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Biomedical subjects

J Touchon

Publications and source records attributed to J Touchon.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Heterogeneity in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type: individual differences, progressive deterioration or clinical sub-types?

Although senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT) is commonly referred to as a disease involving global intellectual deterioration, clinical reports suggest the existence of variable patient profiles. A review of the clinical and biological research reporting heterogeneity in SDAT is summarized in terms of three descriptive models representing stage, compensation and sub-type hypotheses. Together the results suggest the existence of both quantitative and qualitative differences within a SDAT population. While the former may be partly attributable to the use in cross-sectional studies of persons at different stages of the disorder, qualitative differences in clinical evolution, variable patterns in regional cerebral blood flow, genetic markers and type of cognitive deficit strongly suggest the existence of different groups. This hypothesis requires verification by longitudinal neurological and psychometric studies of elderly persons with early dementia.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Epileptic electroencephalographic abnormalities and developmental dysphasias: a study of 32 patients.

The relationships between severe developmental dysphasias and epilepsy were analysed in 32 patients with congenital dysphasias. The mean age was 8 years 2 months; 19 of 32 had never had seizures; 9 had had occasional seizures; 4 were epileptic. Twenty-two of 32 had normal repeated standard EEGs, but 10 (2 of which never had seizures) showed epileptic interictal discharges. During prolonged EEG after sleep deprivation, epileptic abnormalities were observed in 13 of the 32 cases (4 of which never had seizures). The overall night sleep recordings showed epileptic abnormalities in 30 of the 32 cases (17 of which had never had seizures). The epileptic interictal abnormalities varied considerably in intensity and aspect in the same patient from one examination to another. Developmentally aphasic children show a higher incidence of abnormal EEG than expected, particularly during overall night recordings. In most cases, the physiopathology of the language disturbance might be identical to that in Landau-Kleffner syndrome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Sleep organization and epilepsy.

Sleep is known to facilitate epileptic manifestations but can also protect the sleeper against the recurrence of seizures. This has been demonstrated in studies on sleep deprivation, and is particularly evident in alcoholic epilepsy and matutinal myoclonus epilepsy. Sleep organization in the epileptic patient is permanently altered by frequent awakenings and stage shifts. Nocturnal grand mal and repetitive partial seizures worsen the sleep disorder by reducing total sleep time and decreasing REM percentage by half. The cumulative effect of these sleep disorders may act on day-time vigilance in epileptics, and may even exert an influence on the recurrence of seizures.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Initiation of carbamazepine therapy in partial epilepsy: a regional cerebral blood flow study.

The effect of the initiation of carbamazepine (CBZ) treatment on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was studied using the intravenous Xenon technique in a group of epileptic patients suffering from complex partial seizures. A slight increase in mean rCBF (10.8 +/- 8.8%, P less than 0.01) was observed in 12 patients after the first month of CBZ treatment, while no rCBF change was found after 6 months of CBZ treatment. Regional analysis showed that the rCBF increase following 1 month of CBZ treatment involved all cortical regions with the exception of the right occipital region, irrespective of the initial value. Repeated rCBF measurements performed in normal volunteers (N = 6) and in epileptic patients (N = 10), chronically treated and not subjected to therapeutic modification, showed no significant change. The initial effect of CBZ on CBF found at the onset of the treatment but not after 4-6 months may be related to the improvement in epilepsy and in cerebral function (as suggested by cognitive findings).

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Sleep induction].

Physiological sleep induction is a fragile phenomenon which may be altered by environmental factors and various somatic and psychiatric disorders. Therefore sleep induction disorder is a common component of different types of insomnia, including sleep-onset insomnia and to a lesser degree multiple awakenings insomnia and early morning awakening insomnia. The treatment of sleep induction disorders is difficult and requires a precise analysis of the disorder and its aetiological factors. Specific treatment of aetiological factors is more likely to be efficacious in the long term than pharmacological sleep induction (eg: psychiatric disorders, sleep apnea syndrome, restless leg syndrome, periodic movements in sleep, disorders of the sleep-wake schedule...) when the use of hypnotic drugs is necessary agents not altering sleep architecture are preferred. Non-pharmacological methods could be used to induce sleep because they provide a better long term efficacy: sleep hygiene, relaxation techniques, biofeedback technique, psychotherapeutic techniques. Recently, some authors stress the use of treatment by restriction of time in bed and stimulus control treatment.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗