Category Archives: Neurology

Public release date: 11-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Julie O'Connor julie.oconnor@wayne.edu 313-577-8845 Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research

Three studies conducted as part of Wayne State University's Systems Biology of Epilepsy Project (SBEP) could result in new types of treatment for the disease and, as a bonus, for behavioral disorders as well.

The SBEP started out with funds from the President's Research Enhancement Fund and spanned neurology, neuroscience, genetics and computational biology. It since has been supported by multiple National Institutes of Health-funded grants aimed at identifying the underlying causes of epilepsy, and it is uniquely integrated within the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at the Wayne State School of Medicine and the Detroit Medical Center.

Under the guidance of Jeffrey Loeb, M.D., Ph.D., associate director of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics (CMMG) and professor of neurology, the project brings together researchers from different fields to create an interdisciplinary research program that targets the complex disease. The multifaceted program at Wayne State is like no other in the world, officials say, with two primary goals: improving clinical care and creating novel strategies for diagnosis and treatment of patients with epilepsy.

The three studies were published in high-impact journals and use human brain tissue research to identify new targets for drug development, generate a new animal model and identify a new class of drugs to treat the disease. In the first study, "Layer-Specific CREB Target Gene Induction in Human Neocortical Epilepsy," published recently in the Journal of Neuroscience, donated human brain samples were probed to identify 137 genes strongly associated with epileptic seizures.

Researchers then showed that the most common pathway is activated in very specific layers of the cortex, and that it's associated with increased numbers of synapses in those areas. Because epilepsy is a disease of abnormal neuronal synchrony, the finding could explain why some brain regions produce clinical seizures.

"Higher density of synapses may explain how abnormal epileptic discharges, or spikes, are formed, and in what layer," Loeb said, adding that localizing the exact layer of the brain in which that process occurs is useful both for understanding the mechanism and for developing therapeutics.

The first study, which identified a new drug target for epilepsy, precipitated a second study that has found such a drug.

In the second study, "Electrical, Molecular and Behavioral Effects of Interictal Spiking in the Rat," published recently in Neurobiology of Disease, SBEP researchers found that the same brain layers in the rat are activated as in the human tissues and searched for a drug to target those layers. In fact, the first drug they tried, a compound called SL327 that has been used in nonhuman subjects to understand how memory works, "worked like a dream," Loeb said. "SL327 prevented spiking in rat brains," he said, "which not only prevented seizures, but led to more normal behaviors as well."

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New treatments for epilepsy, behavioral disorders could result from Wayne State studies

LYON, France, October 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

The MS in the 21st Century initiative has taken a significant step forward with its publication in the Journal of Neurology, a leading journal in the area of neuroscience with a significant impact factor of 3.8.

The published article entitled Future MS care: a consensus statement of the MS in the 21st Century Steering Group [http://www.springerlink.com/content/l04084qgw2p647j5 ], details the work of a panel of European and Canadian neurologists and representatives from umbrella organisations, which came together to define how multiple scleroris (MS) treatment and standards of care should look in the 21st Century. The "MS in the 21st Century steering group" also aims to align the broader MS community to minimum standard of care as well as to challenge the current treatment paradigm.

Over the course of three meetings, the MS in the 21st Century steering group compiled a Consensus Statement, which it hopes will act as a call to action for healthcare providers and decision makers.

The Consensus Statement communicates the groups vision ie full access to personalised treatment, with reimbursement, to achieve freedom from disease, and outlines the seven key areas of development that it believes must be addressed to realise this vision. These are personalised care, patient engagement, commitment to research, regulatory body education and reimbursement issues, new endpoints for clinical trials, more therapy options and MS centres of excellence.

Commenting on the recent article in the Journal of Neurology, the MS in the 21st steering group chair, Professor Peter Rieckmann, said: "The publication of our approach to MS care is

a significant step forward, and will support us over the coming period when engaging with various stakeholders including regulators and patients. We recognise that a strong

collaboration across the MS community is essential to ensuring that the principles underlying the statement are accomplished."

To date endorsement for the initiative has been received from various leading experts in MS treatments and organisations including the Czech Neurological Society, MS Society, UK and MS Trust UK.

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Initiative on Future MS Treatment and Care Takes Significant Step Forward

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stroke Also Included In: Diabetes;Neurology / Neuroscience Article Date: 10 Oct 2012 - 15:00 PDT

Current ratings for: More Younger Adults Having Strokes

5 (1 votes)

5 (1 votes)

First author Brett Kissela is from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. He told the press the reason for the trend could be an increase in risk factors like diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol.

But another reason, Kissela suggests, could be improved diagnosis, such as through increased use of MRI scans.

Nevertheless, he says "the rising trend found in our study is of great concern for public health because strokes in younger people translate to greater lifetime disability."

For the study, the researchers looked at occurrences of first ever strokes in people aged from 20 to 54 in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region over three separate, one-year periods. One period was between July 1993 and July 1994, and the other two were during the period 1999 to 2005.

They found that the average age of a person experiencing a first ever stroke fell from 71 in the 1993-1994 period to 69 in the year 2005.

"Regression modeling showed a significant change over time (p = 0.002), characterized as a shift to younger strokes in 2005 compared with earlier study periods," write the researchers.

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More Younger Adults Having Strokes

ScienceDaily (Oct. 10, 2012) New research reveals that stroke may be affecting people at a younger age. The study is published in the October 10, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"The reasons for this trend could be a rise in risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol," said study author Brett Kissela, MD, MS, with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "Other factors, such as improved diagnosis through the increased use of MRI imaging may also be contributing. Regardless, the rising trend found in our study is of great concern for public health because strokes in younger people translate to greater lifetime disability."

For the study, researchers looked at occurrences of strokes in people between the ages 20 and 54 in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area during three separate, one year-long periods between July of 1993 and June of 1994, and the calendar years of 1999 and 2005. Only first ever strokes were included in the analysis.

The study found that the average age of people who experienced stroke fell from 71 years in 1993 and 1994 to 69 years in 2005. In addition, the study found that strokes among people under 55 made up a greater percentage of all strokes over time, growing from about 13 percent in 1993-94 to 19 percent in 2005. The stroke rate in young people increased in both African-Americans and Caucasians, from 83 strokes per 100,000 people in 1993-94 in African-Americans to 128 per 100,000 in 2005 and in Caucasians from 26 strokes per 100,000 people in 1993-94 to 48 per 100,000 in 2005.

"The good news is that some of the possible contributing factors to these strokes can be modified with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise," said Kissela. "However, given the increase in stroke among those younger than 55, younger adults should see a doctor regularly to monitor their overall health and risk for stroke and heart disease."

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Academy of Neurology (AAN), via Newswise.

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Stroke becoming more common in young people

Public release date: 10-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Rachel Seroka 612-928-6129 American Academy of Neurology

MINNEAPOLIS New research reveals that stroke may be affecting people at a younger age. The study is published in the October 10, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"The reasons for this trend could be a rise in risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol," said study author Brett Kissela, MD, MS, with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "Other factors, such as improved diagnosis through the increased use of MRI imaging may also be contributing. Regardless, the rising trend found in our study is of great concern for public health because strokes in younger people translate to greater lifetime disability."

For the study, researchers looked at occurrences of strokes in people between the ages 20 and 54 in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area during three separate, one year-long periods between July of 1993 and June of 1994, and the calendar years of 1999 and 2005. Only first ever strokes were included in the analysis.

The study found that the average age of people who experienced stroke fell from 71 years in 1993 and 1994 to 69 years in 2005. In addition, the study found that strokes among people under 55 made up a greater percentage of all strokes over time, growing from about 13 percent in 1993-94 to 19 percent in 2005. The stroke rate in young people increased in both African-Americans and Caucasians, from 83 strokes per 100,000 people in 1993-94 in African-Americans to 128 per 100,000 in 2005 and in Caucasians from 26 strokes per 100,000 people in 1993-94 to 48 per 100,000 in 2005.

"The good news is that some of the possible contributing factors to these strokes can be modified with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise," said Kissela. "However, given the increase in stroke among those younger than 55, younger adults should see a doctor regularly to monitor their overall health and risk for stroke and heart disease."

###

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

To learn more about stroke, visit http://www.aan.com/patients.

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Study: Stroke becoming more common in young people

PARIS, Oct 10 Use of cannabis extract helps ease painful muscle stiffness among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a large trial published yesterday in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Use of cannabis extract helps ease painful muscle stiffness among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a large new trial. AFP/Relaxnews

Over 12 weeks, 144 patients were given daily tablets of tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the active ingredient in cannabis, and 135 were given a dummy pill, also called a placebo.

Doses were gradually escalated, from 2.5 milligrams to a maximum of 25 mg for two weeks, following top-up doses for the remaining two weeks.

At the end of the study, 29.4 per cent of people in the cannabis group said they had experienced relief from muscle spasms, compared to 15.7 per cent in the placebo group, according to an 11-point rating.

They also reported improvement in sleep quality. Side effects were nervous system disorders and gut problems, but none was severe.

MS, a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, occurs when the immune system attacks the fatty myelin sheaths that insulate nerve cells.

Painful stiffness in the muscles occurs among up to 90 per centof patients at some time, often leading to poor sleep and impaired mobility.

The trial, led by John Peter Zajicek of Britains Clinical Neurology Research Group, says standardised doses of cannabis extract can be useful in easing pain and spasms in this disease.

Previous Phase III trials on cannabis and MS have thrown up conflicting results, partly because of the scale by which users report any change in their symptoms, the MUSEC researchers said. AFP/Relaxnews

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Cannabis eases sclerosis stiffness, says study