OBJECTIVE: On March 20, 1995, sarin gas was used in Tokyo by members of the Japanese "Uhm-Shinrikiu" cult, killing 12 and injuring >5,500 innocent people. Most of the casualties were mildly injured. This article reviews the neurological follow-up data for some of the victims over the past decade. METHODS: We reviewed the published literature regarding neurological follow-up of the victims, dividing the data according to the time elapsed after the attack. RESULTS: The digit span test, finger-tapping test, and computerized posturography were the only performance tests that showed statistically significant differences between the victims and the control groups in some of the surveys. The main sequela 7 years after the attack was post-traumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSIONS: The results emphasize the need for a national preparedness program for such mass casualty events, led by national health systems. This should include long-term, neurological, follow-up monitoring with performance tests and a post-traumatic stress disorder screening test.
OBJECTIVE: On March 20, 1995, sarin gas was used in Tokyo by members of the Japanese "Uhm-Shinrikiu" cult, killing 12 and injuring >5,500 innocent people. Most of the casualties were mildly injured. This article reviews the neurological follow-up data for some of the victims over the past decade. METHODS: We reviewed the published literature regarding neurological follow-up of the victims, dividing the data according to the time elapsed after the attack. RESULTS: The digit span test, finger-tapping test, and computerized posturography were the only performance tests that showed statistically significant differences between the victims and the control groups in some of the surveys. The main sequela 7 years after the attack was post-traumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSIONS: The results emphasize the need for a national preparedness program for such mass casualty events, led by national health systems. This should include long-term, neurological, follow-up monitoring with performance tests and a post-traumatic stress disorder screening test.
Authors: James P Apland; Vassiliki Aroniadou-Anderjaska; Taiza H Figueiredo; Franco Rossetti; Steven L Miller; Maria F M Braga Journal: J Pharmacol Exp Ther Date: 2014-08-25 Impact factor: 4.030
Authors: Eric M Prager; Volodymyr I Pidoplichko; Vassiliki Aroniadou-Anderjaska; James P Apland; Maria F M Braga Journal: Neurotoxicology Date: 2014-08-20 Impact factor: 4.294
Authors: Steven L Miller; Vassiliki Aroniadou-Anderjaska; Taiza H Figueiredo; Eric M Prager; Camila P Almeida-Suhett; James P Apland; Maria F M Braga Journal: Toxicol Appl Pharmacol Date: 2015-02-15 Impact factor: 4.219
Authors: Eric M Prager; Vassiliki Aroniadou-Anderjaska; Camila P Almeida-Suhett; Taiza H Figueiredo; James P Apland; Franco Rossetti; Cara H Olsen; Maria F M Braga Journal: Neuropharmacology Date: 2014-01-31 Impact factor: 5.250
Authors: Eric M Prager; Taiza H Figueiredo; Robert P Long; Vassiliki Aroniadou-Anderjaska; James P Apland; Maria F M Braga Journal: Neuropharmacology Date: 2014-09-06 Impact factor: 5.250