Objectives: Adaptive interaction with the environment requires the ability to predict both human and non-biological motion trajectories. Prior accounts of the neurocognitive basis for prediction of these two motion classes may generally be divided into those that posit that non-biological motion trajectories are predicted using the same motor planning and/or simulation mechanisms used for human actions, and those that posit distinct mechanisms for each. Using brain lesion patients and healthy controls, this study examined critical neural substrates and behavioral correlates of human and non-biological motion prediction. Methods: Twenty-seven left hemisphere stroke patients and 13 neurologically intact controls performed a visual occlusion task requiring prediction of pantomimed tool use, real tool use, and non-biological motion videos. Patients were also assessed with measures of motor strength and speed, praxis, and action recognition. Results: Prediction impairment for both human and non-biological motion was associated with limb apraxia and, weakly, with the severity of motor production deficits, but not with action recognition ability. Furthermore, impairment for human and non-biological motion prediction was equivalently associated with lesions in the left inferior parietal cortex, left dorsal frontal cortex, and the left insula. Conclusions: These data suggest that motor planning mechanisms associated with specific loci in the sensorimotor network are critical for prediction of spatiotemporal trajectory information characteristic of both human and non-biological motions. (JINS, 2017, 23, 171–184)

Familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) is a rare autosomal dominant subtype of migraine with aura. It is divided into three subtypes FHM1, FHM2 and FHM3, which are caused by mutations in the CACNA1A, ATP1A2 and SCN1A genes respectively. As part of a regular diagnostic service, we investigated 168 patients with FHM symptoms. Samples were tested for mutations contained within the CACNA1A gene. Some tested samples (4.43%) showed an FHM1 mutation, with five of the mutations found in exon 5, one mutation in exon 16 and one in exon 17. Four polymorphisms were also detected, one of which occurred in a large percentage of samples (14.88%). The exon 16 2094G>A polymorphism, however, has been found to occur in healthy Caucasian control populations up to a frequency of 16% and is not considered to be significantly associated with FHM. A finding of significance, found in a single patient, was the detection of a novel mutation in exon 5 that results in a P225H change. The affected individual was an 8-year-old female. The exact phenotypic effect of this mutation is unknown, and further studies are needed to understand the pathophysiology of this mutation in FHM1. New information will allow for diagnostic procedures to be constantly updated, thus improving accuracy of diagnosis. It is possible that new information will also aid the development of new therapeutic agents for the treatment of FHM.

This study evaluated the clinical utility of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) in a stroke sample by examining the NAB’s ability to differentiate a chronic stroke group with radiologically confirmed unilateral damage (n = 42) and a demographically matched healthy control (HC) group (n = 36). The stroke group performed more poorly than the control group across NAB Total score and all five Domain scores. Receiver operator curves (ROC) were derived and area under the curve (AUC) showed moderate diagnostic effectiveness (AUC .70 to .90) for NAB Total score, all five Domain scores, a motor composite, and a Global Deficit Score (GDS) that has been shown to closely approximate clinical ratings of neuropsychological impairment. The NAB Total, GDS, and motor composite had comparable clinical utility, whereas the Attention and Executive domain scores demonstrated better classification utility compared with the Memory domain. Because 90.5% of our stroke sample had middle cerebral artery territory strokes, the comparison of motor and cognitive classification utility may be biased. However, follow-up analyses showed that the NAB accounted for additional variance even when motor composite was included in the model. Sensitivity, specificity, and odds ratios at various clinical cutoffs are provided. These results suggest that the NAB is a useful clinical tool for detection of cognitive deficits in individuals with chronic unilateral stroke, although lenient clinical cutoffs appear warranted to maximize sensitivity. (JINS, 2010, 16, 813–821.)

a 49-year-old man with cervical osteomyelitis and right hemiparesis treated surgically was presented. mri at 2 weeks after the onset revealed a disc bulging at c5/6, whereas those at 4 weeks showed spinal cord compression and surrounding abscess formation. drastic destructive features progressed between 2 and 4 weeks after the onset. repeated mri investigation using fat suppression technique or gadolinium enhancement will be necessary for a difficult diagnostic vertebral osteomyelitis.