The Use of Medications in Canine Behavior Therapy

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Use of Medications in Canine Behavior Therapy PEER REVIEWED ON YOUR BEST BEHAVIOR The Use of Medications in Q & A:Canine Behavior Therapy Ilana Reisner, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVB Reisner Veterinary Behavior & Consulting Services, Media, Pennsylvania our longtime client, Mrs. Jones, presents Addressing Client Buttercup, the Papillon, with “a behavior Reluctance Y problem”: For several months, Buttercup has If behavioral medication been biting houseguests. Through questioning and is indicated, but the client is reluctant, discuss- ing specific concerns educates the client about the observation, you determine that Buttercup is anxious. benefits of medication. Common concerns include: She was “shy” as a puppy, exhibits fearful postures 1. My pet’s much-loved personality will change. when unfamiliar people try to pet her, and—as a This is not the goal. The only personality charac- teristics targeted for change with drug therapy are home video of her behavior reveals—runs away from those associated with anxiety and reactivity, or guests trying to interact with her. such problems as repetitive (compulsive) behavior. Because psychopharmacology can have unexpect- ed effects—for example, one client reported that The presentation of behavior problems during routine her dog seemed less inclined to play with toys after appointments is one of the inevitabilities of today’s vet- administration of a drug—it is also important to erinary practice. Behavioral drugs can help manage reassure the client that his or her pet’s response will these problems—but not all drugs are equally useful, be monitored, and the medication effects can be and their use is not always indicated. The plot thickens reversed or limited by reducing the dose or switch- when some clients demand medication, while others re- ing to a different drug. fuse to use it despite veterinary recommendations (see 2. Drugs are unhealthy or unsafe. Addressing Client Reluctance). There are many behavioral drugs, and most are quite safe to use—even with chronic administra- WHY USE BEHAVIORAL tion—in healthy patients. Medication is prescribed only after a physical examination and, if the medica- MEDICATION? tion will be administered for a long period of time, Augmentation of Behavior Modification screening blood analysis should be performed. The treatment goal of any behavior problem is modi- This testing, including CBC, serum biochemistry fication of that behavior. However, the term behavior profile, and urinalysis, is recommended: modification is vague and depends upon the individu- • Annually for patients receiving behavior drugs for al patient and behavior being addressed. over 1 year Q1. Management of any problem behavior requires • Semiannually for patients over 8 years of age that recognizing and avoiding the stimuli that trigger the are receiving behavior drugs, or more frequently if behavior in question. there are concurrent medical issues of concern. 2. The dog needs to learn to behave differently in 3. My pet will be sleepy all the time. response to the stimulus. The term differently is Unless sedation is the goal, such as during thun- intentionally nonspecific because it is tailored to the derstorms for phobic dogs, nonsedating drugs individual animal and context in which the problem are used, so sleepiness should not be an issue. If behavior occurs. unexpected sedation is a side effect of behavioral Behavior modification might include anything from medication, the drug dose can be reduced or a dif- counter-conditioning a fearful dog; actively training an ferent medication can be prescribed. While it is not appropriate, alternative behavior to a cue; or desensitiz- uncommon for behavioral drugs to cause transient ing a separation–distress dog to its owner’s leaving the sedation initially, it can often be avoided by starting room. Thus, behavior modification can play an impor- with a lower dosage, then increasing it over several tant role in management of a problem behavior. weeks to the desired dose. tvpjournal.com July/August 2014 today’s veterinary Practice 63 | ON YOUR BEST BEHAVIOR Reduction of Stress In some cases, there are limits to how far behavior mod- Case Application: Buttercup ification alone can go. Extreme situational stress or fear In Buttercup’s case, the first step—avoid- can interfere with learning and decision making. ing the stimuli that trigger the behavior—might When dogs are overtly reactive—or, in the language simply mean keeping her in a separate area or of dog training, over threshold—they are physiologi- gated part of the house while Mrs. Jones en- cally aroused, which involves both the autonomic (fight tertains guests. or flight instinct) and endocrine (hypothalamic–pitu- The second step—learning to behave differ- itary–adrenal axis up-regulation) systems. In these cases, ently in response to these stimuli—can include: there is rarely any middle ground—the dog will move • Feeding Buttercup a high-value food while a rapidly from a lack of reaction to extreme avoidance, ag- guest is seated and in view (counter-conditioning) gression, or panic. • Asking her to lie down on a previously speci- Temperamental or inherited generalized anxiety can fied mat while the owner is entertaining (alter- also interfere with learning. Generalized anxiety, similar native behavior). to situational anxiety, is more pervasive and challenging to overcome through training alone. In these patients, the addition of behavioral drug learned tasks, successful desensitization, and/or therapy can significantly improve response to treatment. counter-conditioning, drug therapy may allow the When underlying anxiety is reduced, the dog is more owner to move further toward treatment goals. receptive to learning and its behavior can change more reliably in the long-term. As one owner of a fearfully aggressive dog reported after 2 months of fluoxetine ad- HOW SHOULD MEDICATION BE ministration, “I feel like it’s opened a door to her brain.” PRESCRIBED? Anxiety is an underlying component of many canine be- Sedation, If Needed havior problems (Table 1). Reducing this anxiety often Although, on a day-to-day basis, sedation is not a desir- improves the problem behavior directly or decreases able drug effect, it may be necessary to eliminate distress stress, raising the threshold for reactivity, fear respons- spikes in specific situations, most frequently: es, and other behaviors. • Separation anxiety (administered at point of the Before starting drug therapy in any animal, regardless of owner’s departure) Q age, physical health, or category of drug, a medical history • Thunderstorm or fireworks fear (administered just (including current medications) and physical examination before the event) are indicated, along with analysis of blood and urine. • Car or airplane travel (administered 30 minutes before travel; then repeated as needed during travel). Rather than administration on a daily or standing TABLE 1. Canine Behavior Problems basis, sedative medication can be given on an as-needed Associated with Underlying Anxiety basis, often in combination with a daily medication. • Aggression between household dogs • Compulsive disorder WHEN SHOULD BEHAVIORAL • Fear-related aggression • Fears/phobias MEDICATION BE PRESCRIBED? • Inappropriate attention-seeking behavior There is some flexibility with regard to prescribing medi- • Leash reactivity cation relative to the behavior modification plan. • Resource guarding • If drug therapy is unequivocally indicated (eg, • Separation anxiety severe separation anxiety or severe fear, including fear-aggressive behavior), ideally prescribe it during Qthe same appointment as the behavior assessment, Duration of Therapy which incorporates it into the entire behavior man- Duration of treatment with behavior medication agement plan. ranges from: • If the plan includes significant management • Relatively short-term (eg, 6 months for patients in changes that do not require medication and/or which anxiety must be reduced to allow learning to the pet is not impaired by stress (ie, pet has rea- occur) to sonably good quality of life at time of presentation), • Longer-term therapy (eg, years for animals whose consider delaying medication implementation until a behavior is not adequately responsive to behavior follow-up visit. In some cases, behavioral drugs may modification alone). be unnecessary. Other considerations include: • If a pet undergoing behavior modification has • Length of time for medication to take effect: reached a plateau with little advancement in Some medications (eg, antidepressants) require 1 to 2 64 today’s veterinary Practice July/August 2014 tvpjournal.com ON YOUR BEST BEHAVIOR | months for full effect, while others, such as benzodi- azepines and other sedatives, act more immediately. • Loading period: The initial loading period of TABLE 2. Common Medications Used for Ca- some drugs should be considered when planning nine Behavioral Problems therapy and duration of treatment. (Alpha Order by Class) Once it’s been determined that the patient’s response POTENTIAL to medication is adequate, a reasonable duration of ini- DRUG DOSE ADVERSE tial therapy would be at least 6 months, which allows EFFECTS a generous period of time for behavior modification Azapirone (learning). Buspirone 1–2 mg/kg PO Q • Aggression 8–24 H disinhibition Discontinuation (anecdotal) Abrupt discontinuation of medication may cause re- • Increased bound anxiety or exacerbate behavior problems. Any anxiety medication should be tapered gradually (weeks to months, depending on duration of therapy); a good guideline is a
Recommended publications
  • 52Nd Annual Meeting
    ACNP 52nd Annual Meeting Final Program December 8-12, 2013 The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa Hollywood, Florida President: David A. Lewis, M.D. Program Committee Chair: Randy D. Blakely, Ph.D. Program Committee Co-Chair: Pat R. Levitt, Ph.D. This meeting is jointly sponsored by the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Dear ACNP Members and Guests, It is a distinct pleasure to welcome you to the 2014 meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology! This 52nd annual meeting will again provide opportunities for the exercise of the College’s core values: the spirit of Collegiality, promoting in each other the best in science, training and service; participation in Community, pursuing together the goals of understanding the neurobiology of brain diseases and eliminating their burden on individuals and our society; and engaging in Celebration, taking the time to recognize and enjoy the contributions and accomplishments of our members and guests. Under the excellent leadership of Randy Blakely and Pat Levitt, the Program Committee has done a superb job in assembling an outstanding slate of scientific presentations. Based on membership feedback, the meeting schedule has been designed with the goals of achieving an optimal mix of topics and types of sessions, increasing the diversity of participating scientists and creating more time for informal interactions. The presentations will highlight both the breadth of the investigative interests of ACNP membership
    [Show full text]
  • Phd Thesis Project: Pharmacological and Toxicological Investigations of New Psychoactive Substances, Supervised by Prof
    PHARMACOLOGICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung der Würde eines Doktors der Philosophie vorgelegt der Philosophisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Basel von Dino Lüthi aus Rüderswil, Bern Basel, 2018 Originaldokument gespeichert auf dem Dokumentenserver der Universität Basel edoc.unibas.ch Dieses Werk ist lizenziert unter einer Creative Commons Namensnennung-Nicht kommerziell 4.0 International Lizenz (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.de). Genehmigt von der Philosophisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät auf Antrag von Prof. Stephan Krähenbühl, Prof. Matthias E. Liechti und Prof. Anne Eckert. Basel, den 26.06.2018 Prof. Martin Spiess Dekan der Philosophisch- Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät PHARMACOLOGICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES “An adult must make his own decision as to whether or not he should expose himself to a specific drug, be it available by prescription or proscribed by law, by measuring the potential good and bad with his own personal yardstick.” ― Alexander Shulgin, Pihkal: A Chemical Love Story. PREFACE This thesis is split into a pharmacology part and a toxicology part. The pharmacology part consists of investigations on the monoamine transporter and receptor interactions of traditional and newly emerged drugs, mainly stimulants and psychedelics; the toxicology part consists of investigations on mechanisms of hepatocellular toxicity of synthetic cathinones. All research described in this thesis has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and was performed between October 2014 and June 2018 in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Department of Biomedicine of the University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, and partly at the pRED Roche Innovation Center Basel at F.
    [Show full text]
  • WO 2011/064769 Al
    (12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau (10) International Publication Number (43) International Publication Date t 3 June 2011 (03.06.2011) WO 201 1/064769 Al (51) International Patent Classification: (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every A61K 9/00 (2006.01) A61K 31/506 (2006.01) kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, A61K 9/70 (2006.01) A61P 5/24 (2006.01) AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BR, BW, BY, BZ, CA, CH, CL, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, DO, (21) International Application Number: DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, PCT/IL20 10/000976 HN, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KM, KN, KP, (22) International Filing Date: KR, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LY, MA, MD, 22 November 2010 (22.1 1.2010) ME, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, RU, SC, SD, (25) Filing Language: English SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TH, TJ, TM, TN, TR, (26) Publication Language: English TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW. (30) Priority Data: (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every 61/264,025 24 November 2009 (24.1 1.2009) US kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, GM, KE, LR, LS, MW, MZ, NA, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, (71) Applicant (for all designated States except US): YIS- ZM, ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, SUM RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT COMPANY OF TM), European (AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, ΓΓ, LT, LU, LTD.
    [Show full text]
  • Generalised Anxiety Disorder
    Generalised Anxiety Disorder The evolution of the evidence Chris Gale Revised for Psychiatry Trainees, June 2011 Hypotheses GAD is a not uncommon cause of disability, but GAD is commonly missed. Most studies are of patients without co- morbidity, (which are the minority). Evidence base analysis is dependent on the studies used. The data set for this group of patients is now reasonably rich, however, the application of this data set is problematic. Hypothesis one. Generalized anxiety disorder has a community 12 month prevelence in the range 1-4%. GAD is a significant cause of disability. However, it is highly co-morbid in 75-80% cases. It is therefore frequently diagnosed. Definition Ongoing anxiety, multiple events, disproportionate. Somatic symptoms. Causing subjective stress. 12-month prevalence Generalized Anxiety Disorder, National Surveys. Survey Diagnostic Total Male Female system. (95%CI) (95% CI) (95% CI) Te Rau DSM-IV 2.0 (1.7—2.3) 1.4 (1.1 – 1.8) 2.6 (2.2 –3.1) Hinegaro Germany DSM-IV 1.5 (1.2 – 1.9) 1.0 (0.6 – 1.5) 2.1 (1.5 – 2.8) Australia DSM-IV 2.7 (2.2-- 2.3) 2.0 (1.3 – 2.6) 3.5 (2.7 – 4.3) GAD or MDE have the equivalent effect on disability as ageing 12 years . Profiles of mean Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF–36) sub-scale scores according to the absence dark) or presence (light) of prevalent mood disorders (adjusted for age, gender and presence of any chronic medical conditions), sub-scales are: PF=Physical Functioning; RP, Role Physical; BP, Bodily Pain; GH, General Health; V, Vitality; SF, Social Functioning; RE, Role Emotional; MH, Mental Health.
    [Show full text]
  • Neuromodulators for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (Disorders of Gutlbrain Interaction): a Rome Foundation Working Team Report Douglas A
    Gastroenterology 2018;154:1140–1171 SPECIAL REPORT Neuromodulators for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (Disorders of GutLBrain Interaction): A Rome Foundation Working Team Report Douglas A. Drossman,1,2 Jan Tack,3 Alexander C. Ford,4,5 Eva Szigethy,6 Hans Törnblom,7 and Lukas Van Oudenhove8 1Center for Functional Gastrointestinal and Motility Disorders, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; 2Center for Education and Practice of Biopsychosocial Care and Drossman Gastroenterology, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; 3Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; 4Leeds Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom; 5Leeds Gastroenterology Institute, St James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom; 6Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 7Departments of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; and 8Laboratory for BrainÀGut Axis Studies, Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium BACKGROUND & AIMS: Central neuromodulators (antide- summary information and guidelines for the use of central pressants, antipsychotics, and other central nervous neuromodulators in the treatment of chronic gastrointestinal systemÀtargeted medications) are increasingly used for treat- symptoms and FGIDs. Further studies are needed to confirm ment
    [Show full text]
  • Pharmacovigilance in Psychiatry Pharmacovigilance in Psychiatry
    Edoardo Spina Gianluca Trifi rò Editors Pharmacovigilance in Psychiatry Pharmacovigilance in Psychiatry Edoardo Spina • Gianluca Trifi rò Editors Pharmacovigilance in Psychiatry Editors Edoardo Spina Gianluca Trifi rò Department of Clinical and Experimental Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine Medicine University of Messina University of Messina Messina Messina Italy Italy ISBN 978-3-319-24739-7 ISBN 978-3-319-24741-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-24741-0 Library of Congress Control Number: 2015957257 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.
    [Show full text]
  • Guidelines for the Pharmacological Treatment of Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive– Compulsive Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Primary Care
    International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 2012; 16: 77–84 REVIEW ARTICLE Guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive – compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder in primary care BORWIN BANDELOW 1 , LEO SHER 2 , ROBERTAS BUNEVICIUS 3 , ERIC HOLLANDER 2 , SIEGFRIED KASPER 4 , JOSEPH ZOHAR 5 , HANS-J Ü RGEN M Ö LLER 6 , WFSBP TASK FORCE ON MENTAL DISORDERS IN PRIMARY CARE a AND WFSBP TASK FORCE ON ANXIETY DISORDERS , OCD AND PTSD b 1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of G ö ttingen, Gö ttingen, Germany, 2 Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefi ore Medical Center, New York City, NY, USA, 3 Institute of Psychophysiology and Rehabilitation, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Palanga, Lithuania, 4 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, 5 Division of Psychiatry, Chaim-Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel, and 6 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany Abstract Objective. Anxiety disorders are frequently under-diagnosed conditions in primary care, although they can be managed effectively by general practitioners. Methods. This paper is a short and practical summary of the World Federation of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive– compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for the treatment in primary care. The recommendations were developed by a task force of 30 international experts in the fi eld and are based on randomized controlled studies. Results. First-line pharmacological treatments for these disorders are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (for all disor- ders), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (for some) and pregabalin (for generalized anxiety disorder only).
    [Show full text]
  • List of Different Groups of Medications
    LIST OF DIFFERENT GROUPS OF MEDICATIONS 1.beta blockers Dichloroisoprenaline, the first beta blocker. Non-selective agents • Alprenolol • Bucindolol • Carteolol • Carvedilol (has additional α-blocking activity) • Labetalol (has additional α-blocking activity) • Nadolol • Penbutolol (has intrinsic sympathomimetic activity) • Pindolol (has intrinsic sympathomimetic activity) • Propranolol • Sotalol • Timolol β1-Selective agents • Acebutolol (has intrinsic sympathomimetic activity) • Atenolol • Betaxolol • Bisoprolol • Celiprolol [39] • Esmolol • Metoprolol • Nebivolol 2.Antiarrhythmic classification + • Class I agents interfere with the sodium (Na ) channel. • Class II agents are anti-sympathetic nervous system agents. Most agents in this class are beta blockers. + • Class III agents affect potassium (K ) efflux. • Class IV agents affect calcium channels and the AV node. • Class V agents work by other or unknown mechanisms. • Overview table Clas Known as Examples s • Quinidine • Procainamide Ia fast-channel blockers • Disopyramide • Lidocaine • Phenytoin Ib • Mexiletine Flecainide Ic • • Propafenone • Moricizine • Propranolol • Esmolol • Timolol Metoprolol II Beta-blockers • • Atenolol • Bisoprolol • Amiodarone • Sotalol III IV slow-channel • Verapamil blockers • Diltiazem • Adenosine V • Digoxin 3.Antidepressants Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs • Celexa): usual dosing is 20 mg initially; maintenance 40 mg per day; maximum dose 60 mg per day. • Escitalopram (Lexapro, Cipralex): usual dosing is 10 mg and shown to be as effective as 20 mg in most cases. Maximum dose 20 mg. Also helps with anxiety. • Paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat): Also used to treat panic disorder, OCD, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD. Usual dose 25 mg per day; may be increased to 40 mg per day. Available in controlled release 12.5 to 37.5 mg per day; controlled release dose maximum 50 mg per day.
    [Show full text]
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder View Online At
    Generalized Anxiety Disorder View online at http://pier.acponline.org/physicians/diseases/d086/d086.html Module Updated: 2013-04-15 CME Expiration: 2016-04-15 Authors Christopher Gale, MB, ChB, MPH (Hon), FRANZCP Jane Millichamp, PhD Table of Contents 1. Prevention .........................................................................................................................2 2. Screening ..........................................................................................................................3 3. Diagnosis ..........................................................................................................................5 4. Consultation ......................................................................................................................8 5. Hospitalization ...................................................................................................................9 6. Therapy ............................................................................................................................10 7. Patient Education ...............................................................................................................18 8. Follow-up ..........................................................................................................................19 References ............................................................................................................................20 Glossary................................................................................................................................24
    [Show full text]
  • NCT02523690 IRB00072940 Evaluating Muscle
    NCT02523690 IRB00072940 Evaluating Muscle Weakness Improvement With Lorcaserin in ICU (EMILI) Protocol Version: February 10, 2017 (Date in header of protocol, 8/1/2016 was inadvertently not updated) Date: 1 August 2016 Principal Investigator: Dale Needham, MD PhD Application Number: IRB00072940 JHM IRB - eForm A – Protocol Use the section headings to write the JHM IRB eForm A, inserting the appropriate material in each. If a section is not applicable, leave heading in and insert N/A. When submitting JHM IRB eForm A (new or revised), enter the date submitted to the field at the top of JHM IRB eForm A. *************************************************************************************************** 1) Abstract (Provide no more than a one page research abstract briefly stating the problem, the research hypothesis, and the importance of the research.) It was recently discovery that patients recovering from sepsis/critical illness have great difficulty recruiting motor units to generate muscle force. Prior to this discovery, the primary etiology of muscle weakness in these patients was thought to be muscle disease (myopathy) and degeneration of peripheral nerve (neuropathy). However, since motor units are composed of a group of muscle fibers contacted by a single motor neuron arising from the spinal cord, these new findings suggested a problem within the spinal cord as the primary cause of weakness in affected patients. Consistent with these clinical findings in critically ill patients, there is a profound deficit in the excitability of motor neurons in the spinal cord of septic rats. Studies characterizing the impaired excitability in rat motor neurons point to a specific deficit in a slowly inactivating type of sodium current (i.e., the persistent sodium current).
    [Show full text]
  • (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2005/0118286 A1 Suffin Et Al
    US 2005O118286A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2005/0118286 A1 Suffin et al. (43) Pub. Date: Jun. 2, 2005 (54) COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR Publication Classification TREATMENT OF NERVOUS SYSTEM DSORDERS (51) Int. Cl." ..................... A61K 38/05; A61K 31/5377; A61K 31/522; A61K 31/445; (75) Inventors: Stephen C. Suffin, Sherman Oaks, CA A61K 31/137; A61K 31/138; (US); W. Hamlin Emory, Malibu, CA A61K 31/403; A61K 35/78 (US); Leonard Brandt, San Juan (52) U.S. Cl. ...................... 424/752; 514/18; 514/263.31; Capistrano, CA (US) 514/411; 514/317; 514/649; 514/651; 514/618; 514/235.5 (57) ABSTRACT Correspondence Address: The present invention contemplates compositions and meth MEDLEN & CARROLL, LLP ods to treat patients having a nervous System disorder with Suite 350 a formulation comprising an anticonvulsant and a neuroac 101 Howard Street tive modulator. Also described is a method to predict the San Francisco, CA 94105 (US) probability of a significant recovery when a treating an individual patient having a nervous System disorder with a Assignee: CNS Response formulation comprising an anticonvulsant and a neuroactive (73) modulator. Specifically, methods for predicting patient prog nosis include, but are not limited to, quantitative electroen Appl. No.: 10/972,188 cephalography, psychometric test batteries, biological indi (21) cators, brain metabolic indicators, genotype profiles, neuroimaging, objective test measurements and multi-mo (22) Filed: Oct. 22, 2004 dalities. The present invention also discloses a device pro Viding an organized dispensation of the above formulations Related U.S. Application Data Such that the patient or medical perSonnel may easily and accurately decrease the daily dosage of a third drug and (63) Continuation of application No.
    [Show full text]
  • State of Knowledge of Drug-Impaired Driving
    State of Knowledge of Drug-Impaired Driving FINAL REPORT Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. DOT HS 809 642 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date September 2003 State of Knowledge of Drug-Impaired Driving 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Jones, R. K.; Shinar, D.; and Walsh, J. M. 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Mid-America Research Institute 611 Main Street Winchester, MA 01890 11. Contract or Grant No. DTNH22-98-D-25079 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Final Report Office of Research and Technology 400 7th Street, S.W. 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Washington, DC 20590 15. Supplementary Notes Amy Berning and Richard Compton were the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representatives for this project. 16. Abstract Examines the current state of knowledge of drug-impaired driving. The review covers a broad range of related research, including the detection and measurement of drugs in drivers, experimental research on the effect of drugs on the performance driving-related tasks, drug prevalence in various populations of drivers, drug-crash risk, and countermeasures for drug-impaired driving. The review covers scientific literature published since 1980. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement drug-impaired drivers, experimental research, This report is available from the National Technical drug detection, drug measurement, Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161, epidemiologic research, drug-related traffic (703) 605-6000, and free of charge from the crashes, driving under the influence of drugs, NHTSA web site at www.nhtsa.dot.gov drug-crash countermeasures 19.
    [Show full text]