Insight
A woman with Parkinson’s disease played the clarinet during brain surgery, allowing doctors to observe immediate improvements in her movement. Denise Bacon, 65, from Crowborough in East Sussex, underwent Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) at King’s College Hospital while awake. Her playing helped surgeons assess the success of the procedure in real time. DBS involves implanting [...]
Having a higher body mass index (BMI) at the time of multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis is linked to faster disability progression, particularly when excess weight has been present since early adulthood. A Swedish study of 2,940 people with relapsing forms of MS found that those with persistently elevated BMI – a measure of body fat [...]
Standard MRI scans of the tongue could help detect and monitor motor neurone disease (MND) at an earlier stage, new research has found. The study discovered that people living with MND who have difficulty speaking or swallowing tend to have smaller tongue muscles, which could provide an early indication of the neurodegenerative disease. MND, also [...]
Doctors should measure patients’ neck circumference to assess stroke risk, as larger measurements could indicate serious health problems, experts have warned. Two lecturers at Kingston University say neck size offers a more accurate insight into health than body mass index (BMI) or waist-to-hip ratio. They note that neck circumferences of 17 inches (43cm) or more [...]
Current brain injury assessment tools fail to consider the effects of hormonal changes during menopause, potentially delaying recovery or increasing symptom burden in women, new research suggests. This omission may result in missed diagnoses, poor risk assessment and inadequate treatment for menopausal women recovering from TBIs. Researchers from the University of Florida College of Public [...]
Multiple sclerosis may begin damaging the brain up to seven years before symptoms appear, researchers say, showing immune activity starts earlier than previously thought. By analysing more than 5,000 blood proteins, scientists have mapped when MS begins attacking the myelin sheath — the fatty layer protecting nerve fibres — and identified potential diagnostic markers. Myelin [...]
People with Parkinson’s are receiving a new investigational treatment after a successful study demonstrated the therapy’s safety in non-human primates and refined the method for its delivery. Biotechnology company Aspen Neuroscience said it would enrol a third group of participants in its ASPIRO trial after the first four patients safely tolerated the therapy. The Phase [...]
Burnetts Solicitors’ partner and brain injury lead Paul Brown is former secretary of UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum and current secretary of Northern Acquired Brain Injury Forum. Here, Paul discusses how early access to specialist rehabilitation for people with ABI is essential to their recovery prospects but is currently dependent on a ‘postcode lottery’. Paul [...]
By Victoria Johnson, Pennington’s Manches Cooper Severe brain injury at birth is one of the most devastating outcomes of clinical negligence. The consequences are not only medical but profoundly personal for the families involved. Part of our role as clinical negligence solicitors is to ensure that families are supported in the aftermath, within the framework [...]
By Stephanie McDonald, UPCM clinical lead, Unite Professionals Unite Professionals strive to provide high-quality case management and as a result, have considered numerous ways to ensure that this is achieved. One innovative idea is the implementation of a unique outcome measure tool which delivers a number of benefits. Outcome measures are tools which are used [...]
