EDITOR’SMESSAGE By Jack Persico, Editor-in-Chief

Business Staff Thomas J. Gangemi, President/Publisher Dendrite, Inc. Circulation Management Services Editorial & Design Staff Stem Cell Bill: A Bellwether Jack Persico, Editor-in-Chief Zac Haughn, Associate Editor Stephen Gollomp, MD, Medical Editor of the New Congress? Ron Stender, Art Director

Contributing Editors ver since November, political pundits have been Charles Argoff, MD, North Shore University Hospital filling the airwaves and newspaper op-ed columns David Geldmacher, MD, University of Virginia with talk of the “sea change” evinced by the mid- Steven Karceski, MD, Columbia University term elections, in which Democrats regained the Steven Mandel, MD, Thomas Jefferson University majority in both chambers of Congress. But do David Tong, MD, California Pacific Medical Center E Craig T. Williams, President-Elect, BRAINS their slim majorities represent a true mandate for change? Naturally, there’s a wide array of topics with the potential to Editorial Board serve as a litmus test for the new Congress. But an early test—in fact, probably Harold P. Adams, MD, University of Iowa Miroslav Backonja, MD, University of Wisconsin the first—of the ideological leanings of the 110th Congress comes this month, Kevin Biglan, MD, University of Rochester and it’s an issue near and dear to neurology. The Stem Cell Research Enhance- Lawrence W. Brown, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia ment Act, infamous for being the first and thus far only piece of legislation Jeffrey L. Cummings, MD, University of California, Los Angeles vetoed by President Bush, was slated to be reintroduced for another vote in the Randolph W. Evans, MD, University of Texas at Houston Barry Gidal, PharmD, University of Wisconsin first week of January, mere days after the new Congress members took office. Scott E. Kasner, MD, University of Pennsylvania Assuming the bill doesn’t get scuttled, the vote will play out in almost cer- Thomas P. Leist, MD, Thomas Jefferson University tainly the same way as before: passage by both chambers of Congress, followed Leo F. McCluskey, MD, University of Pennsylvania by a presidential veto. What to watch for, however, is any change in the per- Marc Nuwer, MD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles Michael R. Sperling, MD Thomas Jefferson University centages that might suggest a Congressional override of the veto is possible. The original senate vote was 63 to 37 in favor of the bill; in November, six of the Practical Neurology (ISSN 1540-1367) is published monthly by 37 naysayers were replaced. If their successors support embryonic stem cell Avondale Medical Publications, LLC, 630 West Germantown Pike, S. 123, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462. BPA membership received 2002. research, the new vote would be 69 to 31, making a two-thirds majority tanta- Printed at Perry-Judds, Spencer, IA. Copyright 2007, Avondale Medical Publications, LLC. Subscriptions are $125.00 per year. lizingly close to reality, in the Senate, at least. The House vote last summer to override the veto failed to achieve a two-thirds majority by a significant margin Opinions expressed by authors, contributors, and advertisers are not necessarily those of Avondale Medical Publications, LLC, the editors, (the vote was 235 for and 193 against), but with a number of House seats also the editorial staff, or any members of the editorial board. Avondale Medical Publications, LLC is not responsible for the accuracy of med- changing hands, the numbers may also shift in favor of the bill there. ical information printed herein. Neither Avondale Medical Publications, LLC nor its staff will be responsible for any injury to persons or prop- As well it should. A recent poll conducted by the Associated Press and AOL erty resulting from ideas or products referred to in articles or adver- News found that 56 percent of Americans overall and 73 percent of Democrats tisements herein. Acceptance of advertisements is not an approval, warranty, or endorsement of the products or services advertised. are in favor of boosting federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. The Avondale Medical Publications does not warrant or endorse the effec- tiveness, quality, or safety of products advertised. (admittedly biased) Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research esti- mates that 100 million Americans suffer from cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, Postmaster: Please send address changes to Practical Neurology c/o Avondale Medical Publications, LLC, 630 West Germantown Pike, Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries, heart disease, ALS and other debilitating dis- Suite 123, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462. eases and disorders. Whether (and how soon) any of these conditions will ulti- Avondale Medical Publications, LLC mately benefit from embryonic stem cell research remains in doubt. What does Telephone: (610) 238-9052, Fax: (610) 238-9053 not, however, is the need for more aggressive funding of neurological research. Editorial Correspondence Closing the door on one of the most promising new lines of research does a Jack Persico, Editor-in-Chief, (610) 238-9052, ext. 10 [email protected] disservice to the millions who stand to benefit. A centralized approach spear- Advertising Queries headed by the NIH would most likely be more productive than the current het- Tom Gangemi, President/Publisher, (610) 238-9052, ext. 11 erogenous approach, as a handful of states such as California, New Jersey and [email protected] most recently Michigan take action at the state level to fill the void created in Production Queries Washington, DC. Here’s hoping the much-ballyhooed “sea change” turns out Ron Stender, Art Director, (610) 238-9052, ext. 24 [email protected] to be more than a mere trickle.

As we begin the 6th year of publication of Practical Neurology, I’d like to take a moment to thank all the editorial board members, contributors, advertisers and especially readers who’ve supported us through the years. We have many exciting things in store for 2007. Stay tuned! PN

January 2007 Practical Neurology 11