An autopsy case of hemiconvulsion-hemiplegia-epilepsy syndrome manifesting as cerebral hemiatrophy in an elderly man

Radiological imaging findings of Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome

Radiological findings of Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome (DDMS) in patients with different etiologies are presented in our study. The study included 12 patients (seven females, five males) for whom radiological examinations were requested due to reasons such as epilepsy, mental retardation, and/or hemiplegia. CT was performed in 12, MRI in 6, MRA in 1, and DSA in 1 patient. Following imaging findings were evaluated: cerebral and cerebellar involvement (laterality, encephalomalacia), affected territories, ventricular enlargement, sulcal enlargement, calvarial thickening, and paranasal sinus enlargement hyperaeration. Age range of the patients was 5-62 (mean 34.1 ± 21.7). Left hemicrania was affected in eight patients, right hemicrania in four. Ipsilateral calvarial thickening and lateral ventricular dilatation were observed in all patients. 11 patients had ipsilateral frontal sinus hyperaeration, sulcal enlargement and encephalomalacia. Wallerian degeneration of the mesencephalon and middle fossa hypoplasia was seen in ten patients, mastoid hyperaeration, third ventricular enlargement and thalamic involvement in nine, and corpus callosum, basal ganglion injury, and sphenoid sinus hyperaeration in eight. MCA, ACA, and PCA territories were involved in six patients. Only MCA territory involvement was seen in four patients. Cerebellar atrophy was contralateral in two patients. Symmetric bilateral atrophy was observed in one patient. DDMS can be encountered with different radiological findings based on cerebral damage formation process and the extent of damage. Patients may have different levels of cerebral hemiatrophy, ipsilateral carvarial thickening, and lateral ventricular dilatation.

Ultrastructure of Diaschisis Lesions after Traumatic Brain Injury

We used controlled cortical impact in mice to model human traumatic brain injury (TBI). Local injury was accompanied by distal diaschisis lesions that developed within brain regions anatomically connected to the injured cortex. At 7 days after injury, histochemistry documented broadly distributed lesions, particularly in the contralateral cortex and ipsilateral thalamus and striatum. Reactive astrocytosis and microgliosis were noted in multiple neural pathways that also showed silver-stained cell processes and bodies. Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA) staining, a marker of perineuronal nets, was substantially diminished in the ipsilateral, but less so in the contralateral cortex. Contralateral cortical silver positive diaschisis lesions showed loss of both phosphorylated and unphosphorylated neurofilament staining, but overall preservation of microtubule-associated protein (MAP)-2 staining. Thalamic lesions showed substantial loss of MAP-2 and unphosphorylated neurofilaments in addition to moderate loss of phosphorylated neurofilament. One animal demonstrated contralateral cerebellar degeneration at 7 days post-injury. After 21 days, the gliosis had quelled, however persistent silver staining was noted. Using a novel serial section technique, we were able to perform electron microscopy on regions fully characterized at the light microscopy level. Cell bodies and processes that were silver positive at the light microscopy level showed hydropic disintegration consisting of: loss of nuclear heterochromatin; dilated somal and neuritic processes with a paucity of filaments, tubules, and mitochondria; and increased numbers of electron-dense membranous structures. Importantly the cell membrane itself was still intact 3 weeks after injury. Although the full biochemical nature of these lesions remains to be deciphered, the morphological preservation of damaged neurons and processes raises the question of whether this is a reversible process.