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Category: Neurology

There are many branches of stroke research from prevention, emergency treatment, to rehabilitation technologies and therapies. When a person suffers a stroke, it is a race to try to minimize the death of brain cells that follow the initial damage and oxygen deprivation.

Original broadcast date: September 6, 2009 Acute brain injuries from concussive forces have the potential to cause significant long-term cognitive damage if not recognized and diagnosed early. To date, imaging technology such as CT and MRI has limitations regarding the detection of specific types of brain damage. New findings, reported by researchers at the Albert [...]

Original broadcast date: June 7, 2009 We tend to associate rapid developmental changes in cognition, socialization and behaviour with infants, toddlers and children. Parents try to promote positive changes and maximize their child’s potential by avoiding potentially hazardous materials, substances and poor food choices that could have a negative impact on their child’s development. However, [...]

Original broadcast date: April 12, 2009 The Ottawa Chapter of the MS Society will be in studio to discuss why you should participate in this month’s walk for MS to be held on April 26th in Ottawa.. We will discuss the progress being made to control this disease. Mark Lloyd, chair of the MS Walk [...]

Original broadcast date: April 5, 2009 To what extent do our lifestyle choices influence our stroke risk? This question was asked in a study recently published in the British Medical Journal. Dr. Phyo Myint, Clinical Senior Lecturer in Ageing and Stroke Medicine at the University of East Anglia and Consultant Physician in Care of the [...]

Original broadcast date: March 1, 2009 How do older drivers know when to turn in their keys? What are some of the physical factors that contribute to this decision? This life-changing decision is a flashpoint for debate about the impact of health upon the 30 million elderly drivers in the US and three million in [...]

Original broadcast date: February 8, 2009 A new McGill University study published on December 24, 2008 in the journal Neurology reports a relationship between people who suffer from a particular sleep disorder that causes them to kick or cry out during their sleep may be at greater risk of developing dementia or Parkinson’s disease. This [...]

Original broadcast date: January 25, 2009 One of the areas that have been the focus of Alzheimer’s disease research is early diagnosis. To date, diagnosis is based more on the signs and symptoms of disease. A means of predicting whether someone will develop Alzheimer’s in the future remains problematic. That may change as more evidence [...]

Original broadcast date: January 11, 2009 Recent reports from the Canadian Alzheimer’s Society state that the number of Canadians who will develop Alzheimer Disease will double in 25 years to 1.3 million people. They are urging more funding for research to find a means to treat and perhaps prevent the changes that occur within the [...]

Original broadcast date: January 4, 2009 Although it seems to be a device out of Star Trek, for people with severe neurological impairment that prevents them from communicating or moving, it is a device that can literally expand their world and reduce unfathomable frustration. The system uses patients’ brain waves and eye and muscular movements [...]

Scientists say they are gaining insight into how the brain rewires itself as it learns new things, potentially helping them move toward better treatments for mental illness and brain injuries. Researchers report in a new study, published in the August 8, 2008 issue of Cell, that a protein appears to tell the brain that it’s [...]

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada announced the launch of endMS, a three-year national campaign with a goal of raising $60 million to fund research activities and establish the endMS Research and Training Network.  The Network is a first in the MS community and represents an immediate, dedicated investment to advance Canada’s leadership position in [...]

In the elderly, the response to stressful procedures like surgery can lead to some post-operative effects on mood and perception. These effects can hamper the recovery process. A new study published in the September 2008 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal from Ontario’s Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) found the use of stains [...]

Researchers from University College London have gained a new understanding of how changes in the immune system can foreshadow the expression of Huntington’s disease by 16 years. The research on this fatal neurodegenerative disease was published online in the Journal of Experimental Medicine and shed some light on possible therapies that would target the immune [...]

Scientists at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI) have discovered that a cancer drug – Bryostatin – enhances the formation of new connections in rat brains during memory storage.  This drug could potentially increase normal memory capacity in humans as well as repair and restore memory lost from Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and head trauma. An [...]

Sleep apnea is a common condition that up to now has been associated with a myriad of health problems including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, depression, and fatigue among others. A new study published by UCLA researchers in the June 27 edition of the journal Neuroscience Letters showed that for people with sleep apnea showed tissue [...]

An estimated 500,000 people in Ontario who have brain injury are unsupported in the community. Many end up on the streets or in prison, or inappropriately placed in nursing homes or psychiatric facilities. Many individuals post-ABI ‘fall through the cracks’ because society does not provide them with the community resources they need – supportive housing, [...]

A review published in this week’s The Lancet claims that induced hypothermia is underused in the UK and in the USA. This practice of deliberately cooling the body is capable of preventing or limiting permanent injuries if it is employed within the first couple of hours of a clinical event. Dr. Klees Polderman, Department of [...]

An ICES study recently reported that older adults with dementia who receive short-term courses of antipsychotic medications are more likely to experience a serious adverse event requiring hospitalization than those who do not take the drugs. Dr. Paula Rochon, MD, MPH, FRCPC Senior Scientist and Assistant Director at the Kunin Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit – [...]

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) was first identified and described by a French neurologist, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot, in 1868. It is the most common neurological disease affecting young adults in Canada. Women are twice as likely to develop MS as men. Every day, three more people in Canada are diagnosed with it. It can cause loss of [...]

Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality in Canada. Approximately 40 to 50 thousand people suffer a stroke. Eight out of ten people survive but require varying degrees of rehabilitation. One consequence of stroke that is not mentioned often is muscle spasticity. This requires specific rehabilitation and therapy to help the stroke survivor [...]

There are several Alzheimer’s disease medications that are used to slow the decline of memory, language and thinking abilities. A study published in October issue of Journal of the American Geriatrics Society by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) sought to answer several questions regarding the duration of therapy, whether there is a point [...]

We tend to associate Alzheimer’s disease with progressive memory impairment. Forgetfulness, a common symptom, is one of several indicators of cognitive decline. A new Canadian survey of caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease patients found the most common symptom identified next to forgetfulness was verbal repetition, which has been shown to be an early sign of dementia. [...]

A new study released this week by the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation outlines some new information regarding stroke risk factors especially among women. What are these risk factors and how can they be incorporated into preventive measures against the development of stroke? Dr. Michael Hill, neurologist, Director of the Stroke Unit at Foothills Medical [...]

As we reported on Sunday House Call in August Scientists from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Scripps Research Institute reported progress in understanding how aging contributes to the development of Alzheimer Disease. There are many avenues of study and exploration to try to understand the mechanisms behind the expression of the disease. [...]

The automobile has always been more than just as a means of transportation for many people, often a sign of independence, power, individualism and control. It is why it is so difficult for people who must confront the day when they are no longer competent to drive to relinquish their keys. What system of evaluation [...]

Genetic research continues to broaden our understanding of the mechanism or pathophysiology of diseases. Reports seem to present themselves daily about new avenues for treatments of once incurable or uncontrollable illnesses. A team from the Scripps Research Institute and the University of California School of Medicine has developed compounds that reactivate the gene responsible for [...]

Chronic pain affects nearly millions of Canadians from such varied causes as arthritis, sciatica, cancer, diabetes. Pain usually serves to warn us when something is wrong and to seek help or to rest. Another kind of chronic pain may start with a specific injury, surgery or disease event, but may linger for weeks or even [...]

When trying to determine the possible solutions to treat vexing diseases, it is critical to have an understanding of the underlying mechanisms or pathophysiology of the disease process. This study can range from the visual inspection of damaged organs to the molecular and cellular level. Scientists from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the [...]