News

The British Thoracic Society Guidelines for the Respiratory Management of Children with Neuromuscular Weakness has been published as a supplement to the July 2012 issue of Thorax. The full document can be downloaded via: http://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/Guidelines/Children-with-Neuromuscular-Weakness.aspx Read More

FEBSTAT study suggests that human herpesviruses (HHV)-6B and HHV-7, commonly (roseola virus), account for one third of febrile status epilepticus (FSE) cases. The results of this multi-center study on the consequences of febrile status epilepticus has been published in Epilepsia. While the incidence of febrile seizures in children under 5 yrs of age is about 5%, 5-8% of these cases are prolonged meeting the criteria for febrile status epilepticus. FSE accounts for 25% of all childhood status epilepticus and 70% of all status epilepticus in the second year of life and is associated...

A new journal of Epilepsy the North African and Middle East Journal of Epilepsy has started publication. The journal will be the mouthpiece of the Leagues and Associations of the East Mediterranean Region of the International Bureau of Epilepsy and The International League Against Epilepsy. From Mauritania in the West to Pakistan in the East, this covers 20 countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East. National Leagues or Associations represented by the journal include the Algerian League Against Epilepsy, Egyptian Society Against Epilepsy, Jordanian League Against Epilepsy, Kuwait League Against Epilepsy, Lebanese...

A new generation of implantable devices called the "Closed-loop" devices are designed to monitor the seizure focus, detect patterns of electrical activity suggestive of seizures, and automatically respond in the form of electrical stimulation , cooling or focused drug delivery inorder to interrupt and stop the seizure activity. The Vagal Nerve Stimulator (VNS) is on the other hand an open-loop device that stimulates the vagus nerve and deliver consistent mild electrical pulses to the brain. Unlike closed loop devices it does not stimulate in response to a seizure. Cyberonics' Vagus Nerve...

A study from Boston Children's Hospital published in BMC Medicine this week suggest a EEG coherence-based phenotype for childhood autism. EEG coherence is a measure of the degree of association or coupling of frequency spectra between two EEG signals when compared over time. The EEG coherence was studied by quantifying the degree to which any two EEG signals from multiple electrodes at different time points were synchronised.High coherence values for eg where two or more waves rise and fall together over time, are taken as a measure of strong...

MINNEAPOLIS – The American Academy of Neurology has issued an updated guideline outlining the best treatments for infantile spasms. The guideline, which was co-developed with the Child Neurology Society, is published in the June 12, 2012, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The guideline found that the hormone therapy adrenocorticotropic hormone, also known as ACTH, may be effective for treatment of infantile spasms. The seizure drug [[vigabatrin]] may also be considered for treatment, although evidence suggests ACTH may be more effective than vigabatrin. For children with...

An important work published in the May 24 issue of Neuron by, researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School helps toward the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial and metabolic control of seizures and helps to uncover how the ketogenic diet works in epilepsy. The efficacy of the ketogenic diet in children with epilepsy has pointed to a role for metabolism as a component of the pathogenesis of seizures. However the molecular mechanisms behind the dependence of neuronal activity on metabolic substrates has not been fully understood2. In parallel...

The next few years will be exciting for the ICNA and its members. In the current report we move away from activities in Europe (for now) and cover the ICNA meeting in Uganda on “Children with Epilepsy”, the build-up to the imminent Brisbane ICNC and address the next ICNC in 2014 which will be in Brazil. This Newsletter is timed to come out just before the 12th ICNC in Brisbane. In future, editions will continue to be mid-year and towards the end of the year, or just prior to major meetings. The ICNA...

In a study published in the Annals of Neurology, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) report that the anti-epilepsy drug phenobarbital given to rat pups about a week old changed the way the animals' brains were wired, causing cognitive abnormalities later in life. The results provide the first evidence that exposure to antiepileptic drugs during a sensitive postnatal period impairs physiological maturation of synapses in neurons that survive the initial drug insult. Using patch-clamp recordings to examine functional synaptic maturation in striatal medium spiny neurons from neonatal rats exposed to antiepileptic...

1st Upper Egypt Neuroscience September 12-13, 2012 Pyramisa Blue Lagoon, Hurghada Only 116 days to Go Reasons to Book Now With more than 40 key persons, over 30 oral presentations, teaching sessions and special interest groups happening during the 2 days of the conference, you don't want to miss out on this congress of 1st Upper Egypt Neuroscience, in Collaboration with Upper Egypt Universities. Very spectacular and interesting scientific sessions with our Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry & Pediatric Neurology colleagues from the all Egypt...