Informant- and Self-Appraisals on the Psychosis and Hallucinations Questionnaire (PsycH-Q) Enhances Detection of Visual Hallucinations in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Clinicians vary in their ability to elicit and interpret hallucinatory symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). There is limited evidence for informant-report measures of PD hallucinations as adjuncts to clinician-rated scales. OBJECTIVES: To determine the utility of an informant version of the validated Psychosis and Hallucinations Questionnaire (PsycH-Q) for assessing the presence and severity of hallucinations in PD; and, to evaluate accuracy of clinician judgements by comparison with informant report and self-report. METHODS: One hundred sixty-three PD patient-informant dyads completed self- and informant-report versions of PsycH-Q and three common questionnaire measures: Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire; Parkinson's Psychosis Questionnaire; and Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's disease-Psychiatric Complications. We compared self-ratings and informant ratings across analogous subscales for the presence of hallucinations with clinician interview ratings on MDS-UPDRS as a diagnostic standard. RESULTS: There was a low level of agreement between dyads (average κ = 0.39; κ range = 0.32-0.47; P < 0.001), and patients indicated the highest prevalence of hallucinations compared to informant or clinician estimates. Clinician interview missed 32% of PsycH-Q hallucinators identified by dyads. Relative to the sample, 22 patients with exclusively clinician-appraised hallucinations had poorer overall quality of life measured by the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: The sole use of clinician-rated scales may underestimate prevalence of PD hallucinations, and there is room for introducing self- and informant-report tools. Nonetheless, clinician appraisals are critical in cases when informant and patient insight might be affected by the impact of illness on quality of life.

Corticospinal tract dysfunction and development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis following electrical injury.

The causal relationship between electrical injury and development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remains controversial. We describe the case of a 25-year-old man who developed ALS after a severe electrical injury. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated hyperintensities involving the corticospinal tract. Functional testing with transcranial magnetic stimulation established that the motor cortex was relatively inexcitable. In addition, there were features of denervation on electromyography and muscle biopsy that supported concomitant lower motor neuron findings and the diagnosis of ALS.

Athetosis II: the syndrome of mild athetoid cerebral palsy.

We describe 8 patients who presented with continuous, irregular movements occurring independently in individual fingers and, in some cases, toes, in the setting of mild dystonia present since early childhood and not associated with major disability. The finger movements varied from low-amplitude quivering or wriggling to larger amplitude movements in the plane of abduction-adduction as well as flexion-extension; they were asymmetrical but not unilateral. Quivering or working of the facial muscles was seen in 5 patients. Most patients reported worsening of the movements over the years, but there was no other evidence of a progressive neurological disease. We classify the movement disorder as athetosis as described by Hammond and Shaw and the syndrome as mild athetoid cerebral palsy.

Facial nerve palsy after intracisternal papaverine application during aneurysm surgery--case report.

A 61-year-old woman suffered transient mydriasis and prolonged facial nerve palsy after intracisternal papaverine application subsequent to elective clipping of an unruptured middle cerebral artery aneurysm. The mydriasis resolved within 90 minutes, but the facial nerve dysfunction persisted for 2 months before complete recovery. Prolonged irrigation of the cisterns may have washed the papaverine into contact with the facial nerve. This case supports previously reported evidence of a possible effect of topical intracisternal papaverine hydrochloride application on the facial nerve.