Jonathan Halford | PubMed Health

PubMed2006

Microstructural white matter abnormalities in nodular heterotopia with overlying polymicrogyria.

Nodular heterotopia (NH) with overlying polymicrogyria can result in medically uncontrolled seizures. Most patients also exhibit deficits of function related to the location of the abnormal cortex. However, functional imaging studies show that the abnormal cortex can retain some function, making surgical planning difficult. It is not known if the connectivity of the abnormal cortex is normal. In this article, we performed an evaluation of molecular diffusion within the white matter in a patient with refractory epilepsy due to NH with overlying polymicrogyria. We observed that the white matter underlying the polymicrogyric area shows signs of microstructural abnormalities. This result suggests that the deficit of function from polymicrogyria result from both the structurally abnormal cortex and from its impaired connectivity.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

APOE2 allele increased in tardive dyskinesia.

Ninety-seven inpatients with tardive dyskinesia (average AIMS score = 13), the majority of whom were schizophrenic, were studied. Forty patients were Caucasian, and 57 were African-American. The APOE genotypes of these patients were compared to previously published genotypes of controls and with previously published studies of APOE genotypes in patients with schizophrenia. There were no significant differences in APOE allele frequencies comparing the African-American tardive dyskinesia population and the African-American control groups. In contrast, significant (< 0.05) P values were obtained comparing the Caucasian tardive dyskinesia population to the Caucasian controls, when comparing allele frequencies and genotypic frequencies. This study suggests that Caucasians bearing an APOE2 allele are at increased risk of developing tardive dyskinesia, whereas African-Americans are not. APOE genotype-specific risks of both tardive dyskinesia and Alzheimer's disease that vary across populations could be due to recruitment of patients or controls or could be due to modifying effects of differing genetic or environmental backgrounds. The mechanism by which the APOE2 allele increases risk of tardive dyskinesia is not known. Further information about the mechanisms of increased risk of tardive dyskinesia could result in stratification of prescribing practices weighing the costs of medications against the relative risk of side effects.

Akathisia, Drug-Induced↗