Falls are the most common cause of head injuries and research has shown that elderly patients older than 65 years old have about a 27% chance of falling in any given year. Most falls in this population tend to be ground-level falls which would otherwise be benign in younger people. However, advancing age often leads to progressive brain atrophy, leaving …
We have all had a resident fall sustaining a significant head injury requiring hospitalization, simple right? What about the resident who is observed on the floor with no outward signs of injury? What do we do then? This is not a trick question but can be tricky all the same. A physical assessment with neuro checks is performed, all good, …
Funny title, interesting study, maybe this is why humans have such a focus on food and pleasure. In a recent study initially conducted to identify the best body position for swallowing pills (I know, who studies that?) an incidental finding was that a part of the brain, “lit up” in response to pictures of food. It didn’t matter if the …
MedPage Today reported on Erika A. Petersen, MD, of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock speaking at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology’s virtual meeting in May. Dr. Petersen discussed the use of a spinal cord stimulation device for relieving diabetic neuropathy pain. “This is the largest randomized controlled trial evaluating spinal cord stimulation for refractory …
A new database will collect information from clinicians about COVID-19 related neurological symptoms, complications, and outcomes as well as COVID-19 effects on pre-existing neurological conditions. The COVID-19 Neuro Databank/Biobank (NeuroCOVID), which was created and will be maintained by NYU Langone Health in New York City, will be a resource of clinical information as well as biospecimens from people of all …
COVID-19 can involve multiple organs including the nervous system. In a recent study published in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, 509 consecutive patients admitted with confirmed COVID-19 in a hospital network in Chicago, Illinois were examined for neurologic manifestations. The severity of COVID-19 and outcomes in patients with and without neurologic manifestations were compared. Neurologic manifestations were present …
People who have had COVID-19 may have an increased risk of being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder such as anxiety or depression. Researchers looked at the medical records of 69 million people in the United States between January 20 and August 1, 2020. The data included 62,000 people who contracted COVID-19 as part of what the authors described as the …
In a recent review published on June 8, 2020 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, a three-stage classification of the impact of COVID-19 on the central nervous system was identified. The review recommends hospitalized patients with the virus undergo MRI to flag potential neurologic damage and inform post-discharge monitoring. The stages include: Viral damage is limited to epithelial cells of …
