Chronic overexposure to manganese may cause an atypical form of parkinsonism associated with increased T1 signal in the basal ganglia on magnetic resonance imaging.

No abstract

Turkey b-thalassemia minor is a common, hereditary, and mostly symptomless disease. Previous studies have shown that lower hemoglobin values are associated with poorer cognitive functions. We aimed to evaluate the cognitive function in patients with b-thalassemia minor. Thirty-two male subjects with b-thalassemia minor and 32 sex-, age-, and education statusmatched healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Blood tests and P300 potentials were carried out. P300 potential latency in all patients was significantly longer than those in the control group (337.63 ± 34.89 msec and 310.66 ± 14.30 msec, respectively; t 4.046, P < 0.001). The amplitudes of P300 in patient group were significantly lower than those in the control group (5.19 ± 3.59 lV and 9.81 ± 3.33 lV, respectively; t 5.349, P < 0.001). In this study, we have found that P300 potentials are adversely affected for cognitive functions in patients with b-thalassemia minor. Am. J. Hematol. 82:203-207, 2007. V V C 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

No abstract

Restless legs syndrome (RLS), a sensorimotor disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations commonly localized in the legs, is frequently associated with periodic limb movements (PLMs) during sleep. We investigated the role of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and cortical silent period (CSP) duration as diagnostic and monitoring tools in 20 patients with primary RLS before and after 1 month of treatment and also studied 15 normal age-and gender-matched subjects. Polysomnographic assessment was undertaken and the PLM index determined in 17 of the 20 patients. We also studied the correlation between sleep efficiency index and CSP duration because of the increasing severity of the sleep disturbance and PLMs in patients with RLS. Our results demonstrate that the duration of the CSP was reduced in patients with RLS, and that dopaminergic treatment normalized this duration. There was no correlation between the PLM index and CSP duration. It may be speculated that PLMs and the CSP are due to different inhibitory mechanisms and they may be used separately as diagnostic and monitoring tools in patients with primary RLS.

No abstract

No abstract

A 38-year-old man developed bilateral anterior cerebral artery territory infarction during the course of a migraine. Magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral ischemic lesions involving the cortex of the paramedian region of the frontal and parietal lobes, more prominent on the right. Cerebral angiography was normal. To our knowledge, this is the first report of bilateral anterior cerebral artery territory infarction from migraine.