Monthly Archives: June 2011

Decision-Making Impairment May Precede Limb Apraxia (CBD)

Date
Posted by

This recently-published letter from two Italian neurologists describes two patients initially diagnosed with parkinsonism. They were both given tests, including the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), that revealed cognitive dysfunction. About 18 months later, both patients showed limb apraxia (based upon a Movement Imitation Test), resulting in a CBD diagnosis.

The two neurologists conclude: “These neuropsychological findings suggest that, in CBD patients, decision-making may be impaired early in the course of the disease and may sometimes precede the appearance of upper-limb apraxia. These findings also suggest that the IGT is a useful task to detect early cognitive impairments in patients with parkinsonism whose clinical symptoms are suggestive of CBD.”

I’ve copied the citation below.

Robin

Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. 2011 Winter;23(2):E29.

Letters
Decision-Making Impairment May Precede Limb Apraxia in Corticobasal Degeneration

Michele Poletti, M.D. and Ubaldo Bonuccelli, M.D.
Neurology Unit, USL of Viareggio, Italy Neuroscience Department, University of Pisa.

6 Things Never to Say to a Sick Friend + 4 Things…

Date
Posted by

I ran across this article tonight, and it certainly resonated. Many people with neurodegenerative disorders report that they dislike being told “you look great,” particularly when most of the symptoms are non-motor ones. The article’s author, who dealt with bone cancer, details 6 things you should never say to a friend or relative who’s sick and 4 things you can always say…

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/fashi … -life.html
(access to the NYT is no longer free beyond a certain number of articles each month)

(Excerpts from)

June 10, 2011
New York Times

This Life
‘You Look Great’ and Other Lies
By Bruce Feiler

…So at the risk of offending some well-meaning people, here are Six Things You Should Never Say to a Friend (or Relative or Colleague) Who’s Sick. And Four Things You Can Always Say.

First, the Nevers.

1. WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

2. MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU.

3. DID YOU TRY THAT MANGO COLONIC I RECOMMENDED?

4. EVERYTHING WILL BE O.K.

5. HOW ARE WE TODAY?

6. YOU LOOK GREAT.

So what do patients like to hear? Here are four suggestions.

1. DON’T WRITE ME BACK.

2. I SHOULD BE GOING NOW.

3. WOULD YOU LIKE SOME GOSSIP?

4. I LOVE YOU.

Bruce Feiler’s memoir, “The Council of Dads: A Story of Family, Friendship and Learning How to Live,” has just been published in paperback.

Song “Speak to Me” + Story Behind It

Date
Posted by

An online friend, Mike Guerrieri, works for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Speech therapists (speech language pathologists) are ASHA members, along with some other disciplines. Members of our local support group see speech therapists as the disorders in our group include speech and swallowing symptoms.

Mike’s mother Kathe died almost a year ago. She had autopsy-confirmed MSA (multiple system atrophy).

Mike was inspired to write a song, “Speak to Me,” because of his mother’s struggles with communication. Kathe’s voice and swallow were weakened by MSA. As a result, Mike was made “more aware of how critical human communication is.” The song celebrates speech-language pathologists and audiologists.

The beautiful song can be listened to here:
http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/2 … hive/song/

Mike plays guitar in the recording.

You can see photos of Mike and Kathe here along with more of the story behind the song:
http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/2 … ong-story/

Robin