Background Studies in rodent models of epilepsy suggest that multidrug efflux transporters at the bloodbrain barrier, such as P-glycoprotein, might contribute to pharmacoresistance by reducing target-site concentrations of antiepileptic drugs. We assessed P-glycoprotein activity in vivo in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. We selected 16 patients with pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy who had seizures despite treatment with at least two antiepileptic drugs, eight patients who had been seizure-free on antiepileptic drugs for at least a year after 3 or more years of active temporal lobe epilepsy, and 17 healthy controls. All participants had a baseline PET scan with the P-glycoprotein substrate (R)-[11C]verapamil. Pharmacoresistant patients and healthy controls then received a 30-min infusion of the P-glycoprotein-inhibitor tariquidar followed by another (R)-[11C]verapamil PET scan 60 min later. Seizure-free patients had a second scan on the same day, but without tariquidar infusion. Voxel-by-voxel, we calculated the (R)-[11C]verapamil plasma-to-brain transport rate constant, K1 (mL/min/cm3). Low baseline K1 and attenuated K1 increases after tariquidar correspond to high P-glycoprotein activity. Between October, 2008, and November, 2011, we completed (R)-[11C]verapamil PET studies in 14 pharmacoresistant patients, eight seizure-free patients, and 13 healthy controls. Voxel-based analysis revealed that pharmacoresistant patients had lower baseline K1, corresponding to higher baseline … Continue reading →

ATLANTA, June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --regulated information Global biopharmaceutical company UCB, Inc. and professional golfer Jeff Klauk today announced the launch of a new Pledge campaign for people with epilepsy and their loved ones. The Pledge empowers the millions of Americans living with epilepsy to take a stand and make a personal commitment to demand more: greater understanding of the condition, better collaboration with their health care team and additional partial-onset seizure control. More information is available at http://www.ourtimeourpledge.com. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130618/NY33274 ) Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition that affects 3 million Americans and 65 million people worldwide.1 Anyone can develop epilepsy; it occurs across all ages, races and genders. Even though one in three adults knows someone with the disorder, it remains among the least understood chronic medical conditions.1 Jeff Klauk's experience with epilepsy has been a winding journey, dating back to 2006 when he first began experiencing seizures. He had his first partial-onset seizure in 2010, but did not get an official epilepsy diagnosis until 2011. Klauk then began working with an epileptologist a neurologist that specializes in epilepsy2 to get additional control of the condition, and was started on a new treatment regimen that included the addition … Continue reading →

Some children with autism have weak brain connections in regions that link speech with emotional rewards, possibly signaling a new pathway in treatment, researchers said Monday. The study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is the first to suggest that the reason why children with autism display an insensitivity to human speech may be linked to faulty circuitry in the brain's reward centers. "Weak brain connectivity may impede children with autism from experiencing speech as pleasurable," said Vinod Menon, senior author of the study and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. Researchers took magnetic resonance imaging brain scans of 20 children with a high-functioning type of autism; they had normal range IQs and could speak and read, but had a hard time in conversation or understanding emotional cues. By comparing the scans to those of 19 children without autism, they found that the brains of youngsters with autism showed poor connections to brain regions that release dopamine in response to rewards. On the left side of the brain, the autistic children showed weak connections to the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area. And on the right side, in the voice-selective cortex where vocal … Continue reading →

Some children with autism have weak brain connections in regions that link speech with emotional rewards, possibly signalling a new pathway in treatment, researchers say. The study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday is the first to suggest that the reason why children with autism display an insensitivity to human speech may be linked to faulty circuitry in the brain's reward centres. 'Weak brain connectivity may impede children with autism from experiencing speech as pleasurable,' said Vinod Menon, senior author of the study and professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford University. Researchers took magnetic resonance imaging brain scans of 20 children with a high-functioning type of autism; they had normal range IQs and could speak and read, but had a hard time in conversation or understanding emotional cues. By comparing the scans to those of 19 children without autism, they found that the brains of youngsters with autism showed poor connections to brain regions that release dopamine in response to rewards. On the left side of the brain, the autistic children showed weak connections to the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area. And on the right side, in the voice-selective cortex where … Continue reading →

White children with autism appear to be receiving more medical care than black or Hispanic children who have the disorder, according to new research. For the study, which was published June 17 in Pediatrics, researchers tracked more than 3,600 kids with autism. They discovered "striking differences" in the amount of medical visits to specialists such as neurologists and gastroenterologists that fell along racial lines. Play Video Autism spectrum disorders refer to developmental disabilities that range in severity causing social, communication and behavioral challenges. Recent government statistics estimate one in 50 U.S. schoolchildren has an autism spectrum disorder, or about 1 million kids. Previous research has shown that children with an autism spectrum disorder are at increased risk for other conditions including seizure disorders (epilepsy), sleep problems, ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and gastrointestinal complications like abdominal pain or constipation. What's more, their parents may not realize there's a problem, according to the new study's authors, putting the child at risk for further complications. "It's compounded a bit because these kids often can't communicate very well," explained study author Dr. James Perrin, professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a pediatrician at MassGeneral Hospital of Children, to CBSNews.com. Perrin and colleagues took … Continue reading →

After NBC 4 New York's I-Team report in March revealing that health insurers were denying coverage to autistic children, New York lawmakers have approved a reform that would force insurance companies to pay up. The bill, passed by both the New York state Senate and Assembly, demands insurers cover a key autism therapy called Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA. I-Team: Autistic Kids Denied Insurance Coverage Legislation that was supposed to guarantee insurance coverage for expensive autism treatments for hundreds, and possibly thousands, of autistic children is failing families because of an 11th-hour amendment added in Albany, the I-Team has discovered. Chris Glorioso reports. Back in March, the I-Team revealed an administrative loophole that rendered Gov. Andrew Cuomos landmark autism insurance law much less generous than many parents expected. The rule allowed insurance firms to deny reimbursements if an ABA provider doesnt hold a state license. The problem is, New York state doesnt offer a license specifically for behavior analysts. In 2011, Cuomo championed the autism insurance bill as one of the most expansive in the nation, but just before it went into effect, the New York Department of Financial Services implemented an emergency amendment. The regulation allowed insurance companies to … Continue reading →

Children who lost out in the first lottery have a second chance at free autism treatment, or applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy, paid for by a pilot program under Medicaid. The Utah Department of Health has openings for 35 children and is taking applications through July 12. The slots will be assigned to different regions of the state based on population and filled via a lottery, not on a first-come, first-served basis. The pilot is one of three testing the benefits of ABA; advocates hope it will sway insurers to cover therapy. It ended the year with extra money because it took about six months to get providers enrolled, said health department spokeswoman Kolbi Young. To avoid children aging out of the program before receiving a full year of therapy, the Legislature extended it to 6-year-olds. The two-year pilot was originally designed to serve children through age 5. The extension has eased frustrations for Cami Egelston, whose son turns 6 this summer. "Weve just been grateful from the get-go to have treatment, so weve tried to be patient and careful about getting all the paperwork in on time so we could start therapy as soon as possible," said the South … Continue reading →

Recovering after a stroke Mamma moving her arm. By: Pamela Cabiness … Continue reading →

Oladapo Ashiru | credits: File copy There is a direct link between headaches, high blood pressure (or hypertension) and stroke. If you have high blood pressure and are experiencing constant headaches, chances are that you are well on your way to having a stroke. Of course, not all headaches are due to high blood pressure, but all high blood pressure causes headaches. Although headaches may be due to several maladies, including tension, migraine, eye strain, dehydration, low blood sugar, sinusitis and common cold, much rarer are headaches due to life-threatening conditions such as meningitis, which is a bacterial infection of the brain covering, encephalitis an infection of the brain; cerebral aneurysms (an expansion of the blood vessels in the brain), extremely high blood pressure and brain cancer. Headaches can also be due to brain injury and many women get headaches during or just before their monthly cycle. Pains in the neck or upper back can also be considered as headaches. The types of headaches that are usually associated with hypertension are the ones you may get in the early mornings on waking up. When you have high blood pressure that is not treated properly, you may have headaches in the … Continue reading →

International health care products major, Covidien plc ( COV ) presented encouraging data at the 2013 European Stroke Conference regarding the superiority of its endovascular offering, Solitaire FR revascularization device, in acute ischemic stroke treatment. The panel included stroke experts from Covidien's Swift Prime, Escape Extend-IA and Revascat trials. Clinical data from the randomized, controlled Swift trial showed that the Solitaire FR device is far superior to the Concentric Medical Retriever system, which is a first-generation clot retrieval device used in the Interventional Management of Stroke (IMS) III trial. Stryker ( SYK ) had acquired Concentric Medical in 2011. Covidien had initiated the Swift Prime study in Jan 2013. Deemed to be one of the largest global medical studies, the trial is examining the effectiveness of mechanical thrombectomy using the Solitaire device in stroke care. Additionally, data from another Covidien-sponsored Star trial revealed that the next-generation Solitaire FR device can effectively treat stroke patients with a large vessel anterior occlusion. Our Take We are upbeat regarding positive data from various clinical trials indicating that mechanical thrombectomy is a better option for acute stroke treatment using Covidien's advanced Solitaire FR offering compared to the first-generation devices. According to the American Heart … Continue reading →