Editorial. Wahid et al1 describe a boy with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and severe learning difficulties who developed major gastrointestinal problems leading to an extended period of parenteral nutrition (PN) as an inpatient. ....... An important aspect of this case is that after a very long and difficult illness (and against all expectations), gastrointestinal function improved to the extent that weaning from PN was possible. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Blog post. Back in the 1960s, Nobel-prize winning research shook our understanding of what it means to be a conscious entity. Epilepsy patients who’d had the thick bundle of nerves connecting their two brain hemispheres either severed or removed (as a drastic treatment for their epilepsy) responded in laboratory tasks as if they had two separate minds.
It’s an unsettling idea that has appeared in psychology textbooks for decades. But dig into the original studies and you’ll find the evidence for split brains leading to split minds was mostly descriptive. Now a team of researchers led by Yair Pinto at the University of Amsterdam has conducted systematic testing of two split-brain patients over several years, specifically to find out whether the division of their brains has also separated their consciousness. In fact, the results, published recently in the journal Brain, suggest their consciousness remains unified. It may be time to rewrite the textbooks.
Research News. A cannabis based drug has shown encouraging results in treating a form of epilepsy unresponsive to existing drugs.
Children with Dravet syndrome, a rare and catastrophic form of epilepsy, may experience many seizures a day. The condition, caused in most cases by a known genetic mutation affecting sodium channels in the brain, occurs in one child in 40 000 and leads to developmental damage and long term learning difficulties. Children affected require lifelong care.
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Objective: To determine feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of home-based Reach-to- Grasp training after stroke.
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Objective: To explore the factors perceived to affect rehabilitation assessment and referral practices for patients with stroke. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details
This study examines the association of time of onset of autonomic dysfunction with disease progression and survival in Parkinson disease. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
This population-based cohort study examines the outcomes of epilepsy and use of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy in women and infants. Please contact the library to request a copy of this article - http://bit.ly/1Xyazai
Open access. Conclusion: Except for epilepsy, this research has indicated that the risks of drowning while undertaking aquatic activities are not increased in children with pre-existing medical conditions. Children with pre-existing medical conditions can enjoy aquatic activities when appropriately supervised.
A pioneering team that developed an app allowing people with epilepsy to monitor their own condition and health risk, has been shortlisted for a prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ) Award in the Innovation Team category. The BMJ Award is one of the highest honours available within the medical and healthcare professions.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common in early Parkinson's disease (PD). We evaluated the stability of PD-MCI over time to determine its clinical utility as a marker of disease. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Letter. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Editorial commentary. In their JNNP paper, Gooneratna et al1 review long-term studies of three surgical therapies for pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy: vagal nerve stimulation, which provides the most evidence, anterior thalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (ANT DBS) and cortical responsive stimulation (CRS). Written for the generalist, the review describes the three technologies in detail. The multiple layers of information gathered inform the generalist of how complex treatment decisions can be. As medical intractability can be predicted early, typically after failure of a second drug or the presence of abnormal imaging, this serves as a reminder that such patients should be considered for early referral to a specialist multidisciplinary …To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute polyradiculoneuropathy with a highly variable clinical course and outcome. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and plasma exchange are proven effective treatments, but the efficacy has been demonstrated mainly on motor improvement in adults with a typical and severe form of GBS. In clinical practice, treatment dilemmas may occur in patients with a relatively mild presentation, variant forms of GBS, or when the onset of weakness was more than 2 weeks ago. Other therapeutic dilemmas may arise in patients who do not improve or even progress after initial treatment. We provide an overview of the current literature about therapeutic options in these situations, and additionally give our personal view that may serve as a basis for therapeutic decision-making. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Zumba Gold® is a dance-based workout developed for older adults that could be beneficial for mobility and well-being in people Parkinson’s (PD). However, to date there is no evidence to support the suitability of this type of exercise in people with PD. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
While the increased risk of ALS was statistically significant, the overall risk of ALS was still tiny in the exposure group. Of the 58,279 men in the study only 88 died of ALS. With figures as low as these, there is always the risk than any identified link is actually down to chance.
The diagnosis of delirium depends on eliciting its features through mental status examination and informant history. However, there is marked heterogeneity in how these features are assessed, from binary subjective clinical judgement to more comprehensive methods supported by cognitive testing. The aim of this article is to review the neuropsychological research in delirium and suggest future directions in research and clinical practice. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
An observational study identified living people with epilepsy who matched (by age and geographical region) adolescents and adults with a postmortem diagnosis of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Use of an intervention to prevent SUDEP was determined for each participant who died (before entry into the study or subsequently). Fewer people died when an intervention to reduce SUDEP was employed (on average, 213 fewer deaths per 1000 people with nocturnal supervision and 184 fewer deaths per 1000 people with special precautions). However, data were available for only 367 of the 616 live participants recruited, and evidence was of very low quality, making firm conclusions impossible.
The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate and synthesise the available evidence from the previous 20 years regarding the utility of psychological interventions in the management of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.