Ludo van Bogaert (1897-1989) and the Bunge Institute.

Ludo van Bogaert (1897-1989) was one of the most distinguished neuroscientists of the 20th century. He enjoyed worldwide recognition for his 753 publications, his countless lectures at Belgian and foreign universities and at international congresses, and his training of more than 300 specialists from all over the world in the Bunge Institute and the Born-Bunge Foundation. Finally, in 1957 he became the founder and president--during two terms of 4 years--of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN). His lifework finally merged in the University Institution Antwerp (UIA)--since 2003 University of Antwerp (UA)--and his memory also lives on by the generous donations of his library to the Royal Library Albert I at Brussels and his Rik Wouters' collection to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts at Antwerp.

The neural networks of music.

Recent neuropsychological, transcranial Doppler sonographic, positron emission tomographic and functional nuclear magnetic resonance studies have indicated that musical perception is not dependent on the right hemisphere but on neural networks corresponding to the fundamental components of music in both hemispheres. In the brain there is no centre for music. Musicians have cerebral characteristics, anatomical as well as functional, which are correlated with the age at which they began their musical studies. This argues for cortical reorganization as a result of musical training. Whether these characteristics are to be ascribed to cortical plasticity alone, or to an innate structural property, or to both, remains an open question, however. Investigation of chromosomal defects, biochemical abnormalities and morphological features of congenital and degenerative brain diseases can provide further insight into the cerebral substrate of musicality.

[Case presentation with critical analysis of Maurice Ravel's neurological disease]. / Casuspositie met kritische analyse van Maurice Ravels neurologische ziekte.

In the last 4 years of his life, the famous French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was afflicted with a progressive neurological illness that destroyed his artistic realization but preserved his musical sensibility and judgment. He died after craniotomy. An attempt has been made to compare conflicting testimonies and to correct erroneous accounts of the events in order to refine the differential diagnosis of Ravel's presenile decline. Moreover, in the last decades new neurological entities have been described which prompted an update on the exact nature of his illness. The composer probably suffered from corticobasal degeneration. However, in the absence of a post-mortem examination, the diagnosis must remain speculative.

Drug-induced spongiform leucoencephalopathy, a case report with review of the literature.

A nineteen year-old girl developed rhabdomyolysis and central pyrexia after the ingestion of multiple drugs: amphetamines, benzodiazepines, methadone, ethanol, and cocaine. On admission, the patient was deeply comatose and during the hospitalisation asymmetrical spastic quadriparesis was noted. Brain biopsy was diagnostic of spongiform leucoencephalopathy. A review of the literature concerning drug-induced spongiform encephalopathy revealed a large amount of heroin-induced cases. The role of cocaine, however, is less well described. After prolonged hospitalisation, our patient improved clinically and radiologically and could be transferred to a rehabilitation center.

Was Maurice Ravel's illness a corticobasal degeneration?

The French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was struck down at the peak of his career by an aphasia and apraxia that destroyed his artistic realization but preserved his musical sensibility and judgment. He died after craniotomy. Multiple hypotheses have been formulated to explain the exact nature of his illness, probably corticobasal degeneration. However, in the absence of a post-mortem examination, the diagnosis must remain speculative despite the accurate descriptions of the symptoms in numerous biographies, the neuro-psychological notes of Théophile Alajouanine and the operative findings of Clovis Vincent.

Filum terminale ependymoma revealed by acute cauda equina compression syndrome following intratumoral and spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage in a patient on oral anticoagulants.

A 65 year-old woman with a filum terminale ependymoma is reported, presenting with acute cauda equina compression syndrome due to intratumoural and subsequent spinal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) following therapy with oral anticoagulants. Few cases of spinal ependymoma have been reported with an acute cauda equina compression syndrome as the initial and only symptom, and the unique feature of our patient's anticoagulant status has only been described once in this setting. Although intratumoural hemorrhage is very well known since the myxopapillary variant is unique to the cauda equina and consists of loose connective tissue and numerous small blood vessels that are prone to bleeding, spinal SAH is seldom seen and the different hypotheses about the pathophysiological mechanisms that might promote bleeding still remain unresolved and will be discussed in this paper, as well as the special clinical features of spinal SAH and some diagnostic and therapeutic implications. A review of the literature (Medline search 1983-1993) revealed only 13 cases, including ours, of spinal SAH due to cauda equina ependymoma, and the results of this review together with our findings are described in this paper.

Intranasal caffeine and amphetamine causing stroke.

A 37 year-old man with an ischaemic stroke after the nasal use of amphetamine and caffeine is reported. Transient arterial hypertension due to these agents may have been the mediator of the stroke. Mitral annular calcification was the only other abnormality found, and was thought not to play an important role in this patient. There was no evidence of a primary or secondary hypercoagulable state. Stroke due to nasal use of these agents appears not to have been previously reported (Medline literature search 1983-1993).

[Deafness-blindness caused by Streptococcus suis meningitis--epidemiology and rehabilitation]. / Doofblindheid door Streptococcus suis meningitis--epidemiologie en revalidatie.

A case of blind-deafness due to Streptococcus suis meningitis is described. The high incidence of blind-deafness in this disease is emphasized. Rehabilitation problems are discussed. Special attention is given to the Lorm writing as an ideal way of revalidation in this particular patient.