June 26, 2024
IVIG Trial Recruitment is Closed
Octapharma/PACE Foundation IVIG Trial Update: 6-26-24 Read the Announcement from the PACE Foundation. Given the recent changes posted on ClinicalTrials.Gov, we wanted to update...
June 20, 2024
A totally new kid’: Parents push for coverage of controversial IV treatment for brain condition
Legislation in the Michigan House would require insurers to cover the treatment for children who suffer from a brain condition believed to be caused by...
Long Neuro-COVID-19: Current Mechanistic Views and Therapeutic Options
Slama Schwok A, et al. Long Neuro-COVID-19: Current Mechanistic Views and Therapeutic Options. Biomolecules. 2024;14(9):1081. doi:10.3390/biom14091081.
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Comprehensive review of proposed mechanisms underlying neurological Long COVID.
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Describes neuroimmune activation, endothelial dysfunction, blood–brain barrier disruption, and microglial priming.
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Emphasizes that neurological symptoms can persist without detectable viral RNA in the CNS.
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Supports reframing Long COVID brain symptoms as a disorder of immune and vascular regulation.
June 3, 2024
Colorado PANS PANDAS Updates
General Legislative Information Legislative Recap – PANS PANDAS Legislation Nationwide How Get Started: How to talk to your state representative Look Up Your State Representative...
Antipsychotic medications associated with increased length of hospital stay in autoimmune encephalitis and multiple sclerosis: A retrospective study
Stephen Sai Folmsbee, Gavin Hui, Ye Yuan, Saurabh Gombar, May Han, Scheherazade Le,
Antipsychotic medications associated with increased length of hospital stay in autoimmune encephalitis and multiple sclerosis: A retrospective study, Journal of Clinical Neuroscience,
Volume 124, 2024, Pages 87-93, ISSN 0967-5868, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2024.04.021.
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Antipsychotic medications associated with worse hospital length-of-stay in autoimmune encephalitis and multiple sclerosis.
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Typical antipsychotics associated with worse mortality, but decreased hospital length-of-stay, when compared to atypical antipsychotics in multiple sclerosis.
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Antidepressant medications associated with increased hospital length-of-stay in multiple sclerosis.
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Citalopram and fluoxetine were associated with worse hospital length-of-stay for those with multiple sclerosis when compared to other antidepressants.
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Black patients with neuroinflammatory disorders were more likely to receive antipsychotics, but less likely to receive antidepressants.
Two Cases of Montelukast-Associated Psychosis in Children
Jumaili WA, Gburi NA, Chaudhary N, Brown K, Jain S. Two Cases of Montelukast-Associated Psychosis in Children. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2024 May 28;26(3):23cr03694. doi: 10.4088/PCC.23cr03694. PMID: 38815271.
In 2020, the FDA issued a black box warning of severe mental health complications in children associated with montelukast use.1,2 Montelukast-induced dose dependent neuropsychiatric symptoms in children include depression, anxiety, irritability, sleep disturbance, nightmares, agitation, suicidal behavior, auditory/visual hallucinations, and/or full psychosis.1 Stopping montelukast treatment abruptly can have varying effects on underlying neuropsychiatric symptoms and may increase the likelihood of recurrence after restarting montelukast.1
Montelukast treatment has been linked to an increased risk of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS).5 The correlation between montelukast therapy and PANDAS is not fully understood, but many streptococcal infections have occurred after discontinuing montelukast treatment.5
May 27, 2024
NEDA Walk – Hartford, Connecticut
ASPIRE will have a table at the NEDA Walk in Hartford, Connecticut! If you have registered for the NEDA Hartford Walk on June 1st, make sure to stop by the...
PANS/PANDAS Treatment brought our daughter back
My daughter has always been anxious & a worrier, and we had attributed that to her learning struggles & severe food allergies. However, no matter these struggles, she always,...
May 25, 2024
Kansas PANS PANDAS Updates
HB2824 Mandating insurance coverage for pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections...
May 24, 2024
Urgent call for 2024 AAP Red Book® to update strep testing recommendations.
ASPIRE and other PANS/PANDAS organizations are joining the PANDAS Physician Network in their efforts to call to the Academy of Pediatrics to update the Red Book’s® recently published...
Diagnosing and Treating Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated With Streptococcal Infections
O’Dor SL, Kuhn AJ, Williams KA, et al. Diagnosing and treating pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2024;26(3):23f03662. May 23, 2024. https://doi.org/10.4088/PCC.23f03662
- Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) is a disorder of acute onset with obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or tics in children following a group A streptococcal infection, often with other behavioral or cognitive symptoms, including irritability and separation anxiety.
- Symptoms of PANDAS overlap with those of many psychiatric and medical conditions; most children experience a relapsing and remitting course, and some have persistent difficulties that last through childhood and into their adolescence.
- Since PANDAS is a diagnosis of exclusion, a thorough psychiatric and medical evaluation is necessary to make the correct diagnosis and institute appropriate treatment.
- Treatment of PANDAS should involve a 3-pronged approach: psychiatric/behavioral treatment, immunomodulatory therapies, and antimicrobial treatment.
May 23, 2024
Richlands mom looks to spread awareness about neuropsychiatric disorder after both children diagnosed
An Onslow County woman is looking to spread awareness about a neuropsychiatric disorder both her children have been diagnosed with, one she said is often misdiagnosed by...