Dystonia News and Research

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Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder, in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures.

Brain stimulation with ultrasound may enhance cognitive function

The ability to diagnose and treat brain dysfunction without surgery, may rely on a new method of noninvasive brain stimulation using pulsed ultrasound developed by a team of scientists led by William "Jamie" Tyler, a neuroscientist at Arizona State University. The approach, published in the journal Neuron on June 9, shows that pulsed ultrasound not only stimulates action potentials in intact motor cortex in mice but it also "elicits motor responses comparable to those only previously achieved with implanted electrodes and related techniques," says Yusuf Tufail, the lead author from ASU's School of Life Sciences.

10 Jun 2010

Medtronic DBS Therapy improves motor function in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease: Study

In the largest, randomized, controlled study of deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease, Medtronic DBS Therapy was shown to improve motor function for up to two years in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, showing equally strong efficacy for the two most common surgical targets used for the therapy.

3 Jun 2010

U-M researchers one step closer to discovering why certain diseases affect specific organs

Why do some diseases affect only specific organs, leaving others invulnerable? Researchers from the University of Michigan have found neural tissue contains imbalanced levels of proteins, which may explain the brain's susceptibility to a debilitating childhood movement disorder.

3 Jun 2010

Research explains brain's susceptibility to dystonia

3 Jun 2010

Deep-brain stimulation makes difference in the lives of people with Parkinson disease

A surgical treatment that stimulates distressed neural networks through electrodes threaded directly into a person's brain has quietly made a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of people with Parkinson disease, essential tremor, and dystonia over the course of the past decade. But while it steadies patients' shaking limbs with surprising effect, its benefits on some patients' minds and personal lives have been more mixed.

31 May 2010

PCA-Rx represents next generation of chelation technology for ASD patients

According to the Center for Disease Control, autism has risen to an epidemic rate of 1 in 100 in the U.S., up from 1 in 150 in 2007. While controversy looms regarding its cause, many parents of autistic children believe a correlation exists with toxin accumulation. To give autism spectrum disorder sufferers a natural alternative to chelation therapy, Maxam Nutraceutics has introduced PCA-Rx.

28 May 2010

Ipsen's first-quarter 2010 drug sales up 6.2%

Ipsen reported today its sales for the first quarter 2010.

3 May 2010

Basal ganglia and cerebellum linked together to form integrated functional network: Researchers

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have found new evidence that the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, two important areas in the central nervous system, are linked together to form an integrated functional network. The findings are available online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

20 Apr 2010

Higher levels of CRP associated with brain changes: Study

New research shows that a high level of C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation in the blood, is associated with brain changes that are linked to problems with executive thinking skills. The study is published in the March 30, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

30 Mar 2010

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals forms Parkinson’s Disease SAB to develop strategy for Serdaxin

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced the formation of its Parkinson’s Disease Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), featuring some of the leading medical researchers in neurology.

22 Mar 2010

Study results of Medtronic DBS Therapy for epilepsy published in Epilepsia

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that a landmark publication highlighting results from the pivotal study for Medtronic Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy for epilepsy, known as SANTE® (Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus in Epilepsy), was published online today in the medical journal, Epilepsia. The SANTE study, sponsored by Medtronic, is the largest and most rigorous clinical study of DBS therapy for epilepsy in adults with medically refractory epilepsy with partial-onset seizures.

19 Mar 2010

FDA Neurological Devices Panel recommends approval of DBS Therapy for epilepsy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Neurological Devices Panel today voted seven to five to recommend approval with conditions of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy for Epilepsy from Medtronic, Inc. as adjunctive treatment for partial-onset seizures in adults with medically refractory epilepsy.

15 Mar 2010

Ampicillin activates torsinA, improves cell function to reduce movement disorders

Discovery of an antibiotic's capacity to improve cell function in laboratory tests is providing movement disorder researchers with leads to more desirable molecules with potentially similar traits, according to University of Alabama scientists co-authoring a paper publishing March 10 in the journal Disease Models & Mechanisms.

11 Mar 2010

NeuroSearch's MermaiHD study supports potential Huntington's disease modifying properties of Huntexil

NeuroSearch today announced that further analysis of the data from the MermaiHD study with Huntexil(R) (pridopidine) for the treatment of Huntington's disease supports potential disease modifying properties of the drug.

11 Mar 2010

FDA approves BOTOX for treatment of increased muscle stiffness in adults with upper limb spasticity

Allergan, Inc. today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) for the treatment of increased muscle stiffness in the elbow, wrist and fingers in adults with upper limb spasticity.

9 Mar 2010

Presentation of results from open-label extension study of Xenazine

Lundbeck Inc. today announced the presentation of results from an open-label extension study of Xenazine- (tetrabenazine) for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington's disease (HD). Data from this study demonstrated that after an 80-week treatment period, subjects treated with Xenazine experienced a statistically significant reduction in chorea score (p< 0.0001) as measured using the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) compared with baseline.

6 Mar 2010

MIT Technology Review recognizes Medtronic for taking leadership in developing DBS Therapy

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that it has been selected as one of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Technology Review's 50 most innovative companies. Known as TR50, the first annual list includes companies that Technology Review believes have demonstrated superiority in inventing technology and in using it both to grow their own business and transform how we live.

4 Mar 2010

Allergan celebrates 20th anniversary of BOTOX in Canada

Twenty years ago, the first approved use of BOTOX(R) (botulinum toxin type A), a neurotoxin widely used to treat several life altering medical conditions, was granted in Canada. As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, healthcare professionals from coast to coast reflect upon the discovery, science and evolution of a therapy that has impacted the lives of millions of patients worldwide.

3 Mar 2010

Focal dystonia precipitated by odor exposure: First case reported

Alan Hirsch, MD, founder and neurologic director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, presented his research on Odor-Induced Pseudodystonia at the 3rd International Congress on Gait and Mental Function in Washington, D.C. on February 27.

2 Mar 2010

New revolutionary treatment for patients suffering from movement disorders

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), a new treatment being offered at Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) and Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (GWV), can dramatically reduce symptoms of movement disorders.

9 Feb 2010

Dystonia News and Research

Further Reading

Brain stimulation with ultrasound may enhance cognitive function

Medtronic DBS Therapy improves motor function in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease: Study

U-M researchers one step closer to discovering why certain diseases affect specific organs

Research explains brain's susceptibility to dystonia

Deep-brain stimulation makes difference in the lives of people with Parkinson disease

PCA-Rx represents next generation of chelation technology for ASD patients

Ipsen's first-quarter 2010 drug sales up 6.2%

Basal ganglia and cerebellum linked together to form integrated functional network: Researchers

Higher levels of CRP associated with brain changes: Study

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals forms Parkinson’s Disease SAB to develop strategy for Serdaxin

Study results of Medtronic DBS Therapy for epilepsy published in Epilepsia

FDA Neurological Devices Panel recommends approval of DBS Therapy for epilepsy

Ampicillin activates torsinA, improves cell function to reduce movement disorders

NeuroSearch's MermaiHD study supports potential Huntington's disease modifying properties of Huntexil

FDA approves BOTOX for treatment of increased muscle stiffness in adults with upper limb spasticity

Presentation of results from open-label extension study of Xenazine

MIT Technology Review recognizes Medtronic for taking leadership in developing DBS Therapy

Allergan celebrates 20th anniversary of BOTOX in Canada

Focal dystonia precipitated by odor exposure: First case reported

New revolutionary treatment for patients suffering from movement disorders

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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