In some studies on patients with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, the patch resulted in a 70 per cent reduction in symptoms. Electrical pulses [from the patch] trigger sensory nerve impulses that travel along the trigeminal nerve and send the signal to a number of specific brain regions, says Dr DeGiorgio, who scanned patients undergoing tests to assess their brain activity. Some regions of the brain, he says, show an increase in activity, which we believe is central to the mechanism for improving mood, while other regions show a decrease in activity, which may be key to preventing seizures. Around 500,000 people in the UK suffer from epilepsy, which is the result of nerve cells misfiring in the brain. The causes include abnormal brain development and an imbalance of the brains neurotransmitters. Targeting the trigeminal nerve externally is thought to inhibit seizures. While the eTNS has not been tested on patients in the UK, Jennifer Rees, from California, says the patch has changed her life. Mrs Rees, 50, has suffered from epilepsy since she was 14. Her condition did not respond to medication, and before starting to use eTNS six years ago she was having up to eight seizures a … Continue reading →

Dr. Jeffrey Bigelow at IMC in Murray Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News SALT LAKE CITY A variety of medications are available to help epilepsy patients manage seizures, however, some cannot tolerate the side effects and others are not responsive to medications at all, requiring surgical treatment. The key, said Dr. Jeffrey Bigelow, a neurologist and epileptologist at the Intermountain Medical Center's Epilepsy Clinic, is to see a doctor regularly and get on the right dose of a medication. "A lot of patients take seizure medications and have absolutely no side effects," he said, adding that older medications tend to have more side effects than newer ones. Bigelow said roughly 25 percent of patients with epilepsy struggle to manage their seizures, with or without medication. Bigelow and Jody Anderson, a nurse practitioner at the clinic, were on hand to answer dozens of questions from readers during Saturday's Deseret News/Intermountain Healthcare Health Hotline on epilepsy. Patients who are not responsive to medication can resort to surgical treatment methods, including insertion of a vagal nerve stimulator, or brain surgery to remove the affected portion of the brain that is causing seizures. While death is not a common result of … Continue reading →

Parents step onto a new battleground the day their autistic child enters Ontarios public school system. If they thought the early years searching for a diagnosis and treatment were difficult, they are in for a shock once their son or daughter enters the classroom. Programs vary from one school board to another, even from school to school. Some teachers are trained to handle an autistic childs outbursts; most are not. And if problems arise, parents are bounced like ping-pong balls from one education official to another. When Kelly Fords son Jackson was in elementary school, she received calls almost every day with him screaming in the office. He received no special education support and school staff didnt know how to calm him. Not until Jackson was in a supportive program at Torontos Earl Grey Senior Public School did he get the help he needed. Jackson was fully integrated in a regular class; his special education teacher gave lessons in social and life skills, and kept in close contact with the family. He thrived made the honour roll and was class valedictorian at his Grade 8 graduation. Then, things fell apart again when Jackson, now 14, started high school in September. … Continue reading →

Hollywoods hottest celebrities and philanthropists helped ACT Today! raise over $260,000 at ACT Today!s 7th Annual Denim & Diamonds for Autism fundraiser, benefiting children with autism, on November 3, 2012. LOS ANGELES, CA (PRWEB) November 11, 2012 Net proceeds from the star-studded event will help provide resources and grants to children with autism whose families cannot afford or access the necessary tools their children need to reach their highest potential, including grants for therapy, medical care, assistance dogs, assistive technology, basic safety equipment, tuition for special needs schools and social skills programs. More than 500 guests attended the fundraiser. Actor Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds), television executive Steve Mauldin (KCBS 2/KCAL 9) received the 2012 ACTivist awards and community activist Kathleen Sternbach received the 2012 Golden Cowgirl award for their tireless efforts raising autism awareness. The evening began with star-studded red carpet arrivals which included actor Joe Mantegna ("Criminal Minds"), television executive Steve Mauldin (President/GM of KCBS 2/ KCAL 9), award-winning singer/songwriter Brian McKnight, actor Shemar Moore ("Criminal Minds), actress Jean Smart ("Hope Springs"), actor Richard Gilliland ("Torchwood"), actress Bonnie Hunt ("Cheaper By the Dozen", "Jerry Maguire"), actress AJ Cook ("Criminal Minds"), actor Mark Christopher Lawrence ("Chuck"), television executive Vin Di … Continue reading →

Mothers who reported having the flu during pregnancy were at least twice as likely to have a child with autism as those who did not report having the flu, according to new survey results from a Danish study. While the study does not suggest that high fever -- or flu -- causes autism, many experts said the correlation reinforces recommendations that all pregnant women should get the flu shot. The study by researchers in Denmark and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at nearly 97,000 children ages 8 to 14 who were born in Denmark between 1997 and 2003, only 1 percent of whom were diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The researchers interviewed the mothers during their pregnancy and after delivery about any infections and high fevers they'd experienced while pregnant, as well as whether they had used antibiotics. Although the study was not designed to ask about cases of the flu, mothers who reported having the flu during their pregnancy were two times more likely to have a child with autism, according to the study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Those whose fever persisted for a week or more before their third trimester were … Continue reading →

Posted on November 12, 2012, Monday BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The Head of the Neuroscience Stroke Rehabilitation Centre at the Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC), Professor Datin Seri Laila Jasa Dr Uta Meyding-Lamade highlighted the profound impact of acute neurological care in Brunei, saying that developments made are only possible courtesy of telemedicine, tele-neuroradiology and tele-teaching, during her keynote address at the 2nd International Neurological Conference at the Chancellor Hall of Universiti Brunei Darussalarn yesterday, Borneo Bulletin reported. The conference, which was jointly organised by Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Saadatul Bolkiah (PAPRSB) Health Institute of Health Sciences and the Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC), was entitled New Advances in Neurology in Brunei Darussalam and was attended by the Minister of Energy at the Prime Ministers Office, Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, in his capacity as the Chairman of JPMC. Also present were Chief Executive Director of JPMC, Dato Paduka Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar; Ambassador of the Republic of Germany to Brunei Darussalam, Mr Roland Grafe; Acting Vice Chancellor of UBD, Hajah Anis Faudzulani bind Hj Dzulkiflee; and Deputy Vice Chancellor of UBD, Associate Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah … Continue reading →

Robert Felberg, a neurologist and director of Overlook Stroke Center, oversaw the treatment of a stroke patient from a laptop in the cabin of his truck. (Photo by Jennifer Brown/The Star-Ledger) You have a responsibility to the community that's bigger than you initially realized. Its the Friday after Sandy, and neurologist Robert Felberg is stuck in his Morristown home without power. Yet off in Teaneck, an elderly man who has just suffered a stroke has been admitted to Holy Name Hospital. Every minute he goes without treatment, 2 million brain cells die. Getting him immediate help will make the difference between returning home and going to a nursing home, between returning to normal life and being permanently impaired. Normally Felberg, the medical director of the comprehensive stroke center at Overlook Hospital, would consult with the onsite doctor using special software on his laptop. But the power outage leaves him without wireless signal at home. And the downed trees and power lines that litter the roads trap him in his Jockey Hollow neighborhood. Felberg grabs his computer, hops into his green Toyota Tundra pickup truck and heads out in search of a 4G signal. Holding the laptop in the palm of … Continue reading →