Skip to main content

Medical Mimics of Neurodegenerative Diseases

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Neurodegenerative Disorders
  • 2502 Accesses

Abstract

Mimic syndromes may differ from a neurodegenerative condition not only in natural history with periods of stability or even spontaneous improvement, but also because the mimic may be treatable. Careful attention to history and clinical examination is required to ensure that important clues to a mimic syndrome are not overlooked. Atypical features, failure to progress, or the development of new or atypical signs should trigger a full re-evaluation and a search for mimic syndrome.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Further Reading

  • Blexrud MD, Windebank AJ, Daube JR. Long-term follow-up of 121 patients with benign fasciculations. Ann Neurol. 1993;34:622–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bowler JV, Hachinski V. Subcortical vascular cognitive impairment. Medlink, 16 Sep 2009, http://www.medlink.com/article/wilson_disease.

  • Bosco DA, Morfini G, Karabacak NM, Song Y, Gros-Louis F, Pasinelli P, Goolsby H, Fontaine BA, Lemay N, McKenna-Yasek D, Frosch MP, Agar JN, Julien JP, Brady ST, Brown Jr RH. Wild-type and mutant SOD1 share an aberrant conformation and a common pathogenic pathway in ALS. Nat Neurosci. 2010;13(11):1396–403. Epub 2010 Oct 17.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bruyn RP, Koelman JH, Troost D, de Jong JM. Motor neuron disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) arising from longstanding primary lateral sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1995;58(6):742–4.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caselli RJ, Boeve BF, Schellhauser BW, O’Duffy JD, Hunder GG. Nonvasculitic autoimmune inflammatory meningoencephalitis (NAIM): a reversible form of encephalopathy. Neurology. 1999;53:1579–81.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • de Carvalho M, Swash M. Cramps, muscle pain, and fasciculations: not always benign? Neurology. 2004;63(4):721–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eisen A, Stewart H. Not-so-benign fasciculation. Ann Neurol. 1994;35:375.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Graus F, Saiz A, Dalmau J. Antibodies and neuronal autoimmune disorders of the CNS. J Neurol. 2010;257:509–17.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iqbal S, Clower JH, Boehmer TK, Yip FY, Garbe P. Carbon monoxide-related hospitalizations in the U.S.: evaluation of a web-based query system for public health surveillance. Public Health Rep. 2010;125(3):423–32.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lorincz MT. Wilson disease. 24 Jun 2009. http://www.medlink.com/article/subcortical_vascular_cognitive_impairment.

  • Meuth SG, Kleinschnitz C. Multifocal motor neuropathy: update on clinical characteristics, pathophysiological concepts and therapeutic options. Eur Neurol. 2010;193:204.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills KR. Characteristics of fasciculations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the benign fasciculation syndrome. Brain. 2010;133(11):3458–69. doi: 10.1093/brain/awq290. Epub 2010 Oct 19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parry GJ, Clarke S. Multifocal acquired demyelinating neuropathy masquerading as motor neuron disease. Muscle Nerve. 1988;11:103–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeiffer RF. Wilson’s disease. Semin Neurol. 2007;27:123–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Possin KL, Kaufer DI. Parkinsonian dementias. Continuum Minneap Minn. 2010;16(2):57–79.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sáez-Fonseca JA, Lee L, Walker Z. Long-term outcome of depressive pseudodementia in the elderly. J Affect Disord. 2007;101(1–3):123–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Singh V, Gibson J, McLean B, Boggild M, Silver N, White R. Fasciculations and cramps: how benign? Report of four cases progressing to ALS. J Neurol. 2010;258(4):573–8. published online.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Toothaker TB, Rubin M. Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes: a review. Neurologist. 2009;15(1):21–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Traynor BJ, Codd MB, Corr B, Forde C, Frost E, Hardiman O. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mimic syndromes: a population-based study. Arch Neurol. 2000;57(1):109–13.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tucker T, Layzer RB, Miller RG, Chad D. Subacute, reversible motor neuron disease. Neurology. 1991;41(10):1541–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tullberg M, Ziegelitz D, Ribbelin S, Ekholm S. White matter diffusion is higher in Binswanger disease than in normal pressure hydrocephalus. Acta Neurol Scand. 2009;120:226–34.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Verma A, Berger JR. ALS syndrome in patients with HIV-1 infection. J Neurol Sci. 2006;240:59–64.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Winnikates J, Jankovic J. Clinical correlates of vascular parkinsonism. Arch Neurol. 1999;56:98–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Orla Hardiman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rowland, L.P., Bede, P., Elamin, M., Hardiman, O. (2016). Medical Mimics of Neurodegenerative Diseases. In: Hardiman, O., Doherty, C., Elamin, M., Bede, P. (eds) Neurodegenerative Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23309-3_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23309-3_11

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-23308-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-23309-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics