Spatiotemporal dynamics of reading Kana (syllabograms) and Kanji (morphograms).

Reading engages complex neural networks integrating visual, phonological, and semantic information. The dual-stream model posits ventral and dorsal pathways for lexical and sublexical processing in the left hemisphere and is well-supported in alphabetic languages. However, its applicability to non-alphabetic scripts remains unclear.

Prevalence of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy.

Purpose: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) and idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) share symptoms such as gait disturbance and urinary dysfunction, especially in the elderly. While the incidence of DCM in patients with iNPH is reported, the prevalence of iNPH in patients with DCM remains unclear. This study investigates the prevalence of iNPH in DCM patients.

Argatroban plus dual antiplatelet therapy versus dual antiplatelet alone for acute atherothrombotic cerebral infarction.

Background: Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is more effective than aspirin alone in preventing early recurrences of non-cardioembolic strokes. In Japan, DAPT is often combined with argatroban, a direct thrombin inhibitor, for treating acute atherosclerotic stroke. However, the safety and effectiveness of this combination compared with those of DAPT alone remains unclear.

Calcium-dependent nonlinearity describes the after-effects of different patterns of theta-burst TMS.

Objective: Optimisation of transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol parameters can potentially improve their efficacy through theoretical mathematical models. This study aims to develop an elaborate but still parsimonious quantitative model for understanding the dosage-dependency of Theta-Burst Stimulation (TBS).

Methods: We propose a calcium-dependent nonlinear model that uses Michaelis-Menten kinetics to represent competing molecular pathways in postsynaptic neurons during TBS intervention.

[Hereditary Extrapyramidal Disorders Encountered in Daily Clinical Practice: Motor Symptoms, Causal Genes, and Treatment of Huntington's Disease, Neuroacanthocytosis, and Hereditary Dystonia].

In clinical practice, various diseases manifest as extrapyramidal symptoms. Diagnosing these disorders is crucial, as they are often accompanied by psychiatric symptoms and other systemic manifestations that affect prognosis, in addition to motor symptoms. This article provides an overview of Huntington's disease, neuroacanthocytosis, hereditary dystonia, and ADCY5-related dyskinesia, which are relatively prevalent in the Japanese clinical setting.

Elevated serum autotaxin levels and multiple system atrophy-like presentation in a patient with PLA2G6-associated neurodegeneration.

PLA2G6-associated neurodegeneration (PLAN) encompasses a spectrum of phenotypes caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in PLA2G6. Initially linked to infantile and atypical neuroaxonal dystrophy, PLAN now includes adult-onset conditions such as dystonia-parkinsonism, ataxia, and spastic paraplegia. We report a female patient presenting young-onset parkinsonism with pyramidal tract signs, cerebellar atrophy, and autonomic dysfunction, mimicking multiple system atrophy (MSA).

Distinct cerebral perfusion patterns and linguistic profiles in Alzheimer's disease-related primary progressive aphasia.

Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related primary progressive aphasia (PPA) exhibits considerable heterogeneity in clinical presentation and neuroimaging patterns. No studies have quantitatively assessed cerebral perfusion patterns or systematically evaluated the internal heterogeneity of linguistic and neuroimaging features in this population. This study aimed to investigate cerebral hypoperfusion patterns and elucidate their correlation with diverse linguistic features in patients with AD-related PPA using a data-driven approach.

Carcinoid Tumor of the Middle Ear: A Report of Two Cases.

Background: Carcinoid tumors of the middle ear are rare and difficult to diagnose preoperatively. These low-grade malignant tumors require complete surgical removal; however, consensus on the amount of radicality required is lacking. Herein, we report two cases of carcinoid tumors of the middle ear.

Case of Pure Agraphia in Kana and Romaji Without Sensorimotor Deficits After a Small Infarct of the Posterior Limb of the Internal Capsule.

Objectives: Infarctions of the posterior limb of the internal capsule (plIC) typically cause contralateral motor deficits. Cases with pure agraphia, writing impairments alone, are rare. We present a case of agraphia as the sole symptom after a small infarction in the anterior portion of the left plIC, which facilitates understanding of the interplay between the subcortical and cortical networks controlling writing.

[SELENON-related myopathy with scoliosis and respiratory failure since early childhood diagnosed through reassessment during pediatric-to-adult healthcare transition: a case report].

The patient was a 33-year-old woman with no family history of a similar disorder. At one year of age, she exhibited scoliosis and respiratory failure, necessitating a tracheostomy performed at 5 years of age (1990s). During that time, the patient was provisionally diagnosed with "non-Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy" via muscle biopsy.

A subgroup of multiple system atrophy with rapid decline in vital capacity.

Introduction: Patients with neurodegenerative disorders resulting in progressive dysphagia often require gastrostomy. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are crucial in presurgical evaluation; however, reports on pulmonary function in multiple system atrophy (MSA) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) are limited.

Materials And Methods: This single-center, retrospective study analyzed the PFT records from patients with MSA and PSP admitted between January 2012 and October 2023.

Oral applause sign in progressive supranuclear palsy.

The applause sign (AS) is a recognized phenomenon observed in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and other neurological conditions where individuals produce over three claps following a request to clap only thrice after a demonstration. In this study, we introduced a novel linguistic phenomenon termed the oral applause sign (OAS) associated with the AS. The OAS is characterized by increased repetition counts of Japanese repetitive onomatopoeic words, such as uttering "pata-pata-pata" instead of the expected "pata-pata.

Diagnostic Utility of Clinical Neurophysiology in Jerky Movement Disorders: A Review from the MDS Clinical Neurophysiology Study Group.

Background: Myoclonus and other jerky movement disorders are hyperkinetic disorders, the diagnosis of which heavily relies on clinical neurophysiological testing. However, formal diagnostic criteria are lacking, and recently the utility and reliability of these tests have been questioned.

Objective: The aim of this review was to assess the utilization of clinical neurophysiology testing to identify possible gaps and boundaries that might guide the development of new methods for a more precise diagnosis and in-depth understanding of myoclonus.

Subacute Upper Motor Neuron Dysfunction Possibly Associated with the Anti-GM1 Autoantibody.

Anti-GM1 antibodies are associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), primarily peripheral neuropathy. However, there are cases of anti-GM1 IgG antibody-positive GBS with upper motor neuron (UMN) signs. We herein report a case of gastrointestinal infection followed by subacute gait disturbance with predominant signs of UMN on a neurological examination.

Extremely Longitudinally Extensive Transverse Myelitis in a Patient With Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated Disease.

Longitudinally extensive myelitis with 15 or more vertebrae in length is extremely rare, with limited evidence regarding clinical features and therapeutic response. We report a case of a 29-year-old male patient with extremely longitudinally extensive myelitis ultimately diagnosed as myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-associated disease (MOGAD). The patient presented with an acute onset of meningismus, limb weakness, sensory disturbance below the C5 level, ataxia, and urinary retention.

Frontal allographic agraphia in a patient with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia.

We report a patient with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia who developed agraphia, irritability, perseverative and stereotyped behavior, and dietary changes. MRI revealed bilateral frontal convexity atrophy. Neuropsychological examination showed fluent aphasia with perseverative allographic agraphia, mild semantic impairment, and dysexecutive syndrome.

Treatment of Cryptogenic New-onset Refractory Status Epilepticus (C-NORSE) with Tocilizumab.

A 35-year-old woman with no prior history of epilepsy developed status epilepticus (SE), which was highly resistant to multiple antiseizure medications and sedatives. The etiology of SE was not identified despite extensive investigation, and the patient was diagnosed with cryptogenic new-onset refractory status epilepticus (C-NORSE). Although first-line immunotherapies such as high-dose corticosteroids and plasma exchange were ineffective, the patient manifested a resolution of SE after the administration of tocilizumab, which inhibits interleukin-6.