FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- For eight years, 30-year-old Nicole Dehn couldn't drive. In 2005, she had a seizure while driving and lost her license. "I was very, very depressed. I mean it's a huge let down," Nicole told ABC30. Nicole had her first epileptic seizure when she was just six months old and they got progressively worse. When medication failed, her only option was an invasive brain surgery that usually takes months to recover from. "You actually remove a piece of the skull temporarily and then the surgeon has to go and physically remove or cut away the epileptic tissue," Jerry Shih, MD, Director, Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Mayo Clinic, Florida, told ABC30. However, Nicole opted for a different type of procedure called laser thermal ablation. A small hole is made in the back of the head and a laser probe is inserted into the skull. Using MRI guidance, heat from the laser then destroys the tissue causing the seizures. "We're very excited, she is excited, our patients have really all enjoyed having this option for them as a procedure," Dr. Shih said. Eight months after her procedure, Nicole is back to driving, and has been seizure-free ever since. "Having my … Continue reading →

An international team of researchers has discovered a significant genetic component of Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE), the most common form of epilepsy. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by sudden, uncontrolled electrical discharges in the brain expressed as a seizure. The new research, published in this week's issue of EMBO Reports, implicates a mutation in the gene for a protein, known as cotransporter KCC2. KCC2 maintains the correct levels of chloride ions in neurons, playing a major part in regulating excitation and inhibition of neurons. The results indicate that a genetic mutation of KCC2 might be a risk factor for developing IGE. "We found a clear statistical association between two variants of KCC2 and severe IGE in a large French-Canadian patient sample," said Dr. Guy Rouleau, Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital-The Neuro, at McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre, and senior author of the study. "Our data not only corroborate recent findings by other groups but vastly extend them from genetic, physiological and biochemical standpoints." The first authors on the paper are Dr. Kristopher Kahle, chief neurosurgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital and post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University, and Dr. Nancy Merner, a former post-doctoral … Continue reading →

Jessica Ley leaned close toward the 5-year-old sitting opposite her in a child-size chair, and she had his fullattention. Spell at, shesaid. A-T, Darrin McCanna said, and it was cause for amini-celebration. Bubbles or jumps? Leyasked. He chose jumps. 3-2-1, blastoff! Ley said, and she hoisted him over her head as he laughed and covered his eyes with hishands. Darrin, diagnosed with autism when he was almost 4, was in his third week of 12 weeks of intensive, one-on-one treatment at a new clinic at the Northwest Autism Center one of You have viewed 20 free articles or blogs allowed within a 30-day period. FREE registration is now required for uninterrupted access. S-R Media, The Spokesman-Review and Spokesman.com are happy to assist you. Contact Customer Service by email or call 800-338-8801 Contactinformation See original here: New care for autism - Tue, 17 Jun 2014 PST … Continue reading →

WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Couples who have a child with autism are much less likely to have more children compared to other parents, a new study finds. One expert wasn't surprised by the finding. "Clearly, parenting a child with an autism spectrum disorder requires a huge commitment of time, energy and money; this is a stress to couples and impacts siblings," said Dr. Ron Marino, associate chairman of the department of pediatrics at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. "There is no surprise that many people do not have the desire to undertake parenting more children in this context," said Marino, who was not involved in the new research. In the study, a team led by Neil Risch of the University of California, San Francisco, looked at nearly 20,000 families in California. All of the families included a child with autism born between 1990 and 2003. These families were compared to a "control" group of more than 36,000 families that did not have a child with autism. Parents whose first child had autism were about one-third less likely to have a second child than parents in the control group, the study found, while parents who had a later-born … Continue reading →

by BREANNA ROY & KREM.com KING5.com Posted on June 12, 2014 at 10:04 AM SPOKANE, Wash. Autism is becoming a more common diagnosis, with a prevalence rate rising worldwide. The latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) show it is now occurring in one of 42 boys and one in 68 individuals. Marc Bryant and his wifes oldest son, Ace, 2, tested on the spectrum. When the Bryants started looking for resources, they were thrilled to come across Spokanes Northwest Autism Center. The center has been providing services with those affected by autism for over a decade, but in January, it opened its new treatment clinic. The clinic is one of only two clinics of its kind in Washington state. The other one is in Yakima. It hosts an intensive treatment program for children two to five years old. Ace Bryant is about halfway through his 12-week class and his parents said his progress has been incredible. Before he wasnt making as much eye contact or using words, Marc Bryant said. Now hes starting to say simple phrases and making eye contact and pointing to things he wants, versus just sitting there and trying to guess what he … Continue reading →