Case Note Lightning induced atrial �brillation

Atrial �brillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia that occurs in paroxysmal and persistent forms. It occurs in varied situations but lightning induced AF is extremely rare. Here is a case which reverted to sinus rhythm spontaneously. This 37-year-old man without any underlying heart disease had new onset AF after being struck by a lightning. Oral Metoprolol alone was given to control ventricular rate. Spontaneous reversion to sinus rhythm within 36 hours is in favor of new onset lightning induced AF. Key words: Lightning injuries, atrial �brillation, ECG changes Lightning produces manifold systemic effects of varying severity. Notable amongst them are neurological and cardiovascular ones1. Transient and persistent atrial �brillation, which has its many causes, can result from lightning mainly due to its effect on autonomic nervous system. Due to its hemodynamic effects and other serious cardiovascular injuries, patients struck by lightning should be evaluated completely t

Executive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease and timing deficits

Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have deficits in perceptual timing, or the perception and estimation of time. PD patients can also have cognitive symptoms, including deficits in executive functions such as working memory, planning, and visuospatial attention. Here, we discuss how PD-related cognitive symptoms contribute to timing deficits. Timing is influenced by signaling of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the striatum. Timing also involves the frontal cortex, which is dysfunctional in PD. Frontal cortex impairments in PD may influence memory subsystems as well as decision processes during timing tasks. These data suggest that timing may be a type of executive function. As such, timing can be used to study the neural circuitry of cognitive symptoms of PD as they can be studied in animal models. Performance of timing tasks also maybe a useful clinical biomarker of frontal as well as striatal dysfunction in PD