Clinical Prospects for Neural Grafting Therapy for Cortical Lesions

My thesis studies had stimulated an interest in the mamillothalamic pathways but also some puzzlement because we knew nothing about the nature of the messages passing along these pathways. Several laboratories were studying the thalamic relay of sensory pathways with great success during my post-doctoral years. Each sensory relay could be understood in terms of the appropriate sensory input, but we had no way of knowing the meaning of the mamillothalamic messages. I introduce these nuclei as an example of the many thalamic nuclei about whose input functions we still know little or nothing. Early clinical studies of mamillary lesions had suggested a role in memory formation, whereas evidence from cortical lesions suggested a role in emotional experiences. Studies of the smallest of the three nuclei forming these pathways then showed it to be concerned with sensing head direction, relevant but not sufficient for defining an animal’s position in space. More recent studies based on studies of cortical activity or cortical damage have provided a plethora of suggestions: as so often, the answers reported depend on the questions asked. That simple conclusion is relevant for all transthalamic pathways. The evidence introduced in Chapter 1, that thalamocortical messages have dual meanings, suggests that we need to rethink our questions. It may prove useful to look at the motor outputs of relevant cortical areas to get clues about some appropriate questions.

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Simple, cost-effective technique for portable digital eletrocorticography

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria ◽

10.1590/s0004-282x2000000300005 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 58 (2B) ◽

pp. 424-427 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

PAULO R. M. DE BITTENCOURT ◽

MARCOS C. SANDMANN ◽

MARLUS S. MORO ◽

JOÃO C. DE ARAÚJO

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Epilepsy Surgery ◽

Vascular Malformations ◽

Cost Effective ◽

New Method ◽

Cortical Lesions ◽

Effective Technique ◽

Seizure Disorders ◽

Operational Costs ◽

Cost Effective Technique

We revised 16 patients submitted to epilepsy surgery using a new method of digital, real-time, portable electrocorticography. Patients were operated upon over a period of 28 months. There were no complications. The exam was useful in 13 cases. The low installation and operational costs, the reliability and simplicity of the method, indicate it may be useful for defining the epileptogenic regions in a variety of circumnstances, including surgery for tumors, vascular malformations, and other cortical lesions associated with seizure disorders.

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