Elevated glutamate and lactate predict brain death after severe head trauma.

Objective: Clinical neurological assessment is challenging for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients in the acute setting. Waves of neurochemical abnormalities that follow TBI may serve as fluid biomarkers of neurological status. We assessed the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of glutamate, lactate, BDNF, and GDNF, to identify potential prognostic biomarkers of neurological outcome.

Progression of Friedreich ataxia: quantitative characterization over 5 years.

Objective: Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of adults and children. This study analyzed neurological outcomes and changes to identify predictors of progression and generate power calculations for clinical trials.

Methods: Eight hundred and twelve subjects in a natural history study were evaluated annually across 12 sites using the Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale (FARS), 9-Hole Peg Test, Timed 25-Foot Walk, visual acuity tests, self-reported surveys and disability scales.

Prevalence and Correlates of Anti-Parkinson Drug Use in a Nationally Representative Sample.

Background: Although numerous prescription drugs are available to treat Parkinson's disease (PD), little is known about national use in clinical practice and which factors may influence variability in care. The objectives of this study were to describe the prevalence of anti-Parkinson drug use among Medicare beneficiaries with PD and to identify demographic and clinical factors associated with drug use.

Methods: This retrospective study was based on a random sample of annual 5% Medicare Part A and B claims linked with Medicare Part D drug files from 2007 through 2010.

Interobserver agreement for neonatal seizure detection using multichannel EEG.

Objective: To determine the interobserver agreement (IOA) of neonatal seizure detection using the gold standard of conventional, multichannel EEG.

Methods: A cohort of full-term neonates at risk of acute encephalopathy was included in this prospective study. The EEG recordings of these neonates were independently reviewed for seizures by three international experts.

Experimentally Switching from Factory Made to Self-Made Cigarettes: A Preliminary Study of Perceptions, Toxicant Exposure and Smoking Behavior.

Introduction: There is currently the potential for a great deal of transition and product switching among cigarette smokers. Studies on the transition when cigarette smokers switch from one type of nicotine delivery product to another are needed to understand subsequent toxicant exposure.

Methods: A preliminary study was performed to determine the feasibility of experimentally replicating the transition from factory made (FM) to personal machine made (PMM) cigarette smoking.

Sleep, clocks, and synaptic plasticity.

Sleep is widely believed to play an essential role in synaptic plasticity. However, the precise mechanisms governing this presumptive function are largely unknown. There is also evidence for independent circadian oscillations in synaptic strength and morphology.

Characterizing Premotor Parkinson's Disease: Clinical Features and Objective Markers.

Increasingly, it has been recognized that in order to affect underlying neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD), individuals must be identified before onset of the classic motor symptoms. Thus, for research purposes, a redefinition of PD has been proposed into preclinical, premotor, and motor phases. In the preclinical phase, no clinical signs or symptoms of PD are present.