rome and Nervous-System-Diseases

The emperor of Rome, Marco Ulpio Trajano, ruled the Roman Empire from 98 to 117 AD, being the first emperor of non-Italian origin and the man who took the Empire to its maximum geographical extent. Trajan's death is surrounded by mystery, given Adriano's controversial adoption as his successor just before his death, as well as rumors of poisoning by his wife, Plotina. In addition, despite the limited literary sources available, episodes of «paralysis», «stroke», «dropsy», diarrhea and nonspecific episodes of «illness» have been documented, related to the worsening of his health the months before his death. His special love of wine and life habits related to the personality of the emperor, could be associated with his delicate state of health during the last year of his government, although it is not possible to rule out other pathological processes with neurological involvement associated with the last years of life of the optimus princeps, which could interfere with his last decisions as ruler. In this article, the historical sources available are reviewed in order to analyze, from the neurological point of view, the last moments of the emperor with which Rome reached its maximum military splendor.. La decisión de Trajano: un punto de vista neurológico.. El emperador de Roma Marco Ulpio Trajano gobernó el Imperio romano desde el año 98 hasta el 117 d.C., y fue el primer emperador de origen no itálico y el hombre que llevó al Imperio a su máxima extensión geográfica. La muerte de Trajano está rodeada de misterio, dada la polémica adopción de Adriano como su sucesor justo antes del momento de su fallecimiento, así como los rumores de envenenamiento por parte de su mujer, Plotina. Además, a pesar de las escasas fuentes literarias disponibles, se han documentado episodios de «parálisis», «apoplejía», «hidropesía», diarrea y episodios inespecíficos de «enfermedad» relacionados con el empeoramiento de su salud los meses antes de su muerte. Su especial afición al vino y los hábitos de vida relacionados con la personalidad del emperador pudieron estar asociados con su delicado estado de salud durante el último año de su gobierno, si bien no es posible descartar otros procesos patológicos con afectación neurológica asociados a los últimos años de vida del optimus princeps, los cuales pudieron interferir con sus últimas decisiones como gobernante. En este artículo se revisan las fuentes históricas disponibles con el objeto de analizar, desde el punto de vista neurológico, los últimos momentos del emperador con el que Roma alcanzó su máximo esplendor militar.

Topics: History, Ancient; Nervous System Diseases; Rome

Topics: Greece; History, Ancient; History, Medieval; Humans; Nervous System Diseases; Philosophy, Medical; Rome; Seizures

Two neuro-Behçet patients have been studied, over a period of several months, by means of peroneal and median somatosensory- (SEP), brainstem auditory- (BAEP), and visual- (VEP) evoked potentials. In both patients, peroneal SEP showed evidence of a pathological reduction in the central conduction velocity without a related deep sensation impairment, while VEP changes were consistent with the visual disorders. Conversely, BAEP and median SEP findings did not show disease-related abnormalities. The observed anomalies were detectable irrespective of the clinical phase of the disease. Thus, evoked potential assessment is useful in providing objective evidence for evaluating and monitoring CNS damage in neuro-Behçet's syndrome.

Topics: Adult; Behcet Syndrome; Central Nervous System; Evoked Potentials, Auditory; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; Evoked Potentials, Visual; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Median Nerve; Nervous System Diseases; Peroneal Nerve; Predictive Value of Tests; Rome

Topics: Greece, Ancient; History, Ancient; Humans; Israel; Nervous System Diseases; Rome

Topics: History, Ancient; Humans; Mental Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Neurology; Psychiatry; Rome