Publications by authors named "T Bertorini"
ALSUntangled reviews alternate and off-label treatments prompted by patient interest. Here, we review psilocybin, a chemical derived from mushrooms and belonging in the category of drugs known as psychedelics. Psilocybin has plausible mechanisms for slowing ALS progression because of its ability to cross the blood brain barrier and effect neurogenesis and inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpinal muscular atrophy is an incurable inherited disease caused by lower motor neuron death from mutations of the survival motor neuron genes. Intrathecal therapy with the antisense oligonucleotide, nusinersen, has been demonstrated to be beneficial in children with this disease, but the experience in adults, particularly ambulatory patients, is limited. We present a prospective observational case series from a single center using nusinersen therapy where we categorize 6 adult patients with spinal muscular atrophy into 2 functional categories: ambulatory (n = 3) or nonambulatory (n = 3).
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- - The Wahls diet is a specialized version of the Paleolithic diet, focusing on nutrient-rich foods like leafy greens and omega-3 fatty acids while limiting processed foods and sugars, aiming to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
- - While some studies link components of the Wahls diet, like high carotenoids and omega-3s, to reduced ALS risk, there is no solid evidence proving it slows ALS progression, with conflicting results from animal model research.
- - Additionally, the Wahls diet has led to significant weight loss in people with multiple sclerosis, raising concerns since weight loss can worsen ALS, leading to the conclusion that the diet shouldn't be endorsed for ALS patients.
Background And Purpose: Various electrodiagnostic criteria have been developed in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Their performance in a broad representation of GBS patients has not been evaluated. Motor conduction data from the International GBS Outcome Study (IGOS) cohort were used to compare two widely used criterion sets and relate these to diagnostic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis criteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFALSUntangled #75: Portable neuromodulation stimulator therapy.
Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener
August 2024
Spurred by patient interest, ALSUntangled herein examines the potential of the Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS™) in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The PoNS™ device, FDA-approved for the treatment of gait deficits in adult patients with multiple sclerosis, utilizes translingual neurostimulation to stimulate trigeminal and facial nerves via the tongue, aiming to induce neuroplastic changes. While there are early, promising data for PoNS treatment to improve gait and balance in multiple sclerosis, stroke, and traumatic brain injury, no pre-clinical or clinical studies have been performed in ALS.
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