An article to appear in the October, 2007 issue of the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience 1 will present the strongest evidence to date that a form of vitamin A known as retinoic acid may be of value in the treatment of conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
While vitamin A-complex (meaning the vitamin itself as [...]
Archive for the ‘Medicine’ Category
A Role for Vitamin A in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s?
Posted in Alzheimer's, Disability, Medical Research, Medicine, Parkinson's on September 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
“Chemo-Brain” is a Potential Side-Effect of Cancer Therapy
Posted in Chemo-brain, Disability, Medical Research, Medicine, Memory on September 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
For years those that have received chemotherapy as part of their treatment for cancer have been reporting a set of neurological symptoms that include difficulties with short-term memory and decision-making that developed after receiving anti-cancer medical therapy. These symptoms, informally called “chemo-brain” or “chemo-fog,” are finally being recognized and studied by researchers in fields from [...]
What is a Clinical Trial?
Posted in Medical Research, Medicine on September 14, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Clinical trials (also known as clinical investigation or medical research) 1 are an important part of the process in which new drugs, treatment plans, or other such interventions are tested and validated under very strict medical supervision. Clinical trials are also known as investigational trials or as clinical research.
The purpose of a clinical trial [...]
“Brain Pacemaker” for Epilepsy Entering Clinical Trials
Posted in Epilepsy, Medical Research, Medicine on September 12, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Epilepsy is a neurological disease that affects an estimated 2 to 3 million people in the United States alone. Despite continuing improvements in medical therapy, up to 40% of those with the condition continue to experience seizure activity while on 2 or more medications. Additionally, although surgery for epilepsy has demonstrated dramatic improvement [...]
Adult ADHD
Posted in ADHD, Autism, Medicine on September 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
While much of the published body of medical literature regarding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in children, the burden of this condition in the adult population is only now being appreciated.
There are 3 general categories of childhood and adult ADHD accepted by the American Psychiatric [...]
The Four Theaters, Autism, and the Theory of Mind
Posted in Disability, Medical Research, Medicine on September 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
In A User’s Guide to the Brain psychiatrist John Ratey offers a model of the human neuropsychological forces that give each individual their own “personality signature” and how a problem in one “upstream” area may not become obvious until it impacts another area “downstream.”
This, of course, is certainly not a new observation in any [...]
Two Unusual Manifestations of Brain Injury
Posted in Medical Research, Medicine on September 7, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Two interesting reports published have shed new light on the neurophysiology of the brain and, in one case, contributed to a better understanding of how the brain functions in addiction.
The first report, 1 which appeared in the journal Science, involved a 28 year old man who had been a long-term (14 year) cigarette user until [...]
Obesity and the Brain: New Research in Metabolic Syndrome and Dementia
Posted in Medical Research, Medicine on September 3, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
It is well known that obesity is a risk factor in cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but recent research indicates that obesity may be initiated by the brain.
At a recent symposium sponsored by the London-based Journal of Physiology and Blackwell Publications devoted to basic research in the relationship between metabolic disturbances and the brain, the presenting [...]
What is the Glascow Coma Scale?
Posted in Medicine, Uncategorized on September 3, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is widely used in the clinical evaluation of disorders of consciousness that are the result of traumatic brain injury (TBI). 1 The GCS is usually first assessed “in the field” by emergency medical personnel to establish a “baseline” against which further changes in the level of consciousness may be evaluated.
The [...]
Movies’ Failure to Accurately Portray Coma May Influence Decisions Related to Medical Care
Posted in Disability, Medicine, Personal on August 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
In my personal opinion, the saying that “Old habits are hard to break” is probably one of the most accurate statements ever made regarding human behavior.
Before my retirement, I spent almost 30 years as a medical para-professional as first a Physician’s Assistant and then as an ultrasonographer with special qualifications in adult and pediatric cardiology [...]
