The Neurologist in Dante's <b><i>Inferno</i></b>

Abstract

The year 2015 marks the 750th birth anniversary of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). It is less known that Dante had a sound level of medical knowledge, probably derived by his academic studies. In his works, medieval notions of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology (e.g. the connection between brain and spinal cord, function of optic nerve and peripheral nerves, knowledge of vegetative nervous system) and descriptions of neurological disorders (e.g. epileptic seizures, effects on nervous system by metal intoxication, and narcolepsy) may be found, specially in the Inferno, the first part of his masterpiece, the Divine Comedy. These accurate descriptions have led some authors to believe that the poet himself may have suffered from a neurological disease (epilepsy or hypersomnia). Damned souls of the Inferno seem to be also afflicted by psychiatric disorders, such as melancholia and depression. The analysis of Dante's works confirms that poetry - as well as literature in general - may be an important source of information for historians of neurology.

Spinal cord injury and its underlying mechanism in rats with temporal lobe epilepsy

“…A microchannel (coordinates with the Bregma: Anteroposterior, -3.6 mm; mediolateral, -3.4 mm; and dorsoventral, -3.8 mm) was established in the skull for the intra-hippocampal administration of 0.5 mM x1 µl, 0.05 µl/min KA. Preliminary tests were performed to determine the optimal dosage of KA for triggering an epileptic seizure; 0.5 mM x1 µl, 0.05 µl/min, as previously described (7,8). Rats in the control group were injected with 1 µl sterile saline.…”

“…A monopolar electrode was implanted into the bone above the cerebellum. All electrodes were fixed to the skull using screws and embedded with dental cement (Paladur; Kulzer GmbH) (7,8). To generate a clear electroencephalograph (EEG) image, a high-resolution recorder (EEG-1200C; Nihon Kohden Corporation) was connected.…”

“…In addition, the mechanism underlying epilepsies-mediated injury remains to be investigated. Our previous study investigated severe neuronal injury, damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and neuronal uptake of serum albumin in the brain parenchyma of a kainic acid (KA)-induced rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) (7,8). The present study aimed to investigate the pathological changes and underlying mechanisms of spinal cord injury in TLE.…”

“…Another previous study showed that after seizure, the expression levels of serum C-response protein, cytokines and inflammatory factors are markedly increased, thus indicating a systemic seizure-associated inflammatory reaction (6). The brain and spinal cord share a common origin, which is supported by the co-expression of specific neurotransmitters in both locations (7,8). Therefore, there may be a close connection between spinal cord injury and the abnormal discharge of brain neurons (7,8).…”

“…The brain and spinal cord share a common origin, which is supported by the co-expression of specific neurotransmitters in both locations (7,8). Therefore, there may be a close connection between spinal cord injury and the abnormal discharge of brain neurons (7,8).…”