Neurology

The FDA is weighing approval of an investigational epilepsy drug for adults and children that has reportedly caused vision loss in certain patients.

Late preterm infants were more than three times as likely to be diagnosed with cerebral palsy as full term babies, according to research forthcoming in The Journal of Pediatrics.

“The mind is what the brain does,” said Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s John D. E. Gabrieli, PhD, leading off Sunday’s connected plenary sessions on the brain and early childhood development. His focus was on how functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has changed what we know about how child brains differ from adult brains.

As schools begin to prepare their teams for the upcoming season, they need to be aware of the dangers of heat and heat illness. While not as prevalent as it has been in past years, cases of heat stroke are still among the most dangerous things that can happen to an athlete during summer practices, according to the Annual Survey of Football Injury Research.

Adult loss of brain volume may be linked to lead exposure during childhood, according to the May PLoS Medicine.

So few children have strokes that it's been difficult to study them. But a new report released by the American Stroke Association said that boys are more likely to suffer a stroke as girls...

Intracranial bleeding in newborns has been found common after a vaginal birth, although the bleeding is limited and apparently has no effect, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Steven, a 13-year-old boy, experienced his first headache at age 7 years. The frequency, intensity, and duration of his headaches have been increasing over the past 6 months. Steven now experiences 7 to 10 headaches each month that last up to 8 hours. The headaches are associated with mild nausea, light and sound sensitivity, dizziness, fatigue, occasional abdominal discomfort, and difficulty in concentrating. Last year, he had a vomiting episode because of a headache. The pain is usually more prominent in the forehead and does not favor either side of the head. The headaches usually begin in the morning before he leaves for school. As a result, Steven has missed nearly 25% of his school days this semester; his parents are considering home tutoring for "sick children who are unable to attend school."

You've been called down to the emergency department early this morning by the ED attending to see a 5-month-old girl brought in by her parents because of vomiting. The attending does not see signs of dehydration, but reports that the baby "looks funny."

"Headaches" is the chief complaint. Acne was the problem last year for 17-year-old Michelle. Otherwise her history is unremarkable. What's causing these daily headaches?

Traumatic brain injury affects virtually every aspect of the patient's-and family's-life. Here's what to expect in the aftermath and how to help the family deal with the often overwhelming demands of rehabilitation and return to home and community.

Knowing what signs and symptoms suggest intracranial pathology can help pediatricians approach the diagnosis of a brain tumor quickly and with confidence. As primary care physicians, they also play a key role in long-term management.