OBJECTIVE: An association between streptococcal infections, ABGA positivity, and no comorbidity ADHD (nc-ADHD) has been little investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the streptococcal infection frequency, defined entitled serum antistreptolysin O (ASO), and frequency of serum ABGA positivity in a sample of patients with nc-ADHD.; METHOD: In all 40 participants were investigated the ASO titer and ABGA.; RESULTS: The results showed that ABGA positivity was statistically significantly higher in patients affected by ADHD than in patients of a control group, and pathological values of ASO were statistically more frequent in the ADHD group than the control group.; CONCLUSION: These data suggest that streptococcal infections and autoimmune reactions against the basal ganglia are more frequent in ADHD patients than patients in a control group. =C2=A9 The Author(s) 2012.

Background: Learning Disorders (LD) are complex diseases that affect about 2-10% of the school-age population. We performed neuropsychological and psychopathological evaluation, in order to investigate comorbidity in children with LD. Methods: Our sample consisted of 448 patients from 7 to 16 years of age with a diagnosis of LD, divided in two subgroups: Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), including reading, writing, mathematics disorders, and Learning Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (LD NOS). Results: Comorbidity with neuropsychopathologies was found in 62.2% of the total sample. In the LSD subgroup, ADHD was present in 33%, Anxiety Disorder in 28.8%, Developmental Coordination Disorder in 17.8%, Language Disorder in 11% and Mood Disorder in 9.4% of patients. In LD NOS subgroup, Language Disorder was present in 28.6%, Developmental Coordination Disorder in 27.5%, ADHD in 25.4%, Anxiety Disorder in 16.4%, Mood Disorder in 2.1% of patients. A statistically significant presence was respectively found for Language and Developmental Coordination Disorder comorbidity in LD NOS and for ADHD, mood and anxiety disorder comorbidity in SLD subgroup. Conclusions: The different findings emerging in this study suggested to promote further investigations to better define the difference between SLD and LD NOS, in order to improve specific interventions to reduce the long range consequences.

Background: Ophthalmoplegic migraine (OM) is a rare condition characterized by the association of headaches and an oculomotor nerve palsy. The third cranial nerve is commonly involved in recurrent attacks, whereas involvement of the sixth and fourth nerves is uncommon. It is still debated whether an uncontrolled migraine or an oculomotor neuropathy may be the primary cause of ophthalmoplegic migraine. Cases: We report two patients affected by OM with normal magnetic resonance imaging findings and a history of uncontrolled migraine before an attack of OM. Conclusion: The cases reported allow us to hypothesize that OM may be considered a form of migraine rather than a cranial neuralgia. It is possible that different factors such as inflammatory or structural factors, may represent a vulnerability of the nerve during a severe migraine attack causing ophthalmoplegia.

Lead poisoning is amedical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body, generally resulting from environmental exposure. Lead poisoning can cause a variety of symptoms which vary depending on the individual and the duration of lead exposure; lead poisoning is more noxious to children than adults, because it can damage the brain and nerve development of children.We report a case of lead poisoning in a 5-year-old girl caused by accidental ingestion of a metal ring. Simultaneously, the child showed anemia, encephalopathy, and peripheral neuropathy with albuminocytological dissociation mimicking Guillain-Barre syndrome.This case suggests that anemia with signs of peripheral and central nervous system damage could be considered as a possible manifestation of lead poisoning in children.

Primary headache is a frequent and disabling disorder, common among children and adolescents, and it is a painful syndrome often accompanied by functional impairment and associated with emotional and behavior problems. The aim of this study was to investigate parenting stress and emotional/behavioral problems in adolescents affected by primary headache compared with healthy adolescents. The study population consisted of 35 adolescents and a control group of 23 healthy subjects. The assessment included the administration of clinical standardized scales such as Parent Stress Index-Short Form, Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment Score Questionnaire, and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Headache group and control group did not differ in terms of parenting stress (p =3D 0.29). On the contrary, headache group showed more internalizing problems (p =3D 0.023), affective problems (p =3D 0.01), anxious (p =3D 0.001), and somatic complaints (p < 0.001) compared with control group. In addition, we found a significant correlation between PSI domains and specific CBCL subscales in the headache group. The findings emphasize the need for expanded intervention in the clinical treatment of pediatric headache, a treatment that may also include the family members. Further research is needed.

Patients with dementia often have neuropsychiatric symptoms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between neuropsychiatric symptoms and progressive cognitive decline by assessing cognitive impairment, depressive symptoms, and aggressive behavior in a sample of elderly subjects. The study sample consisted of 201 subjects admitted to nursing homes. For the purpose of the present study each subject was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Modified Overt Aggression Scale. The results show that aggressive behavior and depressive symptoms are associated with progressive cognitive decline in elderly subjects. Early assessment of these conditions can promote rational therapeutic strategies that may improve the quality of life and delay institutionalization for elderly patients.

Incontinentia pigmenti (IP) is an X-linked dominant genodermatosis confined to females. It is usually lethal in males. However, the survival of some males has been reported in literature. We describe a long follow-up case of a 12-year-old male with IP and a normal karyotype but a genomic deletion of the NEMO gene in the Xq28 position in the form of somatic mosaicism. The patient showed severe ophthalmic abnormalities and neurological manifestations characterised by very mild cerebellar ataxia and a history of epilepsy that was severe at the beginning with West syndrome, become moderate overtime and is now resolved. Despite these neurological manifestations, probably related to the presence of at least some mutated cells in his brain, the long-term follow-up in this patient demonstrated good neurological and cognitive outcome.

INTRODUCTION: Recent evidence suggests that impairments in social cognition are associated to the cognitive abilities needed to take several viewpoints in perceptual situations and body awareness. The aim of the current study was to investigate Visual Perspective Taking (VPT) and Body awareness performance in a group of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) compared with a group of children with Intellectual Disability (ID) and typically developing (TD) children.; METHODS: Our groups were administered an IQ test and a VPT task, and body awareness tests.; RESULTS: Children with ASD or ID were more impaired in body awareness development compared to TD (p<.001) children. The ASD group differentiates largely from the other two groups in the mean VPT (p<.001) scores.; CONCLUSIONS: The current study provides a framework for considering social impairments in autism on a broader scale, including visuoperceptual and body awareness difficulties as a core contributor to social interaction difficulties.=20

The migration process is a cause of physical and social stressors that may lead to mental health problems, particularly in children. In Italy, there are few studies about migrant children's mental health; thus, the aim of this study is to compare the prevalence and types of emotional and behavioral problems in migrant schoolchildren to those of native Italian-children. The research involved migrant (first- and second-generation) and native schoolchildren attending kindergarten, primary, and secondary school. A questionnaire was administered to parents to collect information about the sociodemographic characteristics of the children. All teachers filled in the Teacher's Report Form for migrant and native children. The findings show that teachers detect academic and adaptive problems more easily in migrant schoolchildren, but they are probably less aware of the children's psychological problems. The observations made in this study provide a starting point in understanding the psychological status and main problems noted among migrant children.

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to investigate in-hospital falls among children with neurological or neurodevelopmental conditions and investigated associated child characteristics. Design: A cross-sectional, correlational study design was used in this study. A total of 446 patients were enrolled in the study, of which 298 were admitted with neurological conditions and 148 with neurodevelopmental conditions. Methods: Intelligent quotient (IQ) was assessed according to age, and the Humpty Dumpty Falls Scale (HDFS) was completed and scored for each participant. Findings: The neurodevelopmental group showed higher HDFS total mean score (p = .001) compared to the neurological group. We found that fall rates are more frequent (p = .003) in the neurodevelopmental group (12.9%) compared with the neurological group (5.1%). In addition, we found that, in both groups, HDFS total mean score correlates negatively with children's age, gender and IQ. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: The results of this study suggest that the fall prevention programs must be implemented in children with neurodevelopmental conditions, not only in children with neurological conditions.

UNLABELLED: Abnormalities of the sex chromosomes (47, XXY, 47 XYY, 45,X/46,XY mosaicism) are frequently associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), but the male predisposition to these disorders has not been clearly explained. Previously, the role of the X chromosome was considered important in the ASD mainly because autistic symptoms were detected in genetic syndromes involving X chromosome (fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome). Instead, few studies have analyzed the possible role of the Y chromosome in the ASD. This study explores the role of the Y chromosome in ASD through a systematic literature review about the association between ASD and XYY syndrome and a description of two new cases with this association. The literature review considered studies published in peer-reviewed journals, included in the MEDLINE and PubMed databases, that examined the association between ASD and XYY syndrome. Few studies reported the occurrence of ASD in children with XYY karyotype and the majority of them did not reported a well-defined autism diagnostic category associated with an extra Y chromosome, but several clinical conditions that are generically described as language and social impairment.; CONCLUSION: This study underlines the underestimated role of the Y chromosome in ASD, and we postulate that all the ASD associated with the XYY karyotype may presumably fall within mild degree of ASD as in our cases.=20

Purpose: Recently, neuroimaging studies were performed using H-1-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1-MRS), revealing a quantitative alteration of neurochemicals (such as neurotransmitters and metabolites) in several brain regions of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The involvement of the frontal lobe in the neurobiology of ASD has long been documented in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the alterations of N-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) and choline/Cr (Cho/Cr) ratios in the frontal lobe subcortical white matter (WM) in ASD patients, in order to reveal any alteration of metabolites that might be the expression of specific clinical features of the disorder. Patients and methods: An H-1-MRS study of the frontal lobe subcortical WM was performed in 75 children with ASD and in 50 age-matched controls to evaluate the functional activity of this brain region. Results: NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios were significantly altered in ASD, compared to control subjects. Moreover, in the ASD group, NAA/Cr was significantly lower in patients with a cognitive impairment. Conclusion: Results from this study confirm the existence of brain metabolites' alterations in frontal lobe WM in children with ASD, supporting the relevance of this brain region in the clinical expressions of this disorder, including its role in the cognitive impairment. Further H-1-MRS investigations will allow to comprehensively explain the relationship between metabolic alteration in a specific brain region and specific clinical features of ASD.