Abstract
Several points emerge from a neurological analysis of endemic cretinism:
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1)
Endemic cretinism presents a coherent clinical picture, though varying in severity and emphasis.
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2)
The clinical neurological deficits primarily implicate impairment of cerebral cortex, cochlea and basal ganglia.
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3)
The major motor disorder in neurological cretinism is extrapyramidal rather than pyramidal and is characterized by rigidity, with an added measure of spasticity. It is consistent with a putamino- pallidal lesion, in addition to other elements.
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3)
The pattern of damage, and other information, indicates that the critical effect on brain occurs during the second trimester of intrauterine life. It seems likely that the irreversible effect on brain results from impairment of neuron production.
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© 1989 Plenum Press, New York
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DeLong, G.R. (1989). Observations on the Neurology of Endemic Cretinism. In: DeLong, G.R., Robbins, J., Condliffe, P.G. (eds) Iodine and the Brain. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0765-5_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0765-5_21
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