Drs. Leonard Scinto and Kirk Daffner provide a comprehensive survey of new diagnostic approaches to Alzheimer's disease. The authoritative contributors critically survey the most promising current research on early diagnostic markers for Alzheimer's disease, including the elucidation of changes in the brain revealed by structural and functional neuroimaging, as well as the characteristic patterns of cognitive decline that are documented by sensitive neuropsychological tests, various genetic markers, and biological assays. Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease illuminates the complex issues...

David A. Gelber, MD, and Douglas R. Jeffery, MD, have assembled a much-needed collection of authoritative review articles discussing the pathophysiology of chronic neurologic spasticity and detailing its often complex medical and surgical management. Written by leading experts in neurology and rehabilitation, the book covers physical and occupational therapy, splinting and orthotics, electrical stimulation, orthopedic interventions, nerve blocks, the use of botulinum toxin, and novel treatments such as tizanidine, intrathecal medications, and neurosurgical techniques. The contributors also...

A synthesis of current concepts about the evaluation, treatment, and future directions in MS. On the evaluation side, the authors review the use of MRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, functional MRI, and three-dimensional MRI, and consider the rapidly developing body of pathologic information they have yielded. On the treatment side, the focus is on recently approved medications (Novantrone), new indications for medications (CHAMPS Trial), medications in development (Oral Interferon Tau, Oral Copaxone, and Oral Cellcept), immunosuppressive therapy for both progressive disease and...

Leading neurocritical care and intensive care specialists from the Neurosciences Critical Care Unit of the Johns Hopkins Hospital have joined forces to spell out concisely for first line health care providers the diverse standards and therapeutic regimens required for the care of critically ill neurological and neurosurgical patients. Their authoritative reference guide takes an algorithmic approach to immediate patient care, incorporating both ancillary investigation to confirm clinical diagnosis and appropriate management guidelines. The book offers comprehensive summaries of the best...

Despite major advances in the understanding of stroke mechanisms that have occurred over the past quarter century, stroke continues to rank among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Although currently it may be difficult to believe, early doubts were expressed as to whether inter- ventions in risk factors for either coronary disease or stroke would actually lead to a reduction in the incidence of these disorders. However, large clini- cal trials in hypertension, carotid disease, atrial fibrillation, and antithrombotic and antiplatelet therapies have effectively demonstrated...

A comprehensive survey on the use of bedside skills and perimetric devices to the test visual fields, and how to interpret the results. To develop the clinician's interpretative skills, the authors include a chapter on visual anatomy and an atlas of 100 real-life cases arranged in anatomic order from retina to striate cortex. By placing a brief clinical vignette with a visual field on one side of the page and a description of the field and its causal lesion on the opposite side, the reader will be able to learn interpretation in a simulated clinical setting. An additional quiz section of...

A comprehensive review of what is known not only about the cause and treatment of atypical parksonian disorders, but also the issues that clinicians, researchers, patients, and caregivers face in dealing with them. The authors cover the basic science (history, epidemiology, genetics, pathology, nosology, computer modeling, and animal models), detailed clinical and laboratory assessments, and available diagnostic tools, including neuropsychiatric, neurologic, neuropsychologic, speech, electrophysiologic, and imaging evaluations. Current and future therapeutic approaches are also detailed,...

A multidisciplinary survey of our current understanding of the biological and clinical aspects of vascular disease. The authors describe its basic mechanisms, its clinical characteristics, its pharmacological management, and the use of neuroimaging methods to investigate it. The complex relationship between VaD and AD is also fully explored with chapters on how these processes interact and how one disease may lower the threshold for clinical expression of the other.

A comprehensive, systematic, and advanced review of the scientific, preclinical, and clinical aspects of several major mental illnesses. The illnesses covered range from neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease, to psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, Tourette's syndrome and tic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, unipolar depression, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. For each disorder, the authors uniformly discuss its incidence and prevalence, etiology,...

It often takes time for a new therapeutic modality to mature into an accepted treatment option. After initial approval, new drugs, devices, and procedures all go through this process until they become vetted by the scientific community as well as the medical community at large. Thrombolysis for treatment of stroke is no exception. Thrombolytic Therapy for Acute Stroke, Second Edition comes four years after the first edition and provides a very comprehensive, updated perspective on the use of intravenous rt-TPA in acute stroke. The authors provide longer term follow-up on the pivotal clinical...