Neurology common disorders

BACKGROUND: Acute demyelinating optic neuritis, a common feature of multiple sclerosis, can damage vision through neurodegeneration in the optic nerve and in its fibres in the retina. Inhibition of voltage-gated sodium channels is neuroprotective in preclinical models. In this study we aimed to establish whether sodium-channel inhibition with phenytoin is neuroprotective in patient with acute optic neuritis. METHODS: We did a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind phase 2 trial at two UK academic hospitals in London and Sheffield...

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OBJECTIVE: The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Epilepsy Guidelines Task Force, composed of 14 international members, was established in 2011 to identify, using systematic review methodology, international epilepsy clinical care guidelines, assess their quality, and determine gaps in areas of need of development. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature (1985-2014) was performed in six electronic databases (e.g. Medline, Embase) using a broad search strategy without initial limits to language or study design...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

In the 24/7 modern society, sleep disorders and the role of normal amounts and timing of sleep for health are often neglected by both doctors and their patients. Sleep has been said to be "of the brain, by the brain and for the brain" and the most immediate and obvious consequence of disrupted sleep is impaired brain function. This review will cover some of the recent papers published in both the Journal of Neurology and elsewhere in 2013/2014 that have advanced our knowledge of sleep and circadian rhythm disorders...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Functional tics, also called psychogenic tics or pseudo-tics, are difficult to diagnose because of the lack of diagnostic criteria and their clinical similarities to organic tics. The aim of the present study was to report a case series of patients with documented functional tics and to describe their clinical characteristics, risk factors and psychiatric comorbidity. Also clinical tips are suggested which might help the differential diagnosis in clinical practice...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is mounting evidence that essential tremor (ET) is a neurodegenerative disease. Reduced body mass index (BMI) is a clinical feature of many neurodegenerative diseases, yet there has been little documentation of BMI in patients with ET. METHODS: Essential tremor cases and controls were enrolled in a study of the environmental epidemiology of ET at Columbia University Medical Center. Weight and height were measured using a standard protocol; BMI was weight (kg) divided by height (m(2))...

BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence of depression in people with neurological disorders, no previous study has sought to summarise existing evidence on the use of antidepressants in this population. A systematic review and meta-analysis was undertaken to determine whether antidepressants are more effective than placebo in the treatment of depression in neurological disorders, and whether any benefit is associated with improvement in function. METHODS: Embase, Pubmed, Psycinfo and Cochrane trial registers were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of antidepressant and placebo in the treatment of depression in adults with a neurological disorder...