Spasticity News and Research

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Spasticity is a condition involving an involuntary increase in muscle tone that leads to resistance against normal movements of the body and may cause pain in some individuals.

Hyaluronidase enzyme may be effective treatment option for spasticity caused by neurological injury

A naturally occurring enzyme called hyaluronidase may be an effective alternative treatment for spasticity, or muscle stiffness, a disabling condition in people who have had a stroke or other brain injury.

26 Sep 2016

Special review highlights benefits of using botulinum neurotoxin for treating facial wrinkles

Botox and other botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) products are widely known for their use in treating facial wrinkles--but they can also be used to treat a wide range of non-cosmetic problems.

31 Aug 2016

Tendon transfer for quadriplegics greatly underused, article reveals

A surgery for quadriplegics called tendon transfer can significantly improve hand and elbow function, but the procedure is greatly underused, according to an article in the journal Hand Clinics by Loyola Medicine hand surgeon Michael S. Bednar, MD, FAAOS.

24 Aug 2016

Medical marijuana reduces use of prescription drugs, research finds

Medical marijuana is having a positive impact on the bottom line of Medicare's prescription drug benefit program in states that have legalized its use for medicinal purposes, according to University of Georgia researchers in a study published today in the July issue of Health Affairs.

8 Jul 2016

Innovative advances in medical paediatric orthotics shared at Primary Care and Public Health 2016

Innovative, clinician-led advances in orthotic techniques have the capacity to dramatically improve short term progress and long term outcomes for selective dorsal rhizotomy and scoliosis patients as well as patients with neurological disorders affecting movement.

13 Jun 2016

Alan R. Cohen named Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins

Alan R. Cohen, M.D., has been named the new chief of Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery and holder of the Benjamin S. Carson Sr., M.D., and Dr. Evelyn Spiro, R.N., Professorship in Pediatric Neurosurgery. Cohen comes to Johns Hopkins from Boston Children’s Hospital, where he served as the neurosurgeon-in-chief and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery, as well as the Franc D. Ingraham Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School.

16 May 2016

MNI scientists move a step forward in efforts to treat hereditary spastic paraplegia

Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital have identified novel gene mutations that cause hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a step forward in efforts to treat this debilitating disease.

11 May 2016

Muscle & Nerve study links intramuscular fat with BMI and physical activity levels

Ultrasound-estimated percent intramuscular fat of muscles in the lower extremity was inversely associated with physical activity level and positively associated with body mass index in a recent study.

4 May 2016

Updated guidance on botulinum toxin formulations for four indications

The American Academy of Neurology has issued an update to its 2008 guidelines on the use of botulinum toxin for the treatment of spasticity, cervical dystonia, blepharospasm and migraine headache.

27 Apr 2016

AAN’s updated guideline on botulinum toxin use covers four neurologic disorders

The American Academy of Neurology has updated its 2008 guidelines on the use of botulinum toxin for spasticity, cervical dystonia, blepharospasm and migraine headache, based on recent research.

19 Apr 2016

Practicing movements at different speeds enhances certain nerve functions after stroke or spine injury

Changes in one circuit of nerves, but not another, in the spinal cord depend on how quickly muscles must move to complete a task, according to results from the Human Motor Control Laboratory of Professor Kozo Funase, PhD, at Hiroshima University. The results could influence physical therapy routines for patients struggling to control their bodies after a stroke or spine injury.

10 Mar 2016

Combination of two innovative rehabilitation approaches may enhance movement function after stroke

Used in combination, two innovative rehabilitation approaches can promote better long-term recovery of arm and hand movement function in stroke survivors, suggests a paper in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

8 Mar 2016

Dysport phase III study results in children with cerebral palsy with lower limb spasticity published in Pediatrics

Ipsen today announced that the scientific journal Pediatrics published the detailed results of the phase III randomized study showing both the efficacy and the safety of Dysport in the treatment of dynamic equinus foot deformity, a condition associated with cerebral palsy in children.

28 Jan 2016

Long-term disease progression in spinocerebellar ataxia quantified

Researchers have quantified the progression of the most common spinocerebellar ataxias over a follow-up period of up to 8 years in steps to improve sample size calculations for future interventional trials.

16 Sep 2015

Botulinum toxin A improves muscle tone in hemiparesis

A single injection of abobotulinumtoxinA into upper limb muscles significantly reduces muscle tone in patients with hemiparesis following stroke or traumatic brain injury, study findings show.

9 Sep 2015

FDA accepts Allergan's resubmission of BOTOX sBLA for treatment of adults with upper limb spasticity

Allergan plc, a leading global pharmaceutical company today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted the company's resubmission of its Supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for BOTOX (onabotulinumtoxinA) for the treatment of adults with lower limb (involving ankle and toe muscles) spasticity in adults.

20 Aug 2015

Scientists develop communication system for people with cerebral palsy

Scientists at the Centre for Genomic Regulation, the research company Starlab and the group BR::AC (Barcelona Research Art & Creation) of the University of Barcelona developed a device that produces sounds from brain signals.

12 Jul 2015

Toxic Botox travels through our nerves to reach central nervous system

New research might bring a frown to even the most heavily botoxed faces, with scientists finding how some of the potent toxin used for cosmetic surgery escapes into the central nervous system.

17 Apr 2015

Patient with severe Alzheimer's shows promising benefits during treatment with Bryostatin drug

Researchers at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute and the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine announced their findings from a new study entitled, "PSEN1 Variant in a Family with Atypical AD." An Alzheimer patient with very severe disease, genetically confirmed to have a known variant of PSEN1, showed promising benefits during treatment with the drug Bryostatin 1.

30 Mar 2015

Deuterium-containing sigma-1 agonist demonstrates anti-seizure, anti-inflammatory effects in TBI model

Research results published in the Journal of Neurotrauma and conducted by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) as part of a collaboration with Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. showed that a novel deuterium-containing sigma-1 agonist invented at Concert, called C-10068, demonstrated anti-seizure and anti-inflammatory effects in a preclinical model of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

24 Mar 2015