Exciting findings in mice suggest that common drugs effectively treated core autistic behaviors Image: Thinkstock/iStock Parents trying to help their children manage the constellation of symptoms associated with autism have had few drug options available to treat key aspects of the disorder. Now, encouraging results from a new study suggest that low doses of antianxiety medications already available on the market, such as benzodiazepines, might become the latest drugs parents ask doctors to prescribe, even if the drugs are not an approved treatment for autism. A move to antianxiety medications would mark a dramatic shift in how physicians treat autism spectrum disorder. Currently, treatments for autism are usually prescribed off-label and focus on helping treat aggression or hyperactivity with medications including Ritalin and antipsychotic medications, not social behavioral symptoms. But the new findings, in mice, have already sparked conversations among physicians about how the drugs could be used to help autism patients. Mice bred to have autismlike symptoms were injected with low doses of antianxiety drugs and showed notable behavioral shifts: improved social interaction, decreased repetitive behaviors and better spatial learning. Moreover, the low doses of the drug did not appear to cause lethargy, a common negative side effect of … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 19-Mar-2014 Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary moleary@cell.com 617-397-2802 Cell Press New research in mice suggests that autism is characterized by reduced activity of inhibitory neurons and increased activity of excitatory neurons in the brain, but balance can be restored with low doses of a well-known class of drugs currently used in much higher doses to treat anxiety and epileptic seizures. The findings, which are reported in the March 19th issue of the Cell Press journal Neuron, point to a new therapeutic approach to managing autism. "These are very exciting results because they suggest that existing drugscalled benzodiazepinesmight be useful in treatment of the core deficits in autism," says senior author Dr. William Catterall of the University of Washington, in Seattle. In addition to finding that mice with autistic characteristics had an imbalance between the inhibitory and excitatory neurons in their brains, Dr. Catterall and his team found that reducing the effectiveness of inhibitory neurons in normal mice also induced some autism-related deficits in social behavior. Classical benzodiazepine drugs had the opposite effect, increasing the activity of inhibitory neurons and diminishing autistic behaviors. "Our results provide strong evidence that increasing inhibitory neurotransmission is an effective approach to improvement of … Continue reading →

140314 ABC News 24 Save a minute - save a day: World first stroke study World first study conducted by The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Florey Institute and the University of Melbourne that proves the sooner you get to hospital ... By: Royal Melbourne Hospital … Continue reading →

hide captionThe rupture of a weakened portion of blood vessel (the dark blue spot in this brain scan of a 68-year-old woman) can prompt bleeding and death of brain tissue a stroke. The rupture of a weakened portion of blood vessel (the dark blue spot in this brain scan of a 68-year-old woman) can prompt bleeding and death of brain tissue a stroke. When it comes to treating a stroke victim, every minute counts. Each moment that passes without treatment increases the likelihood of permanent damage or death. So the first steps to getting help are being able to spot a stroke in yourself or others and knowing how to respond. But a study published Wednesday in the journal Stroke finds that 1 in 5 U.S. women can't identify a single warning sign even though stroke is the fourth leading cause of death among Americans and the third among women, affecting roughly 55,000 more women than men each year. The classic symptoms of a drooping face, speech difficulty or weakness or numbness in one of the arms can be signs of stroke, says Heidi Mochari-Greenberger, an epidemiologist at Columbia University and the study's lead author. That means your brain isn't … Continue reading →

Stroke patient feedback to be used to improve care in Worcestershire 12:23pm Wednesday 19th March 2014 in News FEEDBACK from stroke patients in Worcestershire is to be used to improve services in the county. Worcestershires three Clinical Commissioning Groups have secured a bid from NHS England to develop a local pilot of the national Friends and Family Test. The 12-week pilot called the Stroke Pathway Friends and Family Test will work in partnership with NHS organisations such as the Stroke Association to collate feedback from patients about the care they received throughout all stages of their treatment. NHS South Worcestershires director of quality and executive lead nurse Mari Gay said she was delighted the test was being piloted in the county. The views of patients are critical in gaining a comprehensive understanding of their journey and specific support needs for the development of our stroke services, she said. The Friends and Family Test is a national patient experience initiative which looks at specific areas which looks at specific wards. Were taking that further with this pilot programme and looking at the whole patient pathway to capture their experience across their healthcare journey. We look forward to working with our partner … Continue reading →

Many U.S. women don't know most of the warning signs of a stroke, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2014 Scientific Sessions. The study is also published in the American Heart Association journal, Stroke. In a phone survey of 1,205 U.S. women: Less than a fourth identified other signs of a stroke, including: Hispanic women were less likely than others to know most of the warning signs of a stroke -- 25 percent did not know any, compared to 18 percent for whites and 19 percent for blacks. . Despite not knowing the warning signs, 84 percent of the women knew the importance of calling 9-1-1 if they thought they were having a stroke. "This lack of recognition of stroke signs and symptoms could be a significant barrier to reducing death and disability related to stroke in the United States," said Lori Mosca, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., principal investigator of the study. "This is critically important because delays in getting care costs lives and hinders functional recovery." Stroke affects more women than men, is the fourth-leading overall cause of death in the United States -- the third leading cause of death … Continue reading →