[Factors associated to the visiting time in patients with ischaemic cerebrovascular disease]. / Factores asociados al tiempo de consulta en pacientes con enfermedad cerebrovascular isquémica.

INTRODUCTION: The high prevalence of cerebrovascular disease in underdeveloped countries has made it a public health issue. Establishing therapy within the first three hours in the case of patients with cerebrovascular disease has proved to have beneficial effects on the patient. AIM: To identify the factors associated with the time taken to visit the hospital emergency department by patients with ischaemic cerebrovascular disease in the population of Colombia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analytical study that included patients over 18 years old who had been clinically diagnosed as having an acute ischaemic cerebrovascular disease. The time between onset of symptoms and admission to the emergency department was estimated and then related to sociodemographic and cultural factors and the severity of the clinical features. RESULTS: The mean time taken to visit hospital was 17 hours and 48 minutes (standard deviation: 24 hours and 12 minutes). In 22.8% of cases the patient was admitted within the first three hours. Patients who were covered by the subsidised health care system and came from low socioeconomic classes, together with those from rural areas took longer to visit (p < 0.005). The values on the United States Institute of Health scale did not have any relation to visiting times. CONCLUSIONS: The time that elapses between the presentation of the cerebrovascular disease and visiting the emergency department in the Colombian population is high, especially among the population with lower levels of income and schooling. There is a need to implement models of education targeted towards the community and focused on the early identification of signs, symptoms and impact of cerebrovascular disease, as well as to set up a system of health care that prevents delays by coordinating resources both inside and outside hospitals.

[Musical perception and cognitive functions. Is there such a thing as the Mozart effect?]. / Percepción musical y funciones cognitivas. Existe el efecto Mozart?

INTRODUCTION: Throughout the second half of the 20th century important advances were made in the study of neurobiology related to the processing of music, the differences and similarities between the neural pathways involved in language and in music, the role played by each hemisphere in recognising these stimuli, and the effects that exposure to certain specific pieces of music could have on the cognitive functions. DEVELOPMENT: The objective of this study is to review the literature concerning music and the central nervous system, bearing in mind the above-mentioned aspects. Likewise, we also wanted to analyse the reports referring to the Mozart effect and Tomatis, in addition to those dealing with formal musical education and its effects. The increased capacity to respond in visuospatial-type tasks after exposure to music by Mozart has triggered a commercial boom which makes use of isolated data, while the real extent of the effect remains unknown. CONCLUSIONS: After reviewing the scientific literature on this subject, it was found that the effects of exposure to music by Mozart (the 'Mozart effect') when they actually occurred, were limited to a specific skill that did not last for more than a few minutes. Formal musical education, on the other hand, shows more permanent positive effects but which can be attributed to the individual attention the pupil receives and to the stimulation in basic skills for general learning.