Neurology News and Research

Latest Neurology News and Research

AAN responds to IOM report, pledges to improve quality of life for epilepsy patients

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the world's largest organization of neurologists, is pledging to work with the entire epilepsy community to improve the quality of life for epilepsy patients in response to recent recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in its report Epilepsy Across the Spectrum - Promoting Health and Understanding.

4 Apr 2012

Bare platinum coils vs. newer gel-coated coils for aneurysm treatment

Approximately 6 million Americans have brain aneurysms, a condition that occurs when a weak or thin spot develops on a blood vessel in the brain causing it to balloon. Often, these do not cause symptoms and go undetected, but every year an estimated 30,000 Americans experience a ruptured aneurysm that bleeds into the brain causing a life threatening injury.

4 Apr 2012

Two leading authorities partner to write and edit Stroke Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation

Stroke prevention, treatment and rehabilitation have come a long way in the time since Neurologist Dr. David Spence of Western University began treating patients. "My first day on call, I was paged to the emergency department for a patient with a stroke. When I answered the page, from the cafeteria, I was told to go ahead and finish my dinner. There was nothing that could be done for him."

4 Apr 2012

Johns Hopkins devises new seizure detection software

Epilepsy affects 50 million people worldwide, but in a third of these cases, medication cannot keep seizures from occurring. One solution is to shoot a short pulse of electricity to the brain to stamp out the seizure just as it begins to erupt. But brain implants designed to do this have run into a stubborn problem: too many false alarms, triggering unneeded treatment. To solve this, Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers have devised new seizure detection software that, in early testing, significantly cuts the number of unneeded pulses of current that an epilepsy patient would receive.

4 Apr 2012

NCAA-funded study to focus on sports-related concussions

Sports-related concussions have become a subject of deep concern in recent years, with Congress holding hearings on the issue, retired players suing sports leagues for alleged damage they've suffered, and new research pointing to degeneration in injured athletes' brains over time.

4 Apr 2012

IOM releases new report on public health dimensions of epilepsies

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) on March 30th released its new report on the public health dimensions of the epilepsies, the first authoritative independent appraisal of epilepsy and its management in the United States.

3 Apr 2012

UCB receives FDA approval for Neupro to treat idiopathic Parkinson's, RLS

UCB announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Neupro (Rotigotine Transdermal System) for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of advanced stage idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and as a treatment for moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome.

3 Apr 2012

Some autistic children may “bloom” socially with early and the right therapy

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1 in 88 U.S. children have autism, a spectrum of disorders that ranges from severe communication and intellectual disability to much milder symptoms seen in children with Asperger's syndrome. Autism is marked by a group of symptoms, all arising from atypical brain development that causes problems with socialization, communication and behavior. Although the disorder can be mild or severe, in general children with autism have trouble communicating and making friends.

2 Apr 2012

Blood test for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease

Soon researchers may be able to detect signs of Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear by a simple blood test. Currently, biological tests to diagnose Alzheimer's use invasive and costly procedures including brain imaging and spinal punctures.

2 Apr 2012

Childhood onset temporal lobe epilepsy has a significant impact on brain aging

New research confirms that childhood onset temporal lobe epilepsy has a significant impact on brain aging. Study findings published in Epilepsia, a peer-reviewed journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), show age-accelerated ventricular expansion outside the normal range in this patient population.

2 Apr 2012

Brain images show nerves ‘crisscrossing’ in neat but complex patterns: Study

New images of the brain reveal a deceptively simple pattern of organization in the wiring of this complex organ. Instead of nerve fibers travelling randomly through the brain like spaghetti, as some imaging has suggested, the new portraits reveal two-dimensional sheets of parallel fibers ‘crisscrossing’ other sheets at right angles in a grid-like structure that folds and contorts with the convolutions of the brain. This same pattern appeared in the brains of humans, rhesus monkeys, owl monkeys, marmosets and galagos, researchers report Thursday in the journal Science.

1 Apr 2012

Epilepsy community welcomes IOM's new landmark study report

Responding to today's release of the Institute of Medicine 's (IOM) new report on the public health dimensions of the epilepsies, a cooperative group of professional and consumer organizations with special interest in epilepsy has issued the following joint statement.

31 Mar 2012

New report highlights numerous gaps in knowledge and management of epilepsy

A new report from the Institute of Medicine highlights numerous gaps in the knowledge and management of epilepsy and recommends actions for improving the lives of those with epilepsy and their families and promoting better understanding of the disorder.

31 Mar 2012

Online virtual communities may effectively train patients in mind/body techniques

A small study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers found that online virtual communities may be an effective way to train patients in meditation and other mind/body techniques. The ability to learn and practice approaches that elicit the relaxation response - a state of deep rest that has been shown to alleviate stress-related symptoms - in a virtual environment could help surmount several barriers that can restrict participation.

31 Mar 2012

Clinical findings from Transgenomic's NuclearMitome Test study on nuclear mitochondrial disorders

Transgenomic, Inc. today announced that Jeana DaRe, Ph.D., Assistant CLIA Laboratory Director at Transgenomic, presented clinical findings from patients tested for nuclear mitochondrial disorders using Transgenomic's NuclearMitome Test on Thursday, March 29, at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) in Charlotte, North Carolina.

31 Mar 2012

Differentiating between sneezing due to cold and allergies

One of the problems that parents may have during the springtime is deciphering whether their children's sneezing is due to a cold or allergies.

31 Mar 2012

Intronix launches Myoguide Needle EMG Guided Injection System

Great things come in small packages, or at least that's what leading neurologists, physiatrists and clinicians are now discovering with the revolutionary Myoguide Needle EMG Guided Injection System. The breakthrough technology, which has just received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration, gives practitioners a superior way to deliver targeted injections for musculoskeletal pain, spasticity, fibromyalgia, and even cosmetics.

31 Mar 2012

Lumbar puncture, PET scan not useful to establish diagnosis of Alzheimer's

Investigators from the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, have shown that in most elderly patients invasive and expensive techniques, i.e. lumbar puncture and PET scan, are not useful to establish the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. They arrived at this conclusion after analysis of data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a large collaborative research project of medical centers in the USA and Canada.

30 Mar 2012

Rare total shoulder replacement performed using rotator cuff sparing approach

On Tuesday, March 6, 2012, Ryan Simovitch, M.D., Board Certified and fellowship trained orthopedic surgeon, performed one of the first successful total shoulder replacements with a rotator cuff sparing technique in South Florida. Jupiter Medical Center remains on the leading edge of orthopedics, offering orthopedic surgeons, state-of-the-art facilities, and comprehensive rehabilitation services to help patients return to an active and healthy lifestyle.

29 Mar 2012

Depression more prevalent among stroke and transient ischemic attack survivors

Depression is more prevalent among stroke and transient ischemic attack survivors than in the general population, researchers reported in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke.

29 Mar 2012