Among the various focal epileptic seizure patterns commonly encountered one of the most interesting and least understood is that of ictal epileptic automatism. The most characteristic feature of ictal epileptic automatism is the association of a profound impairment of higher mental functions such as memory and conscious understanding with a rather strikingly contrasting retention of motor control, of the capacity for reception of sensory stimuli and of the possibility to integrate motor and sensory activities into complex and correctly performed motor actions (Penfield and Jasper, 1954). [...]

The need for continued investigation into the mechanism of motor function has been emphasized recently by Bucy (1957) in a critical review entitled, "ls there a pyramidal tract?" and by Lassek, Woolsey, Walker, and Boshes (1957) in a symposium of inquiry into the state of our knowledge of the pyramidal tract presented before the eighth annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. [...]

The integration of a circulatory system into any tissue or organ utilizing oxygen permits a faster workrate and, more efficiency in terms of general body economy. Such integration, however, carries the accompanying threat of the consequence of sudden interruption in the local or general circulation. Organs that have acquired "specialization", at the cost of powers of regeneration, pay for such interruption, if prolonged, with permanent loss of function. Certain gross structural changes, in addition to the permanent functional loss, take place in the offended tissue.

The following work was undertaken because of the increasing body of evidence indicating that a high dietary fat intake is related to certain diseases, among which is multiple sclerosis with which we were particularly concerned. Recent nutritional surveys have suggested that geographic variations in the incidence of multiple sclerosis are due at least in part to the amount of fat consumed. Dr. Swank (Swank, 1950; Swank, Lerstad, Strom and Backer, 1952) made a survey of Holland, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland and compared figures of the dietary habits and the incidence of multiple sclerosis before, during, and after World War II when there were wide fluctuations in the dietary habits.

Includes bibliographical references. / Secondary insults in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) may worsen outcome; however, these are poorly characterized in children. For example, despite the known association between intracranial pressure (ICP) and poor outcome, there are few large paediatric series on the subject, definitions vary, functional outcome is often not assessed, and the best measures to assess ICP for statistical analysis are unknown. We aimed to document the frequency of secondary insults, and the association of various ICP measures, with outcome in a large cohort of paediatric patients with severe TBI. A retrospective analysis of 5-year prospectively collected data was examined for the frequency of hypoxia, hypotension, raised ICP, and low cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). ICP parameters included initial ICP, mean ICP in the first 24 hours, mean ICP overall, peak ICP, mean ICP over 20 mmHg, and episodes of ICP over 20 mmHg. Hypotension was defined by age †and height †adjusted mean arterial pressure ranges, and hypoxia was defined as arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) less than 8kPa or pulse oximetry less than 90%. We examined for univariate and multivariate associations with mortality and the Extended Paediatric Glasgow Outcome Score.

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