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Biomedical subjects

Peter O Behan

Publications and source records attributed to Peter O Behan.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Fatigue in neurological disorders.

Chronic fatigue is a typical symptom of neurological diseases, and is most disabling in multiple sclerosis, postpoliomyelitis, poststroke, and in chronic fatigue syndrome. Disorders of neuromuscular junction transmission and metabolic diseases cause muscle fatigability, which is characterised by failure to sustain the force of muscle contraction (peripheral fatigue). Fatigue is also seen in diseases that affect the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems (central fatigue). Enhanced perception of effort and limited endurance of sustained physical and mental activities are the main characteristics of central fatigue. Metabolic and structural lesions that disrupt the usual process of activation in pathways interconnecting the basal ganglia, thalamus, limbic system, and higher cortical centre are implicated in the pathophysiological process of central fatigue. A state of pre-existing relative hypocortisolaemia might sensitise the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to development of persistent central fatigue after stress. The contributions of physiological, cognitive, and affective changes underlying fatigue are variable, and treatment is largely symptomatic and rehabilitative.

Fatigue↗
PubMed2003

The clinical spectrum, diagnosis, pathogenesis and treatment of Hashimoto's encephalopathy (recurrent acute disseminated encephalomyelitis).

Hashimoto's encephalopathy may present with a wide variety of different neurological symptoms and signs. These include recurrent severe migrainous headache, psychoses, seizures, ataxia, dementia, stupor and coma. We present a personal series of 18 adult patients with Hashimoto's encephalopathy and a review of the literature in this paper. The natural history, laboratory abnormalities and neuroimaging data in these cases favour an immunopathological basis for this syndrome similar to relapsing acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. We suggest that Hashimoto's encephalomyelitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of seizures, coma, atypical migraine and reversible dementia. Serological screening for anti-thyroid antibody should form part of the initial investigations in all relapsing and reversible encephalopathies.

Adult↗