No abstract

In Africa, few studies are interested in unilateral spatial neglect (NSU) in Parkinson's disease. However, this syndrome is a deficit to detect, respond to or orientate towards meaningful stimuli (Heil- man, KM 1973), observable after an injury affecting the non-dominant hemisphere for language. The significant handicap it entails justifies the need for early diagnosis and care. The NSU study is mo- tivated by its link with neurocognitive phenomena that are important on the theoretical level (attention, visuospatial and perceptual awareness). The objective is to study USN in Parkinson's pa tients, followed and hospitalized at the Neurology Department of Hassan II University Hospital in Fez. The visual-graphic test that has been used to detect this pathology is that of Bell's test. The test focuses on the detection of targets placed among several stimuli on a sheet of A4 paper. The material included 120 people: 60 Parkinsonian patients: 34 men (56,7%), and 26 women (43,3%) and 60 control subjects: 34 men (56,7%), and 26 women (43,3%). The groups were matched by age and sex. Different aspects of neglect have been observed throughout the Bell's test. It was found that total omission of bell figures was significantly influenced by age, being less frequent in the 35-49 age group in both groups, and higher in the elderly (50-80 years), as well the level of education. It have been reduced considerably with the increase in education. The hand used and the laterality had no effect; t = 3.76 degrees of freedom (df) = 108.27 and p = 0.000. Unilateral spatial neglect has a negative effect in subjects with Parkin- son's disease. It deserves to be systematically sought for a better clinical evaluation and therapeutic management of the patients.

The present study has been conducted to investigate the visuospatial constructive cognition and memory among healthy students, as measured by the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT). We have compared the data used to draw the figures with the hypothesis that gender and physiological measurements have an impact on neuropsychological skills. One hundred twenty-five students (43 male, 82 female; age 18–32 years) participated in this study with a computerized numerical recording of the digital plot of the RCFT and a set of socio-demographic variables. Results revealed that visual perception and working memory were impacted by social and health determinants. Additionally, this study presents evidence supporting the implication of resting heart rate (RHR) and organizational strategy in working memory performance. Gender effect seems to be significant in physical and physiological differences. Regression analyses revealed a relevant contribution of study institution and sleep time on RCFT Copy score; RCFT Memory predicted by drawing from memory strategy, RHR, periodic medication use and marital status.

Parkinson’s disease can lead to disability and reduce the quality of life of its patients. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the quality of life of a group of people with Parkinson’s disease. The clinical and progressive characteristics of the disease, its motor and neuropsychological impact were evaluated in each Parkinsonian subject included in the study. A quality of life assessment was performed and collected from 60 Parkinsonian patients followed and hospitalized at Hassan II University Hospital in Fez. Different instruments were used, the Hoenh and Yahr scale and the Parkinson’s disease questionnaire (PDQ-39) UPDRS engine, MMS, clinical fact sheet. According to our results, through the different tests and scale of evaluation, we observed an impaired quality of life in the areas of physical discomfort, cognitive disorder, activity of daily living, mobility, and emotional well-being, especially in patients with duration of evolution more than 5 years. There was no significant difference between the two sexes. In addition, the severity of the disease tended to give the impression of an impaired quality of life with respect to the dimensions of activities of daily living and cognition, which is relevant to improving the quality of life patient life and clinical interventions.

Cannabis, as the most widely used illicit substance in the world, also remains among the most frequently used psychoactive substances by patients with schizophrenia. It is well known that cannabis use in schizophrenia patients favors relapse, resistance to antipsychotic treatments and therefore more frequent hospitalizations. However, many studies report considerable improvement in cognitive performance in substance users, while others show the opposite. Hence, the aim of our study is to examine the relationship between schizophrenia and cannabis use in clinical and socio-de- mographic aspects. This is a cross-sectional study of patients with schizophrenia hospitalized for relapse at the Ar-Razi psychiatric hospital in Salé, Morocco. A questionnaire was established in order to search for socio- demographic data, evolutionary and prognostic criteria of the disease. Cannabis use was assessed using the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST), for the severity of schizophrenia symptoms we used the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and for perceptual and memory abilities we used the numerical version of the Rey's Complex Figure-A (RCF-A). It was found that in a sample of 115 schizophrenic patients, 47.82% (n=55) were cannabis users. The mean PANSS (negative) and (general psychopathology) scores of non-cannabis users were significantly higher than those of cannabis users with P values of (P<0.001) and (P<0.005) respectively. For the numerical assessment scores of the RCF-A, cannabis users had a significantly higher mean score than non-cannabis users (copy phase (P<0.016) and memory (P<0.001) As one of the leading risk factors for the emergence of schizophre- nia, chronic cannabis use also has a negative influence on the prognosis of patients already suffering from schizophrenia. Nevertheless, the results of our study show that cannabis-using schizophrenic patients had fewer negative symptoms according to the PANSS and an improved cognitive performance compared to non- cannabis-using patients.