Transient Automatic Writing Behavior following a Left Inferior Capsular Genu Infarction

A 79-year-old, right-handed woman was admitted to the hospital with decreased spontaneity. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed a left inferior capsular genu infarction. 99m TC-ECD single-photon emission computed tomography revealed a left-dominant diffuse hypoperfusionin the basal ganglia and frontal lobe. The patient showed abulia and increased writing activity without motor or sensory deficit. The writing was mainly perseverative, and words written along lines were legible and without spatial distortions. This augmented writing behavior disappeared on day 21. The writing characteristic was more similar to automatic writing behavior than hypergraphia. Dissociation between speech and writing behavior was present in our patient. We suggest that a disconnection within the frontal-subcortical circuit contributed to the development of motor perseveration in writing

Idiopathic REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: Implications for the Pathogenesis of Lewy Body Diseases

Objectives. Both results of the odor identification and cardiac 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine accumulation have been investigated for their potential to enhance the detection of pathogenesis resembling that of Lewy body-related α-synucleinopathies in patients clinically diagnosed as having idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder. Methods. We performed both the Odor Stick Identification Test for Japanese and 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy in 30 patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder, 38 patients with Parkinson's disease, and 20 control subjects. Results. In idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder, reduced odor identification score and an early or delayed heart to mediastinum ratio on 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine were almost as severe as in Parkinson's disease patients. Delayed cardiac 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine uptake was even more severe in the idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder group than in the Parkinson's disease group. Conclusions. Reduced cardiac 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine uptake, which is independent of parkinsonism, may be more closely associated with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder than olfactory impairment

Does Pramipexole Treatment Improve Headache in Patients with Concomitant Migraine and Restless Legs Syndrome?

Background: Recent studies have suggested a strong link between migraines and restless legs syndrome (RLS). It is possible that these disorders share a dopaminergic dysfunction in the hypothalamic A11 nucleus that contributes to this association. However, there have been no clinical studies to evaluate the effect of dopaminergic treatment on migraine symptoms in patients with concomitant migraines and RLS. Methods: We present an illustrative patient with concomitant RLS and migraine who showed improvement in her headache frequency and RLS symptoms following immediate‐release pramipexole (P‐IR) treatment and provide review results from the medical records of patients who experienced both migraines and RLS in our previous cross‐sectional study. Results: Ten patients (nine patients from the previously completed single‐center study) received P‐IR treatment were included in the study. RLS symptoms improved markedly in all of the subjects. Five out of the 10 patients (50%) reported improvement in migraine headaches. Of these five patients, four (80%) had reported morning headaches before P‐IR treatment. Discussion: Our results indicate that the identification of RLS in migraine patients is clinically significant and that dopaminergic treatment may improve both migraines, particularly morning headache (80% improvement in this study), and RLS symptoms. However, further clinical studies are warranted to verify our results

大学ゼミ・地元企業ジョイント授業の取り組みに関する一報告

本稿では、2019年度に新たにキャリア教育の1つとして立ち上がった「大学ゼミ・地元企業ジョイント授業」の紹介とともに、その成果の一部を報告する。今回紹介するジョイント授業の教育プログラムでは、自動車部品の一種であるサイドカーテンエアバッグを製造している企業への会社訪問が主な内容であった。また、会社訪問に向けた事前教育として履歴書の作成を行い、事後教育では企業担当者からの総評ならびに履歴書の添削を学生にフィードバックを行った。学生はそれらを基に授業全体の振り返りとして感想文を作成した。さらに、会社訪問にて印象に残っていることについてグループ討議を行い、学生による会社説明資料を作成した。本ジョイント授業に参加した学生13名の感想文からは、当初、就職に対する理解や意欲が高くなかったが、授業を通して就職活動に向けた危機感が喚起されたことが伺えた。この学生の意識の変化には、企業の方々からのフィードバックが有効的な役割を果たしていたと推察できる。このことから、大学のみならず、地域企業や地域社会と連携し、培われてきた経験やノウハウを活用することは、キャリア教育の効果を高める一助になるといえるだろう