Epilepsy

In patients with Dravet syndrome who had discontinued an average of 4 antiepileptics drugs, while taking a mean of 3, cannabidiol reduced the incidence of seizures almost in half in doses of both 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg per day.

The Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama School of Medicine spoke about the results of a recent cohort study that found that a shorter, yet deeper therapeutic coma may be safer and more effective than the currently recommended therapeutic coma duration for refractory status epilepticus.

Responses from 1300 physicians suggest that increasing patient load and adding ancillary services may be the key to increasing annual income.

Neurology News Network for the week of April 20, 2019.

Exome-based screenings may allow for maximum diagnostic yield in an increasingly crowded field of genetic tests.

Neurology News Network for the week of April 13, 2019.

A shorter yet deeper therapeutic coma for treatment of refractory status epilepticus may be more effective and safer than the currently recommended therapeutic coma duration of 24 to 48 hours.

The FDA cited 2 deficiencies in the NDA: certain nonclinical studies were not included to allow for assessment of chronic administration of fenfluramine; and an incorrect version of the clinical data was submitted.

Repeated brain MRI scans show four small gray matter lesions. What’s in your differential?

Here’s a brief look at therapies for neurological disorders that the FDA has approved within the past 6 months.

The administration is seeking help from the medical community and the public to increase risk awareness and report past or future adverse events associated with e-cigarette use.

Despite known teratogenicity risks, many women of childbearing age with epilepsy are prescribed valproate, topiramate, and phenytoin.

Experts say that while CBD and THC may have potential in multiple sclerosis and epilepsy, research on the endocannabinoid system is in its infancy—and the literature isn’t perfect.

The novel longitudinal model utilized 4 variables—the presence of seizures, the number of seizures, the number of adverse events, and if treatment was altered—and was ultimately more predictive than a standard Cox model.

Ned Sharpless, MD, the director of the National Cancer Institute, has been named to the position of acting FDA Commissioner. The announcement was made just a week after the current commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, MD, announced his plans to resign in early April.

Neurology News Network for the week of March 9, 2019.

SEEG displayed better procedural morbidities and may have better outcomes than subdural grid electrodes, which study authors suggest should impact decision-making and lower the surgical candidacy barrier.

How does DBS differ from other methods of neuromodulation? This question and more in this Q&A with Dr Robert Gross, a neurosurgical primary investigator in an important trial.

The 23rd FDA commissioner’s resignation is effective in about a month; his successor has not yet been named.

The pediatric critical care medicine attending physician in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia spoke about how physicians can better address brain death in pediatric patients.

AED use was not significantly associated with dementia risk in patients followed by general practitioners and neuropsychiatrists, however, the potential harmful effects of levetiracetam generic brands on cognition should be further investigated.