NeuroFrontiers

For years, patients with multiple sclerosis have had to rely on injectable medications. But several new oral medications are emerging, and one drug has already been approved by the FDA. Why has it taken so long to develop oral formulations? Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, director of the Millen Experimental Therapeutics program at the Cleveland Clinic and professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, joins host Dr. Anthony Alessi to discuss how these new drugs work, the side effects, and which patients can most benefit from new oral therapy.

The American Academy of Neurology released new guidelines for determining brain death in adults, providing a step-by-step process for making this decision consistent among hospitals in the United States. One major departure in these guidelines is the recommendation of a single exam, rather than multiple exams occurring at several-hour intervals. How does this change impact organ donation following brain death? Dr. Eelco Wijdicks, professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and chair of the division of critical care, joins Dr. Anthony Alessi to discuss how to evaluate a brain dead patient without jeopardizing their organs for transplant.

For the 12 million Americans who suffer from restless leg syndrome (RLS), the disease can often be misdiagnosed and misunderstood. Doctors as well as their patients are now more familiar with RLS due to the intense marketing of drugs used to treat restless legs syndrome. Host Dr. Anthony Alessi talks with Dr. Carl Ansevin, an adjunct faculty member in the department of biomedical sciences at Kent State University and sleep specialist at the Ohio Neurologic Institute in Boardman, Ohio, about how to properly diagnose and treat restless leg syndrome and which patients are more at risk of developing the disease.

The world witnessed a remarkable recovery after Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head in an assassination attempt in January, 2011. However, most gunshot wounds to the head are fatal; statistics show only 5 percent of those shot in the head survive. Yet there are actions first responders and physicians can take to increase the chance of survival. Dr. William Coplin, associate professor of neurology and neurological surgery at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and director of neurotrauma and the neurological intensive care unit at Detroit Receiving Hospital, joins host Dr. Anthony Alessi to discuss what needs to be done in the "golden hour" after a shooting. He also focuses on the problems and rehabilitation issues patients face after this life-altering wound.

14 million Americans suffer migraine headaches every day. Many go untreated and many who are treated continue to have headaches. But an old drug proved to offer a new way to treat migraines, with the FDA approval of botulinum toxin injections for severe chronic migraine. Dr. David Simpson, professor of neurology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and director of the clinical neurophysiology lab at Mount Sinai Hospital, joins host Dr. Anthony Alessi to discuss what patients qualify for this treatment, problems and risks associated with taking the injections, and the controversial results of the earlier clinical trials for this treatment.

Nationwide there are an estimated several hundred thousand licensed drivers with Alzheimer's disease. A new study shows that more than half can still pass a road test, leaving physicians to help patients and caregivers decide when it's time to stop driving. Dr. Donald Iverson, lead author of the American Academy of Neurology's most recent guidelines on driving and dementia, joins host Dr. Anthony Alessi to discuss what tests are available to help make this decision, and how to approach the delicate discussion of this loss of independence with Alzheimer's patients.

Host Dr. Anthony Alessi interviews neurologist Lt. Cmdr. Mill Etienne, MD, at St. Damien's Pediatric Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Hati. Dr. Etienne is a Hatian-American physician in the United States military, stationed on the USNS Comfort. They discuss Dr. Etienne's work providing medical care, in addition to translation services and cultural sensitivity training for the staff on board the Comfort, and lessons he has brought from the American Academy of Neurology's Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum (which trains selected members to be effective advocates for patients at the local, state, and national levels.) At the end of the interview, find out how you can still help in Haiti.

Host Dr. Anthony Alessi interviews neurologist Lt. Cmdr. Mill Etienne, MD, at St. Damien's Pediatric Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Hati. Dr. Etienne is a Hatian-American physician in the United States military, stationed on the USNS Comfort. They discuss Dr. Etienne's work providing medical care, in addition to translation services and cultural sensitivity training for the staff on board the Comfort, and lessons he has brought from the American Academy of Neurology's Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum (which trains selected members to be effective advocates for patients at the local, state, and national levels.) At the end of the interview, find out how you can still help in Haiti.

How is the CDC monitoring neurological complications from the H1N1 vaccine as it relates to the risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome? Dr. James Sejvar, neuroepidemiologist in the division of viral and rickettsial diseases at the National Center for Infectious Diseases and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, outlines for host Dr. Anthony Alessi the historical association between swine flu vaccination and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, neurologist-in-chief at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Miller Professor of Neurology, Epidemiology and Human Genetics at the Univeristy of Miami, joins host Dr. Anthony Alessi to discuss the FDA-approved treatment approaches for acute ischemic stroke, and what proportion of stokes each year are now treated with IV rTPA. Additionally, Dr. Sacco reviews the newly designated primary stroke centers throughout the United States, and how these have helped expand the treatement of stroke and organized healthcare professionals to provide the right treatment program for their patients in hospitals.