A strong family history of seizures could increase the chances of having severe migraines, says a study in Epilepsia journal. Scientists from Columbia University, New York, analysed 500 families containing two or more close relatives with epilepsy. Their findings could mean that genes exist that cause both epilepsy and migraine. Epilepsy Action said it could lead to targeted treatments. Previous studies have shown that people with epilepsy are substantially more likely than the general population to have migraine headaches, but it was not clear whether that was due to a shared genetic cause. The researchers found that people with three or more close relatives with a seizure disorder were more than twice as likely to experience 'migraine with aura' than patients from families with fewer individuals with seizures. Migraine with aura is a severe headache preceded by symptoms such as seeing flashing lights, temporary visual loss, speech problems or numbness of the face. Dr Melodie Winawer, lead author of the study from Columbia University Medical Centre, said the findings had implications for epilepsy patients. "Our study demonstrates a strong genetic basis for migraine and epilepsy, because the rate of migraine is increased only in people who have close (rather than … Continue reading →

ROYAL OAK Beaumont Childrens Hospital expanded its neuroscience services Jan. 7 with a Pediatric Epilepsy Clinic, offering treatment options and services for infants, children and teens with seizures and epilepsy. The clinic offers comprehensive evaluations and schedules tests, including MRIs, PET scans and EEGs, for those with mild to complex forms of epilepsy. About 50,000 new cases of childhood epilepsy are diagnosed each year. Epilepsy is a neurological condition in the brain that makes a person more susceptible to having seizures. A seizure occurs when parts of the brain receive a burst of abnormal signals that temporarily interrupts normal brain function. When a person has two or more seizures, he or she is considered to have epilepsy. The clinic, located in suite 302 of the Medical Office Building at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, specializes in helping patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. To schedule an appointment, call (248) 551-3302. We treat all forms of epilepsy ranging from mild when seizures are controlled with medications or not recognized, to catastrophic when a person is having a seizure and is unresponsive, said clinic director Daniel Arndt, M.D. About one-third of patients with the severe form of epilepsy will not respond to any medication. In … Continue reading →

As a society, we are slowly coming around on problems like depression, anxiety and personality disorders. Where depression was once looked at as having the blues, it is now seen as a serious issue requiring intervention and treatment. There are, of course, still pockets of people who look at these issues as self-created, attention-seeking behaviors or excuses for refusing to fit into society. Fortunately, science is moving in leaps and bounds to understand these issues, and civilization seems to be catching up. Some health issues, however, are not receiving the effort for understanding that they deserve, and chief atop that list are autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Though representatives with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention report that 11 in 1,000 children in the United States are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, the prevalence of the disorder doesnt seem to be helping much with general understanding. This may have something to do with the lack of understanding of ASDs causes and symptoms even within the medical field. For those who arent sure, autism is a disorder of neural development (an impairment of the growth and development of the brain or central nervous system), usually characterized by impaired social interactions … Continue reading →

State Appeals Court to Decide If Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, and CalPERS Patients Will Receive Critical Coverage Already Required For Privately Insured Californians SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --A California Appellate Court in Los Angeles will consider a long-running dispute at a Tuesday afternoon hearing about insurance companies' obligations to cover a critical treatment for autistic children. The case, brought by the non-profit Consumer Watchdog, will also determine if families previously forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars out-of-pocket for autism treatment should be reimbursed by their insurance companies. The treatment at issue, known as Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), has been found to be the most effective treatment for autistic children. Yet, unless the Court of Appeal intervenes, a state agency will allow insurance companies that insure low-income families enrolled in state-sponsored programs (Medi-Cal and Healthy Families) and state employees enrolled in CalPERS to deny coverage for ABA. Read Consumer Watchdog's recent briefing to the Court here:http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/resources/cwd_v_dmhc_12-28-12.pdf "We cannot imagine why a state agency would allow insurance companies to deny crucial treatment to some autistic children just because they are poor or are children of public employees, but the Court must step in and provide equal protection," said … Continue reading →

Jan. 06, 2013 @ 07:02 PM The Herald-Sun | Christine T. Nguyen Chloe Young, 11, who has autism, chooses to take a piece of candy from Kimberly Tyler, assistant behavior analyst, on Thursday, December 20, 2012. DURHAM During a recent behavior therapy session in Durham, Kimberly Tyler held out two different Play-Doh molds, and asked 11-year-old Chloe Young to choose between them. Tyler, an assistant behavior analyst with the Carolina Center for Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism Treatment, was working with Chloe, who has a severe form of autism, a developmental disorder. The exercise was to help her to learn to verbalize her own choices instead of echoing or repeating what another person says, Tyler said. They also painted her nails, since one OF her goals is to tolerate grooming, she said. Their activities are broken into small steps, Tyler said. Chloe is offered reinforcement through activities that she said are motivating to her. Located in a building on Yorktown Avenue in Durham, the office is where Tracy Vail, an autism consultant and speech pathologist, has helped to launch a facility that combines different service providers for people with autism. Vail co-owns Lets Talk, a speech and language services company. … Continue reading →

CHICAGO, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --ICAP Patent Brokerage is searching for a buyer for a patented therapeutic approach from Nour Heart, Inc. This portfolio is currently available for sale and includes methods for a combined therapy to treat and protect against inflammation and cell death (apoptosis) in conditions such as heart attack and stroke. In addition to cardioprotection and neuroprotection benefits, this safe, innovative therapy can also be formulated for use in sports supplements. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100614/CG20517LOGO) "We are excited to offer this therapeutic and protective medicine tool to our global base of buyers. Heart disease and high-blood pressure ailments are reaching epidemic levels, and, as a result of this growing medical and market need, the therapy for sale has the potential to revolutionize and become the new standard for treating and protecting against the damage that occurs after heart attack, stroke, and other trauma," says Dean Becker, CEO of ICAP Patent Brokerage. Key Characteristics & BenefitsHeart attack and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death for men and women, and are among the most widespread and costly health problems facing our nation today. Both occur as a result of ischemia, or reduction of blood flow, to the … Continue reading →

Sydney, Jan 8 (IANS) Injecting botox into the arm muscles of stroke survivors may help in their long-term recovery, according to an Australian research. Researchers at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) here monitored nerve activity in the arms and brains of stroke survivors before and after botulinum toxin (botox) injections in rigid and stiff muscles in the arm. They found that botox indeed improved arm muscles but also altered brain activity in the cortex - the brain region responsible for movement, memory, learning and thinking, the journal Muscle and Nerve reports. "Botulinum toxin is used to treat a range of muscular and neurological conditions and our data shows that this treatment results in electrical and functional changes within the brain itself," says William Huynh, research neurologist at NeuRA, who led the study. "This effect of botox on the brain may arise because the toxin travels to the central nervous system directly or because muscles treated with botox are sending different signals back to the brain, says Huynh. "Either way, we found that botox treatment in affected muscles not only improves muscle disorders in stroke patients but also normalises electrical activity in the brain, particularly in the half of the brain not … Continue reading →