• share
• favorite_border

A drug that boosts memory for Alzheimer's patients may also augment the performance of airplane pilots.

• share
• favorite_border

The American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society have released new recommendations regarding the use of brain imaging of preterm and term infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Society of Pediatric Neuroradiology, and the Society for Pediatric Radiology also endorsed the guidelines.

• share
• favorite_border

Neurological symptoms are the most common medical complaint requiring air-to-ground medical support, second only to cardiovascular problems for emergency landings. These study findings were part of an assessment to determine if anti-epileptic drugs should be included in emergency medical kits aboard commercial jets.

• share
• favorite_border

Boards of three medical organizations are in agreement on the most accurate tool for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). While other diagnostic tools have been proposed for CTS, the electrodiagnostic tests are the preferred method among experts from these three associations.

• share
• favorite_border

Slimming down is supposed to be healthy. It was not in the case of a woman who developed a series of serious neurological problems after losing forty pounds over an eleven-month period.

• share
• favorite_border

People with elevated blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine are more likely to experience brain atrophy and vascular disease, according to two studies. Both brain atrophy and vascular disease are related to the development of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.

• share
• favorite_border

People with depression are three times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than people who are not depressed.

• share
• favorite_border

Statin drugs can increase the risk of developing peripheral neuropathy.

• share
• favorite_border

Anecdotal claims of the benefits of marijuana for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been around for years, but the few studies on the topic have been small and inconclusive. A new study suggests that marijuana derivatives do not improve MS symptoms, but researchers say more studies need to be done before conclusions can be reached.

• share
• favorite_border

The American Academy of Neurology recently named Bruce A.F. Polsky CEO of AAN Enterpises Inc., the association's for-profit subsidiary.

• share
• favorite_border

The risk of acoustic neuroma, or auditory tumor, was unrelated to the frequency and duration of cellular telephone use.

• share
• favorite_border

You may have gluten sensitivity and not even know it. Loss of coordination (ataxia) may result from gluten sensitivity. This disease is known as gluten ataxia. The study found that some patients might never experience the gastrointestinal symptoms that prompt them to seek treatment for the disorder.

• share
• favorite_border

Adult sleepwalking differs from childhood sleepwalking, and it may have a genetic component, according to research presented during the American Academy of Neurology's 54th Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo., April 13-20, 2002.

• share
• favorite_border

Each person's circadian rhythm, or biological clock, influences when we are tired, hungry, more or less sensitive to drugs and other stimuli, and even cues the secretion of hormones throughout each 24-hour period. In a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers demonstrate the degree to which light exposure, as well as alterations in sleep patterns, can affect the timing of the circadian clock.

• share
• favorite_border

Research has clarified what most parents already know about the sleep patterns of adolescents -- they seem to have an unlimited capacity to sleep late on weekends. In a study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers propose that teenagers need more sleep than they may be getting, and that sleeping late on weekends may be a result of relative sleep deprivation during the week.

• share
• favorite_border

While Lyme disease is usually cured with antibiotic treatment, some patients experience persistent fatigue and cognitive dysfunction.

• share
• favorite_border

Independent of disease severity, as measured by signs of Parkinson's disease found on examination (including tremor, stiffness, slowness and gait impairment), mortality may be two to three times higher among Parkinson's disease patients who develop dementia than those who don't.

• share
• favorite_border

Significant cognitive impairment and hallucination are relatively common among advanced Parkinson's disease patients. Some medications that augment the therapeutic effects of dopamine replacement drugs may in fact exacerbate neuropsychiatric symptoms experienced by these patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Fetal cell transplants in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease can survive and improve the symptoms of the disease for as long as eight years after the transplant, according to research presented during the American Academy of Neurology's 54th Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo., April 13-20, 2002.

• share
• favorite_border

The key to unlocking improved therapies for herpes simplex encephalitis may lie in identifying the specific mechanisms of virus-induced neuronal degeneration that occurs with this disease. A significant step in this discovery process has recently been made by researchers who have identified a link between apoptosis, or "programmed cell death" and herpes simplex encephalitis, according to a study presented April 17 at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

Important thrombolytic, or clot-busting, treatment for acute stroke victims may be underutilized due to poor recognition of stroke symptoms and inadequate knowledge of acute treatment options. This conclusion emphasizes the need for more structured stroke education and prevention programs for persons at high risk, according to a study presented today at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

Neurological symptoms are the most common medical complaint requiring air-to-ground medical support, second only to cardiovascular problems for emergency landings, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. These study findings were part of an assessment to determine if anti-epileptic drugs should be included in emergency medical kits aboard commercial jets.

• share
• favorite_border

Mitoxantrone, a chemical routinely used to fight breast cancer, leukemia and malignant lymphoma, has found a new disease to battle: Multiple Sclerosis. Used in an initial intensive course of chemotherapy (induction therapy), mitoxantrone dramatically decreases disease activity in MS patients for at least four years, according to a study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

There's a potential new treatment for people with severe cases of multiple sclerosis, according to research presented during the American Academy of Neurology's 54th Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo., April 13-20, 2002. The new treatment involves removing stem cells from the patients' blood, killing the cells that are working against the body's immune system and then returning the healthy cells back to the body.

• share
• favorite_border

Taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to research presented during the American Academy of Neurology's 54th Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo., April 13-20, 2002.

• share
• favorite_border

Psychological interventions are often used in attempts to reduce seizure frequency, improve the quality of life and avoid side effects of drug therapies among patients with epilepsy. While possibly encouraging and certainly not harmful, relaxation therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, EEG bio-feedback and patient education have not been shown to have a direct impact on seizures or quality of life, according to a study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study into the causes of menstrual migraine may bring researchers one step closer to understanding the disease that affects millions of American women.

• share
• favorite_border

The use of different medications during early versus later stages of Parkinson's disease is critical to managing symptoms -- and perhaps the progression -- of the disease, according to a study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

Higher levels of testosterone are related to lower risk of stroke in men. This lower stroke risk was only seen in men who do not smoke, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. Estrogen levels are not related to stroke risk in either men or women.

• share
• favorite_border

As if being struck by lightning wasn't hard enough on a person, in rare cases, ongoing complications of the nervous system result in involuntary movement disorders. Among lightning-strike victims, researchers have discovered involuntary movement symptoms including uncontrollable blinking and forcible closure of eyelids, tic-like movements resembling Tourette's syndrome, guttural vocalizations, hand tremors, and spasms of major muscle groups.

• share
• favorite_border

Obesity, as measured by a person's body mass index, has been shown to be an important risk factor for overall mortality as well as coronary heart disease. Less clear is the relationship of obesity to stroke risk.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have found an association between weather and the occurrence of stroke and transient ischemic attack. Results of the 14-year longitudinal study of 3,289 first-time stroke patients are being presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Denver April 13-20.

• share
• favorite_border

Though controversial, children with autistic syndrome may be subjected unnecessarily to overnight EEG testing for the identification of Landau-Kleffner syndrome, the deterioration of language ability associated with clinical or electrical seizure activity.

• share
• favorite_border

Polyphenol, a potent antioxidant found in green tea, has already been shown to have protective effects on several disease processes, including some cancers and forms of heart disease. Researchers have now shown that green tea polyphenols may also have a protective effect on Parkinson's disease, according to a study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

The transition from childhood to adulthood means we gain some cognitive abilities, but lose others, according to a scientific paper presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Denver, April 13-20. The conclusions from the relatively small study are preliminary.

• share
• favorite_border

Focus on biological threats, chemical threats, neuropsychiatric effects of terrorism and the role of the American Academy of Neurology.

• share
• favorite_border

The anger and irritability stroke patients exhibit may have more to do with an injury to the brain during the stroke than it does post-stroke depression.

• share
• favorite_border

Through a first-ever longitudinal study, researchers have confirmed that T-cells (white blood cells that fight infection and disease in healthy individuals) show seasonal fluctuation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and that the T-cells were at a high in the autumn months.

• share
• favorite_border

The West Wing, NBC's Emmy-award winning dramatic TV series, is the winner of the 2002 Public Leadership in Neurology Award from the American Academy of Neurology Education and Research Foundation.

• share
• favorite_border

The AAN annual meeting provides an international forum for neurologists and neuroscientists to learn about the latest research findings in dementia, Parkinson's disease, obesity, stroke, epilepsy, headache, multiple sclerosis and many other topics of interest to neurologists, neuroscientists -- and the public at large. More than 1,100 scientific presentations will be made during the meeting.

• share
• favorite_border

More than 8,000 neurologists are expected at the American Academy of Neurology's 54th Annual Meeting in Denver, April 13-20.

• share
• favorite_border

Various studies have found that 40 to 60 percent of Alzheimer's disease patients suffer from psychotic symptoms including hallucinations and delusions. A new study took those findings a step further and found that the development of psychosis among Alzheimer's disease patients may be determined, at least in part, by genetic factors.

• share
• favorite_border

While more than 28 million U.S. adults (13 percent of the total ) suffer from migraine headaches, less than one-half are seeking medical treatment and taking advantage of the latest in prescription medications.

• share
• favorite_border

More than 8,000 neurologists are expected at the American Academy of Neurology's 54th Annual Meeting in Denver, April 13-20. The very latest research findings on dementia, Parkinson's disease, obesity and stroke, epilepsy, headache, multiple sclerosis, and many other topics of interest to neurologists and neuroscientists will be part of the 1,100 scientific studies presented as platform and poster sessions.

• share
• favorite_border

Eye pain is an oft-accompanied symptom of migraine sufferers. Researchers have found that treating inflammation in the eye's trochlea tendon can relieve the headache pain associated with migraines, or prevent the triggering of full-blown migraine attacks.

• share
• favorite_border

Two women with Parkinson's disease who developed alopecia (baldness) while being treated with the dopamine agonists pramipexole or ropinirole found that the hair loss stopped after the drugs were discontinued and replaced with a new treatment.

• share
• favorite_border

A recent case study has associated cerebral sinus thrombosis, a condition that may lead to tissue death in the brain, with the practice of "blood doping." Blood doping is the use of human growth hormones to increase the proportion of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in an athlete's blood. Thrombosis is a blood clot within a blood vessel. This method of performance enhancement is widely practiced because it is not readily detected through urine testing.

• share
• favorite_border

Research has recently revealed an effective drug therapy for children who have chronic tic disorders (including Tourette's syndrome) concurrent with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As many as nine in 10 children with tic disorders also have ADHD.

• share
• favorite_border

Withdrawing from social interaction and communication is a hallmark of autism. Now, researchers have identified structural differences in the brains of autism patients that might explain the behavor.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers have reported that there may be a correlation between older peoples' ability to gesture accurately and how much they speak while gesturing.