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Approximately 9,000 survivors of childhood ALL are living in Germany nowadays with an additional of almost 550 every year. The Late Effects Working Group of the GPOH performs investigations of major late sequelae in collaboration with the... more
Approximately 9,000 survivors of childhood ALL are living in Germany nowadays with an additional of almost 550 every year. The Late Effects Working Group of the GPOH performs investigations of major late sequelae in collaboration with the German Registry of Cancer in Childhood and the ALL-study groups.
An increasing number of children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia has been treated successfully during the last 30 years and survival rates are now up to 80–90%. Within the last years cranial irradiation for CNS-prophylaxis has... more
An increasing number of children suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia has been treated successfully during the last 30 years and survival rates are now up to 80–90%. Within the last years cranial irradiation for CNS-prophylaxis has been replaced by chemotherapy only in the standard and medium risk groups because of the CNS-toxicity of cranial irradiation.
In a multicenter study the authors prospectively investigated neurocognitive function in childhood ALL patients. Sixty-six patients (mean age at diagnosis 7.9 +/- 3.6 years, 34 female), treated with repeated intrathecal and systemical... more
In a multicenter study the authors prospectively investigated neurocognitive function in childhood ALL patients. Sixty-six patients (mean age at diagnosis 7.9 +/- 3.6 years, 34 female), treated with repeated intrathecal and systemical methotrexate administrations without cranial irradiation, underwent psychometric testing for intelligence, concentration, and visual-motor integration postdiagnosis and after reinduction therapy. Although there was a statistically significant decline of intellectual function after reinduction therapy for younger patients and girls (IQ scores still within normative data range), there were no differences in visual-motor performance and concentration over the time of induction therapy. Thus, neurocognitive examination should focus on younger ALL patients and girls.
... Jankovic, M., Reciputo, A., Haupt, R., Micalizzi, C., Manganini, C., Frey, E., Lackner, H., Maurus, R., Beck, J., Langer, T., Marx, M., Krappmann ... Correspondence: M. Jankovic, Pediatric Oncologist/Hematologist, Ospedale S. Gerardo,... more
... Jankovic, M., Reciputo, A., Haupt, R., Micalizzi, C., Manganini, C., Frey, E., Lackner, H., Maurus, R., Beck, J., Langer, T., Marx, M., Krappmann ... Correspondence: M. Jankovic, Pediatric Oncologist/Hematologist, Ospedale S. Gerardo, Universita Di Milano, Via Donizetti 106, 20052 ...
... Jankovic, M., Reciputo, A., Haupt, R., Micalizzi, C., Manganini, C., Frey, E., Lackner, H., Maurus, R., Beck, J., Langer, T., Marx, M., Krappmann ... Correspondence: M. Jankovic, Pediatric Oncologist/Hematologist, Ospedale S. Gerardo,... more
... Jankovic, M., Reciputo, A., Haupt, R., Micalizzi, C., Manganini, C., Frey, E., Lackner, H., Maurus, R., Beck, J., Langer, T., Marx, M., Krappmann ... Correspondence: M. Jankovic, Pediatric Oncologist/Hematologist, Ospedale S. Gerardo, Universita Di Milano, Via Donizetti 106, 20052 ...
In this study, the execution of delayed saccades in 15 DSM-III-R-schizophrenic patients and 15 normal subjects was investigated. While looking at a central fixation cross, a peripheral target was randomly presented at 10° eccentricity.... more
In this study, the execution of delayed saccades in 15 DSM-III-R-schizophrenic patients and 15 normal subjects was investigated. While looking at a central fixation cross, a peripheral target was randomly presented at 10° eccentricity. Subjects were instructed to saccade to the target when the fixation cross was switched off after 500 ms. Two experiments were conducted: (a) a delayed-saccade task and, (b) a memoryguided saccade task, that is, the peripheral target was switched off together with the fixation cross. In the delayed-saccade task, amplitudes of regular saccades did not differ between schizophrenic patients and normals. In the memory-guided saccade task, schizophrenic subjects showed marked hypometric saccades. Incorrect delayed saccades (while the fixation cross was on) were also hypometric in schizophrenics, but not in normal controls. The final eye position, i.e., the position reached after the execution of correction saccades, however, did not differ between patients and controls. This means that schizophrenics show a deficit in the programming of primary saccades, if the fixation point and the peripheral target are (a) both visually presented or (b) both memorized. The results support the hypothesis that these saccades are the result of an averaging effect between the fixation point and the peripheral target. It is further hypothesized that these deficits might be explained by a lack of prefrontal inhibition of ocular fixation areas.
Previous studies have shown that saccadic reaction times (SRTs) are reduced if the initial fixation point (FP) disappears 200 ms (gap period) before a peripheral target is presented. This gap saccade task is associated with a negative... more
Previous studies have shown that saccadic reaction times (SRTs) are reduced if the initial fixation point (FP) disappears 200 ms (gap period) before a peripheral target is presented. This gap saccade task is associated with a negative cortical potential at the end of the gap period. To determine whether the neural processes underlying this potential account for the reduction of SRTs during gap saccade tasks, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) in 19 subjects performing a gap saccade task (gap duration 200 ms), a warning saccade task (the color of the FP changed 200 ms prior to target appearance) and an overlap task (the FP remained visible during the trial). SRTs were shortest during the gap task, longest during the overlap task and intermediate during the warning task. The gap and warning tasks were accompanied by the same widespread negative cortical potential with a maximum at the time of stimulus presentation. These findings indicate that the warning effect mediated by the disappearance of the FP during gap saccade tasks is responsible for the gap negativity which was observed by several authors. Our findings of shorter SRTs during the gap task than the warning task, however, suggest that the gap has an additional effect that probably depends on subcortical mechanisms.
In an antisaccade task, subjects are instructed to inhibit a reflexive saccade towards a peripheral stimulus flash and to generate a saccade in the opposite direction. It has been shown recently that normal subjects will generate a high... more
In an antisaccade task, subjects are instructed to inhibit a reflexive saccade towards a peripheral stimulus flash and to generate a saccade in the opposite direction. It has been shown recently that normal subjects will generate a high number of incorrect prosaccades in an antisaccade task if the fixation point is extinguished 200 ms before the stimulus appears and if a valid cue for the subsequent antisaccade is given during this gap period. In the present study we recorded cerebral event-related potentials from 19 scalp electrodes from normal subjects prior to correct and incorrect responses in a cued antisaccade task to investigate the neural processes associated with correct antisaccades and incorrect prosaccades in this task. Correct antisaccades and incorrect prosaccades were associated with a negative potential with a maximal amplitude around stimulus onset over the dorsomedial frontal cortex. This potential was higher prior to correct antisaccades than prior to incorrect prosaccades. The execution of a correct antisaccade was preceded by a shift of a negative potential from the parietal hemisphere contralateral to the visual stimulus towards the parietal hemisphere ipsilateral to the stimulus. These results support the view that the supplementary eye fields participate in the inhibition of incorrect saccades in a cued antisaccade task and show that the parietal cortex participates in generating a neural representation of the visual stimulus in the hemifield ipsilateral to the stimulus before generating a motor response.
When a temporal gap is introduced between the offset of the central fixation point and the appearance of a new target, saccadic reaction time is reduced (gap effect) and a special population of extremely fast saccades occurs (express... more
When a temporal gap is introduced between the offset of the central fixation point and the appearance of a new target, saccadic reaction time is reduced (gap effect) and a special population of extremely fast saccades occurs (express saccades). It has been hypothesized that the gap triggers a readiness signal, which is responsible for the reduced saccadic reaction times. Here we recorded event-related potentials during the gap to in vestigate the central processes associated with the gener ation of fast regular saccades and express saccades. Prior to the execution of fast regular saccades, subjects pro duced a slow negative shift, with a maximum at frontal and central channels that started 40 ms after fixation offset. This widespread negativity is similar to a readiness potential. Anticipatory saccades were preceded by an increased frontal and parietal negativity. Prior to express saccades, a frontal negativity was observed, which started 135 ms after the disappearance of the fixation point. It is assumed that the frontal negativity prior to express saccades corresponds to the fixation-disengagement dis charge described in the frontal eye field of monkeys. Therefore, we hypothesize that fast regular saccades are the result of an increased readiness signal, while express saccades are the result of specific preparatory processes.
 Saccades elicited by suddenly appearing targets show a broad distribution of reaction times. This may depend on variations in the subject’s state of preparation before target onset. To test this hypothesis, we recorded scalp... more
 Saccades elicited by suddenly appearing targets show a broad distribution of reaction times. This may depend on variations in the subject’s state of preparation before target onset. To test this hypothesis, we recorded scalp event-related potentials from eight human subjects to investigate whether differences in saccadic reaction times (SRTs) are related to differences in cortical slow potentials prior to target onset. Compared with trials with medium SRTs (180–230 ms), trials with fast SRTs (130–180 ms) were found to be preceded by a more negative slow potential and trials with slow SRTs (230–280 ms) were found to be preceded by a more positive slow potential. These results support the hypothesis that cortical activation prior to target appearance influences SRTs.