Archive for neurology
Getting COVID-19 vaccines to medically fragile children
As COVID-19 vaccines slowly roll out, should children who need complex care or have serious medical conditions be vaccinated? We asked experts around Boston Children’s Hospital, and their resounding answer is: Yes, if they are age 16 or older. Boston Children’s is actively planning to make vaccination happen for as many patients as possible, as ... Read More
Made-to-order therapies get a boost with new FDA guidelines
Science-based treatments for rare genetic diseases have burgeoned in the past decade. That includes diseases so rare they affect just a handful of patients — or in some cases, just one. In 2017, researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital made history, creating a customized drug for a girl named Mila with Batten disease. The drug blocked ... Read More
Botulism breakthrough? Taming botulinum toxin to deliver therapeutics
While rare, botulism can cause paralysis and is potentially fatal. It is caused by nerve-damaging toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum — the most potent toxins known. These toxins often lurk in contaminated food (home canning being a major culprit). Infants can also develop botulism from ingesting C. botulinum spores in honey, soil, or dust; the ... Read More
New strategies for restoring myelin on damaged nerve cells
Key takeaways Myelin is an essential fatty substance coating surrounding nerve axons. After injury, regenerated nerve axons usually fail to remyelinate, inhibiting nerve cell communication. A combination treatment led to remyelination in about 60 percent of regenerated axons. This research may have implications in other diseases associated with myelin loss, like multiple sclerosis. Loss of ... Read More
Scar-free healing after spinal cord injury relies on specialized cells
Key takeaways Scar tissue prevents nerves from communicating with each other. Microglia cells in the central nervous system help prevent scar tissue formation after spinal cord injuries in newborn mice. Transplanted newborn microglia cells drastically reduced scar formation in adult mice with spinal cord injury, opening the door to new treatment possibilities. One of the ... Read More
One in 5 million: Nathan’s rare diagnosis and happy recovery
Nathan Asselin was a happy baby with no apparent health problems when he became ill just before his birthday in April of this year. “He didn’t seem himself the night before, then he woke up with a fever on the day of his birthday,” says his mother, Danielle. “He sat on the floor eating his ... Read More
Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM): What parents need to know
If you’re a parent, chances are you’ve heard the recent news reports about acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. As of July 31, 2020, 16 cases of AFM have been confirmed in the U.S. this year, and experts expect that number could rise. For reasons that are still unclear, outbreaks have occurred every two years since ... Read More
Provider Spotlight: Meet Rebecca Stevens
Rebecca Stevens is a pediatric nurse practitioner in the Brain Injury Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. She’s worked at Boston Children’s for almost seven years. What’s your job at Boston Children’s? As a nurse practitioner in the neurology clinic, I mostly see patients who have sustained a concussion or brain injury. I help with ... Read More
Relationship talks: Staying together through a child’s illness
Among the many stresses of having an ill or injured child, parents often feel a strain on their marriage. Whenever she can, clinical social worker Katherine Preston, LICSW, reassures families that a child’s illness does not automatically spell the end of the parents’ relationship. Based on studies of families facing childhood cancer and diabetes, Preston ... Read More
Jason: My remarkable journey
Most people associate the city of Boston with the Red Sox or the Patriots. I, however, cannot help but associate it with brain surgery. I had my first seizure in the summer of 2006, when I was 14 years old and at camp in Connecticut. Gradually, the seizures increased in intensity and frequency. My parents took me ... Read More