Episodes of transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) are commonly due to syncope or epileptic seizures. The distinction between both entities on clinical grounds and eyewitness accounts can be challenging and is often hampered by similar clinical features. We briefly summarize syncope-related symptoms and present the case of a female patient who suffered from TLOC episodes due to both reflex sync...

The reflex bradycardia produced by a transient phenylephrine-induced rise of arterial pressure was investigated in man during rest and supine exercise, before and after autonomic blockade of the heart. Reflex bradycardia diminished proportionally to the tachycardia of exercise. Propranolol slowed the heart at rest and during exercise, but increased the reflex response only at rest, having no ef...

Myoclonic epilepsies are frequently related to mitochondrial disorders, lysosomal disorders and proteinopathic neurodegenerative diseases. Familial cortical myoclonic tremor with epilepsy (FCMTE) is a genetic form of myoclonic epilepsy. FCMTE is defined by an autosomal dominant inheritance, adult onset cortical myoclonic tremor and inconstant seizures. Electrophysiologic examinations show corti...

Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders which provoke progressive neuronal degeneration. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has recently been recognized as pivotal etiological factors contributing to epilepsy-induced neuronal damage. However, the specific contribution of epilepsy made to ER stress remains largely elusive. Here we use pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) kindling, a...

In this review we assess our currently available knowledge about reflex seizures with special emphasis on the difference between "generalized" reflex seizures induced by visual stimuli, thinking, praxis and language tasks, and "focal" seizures induced by startle, eating, music, hot water, somatosensory stimuli and orgasm. We discuss in particular evidence from animal, clinical, neurophysiologic...

Although high doses of sodium salicylate impair cochlear function, it paradoxically enhances sound-evoked activity in the auditory cortex (AC) and augments acoustic startle reflex responses, neural and behavioral metrics associated with hyperexcitability and hyperacusis. To explore the neural mechanisms underlying salicylate (SS)-induced hyperexcitability and "increased central gain," we examin...

Using a computer-controlled torque motor and manipulandum, 50 ms torque pulses and 70 second trains of binary pseudorandom torque disturbances were applied to the wrists of 10 adult controls and 22 patients with essential tremor in order to study the interaction between mechanically-induced stretch-reflex oscillations and essential tremor. These two oscillations were separated by applying inert...