Results of a randomized trial confirm that treatment with amantadine can accelerate functional recovery among patients in vegetative or minimally conscious states after a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Compared with placebo, amantadine effectively accelerated the pace of recovery of cognitively mediated behaviors, such as recognition of objects or verbalization, activities that form the foundation for functional independence, the researchers report. At week 4, more patients in the amantadine than the placebo group had recovery of all 6 behaviors.

“I do think this is going to influence practice,” lead author Joseph T. Giacino, PhD, from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, told Medscape Medical News. “This is first time we have convincing evidence in a Class I study, for any treatment — at all — for brain injury.”… [Continue Reading]

For patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy, surgery soon after failure of 2 antiepileptic drug (AED) trials is more effective than continued medical management in controlling seizures and improving quality of life, according to results of the Early Randomized Surgical Epilepsy Trial (ERSET).

“Despite reported success, surgery for pharmacoresistant seizures is often seen as a last resort,” the study team notes in a new report published March 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “Patients are typically referred for surgery after 20 years of seizures, often too late to avoid significant disability and premature death.”… [Continue Reading]