Neonatal Outcomes in the MONEAD Study of Pregnant Women with Epilepsy.

Objective: To determine whether growth measures at birth differ between offspring of pregnant women with epilepsy and healthy pregnant women.

Study Design: The Maternal Outcomes and Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (MONEAD) study is a National Institutes of Health-funded, prospective, observational, multicenter investigation of pregnancy outcomes for mothers and their infants. Between 2012 and 2016, pregnant women with epilepsy and healthy pregnant women were enrolled at 20 US epilepsy centers.

Changes in antiepileptic drug-prescribing patterns in pregnant women with epilepsy.

Objective: We analyzed current prescribing patterns for antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in pregnant women with epilepsy (PWWE) at 20 USA tertiary epilepsy centers.

Methods: The Maternal Outcomes and Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (MONEAD) study is an NIH-funded, prospective, observational, multicenter investigation of pregnancy outcomes for both mother and child, which enrolled women from December 2012 to January 2016. Inclusion criteria for PWWE included ages 14-45 years and up to 20 weeks gestational age.

Validation of digital spiral analysis as outcome parameter for clinical trials in essential tremor.

Essential tremor, one of the most prevalent movement disorders, is characterized by kinetic and postural tremor affecting activities of daily living. Spiral drawing is commonly used to visually rate tremor intensity, as part of the routine clinical assessment of tremor and as a tool in clinical trials. We present a strategy to quantify tremor severity from spirals drawn on a digitizing tablet.

An open-label, single-dose, crossover study of the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of two oral formulations of 1-octanol in patients with essential tremor.

Existing therapeutic options for management of essential tremor are frequently limited by poor efficacy and adverse effects. Likely the most potent tremor suppressant used is ethanol, although its use is prohibitive due to a brief therapeutic window, and the obvious implications of excessive alcohol use. Longer-chain alcohols have been shown to suppress tremor in harmaline animal models, and appear to be safe and well tolerated in 2 prior studies in humans.

Quantifying synapses: an immunocytochemistry-based assay to quantify synapse number.

One of the most important goals in neuroscience is to understand the molecular cues that instruct early stages of synapse formation. As such it has become imperative to develop objective approaches to quantify changes in synaptic connectivity. Starting from sample fixation, this protocol details how to quantify synapse number both in dissociated neuronal culture and in brain sections using immunocytochemistry.