The group of neurological disorders known as epilepsy not only cause disruptive, alarming seizures, but those seizures also tend to increase in frequency and severity over time. While the majority of patients can gain some control of their condition via medication or surgery, approximately 30 percent cannot. Now, however, help may be on the way ... in the form of tiny pieces of silk implanted in the brain. The silk is designed to store and subsequently release adenosine, a nucleoside that has been shown to decrease neuronal excitability and thus decrease seizures studies have suggested that epileptics may have abnormally low adenosine levels. The substance is continuously released from the implant over the course of 10 days, after which the biodegradable silk harmlessly dissolves into the body. A team of scientists from Portand, Oregons Legacy Research Institute, Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) and Tufts University in Boston experimented with placing the implants in the brains of rats that were already in the early stages of epilepsy. Although the animals werent completely cured of their disorder, they did proceed to experience a four-fold reduction in seizures. One specific type of epilepsy involves the formation of new excitatory circuits in an … Continue reading →

May Liang Many years ago, my uncle was diagnosed with epilepsy. As the story goes, when he was a baby, he was dropped on his head. Then, the seizures started. My uncles epilepsy shaped his life and the choices he made. In my culture, like in many others, epilepsy is a condition not to be talked about. Even today, epilepsy is often associated with shame, superstition, stigma, secrecy and negative perceptions. But we should all know better. Epilepsy knows no boundarieswhether they be race, gender, age or geography. People with epilepsy span all walks of life, including children and adults, college students, athletes, professionals, parents and grandparents. While epilepsy is one of the worlds oldest known medical conditions and an estimated 1.5 percent of Asian Americans live with this chronic condition, in our community there is still a lack of information that leads to confusion, misunderstanding, fear and a reluctance to talk about epilepsy. And for those who do not speak English or dont speak it very well, patients and caregivers alike, getting information about epilepsy and separating the facts from the myths is hard. Growing up, the condition wasnt discussed in my family, and my uncle was fortunate that … Continue reading →

At the Autism Speaks National Conference: Medicines Development In this video blog from Autism Speaks 2013 National Conference, pediatric psychiatrist Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele discusses recent advances in the developme... By: AutismSpeaksVids … Continue reading →

At the Autism Speaks National Conference: Improving Evaluations In this video blog from Autism Speaks 2013 National Conference, pediatric autism specialist Patty Manning-Courtney, director of Cincinnati's Kelly O'Leary Ce... By: AutismSpeaksVids … Continue reading →

Autism Treatment: No One Could Help Us Before The Son-Rise Program http://www.autismtreatment.org/ - Before The Son-Rise Program, everything in their house was a struggle and no one could help them! The Autism Treatment Cen... By: autismtreatment … Continue reading →

Autism Therapy: The Son-Rise Program Success After Repressive ABA Autism Treatment http://www.autism Autism Treatment: treatment.org/ - Emmie used ABA but her son got more upset and withdrawn. The Autism Treatment Center of America trade; is the ... By: autismtreatment … Continue reading →

Autism Treatment with The Son-Rise Program: Love Missing From Other Therapies http://www.autism Autism Treatment: treatment.org/ - Before The Son-Rise Program, Ashim's daughter was making no improvements. The Autism Treatment Center o... By: autismtreatment … Continue reading →

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - About one in 88 children suffers with autism, and more than a half-million people have autism or some form of the disorder. These people have difficulty interacting with others and expressing emotion. Now, a new virtual reality program could help. Barry Thomas loves playing on the computer, but Thomas has autism and has trouble with social interaction. "Barry still doesnt really enjoy eye contact. Hes still not very comfortable," said Barrys mother, Annie Thomas. Autism impacts an area of the brain responsible for social interaction and communication skills, making it difficult to relate to others. "They cannot recognize the facial expressions of other people," said Nilanjan Sarkar, a professor at Vanderbilt University. Researchers at Vanderbilt are developing a virtual reality computer program they hope will help. "They showed us a face and situation and I basically had to guess the emotion," Thomas said. Doctors can create characters that show certain emotions and situations and then monitor where the patient is having difficulty with recognizing that emotional expression. "We want to measure the childs reaction to these things, how do you measure through childs ideas, and their bodys signals; physiological signals," Sarkar explained. Read the original here: Health … Continue reading →

SAN DIEGO, CA (PRWEB) July 31, 2013 Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), one of the worlds largest and most effective autism treatment providers offering evidence-based, state-of-the-art therapy, will host the grand opening of its San Marcos treatment center on Saturday, August 17, 2013, from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m., at 334 Via Vera Cruz. The community is invited to meet the staff, tour the facility, and review the cutting-edge CARD curriculum. The afternoon will include a reception, presentations, live entertainment, and child-friendly activities. Refreshments and childcare will be provided. Attendees must RSVP to D.Plump(at)centerforautism(dot)com. "We are excited to expand our services to the San Marcos area, said operations manager, Christopher Shilling. We want to enable those who live in the San Marcos and surrounding area to receive the effective treatment that they need to reach their highest potential. CARD uses the principles and procedures of applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy. Services include center-based treatment, home-based services, school shadowing, and parent training. The CARD model of treatment includes over 3,500 lessons in eight areas of learning: academic, adaptive, cognition, executive function, language, motor, play and social skills. In addition, the models relationship-building, cognitive, and executive-functioning programs are known throughout the … Continue reading →

A new technique is making it easier for doctors to stop the clots that cause strokes. In this edition of Healthy Living, YNN's Erin Billups tells us about the technical trial that is saving lives in a matter of minutes. To view our videos, you need to enable JavaScript. Learn how. install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now. Then come back here and refresh the page. One week before Robert Skibo, 78, was completely paralyzed on his left side, he was shopping at Walgreens when he fell. "I said I'm having a freakin' stroke," said Skibo. Skibo was rushed to Lutheran Medical Center's Stroke Center. "When the blood stops going to part of the brain, the brain starts to die. The faster you can restore blood flow, the better the outcome," said Dr. Jeffrey Farkas, neurosurgeon. For Skibo, and five other patients at Lutheran Medical Center, the massive clot was removed in a matter of minutes. A new three dimension x-ray machine gives surgeons a road map to the clot causing the stroke. "We clean off the area around the leg and then we put a small needle into the artery," explained Farkas. They then weave the flexible 5-Max … Continue reading →