BackgroundLeft ventricular (LV) thrombi during Takotsubo syndrome represent a potential complication and can be associated with cerebrovascular embolic events. The aim of this study was to evaluate the exact incidence, predictors, and management strategies of LV thrombi in patients with Takotsubo syndrome.Methods and ResultsWe enrolled 541 consecutive patients in a multicenter international registry. Clinical features and echocardiographic data at admission, during hospitalization, and after 3 months were evaluated. Survival rates for long‐term follow‐up (mean 984±908 days) were recorded. Twelve Takotsubo syndrome patients (2.2%) developed LV thrombi (all female presenting with apical ballooning pattern). All patients with LV thrombi were treated with oral anticoagulation therapy; however, 2 (17%) had a stroke before treatment initiation. These patients were characterized by a higher prevalence of ST‐elevation (56% versus 16%; P<0.001) and higher troponin I levels (10.8±18.3 ng/mL versus 3.5±4.3 ng/mL; P=0.001) as compared with those without LV thrombi. At multivariate analysis including age, sex, LV ejection fraction, ST‐elevation at admission, and apical ballooning pattern, troponin I level >10 ng/mL was the only predictor for LV thrombosis (hazard ratio 6.6, confidence interval, 1.01–40.0; P=0.04). After 3 months all LV thrombi disappeared. Oral anticoagulation therapy was interrupted in all patients except 1. At long‐term follow‐up, the survival rate was not different between patients with and without LV thrombi (84% versus 85%; P=0.99).Conclusions LV thrombi have a relatively low incidence among patients with Takotsubo syndrome and were detected in female patients with apical ballooning pattern and increased troponin levels. Oral anticoagulation therapy for 3 months seems reasonable in these high‐risk patients.

Patients with comparable degree of neuropathology could show different cognitive impairments. This could be explained with the concept of cognitive reserve (CR), which includes a passive and an active component. In particular, CR is used to explain the gap between tissue damage and clinical symptoms that has been observed in dementia and, in particular, in patients affected by Alzheimer disease (AD). Different studies confirm brain neuroplasticity. Our preliminary study demonstrated that AD patients with high education showed a CR inversely associated with glucose uptake measured in fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), whereas the inverse correlation was observed in AD patients with low education. In other words, our findings suggest that CR compensates the neurodegeneration and allows the maintenance of patients’ cognitive performance. Best understanding of the concept of CR could lead to interventions to slow cognitive aging or reduce the risk of dementia.

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The origin of faciobrachial dystonic seizures in anti‐LGI1 encephalitis is controversial due to a lack of neurophysiological characterization. We report a 68‐year‐old man with subacute anterograde memory loss and involuntary faciobrachial movements. Video‐polygraphic recordings disclosed repetitive events characterized by sudden, short contraction of the upper limbs and ipsilateral hemiface. A focal contralateral EEG slow wave from frontal or central electrodes was accompanied by increased muscle activity, often with a diamond‐shaped configuration, on the orbicularis oris muscle, deltoid muscle, and extensor muscle of the hand. This EEG/EMG pattern (resembling a tonic epileptic spasm) was always followed by oral and gestural automatisms with dystonic posturing of the upper limbs, compatible with a temporal lobe seizure. Brain MRI showed hyperintensity in the bilateral mesial temporal lobes, while 18FDG‐PET revealed basal ganglia hypermetabolism with extensive cortical hypometabolism. Serum and CSF were both positive for anti‐LGI antibodies. The patient was treated with intravenous methylprednisolone (1 g/day for five days) with seizure freedom within four days after initiation of the immunotherapy. In this case, a video‐EEG/polygraphic study disclosed that faciobrachial dystonic seizures may resemble epileptic spasms, and the occurrence in close temporal association with focal seizures as a single ictal event is suggestive of a peculiar cortical‐subcortical interaction. [Published with video sequence on http://www.epilepticdisorders.com]

LCM is an effective and well-tolerated treatment when used to treat SC in hospitalized adult patients. As add-on therapy, it may be useful to stop seizure activity in patients with focal SE not responding to first/second-line intravenous AEDs.