Revelations from the unconscious: studying residual brain function in coma and related states.

in Bulletin et Mémoires de l'Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique (2008), 163(7-9), 381-8388-90

The purpose of our research is to contribute to a better understanding of the residual brain function of patients who survive an acute brain damage but remain in a coma, vegetative state, minimally ... [more ▼]

The purpose of our research is to contribute to a better understanding of the residual brain function of patients who survive an acute brain damage but remain in a coma, vegetative state, minimally conscious state or locked-in syndrome. The diagnosis, prognosis, therapy and medical management of these patients remain difficult. These studies are also of interest scientifically, as they help to elucidate the neural correlates of human consciousness. We here review our studies on bedside behavioral evaluation scales, electrophysiology and functional neuroimaging in these disorders of consciousness and conclude by discussing methodological and ethical issues and current concepts of the standards for care and quality of life in these challenging conditions. [less ▲]

Insuffisance hypophysaire et amaurose subaiguës causées par une pseudotumeur inflammatoire extensive du sinus sphénoïde

in XVI Congrès de la Société Française d'Endocrinologie - Abstract book (1998)

Differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease with PET.

in Journal of Nuclear Medicine : Official Publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine (1994), 35(3), 391-8

PET studies have demonstrated bilateral temporo-parietal hypoperfusion and hypometabolism in probable and definite Alzheimer's disease (AD), a pattern that may help differentiate AD from other dementias ... [more ▼]

PET studies have demonstrated bilateral temporo-parietal hypoperfusion and hypometabolism in probable and definite Alzheimer's disease (AD), a pattern that may help differentiate AD from other dementias. METHODS: To evaluate the diagnostic power of cerebral metabolic distribution patterns for "cortical" degenerative dementias, PET scans obtained from 129 patients referred for differential diagnosis of dementia were analyzed visually. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients had a final clinical diagnosis of probable AD. Ninety-seven percent (97%) of those had abnormal metabolic scans and 94% showed a suggestive pattern of bilateral or unilateral temporo-parietal hypometabolism (with or without frontal involvement). Hypometabolism was unilateral in 23% of patients. Five subjects with a neuropathologically proven diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease had a suggestive metabolic pattern. One of those was an early case with frontal hypometabolism exceeding temporo-parietal involvement. Two patients with Alzheimer's-type dementia had isolated bilateral frontal hypometabolism. CONCLUSIONS: This alternative metabolic pattern may correspond to a non-Alzheimer pathology occurring in 10%-20% of patients suffering from clinically probable Alzheimer's disease. Most of the patients with possible but atypical Alzheimer's-type dementia showed isolated bilateral frontal involvement. This metabolic pattern probably corresponds to different diseases, such as Pick's disease, frontal lobe dementia or progressive subcortical gliosis. [less ▲]

Decrease of frontal metabolism demonstrated by positron emission tomography in a population of healthy elderly volunteers.

in Acta Neurologica Belgica (1991), 91(5), 288-95

Frontal metabolism measured with positron emission tomography is shown to be decreased relatively to that in other cortical or sub-cortical areas, in a population of healthy elderly compared to young ... [more ▼]

Frontal metabolism measured with positron emission tomography is shown to be decreased relatively to that in other cortical or sub-cortical areas, in a population of healthy elderly compared to young volunteers. Cortical atrophy or neuronal depopulation are unlikely to entirely explain this physiological phenomenon, and sub-cortico-cortical deactivation should play a role, analogous to that proposed in subcortical diseases. [less ▲]

[18F]Altansérine: nouveau radioligand des récepteurs sérotoninergiques pour la tomographie par émission de positons (TEP)

Poster (1990, August 22)

Development of a new in vivo tracer of the cerebral pH.

in Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism (1989), 9S1

Potassium effect on Na(+), K(+)-ATPase activity of cultured newborn rat astroblasts during differentiation.

in Neuroscience Letters (1977), 4(5), 263-7