In one of the first studies to look at transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in real-world clinical practice settings, researchers at Butler Hospital, along with colleagues across the U.S., confirmed that TMS is an effective treatment for patients with depression who are unable to find symptom relief through antidepressant medications.
Mayo Clinic researchers have found a novel way to monitor real-time chemical changes in the brains of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS). The groundbreaking insight will help physicians more effectively use DBS to treat brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, depression, and Tourette syndrome. Included in this report is a video summary of the research findings.
A new multi-center study, including neurologists and neurosurgeons from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, reveals that Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) – a treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with medication-resistant muscle movement impairment or tremors – can improve those symptoms and reduce medications for patients implanted with the device. The study appears Online First in Lancet Neurology.
Imagine waking up and being unable to see or recognize anything on the left side of your body. This condition, called hemispatial neglect, is common after a stroke that occurs on the right side of the brain. The current treatment of attention and concentration training using computer and pencil-and-paper tasks is inadequate.
Results from the first multi-center pilot study of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for major depressive disorder were published online today by the Journal of Neurosurgery. The study, conducted at three research facilities in Canada, was designed to replicate and build upon an earlier study by Dr. Andres Lozano and Dr. Helen Mayberg which was published in the journal Neuron in 2005. Sponsored by St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), the study demonstrates significant improvement in depression symptoms among patients who are highly treatment resistant.
Electromedical Products International Inc. (EPI) issued an urgent call-to-action this past week for practitioners who prescribe Alpha-Stim to their patients. The complete details and formal announcement from Tracey B. Kirsch, President of EPI are below. Briefly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) intend to review current evidence for the safety and effectiveness of Alpha-Stim. The FDA posted a notice whereby this matter is now open for public comment, and EPI asks that those who prescribe/use Alpha-Stim to get involved. If the FDA ignores the current positive and plentiful safety/effectiveness data, which they appear set to do, this could mean that Alpha-Stim is removed from the United States’ market until EPI goes through a lengthy and expensive FDA validation process. EPI invites all clinicians and patients who use Alpha-Stim to get involved. Included in this report are detailed instructions on how to get involved, including a suggested letter template and additional background information on this issue.
While deep brain stimulation has gained recognition by referring physicians as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, just half of the patients they recommend are appropriate candidates to begin this relatively new therapy immediately, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York say.
One decade after receiving implants that stimulate areas of their brains, patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) appear to sustain improvement in motor function, although part of the initial benefit wore off mainly because of progressive loss of benefit in other functions, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
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