No abstract

Cognitive dysfunction is well known in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) and has been described for many years. Cognitive impairment, memory, and attention deficits seem to be features of advanced MS stages, whereas depression and emotional instability already occur in early stages of the disease. However, little is known about processing of affective prosody in patients in early stages of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). In this study, tests assessing attention, memory, and processing of affective prosody were administered to 25 adult patients with a diagnosis of RRMS at an early stage and to 25 healthy controls (HC). Early stages of the disease were defined as being diagnosed with RRMS in the last 2 years and having an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) of 2 or lower. Patients and HC were comparable in intelligence quotient (IQ), educational level, age, handedness, and gender. Patients with early stages of RRMS performed below the control group with respect to the subtests 'discrimination of affective prosody' and 'matching of affective prosody to facial expression' for the emotion 'angry' of the 'Tübingen Affect Battery'. These deficits were not related to executive performance. Our findings suggest that emotional prosody comprehension is deficient in young patients with early stages of RRMS. Deficits in discriminating affective prosody early in the disease may make misunderstandings and poor communication more likely. This might negatively influence interpersonal relationships and quality of life in patients with RRMS.

No abstract

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is characterized by acute thunderclap headache, evidence of vasoconstriction in conventional angiography or magnetic resonance angiography and reversibility of these phenomena within 12 weeks. Some triggering factors, for example drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, sumatriptan, tacrolimus, cyclophosphamide and cocaine, or states such as pregnancy, puerperium or migraine have been described. We describe the case of a 29-year-old woman with RCVS associated with fingolimod three months after childbirth. This case represents the first report of RCVS in fingolimod treatment.

Reduction in jaw opening is a neglected symptom of giant cell arteritis (GCA) in clinical practice and in the scientific literature. We describe the case of a 71-year-old woman with GCA who was misdiagnosed as occipital neuritis and craniomandibular dysfunction because of headaches in the occipital region and reduction in jaw opening. The reported case reminds us not to overlook reduction in jaw opening as a symptom to reveal GCA in elderly patients.