Nitrous Oxide-induced Myeloneuropathy Due to Recreational Abuse.

BACKGROUND: The recreational use of nitrous oxide (N2O) has increased in recent years with a noticeable surge in the incidence of nitrous oxide-related myeloneuropathy. OBJECTIVES: To raise awareness of increasing myeloneuropathy due to recreational nitrous oxide misuse in Israel. METHODS: We conducted a case series documenting the clinical and investigative features of eight patients presenting with nitrous oxide-induced myeloneuropathy who were admitted to our departments. RESULTS: Paresthesia was the chief complaint in all patients, with sensory gait ataxia being a common feature, which was often accompanied by Romberg's sign and mild lower limb weakness. Vitamin B12 levels were below the normal range in seven patients, accompanied by elevated homocysteine and methylmalonic acid levels. Magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed hyperintense signals in the dorsal columns of the cervical spine. All patients improved following vitamin B12 injections. CONCLUSIONS: Enhancing awareness, prompting the use of appropriate investigations, and advocating for timely treatment are needed to overcome the risks associated with nitrous oxide misuse.

A Pilot Study of Cognitive Impairment in Longstanding Electroconvulsive Therapy-treated Schizophrenia Patients Versus Controls.

BACKGROUND: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), though reliable and effective, is controversial due to its media portrayal as a treatment with severe side effects. Electroconvulsive therapy is mainly given to patients suffering from affective disorders and treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Although past research assessed the amount and duration of memory loss due to ECT, little is known about its influence on cognition for patients suffering from schizophrenia, whose cognitive decline is an inherent part of their illness. We aimed to test whether maintenance ECT causes cognitive decline among elderly schizophrenia patients. METHODS: Twenty elderly (age >65 years) patients suffering from schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder who received maintenance ECT were matched with 20 controls suffering from the same illnesses that have never been treated with ECT. The match was based on age, sex, and illness duration. The participants were evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for cognitive decline and a Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for illness severity. RESULTS: A lower score in the abstraction subscale was found in the maintenance ECT population (P = 0.002), without significant differences in the total Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the delayed-recall subscale scores. In the treatment group, a correlation was found between an impairment in naming and positive symptoms in the PANSS score (r = -0.45) and between abstraction impairment and negative symptoms (r = -0.56) and total PANSS score (r = -0.497). CONCLUSIONS: Maintenance ECT does not worsen existing global cognitive deficits or delayed recall in elderly schizophrenia patients. The abstraction impairment was possibly due to the higher disease burden of the patients referred to ECT.