News

Plenty of data show that a greater share of physicians practice in urban than in rural areas. The Council of Graduate Medical Education called it geographic maldistribution, "one of the most enduring features on the American health landscape," and said that it is likely to continue until universal health care is enacted.

Neurodegeneration associated with glaucoma was prevented in DBA/2J mice as a result of treatment with 1000 rads of radiation plus T-cell-depleted bone marrow.

Most patients who seek treatment for headache have the benign type-usually migraine, tension, or cluster headache. This review looks at what distinguishes benign-type headache from the more worrisome secondary organic-type headache.

Even as data mount in support of rasagiline (Agilect) as an alternative therapy for the motor symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD), additional research on the next generation of dopamine agonists suggests that this class of drugs will not be dispensed with any time soon. Findings presented in April at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) linked symptom improvement not only to the monoamine oxidase type B inhibitor but also to several nonergoline agonists, including 2 that target receptors other than D1 and D2 and are delivered transdermally.

Sometimes it pays to look at something in a different way. Growing up in rural Georgia, I hated kudzu. My disdain began as soon as I was old enough to mow the lawn. The creeping vines relentlessly tried to expand from their ceded territory and take over the civilized section of my parents' property.

At first glance, PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infection) has little in common with the cuddly bear that roams the bamboo forests of southwest China. But, in fact, they share 2 important features: both are rare and both are threatened with extinction.

The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) was set to begin recruiting this month for its clinical trial (www.alzheimers.org/clintrials/fullrec.asp?PrimaryKey=208) that will study how brain imaging technology can help measure the progression of mild cognitve impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer disease (AD).

Patients with chronic pain have always posed big challenges for neurologists, both in diagnosis and in treatment strategies. Why and how neurologists treat pain, however, is dynamically changing.

A progressive, debilitating disorder, multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common cause of disability in young adults with the exception of traumatic injury. The neurologic symptoms are the result of an autoimmune attack on the myelin enveloping the axons in the brain and spinal cord.

Can a common cough medicine contribute to effective treatment of symptoms in persons with neurologic disorders? The evidence is mounting in its favor. At the recent American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, research results were presented from a phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study into the safety and efficacy of a dextromethorphan/quinidine capsule in

An author discusses the similarities he has found between creating believable characters and stories and his work as a psychiatrist.

Of concern is the safety of our roadways as the effects of aging take their toll upon drivers nationwide. Are there accurate ways to test the cognition and response ability of elderly drivers?

Ever since antiquity, thinkers have associated creativity with psychopathology--the classic idea of the "mad genius."

Joseph I. Sirven, MD, and Joseph F. Drazkowski, MD, neurologists at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, led a recent study in partnership with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University (ASU) to determine how well medical risks and treatment advances for neurologic conditions are conveyed in US newspaper articles.

It may be possible to predict whether a patient will have an untoward reaction to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-or potentially another class of antidepressant-by "pretreating" them with a placebo and by monitoring its effect on brain activity.

When Gordon R. Kelley, MD, was called to the ICU in Kansas City, Mo, to evaluate a deteriorating patient who had apparently overdosed on methadone, he was puzzled. CT and MRI scans revealed an obstructive hydrocephalus associated with abnormal signals throughout the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and hippocampi. He knew that these findings were not consistent with a typical cerebrovascular injury, but he and other treating physicians were unsure of the cause of the findings. Reaching for his handheld computer, he entered several key words into his favorite program, NERVLINE: cerebellum . . . heroin . . . leukoencephalopathy

During a trip to Beijing on behalf of the World Psychiatric Association, Dr. Stone witnessed up close how the psychiatry is practiced in today's China. What he found may surprise you--it certainly surprised him.

Are juveniles mature enough to receive the death penalty? No, according to a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Medical, psychiatric, psychological and brain-imaging data all supported the decision to ban execution of juvenile death-row inmates.

Diagnosis of the two main major eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, can be difficult because of denial of symptomatology by the patients and problems with some of the diagnostic criteria. Although CBT has been the most effective, there are no treatments available that can guarantee a cure for either disorder. Medication is only a helpful adjunct to the treatment of anorexia, while many controlled studies that show antidepressant medications are effective in reducing binge/purge behavior in bulimia.

The FDA has issued a "black box" warning about the use of all antidepressants in the pediatric population due to a 1.8-fold increase in suicidality on drug compared to placebo. Yet these medications can be an effective tool in treating depression. How should parents and patients be educated, considering this information?

Autism is a highly prevalent, highly heterogeneous disorder of unknown etiology. Studies to clearly establish the efficacy of various classes of psychoactive drugs are scarce. Nonetheless, available findings do support the efficacy of atypical antipsychotics and antidepressants in treating the core symptoms of repetitive behavior.

Bipolar disorder in children is particularly difficult to treat. A treatment algorithm combining pharmacology with psychotherapy in order to get optimal results is presented.

Heavy smoking and caffeine intake are highly prevalent in patients with psychiatric disorders, both of which significantly impact the metabolism of a number of psychotropic medications. Hence, these factors should be routinely considered in making prescribing decisions.

The discipline of psychopharmacology has expanded enormously during the last several decades. As this Special Report illustrates, while the treatment of mental illness with medication has definitely advanced, it is neither quick nor easy. Instead, it has become more complex and complicated.

Psychiatric evaluation of juveniles who commit murder is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks in forensic psychiatry. A study has shown that these inmates are more likely to have been abused, be addicted to drugs or alcohol, or have a serious psychiatric disorder. Additionally, they are more likely to engage in risky behavior without thinking about the consequences.

Drug Company Dinner

Psychiatric Reporter:Insomnia and Its Risks: Causes, Consequences and Treatment

Locomotor training is an emerging rehabilitation intervention to help patients who have spinal cord injuries or who are recovering from stroke walk again. The basis for the intervention lies in understanding the neurobiology of walking and the nervous system's capacity for activity-dependent plasticity.

Alzheimer disease (AD) affects between 6% and 8% of Americans older than 65 years. As the population of older adults increases, the number of persons with AD is expected to rise from 4.5 million in 2000 to 13.2 million by 2050.1 This disease is important not only because of the number of patients affected but also because it leads to significant physical and emotional burdens on families and caregivers.

Recent medical meetings provided platforms for researchers to present their latest findings and for practicing physicians to catch up on the latest developments in their fields. Following are summaries of some of those presentations, and more will follow in the next issue.