BACKGROUND: Several findings indicate that stress may influence epileptiform discharges manifesting in temporal-limbic areas, which may become a potential trigger of psychosis that may manifest without neurologically diagnosed epilepsy. Some findings suggest that measures assessing levels of inter-hemispheric information connection may reveal the spread of subclinical epileptiform neural activity associated with psychotic and seizure-like symptoms. Recent research also suggests that electrodermal activity (EDA), which is related to limbic activations, may allow indirect measurement of interhemispheric information transmission. These findings about the interhemispheric spread of information suggest a hypothesis that heightened spread of information between the brain hemispheres might indirectly indicate epileptiform discharges spreading between hemispheres. METHODS: We have analyzed and measured EDA and also cognitive and affective epileptic-like symptoms (CPSI, complex partial seizure-like symptoms), symptoms of chronic stress (Trauma Symptoms Checklist-40, TSC-40), and psychotic symptoms in 31 schizophrenia patients and compared these data with 31 healthy controls. RESULTS: The results indicate that in schizophrenia patients, the values of pointwise transinformation (PTI) calculated from right and left EDA time series are related to CPSI symptoms (Spearman correlation between CPSI and PTI is R = 0.48; p < 0.01) and symptoms of chronic stress (Spearman correlation between TSC-40 and PTI is R = 0.37, p < 0.05); both during mild stress conditions caused by conflicting (incongruent) Stroop task. CONCLUSION: The analysis indicates potentially diagnostically useful results suggesting that heightened PTI values may reflect autonomic activations that hypothetically might be linked to higher interhemispheric transmission related to spreading of epileptiform discharges between hemispheres.

• Klíčová slova
• electrodermal activity, epileptiform activity, schizophrenia, stress, temporal epileptic-like symptoms, transinformation,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

INTRODUCTION: Esophageal achalasia is a primary motility disorder. Although the exact pathogenesis is unknown, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative processes seem to be involved similarly to neurodegenerative and/or demyelinating disorders (NDDs). We hypothesized that the prevalence of NDD may be higher among patients with achalasia and vice versa as the background pathogenetic mechanisms are similar. METHODS: This was a prospective, comparative questionnaire-based study. Patients with achalasia and patients with NDD were enrolled. Selected patients with achalasia were thoroughly examined by a neurologist and selected patients with NDD were examined by a gastroenterologist to confirm or rule out NDD or achalasia. We assessed the prevalence of both achalasia and NDD and compared them with their prevalence in general population. RESULTS: A total of 150 patients with achalasia and 112 patients with NDD were enrolled. We observed an increased prevalence of NDD among patients with achalasia (6.0% (9/150); 95% CI (confidence interval): 3.1-11.2%) as compared to the estimated 2.0% prevalence in general population (p = 0.003). Although 32 out of 112 patients (28.6%) with NDD reported dysphagia, we did not observe significantly increased prevalence of achalasia in these patients (1.8% (2/112) vs 0.8% in general population, p = 0.226). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of NDD was significantly higher among patients with achalasia (6.0%) compared to general population (2.0%), suggesting an association of these disorders. Large-volume studies are necessary to confirm this finding.

• Klíčová slova
• achalasia, demyelinating process, neurodegeneration,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH