Re: Is Nothing Sacred? Severe Constipation Heralding Neuroborreliosis

[Guest guest]

, thanks for these new links to neuroBb articles. An offer to

you and any one else here for help with interpretation of such

papers or other information re: Bb & neuro stuff -- have a lot of

experience with both and have given a few talks on these topics. My

PhD is in cognitive neuroscience (basically, I deal with the various

brain regions and their functions for different cognitive

activities), have been doing research for over 20 years (man, I

don't feel old enough to say something like that!) and my speciality

area is human memory. Many of my subjects in the past have likely

been constipated. :')

> April 2005, hot off the press...

>

> Arch Neurol. 2005 Apr;62(4):671-3. Related Articles, Links

>

>

> Constipation heralding neuroborreliosis: an atypical tale of 2

> patients.

>

> Shamim EA, Shamim SA, Liss G, Nylen E, Pincus JH, Yepes M.

>

> Department of Neurology, town University Medical Center.

>

> This is a report of 2 patients with Lyme disease who initially

> presented with severe constipation, which progressed to ascending

> muscular weakness resembling acute idiopathic polyneuritis, with

> neuropsychiatric symptoms, severe urinary retention, and

> hyponatremia. These symptoms resolved following proper antibiotic

> therapy.

>

> PMID: 15824271 [PubMed - in process]

[Guest guest]

I sent you an email, cuz I'm craving some off-list contact with that

astonishing brain of yours.

But there is something I would like to ask you here.

Until this illness, I assumed as most people do that if my brain was

in trouble I would lose the higher functions first. But my symptoms,

my cognitive impairments, and the objective findings on my brain MRI

all tell a story that runs in the other direction.

Can you give us a sort of basic primer on the variations in

cognitive decline? That may be an impossible task, but if so tell me

and I'll try to refine the request.

Thanks!

> > April 2005, hot off the press...

> >

> > Arch Neurol. 2005 Apr;62(4):671-3. Related Articles, Links

> >

> >

> > Constipation heralding neuroborreliosis: an atypical tale of 2

> > patients.

> >

> > Shamim EA, Shamim SA, Liss G, Nylen E, Pincus JH, Yepes M.

> >

> > Department of Neurology, town University Medical Center.

> >

> > This is a report of 2 patients with Lyme disease who initially

> > presented with severe constipation, which progressed to

ascending

> > muscular weakness resembling acute idiopathic polyneuritis, with

> > neuropsychiatric symptoms, severe urinary retention, and

> > hyponatremia. These symptoms resolved following proper

antibiotic

> > therapy.

> >

> > PMID: 15824271 [PubMed - in process]

[Guest guest]

--- In infections , " Schaafsma "

<compucruz@y...> wrote [iN PART]:

> Until this illness, I assumed as most people do that if my brain

was

> in trouble I would lose the higher functions first. But my

symptoms,

> my cognitive impairments, and the objective findings on my brain

MRI

> all tell a story that runs in the other direction.

>

> Can you give us a sort of basic primer on the variations in

> cognitive decline? That may be an impossible task, but if so tell

me

> and I'll try to refine the request.

>

> Thanks!

>

>

It all depends upon where the disease process hits the brain. For

example, Alzheimer's, one example of cognitive decline, shows

atrophy first in the hippocampus (limbic system, think " lizard brain

area " ) along with the entorhinal cortex (brain area around the

hippocampus, then the entire temporal lobe tends to get involved

along with the parietal lobe. Frontal lobe is actually late to the

game even though that is last on the evolutionary scale and is key

for higher-level things like planning and setting cognitive agendas.

My recollection of SPECT stuff in Bb is that the hippocampus and

adjacent temporal structures also show up as hit most frequently

(when the result isn't simply global, diffuse hypoperfusion). Also,

in general, the hippocampal area is most sensitive to oxygen

deprivation. All this to say that the hippocampus, while amongst

the oldest structures evolutionarily speaking, is also amongst the

most delicate & sensitive when it comes to various biological

insults (You seahorse you!). BTW, probably not suprising to anyone

here, the hippocampus is a crucial structure in some of the most

basic memory processes in which we engage.

In short, cognitive decline is hardly ever a neat backwards romp

down functional evolution lane. Cognitive decline critically

depends uppn the brain areas involved in whatever biological process

is taking place.

[Guest guest]

Yes...I'm afraid this is more or less a description of the objective

findings about my brain. Which helps me to understand why they want

to rule out Alzheimer's.

DM, I was suprised to find that the use of PET scans for

differential diagnosis between Lyme and Alzheimers was regarded as

something 'new' by the hospital I called to schedule the test.

What the hell have they been doing with Alzheimers, just telling

people to get ready for DroolsVille Manor?

I dunno, I think my brain is trying to outwit the bugs. I guess that

sounds crazy, but I really sometimes think I can feel adjustments

trying to happen, like how the vertigo or the flickers and white-

outs in my peripheral vision will flare up, longer each time, but

then they subside. Maybe my brain is figuring out how to stop the

little vermin from completely screwing up my awareness.

Brain parasites - am I the only one who gets the heavy duty sci-fi

flavor of that, I mean really, there needs to be a movie where the

damn things are from outerspace and it turns out Borreliosis is a

higher form of consciousness.

Well, maybe not.

It thrills me that we have you on I & I, DM.

Pau

> --- In infections , " Schaafsma "

> <compucruz@y...> wrote [iN PART]:

>

> > Until this illness, I assumed as most people do that if my brain

> was

> > in trouble I would lose the higher functions first. But my

> symptoms,

> > my cognitive impairments, and the objective findings on my brain

> MRI

> > all tell a story that runs in the other direction.

> >

> > Can you give us a sort of basic primer on the variations in

> > cognitive decline? That may be an impossible task, but if so

tell

> me

> > and I'll try to refine the request.

> >

> > Thanks!

> >

> >

>

> It all depends upon where the disease process hits the brain. For

> example, Alzheimer's, one example of cognitive decline, shows

> atrophy first in the hippocampus (limbic system, think " lizard

brain

> area " ) along with the entorhinal cortex (brain area around the

> hippocampus, then the entire temporal lobe tends to get involved

> along with the parietal lobe. Frontal lobe is actually late to

the

> game even though that is last on the evolutionary scale and is key

> for higher-level things like planning and setting cognitive

agendas.

>

> My recollection of SPECT stuff in Bb is that the hippocampus and

> adjacent temporal structures also show up as hit most frequently

> (when the result isn't simply global, diffuse hypoperfusion).

Also,

> in general, the hippocampal area is most sensitive to oxygen

> deprivation. All this to say that the hippocampus, while amongst

> the oldest structures evolutionarily speaking, is also amongst the

> most delicate & sensitive when it comes to various biological

> insults (You seahorse you!). BTW, probably not suprising to anyone

> here, the hippocampus is a crucial structure in some of the most

> basic memory processes in which we engage.

>

> In short, cognitive decline is hardly ever a neat backwards romp

> down functional evolution lane. Cognitive decline critically

> depends uppn the brain areas involved in whatever biological

process

> is taking place.