Focal (Partial) Seizures
The history and neurologic examination are the cornerstones of neurologic diagnosis. When assessing when a patient may have had a seizure, it is important to obtain a description of a…
Electroencephalography
Brain Wave Activity. Brain activity consists of waveforms that vary in polarity, shape, and frequency, and usually range in voltage from 20 to 60 microvolts. Scalp EEG activity shows oscillations…
Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus
Conditions known to cause scarring of the piaarachnoid membranes, such as meningeal infection, subarachnoid hemorrhage, or bleeding from past trauma, can cause hydrocephalus by decreasing the effectiveness of CSF absorption….
Treatable Dementias
Because Alzheimer disease is the most common cause of intellectual decline in later life, symptoms or signs that are unusual in Alzheimer disease should particularly alert the physician to a…
Dementia with Lewy Bodies
In patients with DLB, the cognitive and functional decline of dementia is accompanied by a combination of clinical features that include visual hallucinations, parkinsonism, and fluctuating cognitive impairment. Visual hallucinations…
Vascular Dementia
Vascular dementias can be subclassified depending on whether the stroke or strokes responsible for the cognitive change are single versus multiple, and large vessel versus small vessel. As mentioned above,…
Frontotemporal Dementia
Behavioral and personality changes are prominent early features in individuals with FTD reflecting pathologic involvement of the frontal lobes, most commonly the right hemisphere. Symptoms include disinhibition, impulsivity, impaired judgment,…
Alzheimer Disease: Distribution of Pathology
Amyloid plaques are abundant in the cerebral cortex of individuals with Alzheimer disease, particularly in the parietal and frontal regions. Amyloid deposition is also commonly observed in leptomeningeal arteries as…
Alzheimer Disease: Clinical Manifestations, Progressive Phases
1. Memory loss: The clinical hallmark of AD is memory loss. Patients may be forgetful of details of recent conversations and events. Family members frequently report that the patient asks…
Alzheimer Disease: Pathology
The gross pathology of AD appears as enlargement of the ventricles and widening of the sylvian fissure secondary to cortical atrophy. Many convexal gyri are shrunken, and the sulci between…
