nervous system

Useful safety tips for epilepsy patients

Safety in the home starts with your kitchen and your bathrooms. These are the places where, during and after any seizure, you can become confused and risk injury. Take these seizure precautions to decrease the chance of accidents.

Safeguard your kitchen

  • Use oven mitts and cook only on rear burners
  • If possible, use an electric stove, so there is no open flame
  • Cooking in a microwave is the safest option
  • Ask your plumber to install a heat-control device in your faucet so the water doesn’t become too hot
  • Carpet the kitchen floor. This can provide cushioning if you fall
  • Use plastic containers rather than glass when possible

Safeguard your bathroom

  • Install a device in your tub and showerhead that controls temperature. This keeps you from burning yourself if a seizure occurs
  • Carpet the floor—it’s softer and less slippery than tile
  • Do not put a lock on the bathroom door. If you have one, never use it. Someone should always be able to get in if you need help
  • Learn to bathe with only a few inches of water in the tub, or use a handheld showerhead
  • Planning ahead for safety outside the home

Driving.

For many people with epilepsy, the risk of seizures restricts their independence, in particular the ability to drive. The Epilepsy Foundation offers a state-by-state database of driving restrictions and regulations on its website. Find out more about driving and epilepsy.
Participating in activities.

You can play sports with epilepsy, but it’s a good idea to have someone with you who knows how to manage a seizure. Wearing head protection is also recommended when you participate in a contact sport that might cause you to fall or hit your head.

Here are some tips for picking the right physical activities when you are living with epilepsy:

  • If seizures usually occur at a certain time, plan activities when seizures are less likely to happen
  • Avoid extreme heat when exercising and keep hydrated with plenty of water to reduce seizure risks
  • Check with your neurologist before starting any new exercise program

Some activities may be restricted if you have uncontrolled seizures, including:

  • Swimming alone
  • Climbing to unsafe heights
  • Riding a bike in traffic

Source: VIMPAT

How antidepressants work in brain

A new study has allowed researchers better understanding of how antidepressants work in the human brain – and may lead to the better antidepressants’ development with few or no side effects.

The article from Eric Gouaux, Ph.D., a senior scientist at OHSU ‘s Vollum Institute and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator describes research that gives a better view of the structural biology of a protein that controls communication between nerve cells.

The article focuses on the structure of the dopamine transporter, which helps regulate dopamine levels in the brain.

Dopamine is an essential neurotransmitter for the human body’s central nervous system; abnormal levels of dopamine are present in a range of neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, drug addiction, depression and schizophrenia.

Along with dopamine, the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and serotonin are transported by related transporters, which can be studied with greater accuracy based on the dopamine transporter structure.

The Gouaux lab’s more detailed view of the dopamine transporter structure better reveals how antidepressants act on the transporters and thus do their work.

Another article published also dealt with a modified amino acid transporter that mimics the mammalian neurotransmitter transporter proteins targeted by antidepressants.

It gives new insights into the pharmacology of four different classes of widely used antidepressants that act on certain transporter proteins, including transporters for dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline.

The second paper in part was validated by findings of the first paper – in how an antidepressant bound itself to a specific transporter.

The two papers have been published in journal Nature.

Source: Deccan Chronicle