Evaluation of Electroencephalography Findings in Isolated Hypocalcemia Patients

Aim:In our study, we aimed to analyze electroencephalography (EEG) findings in patients with hypocalcemia and to investigate possible relationship between calcium (Ca) level and EEG abnormalities and whether there was any change in EEG findings when serum Ca level returns to normal.Methods:Seventeen consecutive patients, who were admitted to the Endocrinology, Neurology and General Surgery Clinics at İstanbul Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital with a corrected serum Ca level of 8.5 mg/dL) in follow-up.Results:EEG abnormalities were detected in nine (53%) of 17 patients. EEG examination revealed slow background activity in seven patients (41%) and epileptiform abnormalities in two (12%) patients. In follow-up, normocalcemic period was observed in seven patients. EEG findings were improved in two of eight patients who had slow background activity and one of two patients with epileptiform activity in the normocalcemic period.Conclusion:Our study showed that various EEG findings, such as slowed background activity and epileptiform abnormalities, may be seen in isolated hypocalcemia patients even in the absence of clinical findings and these EEG findings may improve in normocalsemic period

The Relationship between Polyneuropathy and Cognitive Functions in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Objectives: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. However, it is not known which pathophysiological mechanisms lead to impairment in cognitive functions in Type 2 DM. This study aims to compare the cognitive functions of diabetic patients with and without polyneuropathy using standardized MiniMental Test (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) and to assess whether the presence of polyneuropathy is a predictive factor for the development of cognitive impairment

Reevaluation of the electroencephalogram recordings of patients with nonconvulsive status epilepticus by using salzburg consensus criteria

Objective: Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is a challenge to diagnose in some cases, and recently, Salzburg consensus criteria for NCSE (SCC-NCSE) were developed to contribute to clinical practice. We aimed to investigate their validity and usefulness by reevaluating the electroencephalogram (EEG) examinations of our patients in this study. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all EEG recordings of patients diagnosed with NCSE by experienced clinical neurophysiologists in our EEG laboratory over a period of 2 years. Two neurologists trained in EEG reanalyzed all EEG data and categorized these patients as NCSE, possible NCSE, or non-NCSE using the SCC-NCSE. Results: Twenty-nine patients with a mean age of 31.5 & PLUSMN; 25.9 were reanalyzed. According to the SCC-NCSE, 24 patients (82.7%) were diagnosed as NCSE. Eighteen patients (62%) who fulfilled all SCC-NCSE were diagnosed as NCSE, whereas six patients (20.7%) were diagnosed only as possible NCSE. Five patients (17.3%) did not fulfill SCC-NCSE; the reasons are the lack of additional secondary criteria in 2 patients with encephalopathy, the absence of full compliance with the criteria in other 2 patients, and a diagnosis of electrical status epilepticus during sleep in the last patient. Conclusion: The results of our study show that SCC-NCSE is highly consistent with clinical practice to decide for the diagnosis of NCSE. The evaluation of NCSE according to a set of new standardized criteria is thought to be difficult in practice, but it provides a more objective assessment. Therefore, we believe that its use should be encouraged to increase experience and the possibility of correct diagnosis.İstanbul Üniversitesi BAP-3345

Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis with MOCA Test

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive dysfunction is currently recognized as a significant cause of disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) is screening device used to evaluate executive functions, visuo-spatial abilities, language, attention, and concentration, abstract thinking, memory, and orientation domain. The aim of this study is to compare cognitive functions of MS patients with age-matched controls using MOCA test. METHODS: Thirty nine subjects with a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS according to the 2010 revised McDonald criteria and 20 healthy volunteer controls participated in this study. Patients and controls underwent Turkish version of MOCA test. Total and subgroup scores were compared. RESULTS: Total MOCA score in MS patients and controls were 21,74±4,48 and 26,9±2,53 respectively. Total MOCA score of MS patients was significantly lower than controls. Significant deterioration was also found in language, attention, memory and executive functions domain. Disease duration and expanded disability status scale (EDSS) did not differ in patients with and without cognitive deficits. CONCLUSION: Patients with MS showed deterioration in language, attention, working and long term-memory and executive functions compared to controls. MOCA is a simple, stand-alone cognitive screening test with superior sensitivity. Our findings suggest that the MOCA test may be useful for screening cognitive impairment in MS patients early in the disease cours

Neurosurgical treatment of nonconvulsive status epilepticus due to focal cortical dysplasia

We present a rare case of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) and nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) treated successfully with early surgical intervention. Our case is a 9-year-old boy whose seizures, characterized by short episodes of loss of consciousness, appeared at the age of 7, and he showed progressive cognitive decline in the following years. NCSE was diagnosed, and his MRI revealed FCD in the left frontal region which was the same side as his EEG abnormality. Following lesionectomy, his NCSE disappeared and cognitive functions improved. Histopathologic analysis of the resected tissue revealed type-IIB FCD. This case illustrates the importance of early surgery to help restore cognitive functions by eliminating the clinical and electrophysiological features of NCSE

Neurosurgical treatment of nonconvulsive status epilepticus due to focal cortical dysplasia

We present a rare case of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) and nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) treated successfully with early surgical intervention. Our case is a 9-year-old boy whose seizures, characterized by short episodes of loss of consciousness, appeared at the age of 7, and he showed progressive cognitive decline in the following years. NCSE was diagnosed, and his MRI revealed FCD in the left frontal region which was the same side as his EEG abnormality. Following lesionectomy, his NCSE disappeared and cognitive functions improved. Histopathologic analysis of the resected tissue revealed type-IIB FCD. This case illustrates the importance of early surgery to help restore cognitive functions by eliminating the clinical and electrophysiological features of NCSE. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc

Status Quo Preference in Mate Selection: New Experiments

Gunaydin, Selcuk, Yilmaz, and Hazan (2018) provided evidence for status quo preference in resolving mate selection trade offs. The present experiments are modeled after Gunaydin et al. Study 1b. As in that study, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions: the trustworthy partner, attractive alternative condition or the attractive partner, trustworthy alternative condition. The main difference compared to Gunaydin et al. Study 1b is that in the present experiments the scenarios will describe a situation where commitment level to the partner is likely to be lower