Background Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is a well-established nonmotor manifestations (NMM) of Parkinson disease (PD) which needs objective assessment for better understanding of the disease pathogenesis. The aim of this work was quantitative and qualitative assessment of olfactory performance in newly diagnosed PD patients. Methods This study was performed on 32 recently diagnosed PD patients and 24 healthy controls subjects (HCS) submitted to unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale–III (UPDRS–III), extended n-butanol Sniffin’ Sticks test (SST) and olfactory bulbs volumetry (OBV). Results There were significant decreases in SST threshold, discrimination, identification, and TDI variables as well as OBV in PD patients compared to HCS. The olfactory performance was negatively correlated with disease duration but had no relation with PD severity as well as motor subtype. Conclusion OD is highly prevalent during the early stages of PD which is both measurable and specific with identification and discrimination impairments to certain odors which makes smell performance testing an important step in PD patients’ evaluation.

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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the visual evoked potentials (VEP) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a diagnostic biomarker in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Patients and Methods: Forty-seven PD patients were distributed to two groups: Group 1-included 22 newly diagnosed drug naïve PD patients. Group 2-included 25 PD patients receiving antiparkinsonian drugs. Another 20 age and sex-matched healthy subjects were recruited and served as a control group (Group 3). All participants were subjected to full medical history, general and neurological examination. All participants underwent a full neuro-ophthalmologic examination, OCT, and VEP. Results: The VEP assessment revealed that the p100 latency was significantly delayed in patients' groups in comparison to healthy subjects (p < 0.0001). Also, the p100 amplitude was significantly diminished in patients' groups in comparison to healthy subjects (p < 0.0001). These parameters showed statistically significant correlations with both disease duration and severity. There was a significant reduction in both average and quadrant Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) thickness (p < 0.0001) in PD patients compared to healthy subjects, with more affection of group 2. Decreased average RNFL thickness was correlated to PD duration and severity. In PD patients both delayed P100 Latency and decreased amplitude were in a statistically significant correlation with decreased average RNFL thickness. Conclusion: Our results indicate PD patients either drug naïve or medicated show functional and morphological changes in the visual pathway, these changes represent a new biomarker for follow up of PD progression.

Background: Cognitive impairment is a common finding epileptic children. Studies have linked nocturnal epileptic discharges to delayed cognitive abilities in children. Objective: The study aims to evaluate the effect of nocturnal epileptic seizures on cognitive functions in children with idiopathic epilepsy. Patients and methods: The study was conducted on 70 children with idiopathic generalized or benign focal epilepsy. Based on seizures semiology, they were classified into cases either with nocturnal epileptic seizures (NES) (n = 40) or with diurnal epileptic seizures (DES) (n = 30). Patients receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) that affect cognitive function, patients with intelligence quotient (IQ) below 70, and those having other neurological or psychiatric disorders' were excluded. All patients were subjected to neurological examination, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and electroencephalography. Cognition was assessed using Wechsler Intelligence scale for children (WISC) to measure IQ, Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) (computerized version), Trail Making Test, and Digit spans test. Results: There was no significant difference between both groups regarding age, sex, age of epilepsy onset, or seizure frequency. There was a significant difference in almost all cognitive variables including digit forward, digit backward, processing speed, verbal IQ, WCST perseverative responses, WCST failure to maintain set, Trail Making Test A (error), Trail Making Test B (Time), and Trail Making Test B (error). There was no significant difference regarding the associated sleep disturbances between the studied groups. Conclusion: Children with idiopathic epilepsy suffering from predominant nocturnal seizure have overt and subtle cognitive functions impairments compared to children with predominant diurnal seizure.

Background The description of childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) a benign self-limited generalized epilepsy has become a matter of debate. The objectives of this work were to evaluate the existence of psychiatric and cognitive impairments among patients with typical CAE and to correlate their possible relation to seizure frequency, duration of epilepsy, IISL, and valproate therapy. Methods The study was conducted on 19 typical CAE patients receiving valproate therapy, 11 newly diagnosed CAE patients not receiving AEDs, and 30 healthy control subjects (HCS). Participants were subjected to medical history taking, EEG monitoring, child behavior checklist (CBCL), Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale 5th edition, and computerized psychometric tests that assess cognitive domains and executive functions. Results The study revealed a high rate of cognitive and psychiatric dysfunctions in CAE patients. 53.3% of patients had psychiatric problems versus 16.6% in HCS. Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) (26.6%), anxiety (16.6%), and depression (6.6%) were the most common psychiatric disorders in the patient group. Withdrawn/depressed symptoms, thought problems, social problems, and attention problems in CAE patients were significantly increased compared to HCS. At the same time, CAE patients perform worse in cognitive scales than HCS with comparable intelligent quotient (IQ) scores. Conclusion Cognitive and psychiatric impairments in typical CAE patients appear multifactorial in origin with epilepsy-related factors including the duration of epilepsy and interictal spike load (IISL).