Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyMultiple sclerosis and extract of cannabis: results of the MUSEC trial.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with chronic symptoms, including muscle stiffness, spasms, pain and insomnia. Here we report the results of the Multiple Sclerosis and Extract of Cannabis (MUSEC) study that aimed to substantiate the patient based findings of previous studies. ⋯ The study met its primary objective to demonstrate the superiority of CE over placebo in the treatment of muscle stiffness in MS. This was supported by results for secondary efficacy variables. Adverse events in participants treated with CE were consistent with the known side effects of cannabinoids. No new safety concerns were observed.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyThe LaLiMo Trial: lamotrigine compared with levetiracetam in the initial 26 weeks of monotherapy for focal and generalised epilepsy--an open-label, prospective, randomised controlled multicenter study.
Of the newer antiepileptic drugs, lamotrigine (LTG) and levetiracetam (LEV) are popular first choice drugs for epilepsy. The authors compared these drugs with regard to their efficacy and tolerability in the initial monotherapy for epilepsy. ⋯ ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00242606.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2012
ReviewSocial cognition in neurodegenerative disorders: a systematic review.
Social cognitive neuroscience is the study of the neurobiological systems underlying effective social behaviour. The neural processes supporting effective social interactions in everyday life and the consequences of dysfunction in these processes have been the focus of intense research over the last two decades. ⋯ In addition, accumulating data suggest that detection of early impairment in social cognitive skills may aid in the early diagnosis of cognitive or behavioural impairment in some of these disorders, and may even play a role in the investigation of new therapeutic options. In this review, we outline the basic components of social cognitive processing, provide a systematic review of the literature pertaining to common neurodegenerative conditions, discuss current controversies and make recommendations for future research.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2012
Differentiation of frontotemporal dementia from dementia with Lewy bodies using FP-CIT SPECT.
There is increasing evidence that imaging with [123I]FP-CIT SPECT is helpful in differentiating dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) from Alzheimer's disease (AD) but it is not known how well the scan performs in differentiating DLB from frontotemporal dementia (FTD). ⋯ This study highlights to clinicians that a positive (abnormal) [123I]FP-CIT SPECT scan, even in a patient with an EPMS, does not exclude the diagnosis of FTD and emphasises the importance of a comprehensive clinical evaluation and a detailed cognitive assessment.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2012
Disability in young people and adults after head injury: 12-14 year follow-up of a prospective cohort.
There is a need to establish how long term outcome evolves after head injury (HI) and factors related to this, to inform opportunities for intervention. ⋯ Disability is common 12-14 years after hospital admission with a HI. For some there is a dynamic process of change in disability over time that is associated with self-perceptions of control that could be a target for intervention based research.