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Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Feb 18;16(4). Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan.

Use the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan to determine whether patients with posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) have an increased risk of mortality. Patients ≥20 years old ever admitted because of head injury (per International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes 850⁻854 and 959.01) during 2000⁻2012 were enrolled into a traumatic brain injury (TBI) cohort. Read More

Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2019 ;119(1):110-117

Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) clinical course and outcomes in children have peculiarities as the damage impacts brain, which growth and maturation are continuing. Thus, TBI interferes into normal processes of neuroontogenesis leading to negative consequences on the cognitive functions development, school education, social skills acquisition. Cognitive and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents in the long-term period of TBI become more prominent in co-occurrence with paroxysmal disorders, including posttraumatic headaches, posttraumatic epilepsy and subclinical epileptiform activity on the EEG. Read More

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019 Feb 8;92:328-338. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica Toxicológica, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil; Laboratório de Bioquímica do Exercício, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Física, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. Electronic address:

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a devastating disease frequently followed by behavioral disabilities including post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). Although reasonable progress in understanding its pathophysiology has been made, treatment of PTE is still limited. Several studies have shown the neuroprotective effect of creatine in different models of brain pathology, but its effects on PTE is not elucidated. Read More

Epilepsy Res 2019 Jan 9;151:24-30. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Section of Epilepsy, Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Medical Center and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, Xiamen Changgung Hospital, China. Electronic address:

Objective: To report the long-term seizure control and safety of open-loop electrical cortical stimulation in patients with refractory focal epilepsy of diverse etiologies.

Methods: Six patients who received a therapeutic trial of cortical stimulation were included retrospectively. The frequency of seizures was recorded before and after implantation. Read More

World Neurosurg 2019 Feb 1. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Division of Trauma Plastic Surgery, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Craniofacial Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Plastic Surgery, Xiamen Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Xiamen, China. Electronic address:

Objective: The role of maxillofacial trauma in dementia risk is less well established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between craniofacial trauma, including facial bone fracture and TBI, and dementia.

Methods: Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, we identified 501,889 adults, who had had at least one medical record of craniofacial trauma between 2000 and 2010 and did not have a dementia diagnosis at baseline. Read More

Epilepsy Res 2019 Jan 18;151:7-16. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Finland.

Multi-center preclinical studies can facilitate the discovery of biomarkers of antiepileptogenesis and thus facilitate the diagnosis and treatment development of patients at risk of developing post-traumatic epilepsy. However, these studies are often limited by the difficulty in harmonizing experimental protocols between laboratories. Here, we assess whether the production of traumatic brain injury (TBI) using the lateral fluid-percussion injury (FPI) in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (12 weeks at the time of injury) was harmonized between three laboratories - located in the University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Monash University in Melbourne, Australia (Melbourne) and The University of California, Los Angeles, USA (UCLA). Read More

Mol Biol Rep 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, 110067, New Delhi, India.

Post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) is a common long-term risk associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI). PTE rat model, proposed by Willmore et al., is a well known model that mimics human PTE. Read More

Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2018 ;118(10. Vyp. 2):3-8

Moscow Research and Clinical Center for Neuropsychiatry of the Healthcare Department, Moscow, Russia; Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia.

Aim: To evaluate the incidence and risk factors for posttraumatic seizures (PTS).

Material And Methods: The authors conducted a prospective study of 237 patients with TBI of varying severity. The patients were hospitalized and examined in Moscow neurosurgery departments. Read More

J Trauma Stress 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Department of Psychology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany.

The present meta-analysis analyzed whether parents of young people with pediatric chronic physical illnesses experience higher levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than other adults and searched for correlates of PTSS in these parents. Based on a systematic search in electronic databases, 184 studies were included in the meta-analysis. On average, 18. Read More

Epilepsy Res 2019 Jan 18. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States.

The Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenic Therapy (EpiBioS4Rx) is a NINDS funded Center-Without-Walls international study aimed at preventing epileptogenesis after traumatic brain injury (TBI). One objective of EpiBioS4Rx relates to preclinical biomarker discovery for post-traumatic epilepsy. In order to perform a statistically appropriately powered biomarker discovery study, EpiBioS4Rx has made a rigorous attempt to harmonize the preclinical procedures performed at the three EpiBioS4Rx centers, located in Finland, Australia, and the USA. Read More

J Neurosci 2019 Jan 21. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Roanoke, Virginia, USA

Focal traumatic brain injury (TBI) induces astrogliosis, a process essential to protect uninjured brain areas from secondary damage. However, astrogliosis can cause loss of astrocyte homeostatic functions and possibly contributes to comorbidities such as post-traumatic epilepsy. Scar-forming astrocytes seal focal injuries off from healthy brain tissue. Read More

Epilepsy Res 2019 Feb 7;150:46-57. Epub 2019 Jan 7.

A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, FIN-70211 Kuopio, Finland.

Preclinical imaging studies of posttraumatic epileptogenesis (PTE) have largely been proof-of-concept studies with limited animal numbers, and thus lack the statistical power for biomarker discovery. Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenic Therapy (EpiBioS4Rx) is a pioneering multicenter trial investigating preclinical imaging biomarkers of PTE. EpiBios4Rx faced the issue of harmonizing the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures and imaging data metrics prior to its execution. Read More

Front Neuroinform 2018 20;12:86. Epub 2018 Dec 20.

Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, United States.

Epilepsy is among the most common serious disabling disorders of the brain, and the global burden of epilepsy exerts a tremendous cost to society. Most people with epilepsy have acquired forms of the disorder, and the development of antiepileptogenic interventions could potentially prevent or cure epilepsy in many of them. However, the discovery of potential antiepileptogenic treatments and clinical validation would require a means to identify populations of patients at very high risk for epilepsy after a potential epileptogenic insult, to know when to treat and to document prevention or cure. Read More

J Neurosurg 2019 Jan 4:1-7. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

The vascular hypothesis held that posttraumatic epilepsy results from reflex vasoconstriction of cortical arteries around a cerebral scar. Penfield's initial support and eventual refutation of the vascular hypothesis is the subject of this paper, which is based on a review of his clinical charts, operative and electrocorticographic reports, and brain maps held in the Montreal Neurological Institute archives. Penfield and his collaborators discovered that posttraumatic cortical scars are composed of astro-glial fibers, collagen fibrils, and a neo-vascular plexus that anastomoses with the surrounding cortical arteries. Read More

Epilepsy Res 2019 Feb 27;150:17-26. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.

The Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenic Therapy (EpiBioS4Rx) is a National Institutes for Neurological Diseases and Stoke funded Centers-Without-Walls international multidisciplinary study aimed at preventing epileptogenesis. The preclinical biomarker discovery in EpiBios4Rx applies a multicenter study design to allow the number of animals that are required for adequate statistical power for the analysis to be studied in an efficient manner. Further, the use of multiple centers mimics the clinical trial situation, and therefore potentially the chance of successful clinical translation of the outcomes of the study. Read More

Cereb Cortex 2018 Dec 22. Epub 2018 Dec 22.

Department of Neurology, Division of Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology, Neuromodulation Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in a decrease in glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) expression, the major mechanism for glutamate removal from synapses. Coupled with an increase in glutamate release from dead and dying neurons, this causes an increase in extracellular glutamate. The ensuing glutamate excitotoxicity disproportionately damages vulnerable GABAergic parvalbumin-positive inhibitory interneurons, resulting in a progressively worsening cortical excitatory:inhibitory imbalance due to a loss of GABAergic inhibitory tone, as evidenced by chronic post-traumatic symptoms such as epilepsy, and supported by neuropathologic findings. Read More

Epilepsy Res 2019 Jan 26;149:92-101. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.

The Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenic Therapy (EpiBioS4Rx) is an international, multicenter, multidisciplinary study aimed at preventing epileptogenesis (EpiBioS4Rx: https://epibios.loni.usc. Read More

Acta Neuropathol 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia.

This review recounts the definitions and research evidence supporting the multifaceted roles of neuroinflammation in the injured brain following trauma. We summarise the literature fluctuating from the protective and detrimental properties that cytokines, leukocytes and glial cells play in the acute and chronic stages of TBI, including the intrinsic factors that influence cytokine responses and microglial functions relative to genetics, sex, and age. We elaborate on the pros and cons that cytokines, chemokines, and microglia play in brain repair, specifically neurogenesis, and how such conflicting roles may be harnessed therapeutically to sustain the survival of new neurons. Read More

Egypt J Neurol Psychiatr Neurosurg 2018 9;54(1):34. Epub 2018 Nov 9.

2Department of Neurology, Minia University, Minya, Egypt.

Background: A high prevalence of epilepsy in children is frequently found in developing countries.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical pattern of childhood and adolescence epilepsy in Upper Egypt.

Methods: This is a door-to-door study conducted on all inhabitants < 18 years in Al Kharga district and Al Qusier city (36,195 subjects). Read More

Semin Neurol 2018 12 6;38(6):619-626. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.

Posttraumatic headaches are among the most challenging complaints after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). They are a debilitating problem experienced by patients after TBI of all severities. Up to 90% of mild TBI patients experience headache, particularly if female and with a premorbid history of primary headache. Read More

Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2018 8;14:2989-3000. Epub 2018 Nov 8.

FloTBI Inc., Cleveland, OH, USA,

Biomarkers can be broadly defined as qualitative or quantitative measurements that convey information on the physiopathological state of a subject at a certain time point or disease state. Biomarkers can indicate health, pathology, or response to treatment, including unwanted side effects. When used as outcomes in clinical trials, biomarkers act as surrogates or substitutes for clinically meaningful endpoints. Read More

Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2018 ;118(10):90-92

Stavropol State Medical University, Stavropol, Russia.

The presented article deals with traumatic brain injury, which can cause convulsive seizures with the subsequent development of epilepsy, which is especially characteristic of young people. The problems of classification of posttraumatic epileptic seizures, development of their mechanisms, characteristics of diagnosis, as well as the stages of epileptogenesis leading to the development of traumatic epilepsy are considered. The variants of therapy are given in view of traumatic brain injury. Read More

J Neurosurg 2018 Nov 1:1-7. Epub 2018 Nov 1.

2Neurology; and.

The putative mechanism of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for medically refractory epilepsy is desynchronization of hippocampal and thalamocortical circuitry; however, the nature of the dose-response relationship and temporal dynamics is poorly understood. For greater elucidation, a study in a nonepileptic rat model was previously conducted and showed that rapid-cycle (RC) VNS achieved superior desynchrony compared to standard-cycle (SC) VNS. Here, the authors report on the first in-human analysis of the neuromodulatory dose-response effects of VNS in a patient with posttraumatic, independent, bilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy refractory to medications and SC-VNS who was referred as a potential candidate for a responsive neurostimulation device. Read More

World Neurosurg 2019 Feb 20;122:433-440. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Department of Neurosurgery, Computational Neuroscience Outcomes Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Background: The use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) to prevent early posttraumatic seizure (PTS) for patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is currently recommended, although published studies present contradictory results concerning the protective effect of AEDs.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to quantify the association between the use of prophylactic AEDs, particularly of the 4 main drugs of interest (phenytoin, levetiracetam, valproate, or carbamazepine) versus placebo or no treatment, and risk of early seizures after TBI.

Methods: A comprehensive search was performed on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials. Read More

Front Cell Neurosci 2018 16;12:350. Epub 2018 Oct 16.

Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant cause of disability worldwide and can lead to post-traumatic epilepsy. Multiple molecular, cellular, and network pathologies occur following injury which may contribute to epileptogenesis. Efforts to identify mechanisms of disease progression and biomarkers which predict clinical outcomes have focused heavily on metabolic changes. Read More

Disabil Rehabil 2018 Nov 20:1-12. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

a College of Public Health and Health Professions , University of Florida , Gainesville , FL , USA.

Purpose: Twenty-nine states have bypassed federal regulations by legalizing marijuana (MJ) either medicinally, recreationally or both. The FDA states that there is no empirical evidence that MJ is effective to treat these disorders. With over a billion individuals living with a disability across the globe, it is crucial to fully research the efficaciousness and safety of medical MJ to treat this population. Read More

Clin Case Rep 2018 Nov 17;6(11):2271-2275. Epub 2018 Oct 17.

Department of Psychiatry and Neurology Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine Sapporo Japan.

Electrical stimulation (ES) of the pre-supplementary or cingulate motor area can cause reaching/grasping (R/G) movements with the hand contralateral to the side of the brain receiving the ES. We report this phenomenon occurring in a 23-year-old right-handed man during spontaneous epileptic seizure, which developed after traumatic brain injury. Read More

Cureus 2018 Sep 10;10(9):e3278. Epub 2018 Sep 10.

Internal Medicine, Basic Health Unit Larhi, Gambat, Gambat, PAK.

Epilepsy is considered to be one of the most common non-communicable neurological diseases especially in low to middle-income countries. Approximately one-third of patients with epilepsy have seizures that are resistant to antiepileptic medications. Clinical trials for the treatment of medically refractory epilepsy have mostly focused on new drug treatments, and result in a significant portion of subjects whose seizures remain refractory to medication. Read More

Discrete Continuous Dyn Syst Ser B 2018 Jan;23(1):161-172

USC Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute University of Southern California, 2025 Zonal Ave Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.

Epilepsy is among the most common serious disabling disorders of the brain, and the global burden of epilepsy exerts a tremendous cost to society. Most people with epilepsy have acquired forms, and the development of antiepileptogenic interventions could potentially prevent or cure these epilepsies [3, 13]. The discovery of potential antiepileptogenic treatments is currently a high research priority. Read More

Psychiatr Q 2018 Oct 18. Epub 2018 Oct 18.

American Mental Health Foundation, 128 2nd Pl, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, USA.

The medical community and the general public are aware of sudden deaths in apparently healthy infants (SIDS) and in cases of cardiac arrest (SCD). However, there is a third, less-well known, form of sudden death that occurs in persons with epilepsy (SUDEP). This paper provides a detailed overview what is known about SUDEP, including the current important, unresolved issues being considered in the field (research, education, informed consent). Read More

Neurobiol Dis 2019 Mar 12;123:75-85. Epub 2018 Oct 12.

A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, FIN-70211 Kuopio, Finland.

Posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) is a major neurodegenerative disease accounting for 20% of symptomatic epilepsy cases. A long latent phase offers a potential window for prophylactic treatment strategies to prevent epilepsy onset, provided that the patients at risk can be identified. Some promising imaging biomarker candidates for posttraumatic epileptogenesis have been identified, but more are required to provide the specificity and sensitivity for accurate prediction. Read More

Front Immunol 2018 21;9:2009. Epub 2018 Sep 21.

Department of Neurosciences and Behavior, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Among the many cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound that does not produce the typical subjective effects of marijuana. The aim of the present review is to describe the main advances in the development of the experimental and clinical use of cannabidiol CBD in neuropsychiatry. A non-systematic search was performed for studies dealing with therapeutic applications of CBD, especially performed by Brazilian researchers. Read More

Epilepsy Res 2018 11 17;147:87-94. Epub 2018 Sep 17.

University at Buffalo, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Department of Neurosurgery, Buffalo, NY, United States. Electronic address:

The rat lateral fluid-percussion injury (FPI) model has been used extensively to study post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). Epidemiological studies have reported that the risk of PTE is higher after more severe injury. Adult, male Wistar rats subjected to different atmospheric pressures of injury during FPI showed great variability in injury severity when functional behavior was determined based on the Neurological Severity Score (NSS) assessment. Read More

Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2018 Oct 1. Epub 2018 Oct 1.

Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge & Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.

Background: Patient selection for seizure prophylaxis after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and duration of anti-epileptic drug treatment for patients with early post-traumatic seizures (PTS), remain plagued with uncertainty. In early 2017, a collaborative group of neurosurgeons, neurologists, neurointensive care and rehabilitation medicine physicians was formed in the UK with the aim of assessing variability in current practice and gauging the degree of uncertainty to inform the design of future studies. Here we present the results of a survey of clinicians managing patients with TBI in the UK and Ireland. Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2018 Nov 18;88:41-48. Epub 2018 Sep 18.

Epilepsy Center Bethel, Krankenhaus Mara, Bielefeld, Germany.

Several studies found high prevalence rates of psychiatric disorders in patients with pure psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). Traumatic experiences were also reported to be elevated in patients with PNES and were discussed as a crucial risk factor for the development of PNES. Much less is known about psychiatric comorbidities and specifically, about trauma history in patients with PNES and coexisting epilepsy. Read More

J Neurosurg Pediatr 2018 Dec;22(6):684-693

2Department of Neurosurgery, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.

OBJECTIVEPosttraumatic seizures (PTSs) are the most common complication following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and may lead to posttraumatic epilepsy. PTS is well described in the adult literature but has not been studied extensively in children. Here, the authors utilized the largest nationwide registry of pediatric hospitalizations to report the national incidence, risk factors, and outcomes associated with PTS in pediatric TBI. Read More

IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2018 Sep 19. Epub 2018 Sep 19.

Objective: Hippocampal slice cultures spontaneously develop chronic epilepsy several days after slicing and are used as an in vitro model of post-traumatic epilepsy. Here, we describe a hybrid microfluidic-microelectrode array (μflow-MEA) technology that incorporates microfluidic perfusion network and electrodes into a miniaturized device for hippocampal slice culture based antiepileptic drug discovery.

Methods: Field potential simulation was conducted to help optimize the electrode design to detect seizure-like population activity. Read More

Expert Opin Ther Pat 2018 Oct 10;28(10):713-721. Epub 2018 Sep 10.

a NEUROFARBA Department, Sezione di Scienze Farmaceutiche e Nutraceutiche , Università degli Studi di Firenze , Sesto Fiorentino (Firenze) , Italy.

Introduction: There are tissues and organs, among which kidneys and the central nervous system (CNS), rich in various isoforms of the metalloenzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1. Read More

Neurochem Res 2018 Oct 1;43(10):1978-1985. Epub 2018 Sep 1.

Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.

Five percent of all epilepsy cases are attributed to traumatic brain injury (TBI), which are known as post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). Finding preventive strategies for PTE is valuable. Remarkable feature of TBI is activation of microglia and subsequent neuroinflammation, which provokes epileptogenesis. Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2018 Oct 23;87:188-194. Epub 2018 Aug 23.

Department of Neurology and Allegheny Health Network Research Institute, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Neurology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address:

This study assessed neuropeptide Y (NPY) expression in the hippocampus after long-term survival following traumatic brain injury (TBI) induced by controlled cortical impact (CCI) with or without the development of posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE). We hypothesized that following long-term survival after CCI, the severity of tissue injury and the development of PTE would correlate with the degree of hippocampal neurodegeneration as reflected by NPY+ and neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN)+ cell loss. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats of 2-3 months of age were lesioned in the right parietal cortex and monitored for seizure activity by video and/or video-EEG. Read More

Epilepsia 2018 Oct 24;59(10):1945-1953. Epub 2018 Aug 24.

VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, Oregon.

Objective: To determine the frequency and severity of psychiatric disorders and attribution of seizures to traumatic brain injury (TBI) in veterans with verified psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) versus epileptic seizures (ES).

Methods: We studied 333 consecutive admissions to the monitoring units of three Veterans Administration epilepsy centers. All patients underwent continuous video-electroencephalographic recording to define definite PNES or ES. Read More

J AOAC Int 2018 Aug 23. Epub 2018 Aug 23.

Tomori Pharmacology Inc., Denver, CO.

Cannabis has been used as a medicinal plant for thousands of years. As a result of centuries of breeding and selection, there are now over 700 varieties of cannabis that contain hundreds of compounds, including cannabinoids and terpenes. Cannabinoids are fatty compounds that are the main biological active constituents of cannabis. Read More

Neurobiol Dis 2019 Mar 16;123:8-19. Epub 2018 Aug 16.

Departments of Neuroscience and Medicine, Central Clinical School, Monash University, VIC 3004, Australia; Department of Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia.

Posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) is one of the most debilitating and understudied consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is challenging to study the effects, underlying pathophysiology, biomarkers, and treatment of TBI and PTE purely in human patients for a number of reasons. Rodent models can complement human PTE studies as they allow for the rigorous investigation into the causal relationship between TBI and PTE, the pathophysiological mechanisms of PTE, the validation and implementation of PTE biomarkers, and the assessment of PTE treatments, in a tightly controlled, time- and cost-efficient manner in experimental subjects known to be experiencing epileptogenic processes. Read More

J Headache Pain 2018 Aug 3;19(1):62. Epub 2018 Aug 3.

Head and Neck Research Group, Research Centre, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway.

Background: Primary headaches are associated with psychological distress, neuroticism and disability. However, little is known about headache-related disability and psychological distress among people with secondary chronic headaches.

Methods: 30,000 persons aged 30-44 from the general population was screened for headache by a questionnaire. Read More

Neurobiol Dis 2019 Mar 9;123:100-109. Epub 2018 Aug 9.

Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address:

In the quest for developing new therapeutic targets for post-traumatic epilepsies (PTE), identifying mechanisms relevant to development and progression of disease is critical. A growing body of literature suggests involvement of neurodegenerative mechanisms in the pathophysiology of acquired epilepsies, including following traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this review, we discuss the potential of some of these mechanisms to be targets for the development of a therapy against PTE. Read More

J Neurotrauma 2018 Dec 27;35(23):2820-2826. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

1 Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Epidemiology and Information Processing, University of Veterinary Medicine , Hannover, Germany .

This study was performed to evaluate clinical biomarkers as prognostic values in dogs with traumatic brain injury (TBI) based on findings in human patients. Sodium levels of 158 dogs with TBI and 169 patients with trauma without involvement of the head except head trauma (EHT) were examined. TBI patients with hypernatremia had a slightly higher risk of dying (22. Read More

Epilepsy Res 2018 10 23;146:41-49. Epub 2018 Jul 23.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, 1405 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States; Division of Pediatric Neurology, Emory University, 1405 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30329.

Background: About 2.8 million TBI-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths occurred in 2013 in the United States. Post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) can be a disabling, life-long outcome of TBI. Read More

Neurology 2018 Aug 1;91(9):e878-e883. Epub 2018 Aug 1.

From the University of Turku (J.U., S.L., S.T., E.L., O.T.); and Turku University Hospital (S.L., O.T.), Finland.

Objective: To assess the effect of posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE) on mortality and causes of death after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: Medical reports were collected retrospectively of patients who sustained TBI between 1996 and 2013. After defining patients with PTE and picking up 2 non-PTE matched TBI controls for every patient with PTE, the database included 714 patients. Read More

Neurobiol Dis 2019 Mar 27;123:27-41. Epub 2018 Jul 27.

Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC, Australia. Electronic address:

Survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI) often develop chronic neurological, neurocognitive, psychological, and psychosocial deficits that can have a profound impact on an individual's wellbeing and quality of life. TBI is also a common cause of acquired epilepsy, which is itself associated with significant behavioral morbidity. This review considers the clinical and preclinical evidence that post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) acts as a 'second-hit' insult to worsen chronic behavioral outcomes for brain-injured patients, across the domains of emotional, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning. Read More

Cureus 2018 May 23;10(5):e2674. Epub 2018 May 23.

Neurosurgery, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, USA.

Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of long-term disability. Early onset post-traumatic seizures (PTS) after traumatic injury to the brain is a strong predictor of adverse outcomes in these patients. Our study investigates the role of Keppra in early PTS prophylaxis compared to no treatment, taking into account risk factors including injury severity, seizure history, and anti-epileptic drug (AED) use. Read More