Background: Susac Syndrome (SuS) is a rare autoimmune disorder of the cerebral, retinal, and inner ear microvasculature. One of the cardinal manifestations of central nervous system (CNS) involvement is encephalopathy, however the cognitive profile in SuS is poorly characterized in the literature. Methods: In this cross-sectional case series of seven participants diagnosed with Susac Syndrome in remission in British Columbia, we use a battery of neuropsychological testing, subjective disease scores, and objective markers of disease severity to characterize the affected cognitive domains and determine if any disease characteristics predict neuropsychological performance. We also compare this battery of tests to neuroimaging markers to determine if correlation exists between radiographic markers of CNS disease and clinical evaluation of disease severity. Results: There were a variety of cognitive deficits, with memory and language dysfunction being the most common. Despite the variability, performance on some neuropsychological tests (MoCA) correlated to markers of functional disability (EDSS). Additionally, MoCA and EDSS scores correlated with neuroimaging findings of both corpus callosum and white matter changes. Finally, psychiatric scores correlated with participant reported scores of disease severity. Conclusions: There is a relationship between cognitive deficits, subjective and objective disease disability, and neuroimaging findings in Susac Syndrome.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of computer-assisted “drill-and-strategy” cognitive remediation (CR) for community-dwelling individuals with schizophrenia on cognition, everyday self-efficacy, and independent living skills. Methods: Fifty-six people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were randomized into CR or computer game (CG) playing (control), and offered twenty 1-hr individual sessions in a group setting over 10 weeks. Measures of cognition, psychopathology, self-efficacy, quality of life, and independent living skills were conducted at baseline, end-group and 3 months following intervention completion. Results: Forty-three participants completed at least 10 sessions and the end-group assessment. Linear mixed-effect analyses among completers demonstrated a significant interaction effect for global cognition favoring CR (p=.028). CR-related cognitive improvement was sustained at 3-months follow-up. At end-group, 17 (77%) CR completers showed a reliable improvement in at least one cognitive domain. A significant time effect was evident for self-efficacy (p=.028) with both groups improving over time, but no significant interaction effect was observed. No significant effects were found for other study outcomes, including the functional measure. Conclusions: Computer-assisted drill-and-strategy CR in schizophrenia improved cognitive test performance, while participation in both CR and CG playing promoted enhancements in everyday self-efficacy. Changes in independent living skills did not appear to result from CR, however. Adjunctive psychosocial rehabilitation is likely necessary for improvements in real-world community functioning to be achieved. (JINS, 2018, 24, 549–562)

The present paper is based on the study of a suite of fossils collected in 1898 by Dr W. S. Bruce, during a cruise with Major Andrew Coats in the Barents Sea, on board the yacht Blencathra.

The fossils were found in situ in a cliff at the extremity of Cape Cherney, a promontory situated on the west coast of Southern Nowaja Semlja, in Iat. 70° 49' and long. 56° 37'. Contrary to what often obtains in the case of materials collected by explorers, they are all from the same bed, a fact which greatly increases the value of the collection, as there is thus no possibility of a mixing of forms from different horizons.