Clinical Neuroscience

NOVEMBER 20, 2015

[Attachment as a predictor of risk for eating disorders on a representative hungarian adult sample]

SZALAI Dömötör Tamás, CZEGLÉDI Edit

[Background and purpose – Many studies confirm the relationship between attachment disturbances and (the severity of) eating disorders, however among them only one Hungarian study can be found. The exact predisposing traits of attachment and the strength of relationship is still uncleared. Our aim was to explore these aspects. Methods – Study was based on a cross-sectional nationally representative survey, called „Hungarostudy 2013” (N=2000, 46.9% males, mean age 46.9 years, SD=18.24 years). Measures: Sociodemographic and self-reported anthropometric data (weight and height), short Hungarian version of Relationship Scale Questionnaire, SCOFF questionnaire and short Hungarian version of Beck Depression Inventory. Results – The frequency of risk for eating disorders (anorexia or bulimia nervosa) was 3.9% (N=76) among the respondents (N=1860). Attachment anxiety was significantly higher in the risk for eating disorders group (t(1888)=-3.939, p<0.001), and significantly predicted the risk for eating disorders after adjusting for the potential background variables (OR=1.09, p=0.040). Detachment was not a significant predictor of risk for eating disorders (OR=0.98, p=0.515). Younger age (OR=0.97, p<0.001), higher level of depression (OR=1.09, p<0.001) and higher body mass index (OR=1.08, p<0.001) were also significant cross-sectional predictors of risk for eating disorders. The explained variance of the model was 10.7%. Conclusion – The study supported, that higher attachment anxiety is associated with the increased risk of eating disorders, with a possible therapeutic relevance. Assessment of attachment’s further aspects and creating multivariable models are required for more thorough understanding and optimising of intervention points.]

HUN 2015;68(11-12)

Clinical Neuroscience

MARCH 30, 2016

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy related inflammation: is susceptibility weighted imaging the clue for diagnosis?

CSÉCSEI Péter, KOMOLY Sámuel, SZAPÁRY László, BARSI Péter

Background - Cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related inflammation (CAA-ri) is characterized by various neurological symptoms such as gradually developing confusion, progressive cognitive decline, seizure or headaches; T2 hyperintensities on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); and neuropathological evidence of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) and associated vascular or perivascular inflammation. Although histological confirmation is necessary for accurate diagnosis, in case of typical clinical features and neuroimaging, the diagnosis can be established without biopsy. Case summary - We present the case of a 57-year-old man with a history of hypertension who presented to the emer¬gency department 3-week history of progressive headache and a gradually developing altered mental status. On examination, he was found to have left sided weakness and decreased pscyhomotility. Routine clinical work-up (lab investigations, CT, cerebrospinal fluid analysis) did not show obvious diagnosis, so we performed an MRI. It raised the suspicion of CAA-ri which diagnosis was verified by neuroradiological evaluation. High dose steroid treatment was initiated. The patient rapidly responded to treatment, his focal neurological signs resolved. Control MRI after 1.5 months showed multiple haemorrhagic laesions in the field of previous inflammation which posteriorly supported the previous supposed work-diagnosis. Conclusions - Although histopathology is the gold standard for the diagnosis of cerebral amyloid angiopathy, the typical clinical presentation, good response to steroids and accurate neuroradiological criteria make biopsy unnecessary to diagnose CAA-ri.

ENG 2016;69(03-04)

Clinical Neuroscience

NOVEMBER 20, 2015

[The diagnostic and management challenges for posterior reversible leucoencephalopathy syndrome]

KILIC COBAN Eda, GEZ Sedat, KARA Batuhan, SOYSAL Aysun

[Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a clinicoradiological entity characterized by epileptic seizures, headaches, altered mental status and focal neurological signs. Hypertension is the second most common condition associated with PRES. The 50-year-old-male patient with right-sided hemiparesis and speech disturbances admitted to our clinic. His blood pressure at the emergency service was 220/140 mmHg. A left putaminal hematoma was seen in his CT and MRI. In his brain MRI, FLAIR and T2 –weighted sequences showed bilateral symmetric diffuse hyperintensities in the brain stem, basal ganglia, and occipital, parietal, frontal, and temporal lobes. After the intense antihypertensive drug treatment, his blood pressure came to normal limits within a week. During his hospitalisation he had a recurrent speech disturbance lasting an hour. His electroencephalography was normal. In his repeated diffusion weighted MRI, an acute lacunary infarct was seen on right centrum semiovale. Two months later, the control MRI showed only the previous lacuner infarcts and the chronic putaminal hematoma. We presented a case developping either a cerebral hemorrhage or a lacunar infarction due to PRES. The main reason of the following complications of the disease was delayed diagnosis. Uncontrolled hypertension was guilted for the events. ]

HUN 2015;68(11-12)

Clinical Neuroscience

JANUARY 30, 2016

Unanswered questions in the transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment of patients with depression

MORVAI Szabolcs, NAGY Attila, KOVÁCS Attila, MÓRÉ Csaba, BERECZ Roland, FRECSKA Ede

According to the WHO fact sheet depression is a common mental disorder affecting 350 million people of all ages worldwide. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a technique which allows the investigator to stimulate and study cortical functions in healthy subjects and patients suffering from various mental and neurological disorders. In the early 1990s, studies revealed that it is possible to evoke long term mood changes in healthy volunteers by rapid rate repetitive, TMS (rTMS) over the frontal cortex. Subsequent studies involving depressed patients found frontal cortical rTMS administered daily to be clinically effective. In the past two decades, numerous trials examined the therapeutic potential of rTMS application in the treatment of mood disorders with constantly evolving treatment protocols. The aim of this paper is to review the literature of the past two decades, focusing on trials addressing the efficacy and safety of rTMS in depressed patients. Our primary goal is to evaluate the results in order to direct future studies which may help investigators in the development of treatment protocols suitable in hospital settings. The time is not far when TMS devices will be used routinely by practitioners primarily for therapeutic purpose rather than clinical research. To our knowledge, a widely accepted “gold standard" that would offer the highest efficacy, with the best tolerability has not been established yet. In order to approach this goal, the most important factors to be addressed by further studies are: localization, frequency, intensity, concurrent medication, maintenance treatments, number of pulses, trains, unilateral, or bilateral mode of application.

ENG 2016;69(01-02)

Clinical Neuroscience

JANUARY 30, 2016

[Event-related potentials and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia]

DOMJÁN Nóra, CSIFCSÁK Gábor, JANKA Zoltán

[The investigation of schizophrenia’s aetiology and pathomechanism is of high importance in neurosciences. In the recent decades, analyzing event-related potentials have proven to be useful to reveal the neuropsychological dysfunctions in schizophrenia. Even the very early stages of auditory stimulus processing are impaired in this disorder; this might contribute to the experience of auditory hallucinations. The present review summarizes the recent literature on the relationship between auditory hallucinations and event-related potentials. Due to the dysfunction of early auditory sensory processing, patients with schizophrenia are not able to locate the source of stimuli and to allocate their attention appropriately. These deficits might lead to auditory hallucinations and problems with daily functioning. Studies involving high risk groups may provide tools for screening and early interventions; thus improving the prognosis of schizophrenia. ]

HUN 2016;69(01-02)

Clinical Neuroscience

MARCH 30, 2016

[The therapeutic use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in major depression]

NÉMETH Viola Luca, CSIFCSÁK Gábor, KINCSES Zsigmond Tamás, JANKA Zoltán, MUST Anita

[The antidepressive effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been investigated for almost 20 years now. Several studies have been published aiming to identify the exact and reliable parameters leading to the desired therapeutic effect. However, the related literature shows great variability. The current overview aims to provide a comprehensive overview of factors associated with the therapeutic effect of rTMS in major depression. High frequency stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) for 3-6 weeks leads to mood improvement comparable to the effect of antidepressive medications in 35-40% of patients. Pharmacotherapy resistant patients treated with rTMS reach remission for 3 months on average. Low frequency stimulation of the right DLPFC appears to be similarly effective, though much less investigated so far. In addition to the exact delineation of the stimulation area, treatment outcome is also related to stimulation intensity as well as the number of sessions and impulses. Considering the safety and tolerability aspects of rTMS, it might be a significant therapeutic support for therapy resistant patients. Above this, patients diagnosed with major depression might benefit from the additional positive influence of rTMS improving the effect of antidepressive medication. Based on converging research evidence, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agency approved the use of rTMS as a treatment option for therapy resistant major depression in 2008. So far, in Hungary rTMS is primarily considered as a promising tool in research settings only. Hopefully, patients suffering from major depression will increasingly benefit from the positive therapeutic effect of this intervention.]

HUN 2016;69(03-04)

Clinical Neuroscience

NOVEMBER 20, 2015

[Mentalizing deficit in neurological disorders: a review article]

HEROLD Róbert, VARGA Eszter, MIKE Andrea, TÉNYI Tamás, SIMON Mária, HAJNAL András, FEKETE Sándor, ILLÉS Zsolt

[Introduction – Mentalization is the ability to attribute mental states (intentions, desires, thoughts, emotions) to others, and hence to predict their behaviour. This ability fundamentally determines our participation in social relationships and adaptation to society. A significant proportion of the disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) affects those brain structures and neurotransmitter systems that play a role in the mentalizing processes. Accordingly, a number of CNS disorders may be associated with mentalizing deficits, which may affect the outcome of these diseases. Here, we review recent research on mentalizing abilities in neurological diseases. Methods – An internet database search was performed to identify publications on the subject. Results – Sixty-two publications in English corresponded to the search criteria. These publications reported impaired mentalization in several neurological disorders (e.g. epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, dementias, traumatic brain injury). Discussion – The results indicate that a number of neurological disorders associate with mentalizing deficit. This deficit is often present in the early stages of the diseases and has a prognostic value, which in turn emphasizes the importance of the early detection and adequate rehabilitation.]

HUN 2015;68(11-12)

Clinical Neuroscience

MARCH 30, 2016

[Hungarian adaptation of a short eating disorder questionnaire (SCOFF)]

DUKAY-SZABÓ Szilvia, SIMON Dávid, VARGA Márta, SZABÓ Pál, TÚRY Ferenc, RATHNER Günther

[Aim - Eating disorders are becoming an increasingly relevant health issue, therefore the fast and accurate screening of people at risk is of great practical importance. The aim of SCOFF questionnaire is to assess this risk and the extent to which a person is affected, by using five simple yes or no questions. The objective of our study was to assess the validity of the Hungarian version of the test Methods - 777 medical students (210 men, 567 women, mean age 22.3±2.33 years) participated in the survey. The online questionnaire contained anthropometric data, the Eating Behaviour Severity Scale and, beside the SCOFF, the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI). Results - The SCOFF is excellent at screening clinical eating disorders. Its sensitivity was 100% and specificity 85.1%. It is less efficient at detecting subclinical cases, but it does not show worse results than EDI. According to the data SCOFF is better at identifying more serious cases. Applying on the same sample SCOFF had higher sensitivity and lower specificity than EDI. Discussion - SCOFF is suitable for primary screening of eating disorders with a non-diagnostic purpose, taken two “yes” answers out of five as the critical margin, specified by the authors.]

HUN 2016;69(03-04)

Hypertension and nephrology

APRIL 24, 2020

[Polycystic kidney]

DOLGOS Szilveszter, TÁRNOKI Ádám Domonkos, TÁRNOKI Dávid László

[The most common monogenic nephropathy is a congenital, cystic, bulky process in the kidney that leads to a gradual deterioration in renal function. Renal failure is often associated with cystic liver or pancreatic lesions, cerebral artery aneurysm, or mitral prolapse.]

HUN 2020;24(02)

Journal of Nursing Theory and Practice

OCTOBER 30, 2019

[Multimorbidity among older people participating in geriatric exercise programme]

KOVÁCS Éva, VIRÁG Anikó, MÉSZÁROS Lászlóné, HARKÁNYI Izabella, SIMON András

[Objective: To determine the exercises and dosis of the effective and safe geriatric exercise programme it is essential to know that what kind of chronic diseases an elderly people suffer from. However, the old age is characterized by multimorbidity which means that the same person may have two or more chronic diseases at the same time. Methods: The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of chronic diseases associated with aged and multimorbidity among older people participating in geriatric exercise programme. Data were collected with self-administered questionnaire at sites of geriatric exercises programmes, Budapest. Results: Seventy one percent of the sample of 180 participantes (N=128) suffered from more than one chronic diseases. In our sample, the proportion of people with osteoporosis and obesity was significantly higher than the national average. At the same time, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, lower limb joint disease, cerebrovascular accident and myocardial infarction was significantly lower than the national average. As regards to asthma and hypertension the proportions observed in our sample did not differ from the national average. Conclusions: In case of newcommer older people we need to pay more attention to the effects of chronic diseases associated with aging and of multimorbidity.]

HUN 2019;32(05)