Newsline — Thursday, March 1, 2012 8:00
Research Reveals Benefits of New Approach to Electrical Stimulation of the Spinal Cord
Lack of Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Age the Brain
Wednesday, February 29, 2012 12:00
Those who follow a diet that is short on omega-3 fatty acids (nutrients commonly found in fish) may cause the brain to age faster, and lose some of its memory and thinking abilities. That’s according to a new study that appears in the Feb. 28, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Omega-3 fatty acids include the nutrients docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). “People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of structural brain aging,” says study author Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH, of the Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research and the Division of Geriatrics, University of California at Los Angeles. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Study Investigates Head Impact and Youth Football
Wednesday, February 29, 2012 8:00
The Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (SBES) recently published data on head impacts and youth football, which appears in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering, and is available online for free download. The manuscript includes the details of more than 700 head impacts measured on 7- and 8-year-old youth football players. The School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences also has announced a new study to instrument and map the head impact exposure of youth football players for all age groups, from 6 to 18 years. This program will comprise more than 240 instrumented helmets on six different football teams in Virginia and North Carolina. For more information, click here to read the full release.
New Guideline Recommends Intraoperative Monitoring During Spinal and Chest Surgeries
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 8:00
The American Academy of Neurology has issued an updated guideline that recommends monitoring the spinal cord during spinal surgery and certain chest surgeries to help prevent paralysis, or loss of muscle function, related to the surgeries. The guideline, which was developed with the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, appears in the Feb. 21, 2012, print issue of Neurology — the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology — as well as the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. The guideline states that strong evidence shows monitoring the spinal cord during spinal surgery and certain chest surgeries, such as those performed to repair narrowing of the walls of the aorta, can help prevent paralysis that can be related to the surgery. This also is known as intraoperative monitoring. The procedure can alert the surgeon in time to find and address the problem before damage occurs. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Brain Plays Role in Which Ear Is Used for Cell Phone Calls
Monday, February 27, 2012 14:00
Left-brain thinkers tend to use their right hands to hold their cell phones up to their right ear, says a new study by Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. The study found a strong correlation between brain dominance and the ear used to listen to a cell phone, with more than 70 percent of participants holding their cell phone up to the ear on the same side as their dominant hand. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience Shares Results of Treating Brain Aneurysms with Pipeline Embolization Device
Friday, February 24, 2012 14:00
Until recently, people with so-called “wide-mouthed” brain aneurysms had few options. Last year, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Pipeline Embolization Device, providing endovascular neurosurgeons with a new tool for treatment. The Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Philadelphia reports the largest case series of patients treated for brain aneurysms using the Pipeline Embolization Device. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Brain Differences in Infants May Indicate Future Development of Autism
Friday, February 24, 2012 8:00
Researchers have found significant differences in the brain development of infants as young as six months old who later develop autism versus babies who don’t develop the disorder. That’s according to a study published online in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Scientists at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and other centers focused on infants considered to be at high risk for autism because they had older siblings with the diagnosis. For more information, click here to read the full release.
American Association of Neurological Surgeons Announces 80th Annual Scientific Meeting
Thursday, February 23, 2012 14:00
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) 80th Annual Scientific Meeting will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, April 14-18, 2012. More than 7,000 attendees — including an estimated 3,200 medical professionals such as neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, neuroscience nurses, clinical specialists, physician assistants and allied health professionals — are expected to participate. The organization has made many improvements for 2012 attendees, building on the success it has seen over the past two years through the delivery and accessibility of Annual Scientific Meeting content via the iPod touch, iPad and iPhone, as well as on feedback from members and exhibitors. For more information, click here for the full release.
Organizations Raise Concern Over Results of Anticonvulsant Drug Comparisons Study
Thursday, February 23, 2012 8:00
Representatives from the American Academy of Neurology, the American Epilepsy Society, and the Epilepsy Foundation have expressed concerns about the implications and potential misuse of the anticonvulsant (AED) drug comparisons study recently released by the U.S. Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ). The study’s intent was to provide an evidence-based analysis of the “Effectiveness and Safety of Antiepileptic Medications in Patients With Epilepsy.” But the AHRQ report has little clinical value and could negatively affect patient care, say specialists in neurology and epilepsy. The AHRQ report is an examination of the comparative efficacy, safety, and tolerability of newer versus older, and innovator versus generic antiepileptic medications. The aforementioned representatives strongly support evidence–based medicine and comparative effectiveness research as a means of improving quality of care. At issue, however, is the study’s focus, which fails to recognize the different types of epilepsy and deals with the multiform disorder as if it were a monolithic and homogeneous condition. The study further compares effectiveness of old-line anticonvulsants to newer epilepsy drugs, regardless of epilepsy type. Given that seizures have…
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New Drug Shows Potential for Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 15:52
Research shows that a new drug is showing promise in protecting rats from the harmful effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI). That’s according to a study to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, April 21-April 28, 2012. “There are currently no primary treatments for TBI, so this research provides hope that effective treatments can be developed,” says study author Michael Kaufman, a second-year medical student at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. The principal investigator on the study is Christian Kreipke, MD, also of Wayne State University School of Medicine. For more information, click here to read the full release.