A stroke is an injury to the brain caused by the obstruction of blood flow to a brain artery-usually by a blood clot or a direct bleed into the brain itself. It can be due to weakness in the vessel wall commonly caused by high blood pressure or cerebral aneurysm. Stroke is the third leading… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Neuro
Frequent Dental X-Rays Linked to Most Common Brain Tumor
People who received frequent dental x-rays in the past have an increased risk of developing a meningioma, the most commonly diagnosed primary brain tumor, according to a recent study published in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. Researchers from the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven and Brigham and Women’s… Read more »
Monitoring Spinal Cord During Surgery May Prevent Paralysis
The American Academy of Neurology recommends monitoring the spinal cord during spinal surgery and certain chest surgeries to help prevent paralysis or loss of muscle function related to the surgeries, according to an updated guideline published recently in Neurology, the academy’s medical journal. This report, which I cowrote, provides the most comprehensive and compelling evidence… Read more »
Quick Treatments for Prolonged Seizures
Faster, more effective relief of prolonged seizures (which last more than five minutes) may be available with medicine delivered into a muscle via an autoinjector, according to a study recently published by the New England Journal of Medicine. An autoinjector is similar to the EpiPen used to treat serious allergic reactions. This study represents a… Read more »
Epilepsy Surgery Improves Seizure Control and Quality of Life
A 26-year follow-up study published in the journal Epilepsia revealed that after epilepsy surgery, nearly half of participants were free of disabling seizures and 80 percent reported better quality of life than before surgery. Spanning over three decades, the study is the longest follow-up of epilepsy surgery patients. However, nothing has changed in that time… Read more »
Flu Drug Seems to Speed Recovery After Traumatic Brain Injury
In a recent study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that Amantadine, a drug typically used to treat the flu and Parkinson’s disease, appears to speed recovery in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. It is an important study because it demonstrated for the first time an improvement in the level… Read more »
Weight Training May Improve Parkinson’s Symptoms
Weight training may improve the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans this coming April. In the study, 48 people with Parkinson’s disease used progressive resistance exercise (weight training) or fitness counts, which included flexibility, balance… Read more »
Nicotine Patch May Help Memory Impairment
Nicotine patches may ease mild cognitive impairment, according to a new study in the journal Neurology. Study participants showed improved attention plus improvements in secondary measures of attention, memory and though-processing speed. But the research did not demonstrate a significant difference between nicotine and placebo on overall improvement. The study was conducted with 74 non-smokers… Read more »
Can Lower Body Mass Index Be an Early Sign for Alzheimer’s Disease?
Obesity, a disease in itself, is a well known cause of other diseases. Midlife obesity, in particular, has been linked with an increased risk of late-life dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Interestingly, patients who have dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease are actually more likely to be underweight. The cause of this association has been unclear. It… Read more »
Headaches after Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury
More than half a million children in the United States sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year. In a recent study published by Pediatrics, researchers analyzed the prevalence of headaches three and 12 months after mild and moderate or severe TBI in children ages 5 to 17. Three months after a mild TBI, 43… Read more »