[Mismatch negativity and conscience level in severe traumatic brain injury]. / Mismatch negativity y nivel de conciencia en el traumatismo craneoencefálico grave.

INTRODUCTION: The mismatch negativity (MMN) is a component of the long-latency auditory evoked potentials, that are used to check the functionality of automatic attentional processes of attentive information processing. Vegetative state diagnosis is frequent following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Eventually, some patients improve their condition to another one called minimal conscientious state. AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of MMN in severe TBI patients during the subacute phase after leaving the neurological intensive care unit. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We gathered MMN results from 19 patients (12 males and 7 females; 8 vegetative state and 11 minimal conscientious state) with ages between 17 and 59 years (mean: 27.3 years). The delay between TBI onset and MMN recordings were greater than 2 months (mean: 181 days). During the recording session, patients were evaluated by means of the Multisociety Task Force on Persistent Vegetative State scale. RESULTS: All the minimal conscientious state patients (100%) showed MMN potential. In seven of the vegetative state patients (87.5%) the MMN was not found. The remaining MMN potential positive vegetative state patient improved to MCS 16 days after testing. CONCLUSIONS: MMN is a valid tool for differentiating vegetative state from MCS during the subacute phase of severe TBI. Hence it is a useful aid to the clinical evaluation. This would diminish the impact of a possible diagnostic error and its prognosis on therapeutical management, family and health costs. It can also be used for evaluating other brain disorders with altered consciousness.

Mismatch negativity y nivel de conciencia en el traumatismo craneoencefálico grave / Mismatch negativity and conscience level in severe traumatic brain injury

Introducción. El componente mismatch negativity (MMN) es un potencial evocado de larga latencia que refleja el funcionamiento de un mecanismo automático y preatencional del procesamiento de estímulos. El estado vegetativo es un diagnóstico muy frecuente tras un traumatismo craneoencefálico (TCE) grave que, en ocasiones, evoluciona hacia un nivel de conciencia superior denominado estado de respuesta mínima. Objetivo. Evaluar la utilidad diagnóstica de la MMN en pacientes que han sufrido un TCE grave en fase subaguda tras la salida de la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos. Pacientes y métodos. Se ha realizado MMN auditiva a 19 pacientes (12 hombres y 7 mujeres), con edades comprendidas entre 17 y 59 años (media: 27,3 años), que sufrieron TCE grave hacía más de dos meses (media: 181 días). En el momento de la prueba, ocho se encontraban en estado vegetativo, y 11, en estado de respuesta mínima. Resultados. El 100% (11/11) de los pacientes en estado de respuesta mínima presentaron potencial MMN. En siete de los pacientes en estado vegetativo no se recogió el potencial (87,5%). El paciente vegetativo en el que se obtuvo MMN pasó a estado de respuesta mínima a los 16 días. Conclusiones. La MMN es una herramienta de gran utilidad en la fase subaguda de un TCE grave para el diagnóstico diferencial entre estado vegetativo y estado de respuesta mínima, refrendando el juicio clínico y minimizando las consecuencias familiares, sanitarias, sociales y económicas derivadas de un posible error, y abriendo la posibilidad de ser aplicada a otras patologías cerebrales adquiridas

Introduction. The mismatch negativity (MMN) is a component of the long-latency auditory evoked potentials, that are used to check the functionality of automatic attentional processes of attentive information processing. Vegetative state diagnosis is frequent following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Eventually, some patients improve their condition to another one called minimal conscientious state. Aim. To evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of MMN in severe TBI patients during the subacute phase after leaving the neurological intensive care unit. Patients and methods. We gathered MMN results from 19 patients (12 males and 7 females; 8 vegetative state and 11 minimal conscientious state) with ages between 17 and 59 years (mean: 27.3 years). The delay between TBI onset and MMN recordings were greater than 2 months (mean: 181 days). During the recording session, patients were evaluated by means of the Multisociety Task Force on Persistent Vegetative State scale. Results. All the minimal conscientious state patients (100%) showed MMN potential. In seven of the vegetative state patients (87.5%) the MMN was not found. The remaining MMN potential positive vegetative state patient improved to MCS 16 days after testing. Conclusions. MMN is a valid tool for differentiating vegetative state from MCS during the subacute phase of severe TBI. Hence it is a useful aid to the clinical evaluation. This would diminish the impact of a possible diagnostic error and its prognosis on therapeutical management, family and health costs. It can also be used for evaluating other brain disorders with altered consciousness

Epilepsia y sexualidad / Epilepsy and sexuality

Este trabajo analiza la sexualidad en el paciente epiléptico, en especial, en la crisis parcial compleja en el lóbuIo temporal. La sexualidad es una función muy importante en la persona, y los cambios que pueden acompañar a la disfunción del lóbulo temporal tiende a ser en la dirección de la hiposexualidad, aunque lo contrario puede ser cierto (AU)