Archive for the ‘Neurology’ Category

As much as medical dramas are just television shows, their portrayal of certain emergency situations can leave powerful impressions upon the viewer. For those who have had formal CPR training, how many times have you seen incorrect compression techniques used on tv? Now, a new Canadian study is calling attention to the incorrect management of seizures as portrayed on popular US medical dramas (Grey’s Anatomy, House, MD, Private Practice, ER), and how these depictions can cause the lay person to inappropriately intervene should they be in the presence of someone having a seizure. The researchers found that nearly 46% of the time  seizures were handled incorrectly by either holding the person down, trying to stop the involuntary movements, or putting things in the person’s mouth – all these are wrong ways to manage seizures. In nearly all these depictions, first aid was administered by nurses and doctors. The lead author described the findings as a call to action and urged those with epilepsy to “lobby the television industry to adhere to guidelines for first aid management of seizures.” This study will be presented this April at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto. [via Medical News Today]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

Scientists are reporting in the current New England Journal of Medicine the surprising finding of genes associated with stuttering. The study, lead by researchers at the National Institutes of Health, identified three gene mutations as sources of stuttering. “This is the first study to pinpoint specific gene mutations as the potential cause of stuttering, a disorder that affects 3 million Americans, and by doing so, might lead to a dramatic expansion in our options for treatment,” said Dr. James Battey, director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Stuttering tends to run in families, but this is the first study to demonstrate a genetic component, which was found in study volunteers from the US, Pakistan, and England. [via StutteringHelp.org]

Go to the Guide To Stuttering.

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

The British Medical Journal is reporting on a new Canadian study which suggests that women who are taking the drug tamoxifen for treatment of breast cancer should not take the antidepressant Paxil (paroxetine). This is because Paxil is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that significantly inhibits an enzyme called cytochrome P450 2D6, which is needed to metabolize tamoxifen into its active form. This effect, however, was not seen with other SSRIs that were evaluated, including Celexa (citalopram) and Effexor (venlafaxine). It’s important to note that if you are currently takin Paxil, you should not abruptly stop the drug because it can cause serious withdrawal side effects. People who are currently taking Paxil and tamoxifen should talk with their doctors about changing their antidepressant. [via HealthDay]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

A new study announced today by the American Academy of Neurology suggests that workers exposed to the industrial chemical trichloroethylene (TCE) were five and a half times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. Researchers studied 99 pairs of twins in which only one of the twins had Parkinson’s disease. Many of those who developed Parkinson’s had a history of exposure to the chemical through various jobs including dry cleaners, machinists, mechanics or electricians. TCE is a common industrial solvent that is widely used to clean grease off of metal parts. This is the first population study that has demonstrated an association between TCE and Parkinson’s. Previously, only case reports existed. These findings will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010. [via Medical News Today]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill is researching the chronic affects of concussions by studying 3,000 ex-NFL players. Concussions can occur in athletes playing any contact sport, even those wearing head protection, and may leave life-long consequences including depression, memory loss and behavioral changes. By using sophisticated imaging techniques that allow them to look down to the level of neurons, researchers noted that players who have had concussions have damaged connections between brain cells. The regions of the brain that appear to be most disrupted in the 41 retired players studied thus far are the same regions which are damaged in early Alzheimer’s disease patients. This may explain why these players experience early cognitive impairment and clinical depression (both are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease). In addition, we already know from posthumous studies of athletes’ brains that concussions can pepper the brain with injuries that resemble brown tangles called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can cause the brains of players as young as in the 30s to resemble brains of 80 year-olds with dementia. [via CNN]

Learn more about concussions.

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

You’ll likely be hearing (if not already) juice makers and berry growers tout the benefits of blueberry juice on memory. For the first time researchers have shown that a few daily glasses of blueberry juice can boost memory in older adults with early signs of memory loss. Blueberries, like tomatoes, grapes and tea, contain polyphenols which are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, it’s theorized that these substances can combat oxidative stresses that can lead to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. The recent study is published in the current issue of the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. However, it must be noted that the researchers only studied a total of 18 patients – 9 were given blueberry juice and 9 given placebo – making this an extremely small study which may not necessarily extrapolate to an entire population of people. Therefore, the jury is still out on this one. Although drinking blueberry juice will likely not worsen your memory, there are other means that have been shown to slow memory loss, including keeping mentally active, exercise, cultivating a strong social network, stopping smoking, and getting plenty of sleep. [via Medical News Today]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

New research published in this month’s Journal of Neuroscience shows that loss of smell could be a sign of early Alzheimer’s disease.  Although loss of smell is known to occur in Alzheimer’s disease, researchers are now showing that a subtle decrease could be an early indicator of the illness. By studying mice, scientists found a direct link between the development of amyloid plaques (protein deposit in the brain that can be seen in Alzheimer’s patients) and worsening sense of smell. The researchers found that the plaques first develop in the part of the mouse brain that’s devoted to the sense of smell. Even a tiny bit of the plaque was enough to affect smell. “This is a revealing finding because, unlike a brain scan, a laboratory-designed olfactory test may be an inexpensive alternative to early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s,” said study author Daniel W. Wesson of the NYU School of Medicine. [via Yahoo! News]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

Photophobia, the fear of light, is a common complaint seen in patients during a migraine attack. Until now, the association between light and migraine headaches was not completely understood. In the current issue of Nature Neuroscience, scientists report the discovery of a new pathway leading from the optic nerves in the eyes (the nerves responsible for vision) to the brain areas where neurons that are active during migraine attacks reside. During a migraine, light can increase the electrical activity of these neurons and lead to an increased intensity of the headache. Although this discovery alone will probably not lead to any immediate new interventions for migraine sufferers, it does provide us with physiologic evidence that photophobia is a real and exacerbating factor for migraine sufferers. [via HealthDay]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

It appears that the human nervous system is more complex than we know. In addition to the nerves in our skin that allow us to feel pressure, vibration, temperature and pain a fine network of nerves associated with small blood vessels and sweat glands appear to have the same functional abilities. It was previously believed that these nerves simply regulated blood flow and sweating. However, by studying people who were born without conventional nerve endings in their skin, scientists realized that even though their skin sensations were severely diminished, they still had adequate sensation for daily living. “Apparently, these unique individuals are able to ‘feel things’ through these remaining nerve endings. What we learned from these unusual individuals is that there’s another level of sensory feedback that can give us conscious tactile information”, said Dr. Frank Rice, a neuroscience professor at Albany Medical College. The study is published in the December 15 issue of the journal Pain. Could these nerves be associated with pain-related conditions such as migraines and fibromyalgia? Only time will tell. [via Science Daily]

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

Anecdotal clinical experience and a few small studies have previously shown that oxygen therapy may be effective in treating cluster headaches. Now, a new larger study published in the December 9, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association affirms this notion. Cluster headaches are severe one-sided headaches that can cause tearing in the eye of the affected side, in addition to a stuffy nose. They are called cluster headaches because they tend to come and go with episodes occurring daily at the same time for days to several weeks at a time. The current study demonstrated that 100% inhaled oxygen delivered at 12 liters per minute by a face mask was able to provide adequate relief or complete resolution of a cluster headache in 78% of study patients. Twenty percent of study patients who received regular air were relieved of their headaches. “To our knowledge, this is the first adequately powered trial of high-flow oxygen compared with placebo, and it confirms clinical experience and current guidelines that inhaled oxygen can be used as an acute attack therapy for episodic and chronic cluster headache,” the authors write.

Read more at the Cluster Headache Guide.

Share your comments here.

Tweet This Share on Facebook