCUSSION: Based on the results of two questionnaires, the first sent to the delegates of the EFNS and to the delegates of the European Board of Neurology, and the second answered by the Task Force members themselves, this paper describes the Task Force recommendations aimed to improve Neurology Education in the Medical Schools. These recommendations are also discussed with the analyses of the current bibliography available.

A survey of undergraduate teaching of clinical neurology in the United Kingdom 1990.

A comprehensive questionnaire survey of undergraduate teaching of clinical neurology in the United Kingdom has demonstrated the following points. Eight of the 28 medical schools do not provide a clinical attachment for all students. Clinical attachments tend to be either full time for four weeks or part time for six weeks. Students' exposure to sufficient patients with the common neurological conditions, with chronic neurological disability and particularly with acute neurological emergencies, is often deficient. Clinically based teaching, in the ward and clinic, remains highly valued. Neurological teaching tends to fail in schools where the ratio of clinical students to neurology consultants is greater than 28:1.

Oligodendroglioma: an analysis of 42 cases.

This paper presents the clinical and pathological data obtained from 42 patients with oligodendroglioma diagnosed over a 20 year period at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. In all cases the diagnosis was established unequivocally by histological examination. The principal conclusions of this study were: (1) the outcome was not as favourable as anticipated, nine patients dying within 1 year of diagnosis, and only 10 patients surviving 5 years, (2) age at the time of diagnosis was the single most important prognostic factor, patients under 45 years at diagnosis having a significantly greater survival time than older patients, (3) two other factors had a significantly adverse effect on prognosis, namely the presence of a focal neurological deficit at the time of diagnosis and the presence of nuclear pleomorphism in the tumour when examined histologically, (4) although cells containing glial fibrillary acidic protein were demonstrated in almost every tumour, their number and distribution did not appear to influence the prognosis.

Cognitive style in depressed and recovered depressed patients.

Depressed and recovered depressed patients were compared with a recovered mixed psychiatric group and normal controls on three cognitive measures relating to Beck's theory of depression. Levels of depression and neuroticism were also assessed. Cognitive response was not found to differentiate the recovered depressed patients from the two control groups, though depressed patients were consistently differentiated. The three cognitive measures, of which one was devised by the authors, intercorrelated highly among themselves and with levels of depression and neuroticism. When levels of depression and neuroticism were controlled for, the differences between the depressed group, recovered depressed and control groups, disappeared, except on one of the measures. The implications of the findings for the cognitive theory of depression are discussed.

Psychogeriatric dependency rating scales (PGDRS): a method of assessment for use by nurses.

Validity and reliability studies of a method of assessment of the elderly mentally ill by nurses are presented. The method has the advantages of being brief, meaningful and structured into three areas which provide useful distinctions for nursing: Orientation, Behaviour, and Physical Capacity. Applications of the scales are discussed.

Subtle disturbances of vision after optic neuritis elicited by studying contrast sensitivity.

Eight patients with a subjective disorder of vision yet normal Snellen acuities after optic neuritis were shown to have an abnormal contrast sensitivity function in their affected eye. It appears that certain disorders of vision are associated with an abnormality of the contrast sensitivity function in spite of near normal visual acuity. Such an abnormality may affect pattern recognition without having an influence on Snellen acuity because of the high contrast of the latter and its predominant association with the higher spatial frequencies. Contrast sensitivity function is thus the only tool available to study those aspects of vision which have remained impervious to other subjective tests of visual function.

Benefit from adrenocorticotrophin in myasthenia gravis.

Twenty-one of 29 patients suffering from myasthenia gravis derived benefit from a short intensive course of adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH). The mean duration of benefit was approximately six months. The best results were obtained in patients with a short history of myasthenia. Transient deterioration during the course of injections was encountered in some cases but necessitated assisted respiration only in patients with severe generalized weakness before treatment.