Recent studies have demonstrated that central neuronal hyperexcitability has an important role in migraine pathogenesis. Hyperexcitability of occipital cortex has been proposed to be responsible for the elaboration of migraine attacks and visual aura. Motor symptoms in some migraine subtypes have also drawn attention to the hyperexcitability of motor cortex. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive tool to investigate physiology and excitability of both motor-and occipital cortices. 11,[21][22][23][24][25] The changes in motor threshold, latency and amplitude of motor evoked potential, central motor conduction time and cortical silent period after magnetic ABSTRACT: Objective: We evaluated motor and occipital cortex excitability in migraine patients using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Methods: In this study, we included 15 migraine patients with aura (MwA), 15 patients without aura (MwoA) between attacks, and 31 normal healthy controls. Motor thresholds at rest, amplitudes of motor evoked potentials, central motor conduction time and cortical silent period were measured by stimulation of the motor cortex by using 13.5 cm circular coil and recording from abductor digiti minimi muscle. Additionally, phosphene production and the threshold of phosphene production was determined by stimulation of the visual cortex with the same coil. Results: No significant differences were observed between the groups with respect to the motor thresholds, Motor evoked potential max/compound muscle action potential max (MEPmax/Mmax) amplitudes, central motor conduction times and duration of cortical silent period. Although not statistically significant, the proportion of the migraineurs with phosphene generation (90%) was found to be higher than that of normal controls (71%). Phosphene threshold levels in migraine patients, however, were significantly lower than those of the controls with MwA patients having the lowest levels. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the occipital cortex, but not the motor cortex, is hyperexcitable in migraine patients. RÉSUMÉ: Excitabilité du cortex moteur et du cortex occipital chez les patients migraineux.Objectif: Nous avons évalué par stimulation magnétique transcrânienne l'excitabilité du cortex moteur et du cortex occipital chez des patients migraineux. Méthodes: Nous avons étudié entre les crises 15 patients ayant une migraine avec aura (MaA), 15 patients migraineux sans aura (MsA) et 31 témoins en bonne santé. Les seuils moteurs au repos, les amplitudes des potentiels évoqués moteurs (PÉM), le temps de conduction moteur central et la période de silence cortical ont été mesurés par stimulation du cortex moteur au moyen d'une spirale circulaire de 13,5 cm et enregistrement au niveau du muscle abducteur du petit doigt. De plus, la production de phosphènes et le seuil de production de phosphènes ont été déterminés par stimulation du cortex visuel avec la même spirale. Résultats: Nous n'avons observé aucune...

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common nerve entrapment syndrome. Electromyogram (EMG) is beneficial in supporting the diagnosis of CTS. We compared standard nerve conduction studies of EMG with median and ulnar motor nerve conduction studies from recordings of second lumbrical and interosseal muscles in supporting the diagnosis of CTS. In this study, a total of 242 patients were included, and a total of 375 hands were involved. Electrophysiologic CTSs were diagnosed in 283 hands of 161 patients. A significant association between second lumbrical-interosseal distal motor latency difference (2LI-MDLD) and CTS was found in this study. Statistically, every 0.1 increment in the 2LI-MDLD value was observed to increase the risk of disease by 1.74. When a cut-off of ≥ 0.5 for 2LI-MDLD is taken for predicting CTS, the sensitivity of the test is found to be 89.4% and specificity 84.4%. When the cut-off value for motor distal latency of second lumbrical of the median nerve (2L-MDL) was taken as ≥ 3.15 milliseconds in the diagnosis of CTS, the sensitivity of the test was 87.3%, and specificity 70.7%. Previous reports and our findings suggest that in CTS diagnosis, not only 2LI-MDLD value but also 2L-MDL value are easy and rapidly obtainable and offer additional information in very severe cases where compound muscle action potentials (CMAP) cannot be recorded from the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscle.

Introduction: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) has a similar risk with persistent AF for ischemic stroke. Holter monitorization (HM) and other long-term monitorization methods increased the detection of PAF and short-lasting runs of tachyarrhythmias. Their classification as PAF and roles in the etiology of ischemic stroke is controversial. In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of any duration of PAF and clinical characteristics of the patients with acute ischemic stroke who have undergone 24-hrs HM.Methods: Patients with acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) hospitalized in the Neurology ward and undergone 24-hrs of HM during their hospital stay were included in the study. HM reports, clinical, and laboratory characteristics were analyzed, retrospectively. Patients were grouped into three based on HM: 1st group, without PAF; 2nd group, PAF >30 seconds (s) and 3rd group, PAF<30s.Results: PAF of any duration was detected in 18.8% (n=49) of 261 patients. The duration of PAF was <30s in 16.1% (n=42) and >30s in 2.7% (n=7) of the patients. The mean age, left atrium diameter and CHA2DS2-VASc scores of the second group were significantly higher than the first group (p<0.001, p<0.001 and p=0.007; respectively). The mean age, left atrium diameter, modified Rankin Scores (mRS), and CHA2DS2-VASc scores of the third group were significantly higher than the first group (p<0.001; for all). There was no difference between the second and the third groups in means of mean age, left atrial diameter, MRS, and CHA2DS2-VASc scores (p<0.017, for all). Conclusion:In this study, 24-hrs HM in the early period of acute ischemic stroke results yielded a high frequency of PAF<30s and predictive features were in parallel with the literature.

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OzetPedinküler halüsinoz, beyin sapi ve talamus gibi yapilarin etkilenmesiyle ortaya çikan kisa süreli renkli, canh görsei halusinasyonlarla karakterize bir sendromdur.Etiyolojide daha cok vasküler hadiseler ve enfeksiyonlar yer almaktadir. Literatürde mulripl skleroza bagli pedinküler hallusinozis olgusu oldukça az sayidadir. Biz bu yazida multipl skleroz tanisi olan, 46 yaçindaki bir hastada geli §en pedinküler halusinozisi sunduk. (Turk NöroJoji Dergisi 2013; 19:143-144) Anahtar Kelimeler: Pedinküler halusinozis, multipl skleroz, beyin sapi Summary Peduncular hallucinosis is a snydrome characterized by vivid, colored visual hallucinations due to brain stem and rhalamic involvement. The etiology of peduncular hallucinosis mostly involves lesions of vascular nature and infections. The cases of peduncular hallusinosis due to multiple sclerosis is very rare in the literature.In this report we presented a peduncular hallucinosis case who is a 46 year old woman with multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

The present findings indicate that the clinical characteristics of ischemic stroke differed between septuagenarians and octogenarians. Therefore, elderly stroke patients cannot be accepted as a homogeneous group. Because this is a hospital-based study, our findings need to be tested via additional epidemiological studies.

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Prevalence of acute ische­mic stroke (AIS) is increased in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A proposed hypothesis is increased virus-induced propensity to hypercoagulation resulting in arterial thrombosis. Our aim was to provide evidence regarding the involvement of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation (NETosis) in COVID-19 related AIS. Twenty-six consecutively enrolled COVID-19+ pneumonia patients with AIS, 32 COVID-19+ pneumonia patients without AIS and 24 AIS patients without COVID-19 infection were included to the study. Clinical characteristics of recruited patients were collected. Serum levels of citrullinated histone H3 (H3Cit; a factor of NETosis), IL-8 and C5a (mediators associated with NETosis) were measured by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). H3Cit levels were significantly higher in COVID-19+ AIS patients, whereas all study groups showed comparable IL-8 and C5a levels. There were no significant differences among etiological subgroups of AIS patients with or without COVID-19. AIS patients with COVID-19 showed relatively increased white blood cell, lymphocyte, neutrophil, D-dimer, C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels than control groups. H3Cit levels did not correlate with clinical/prognostic features and inflammation parameters. H3Cit and IL-8 levels were correlated in COVID-19 patients without stroke but not in COVID-19 positive or negative AIS patients. Increased levels of inflammation parameters and H3Cit in COVID-19 related AIS suggest that NETosis may cause susceptibility to arterial thrombosis. However, H3Cit levels do not correlate with clinical severity measures and inflammation parameters diminishing the prognostic biomarker value of NETosis factors. Moreover, the link between IL-8 and NETosis appears to be abolished in AIS.