Characterized by progressive episodic decline in neurological function, MS affects more than 900,000 people in the United States. This autoimmune disease damages the fatty sheath—myelin—that protects nerve fibers, which hinders the speed of signals in the central nervous system. While not classically considered a defining symptom of the disease, seizures occur threetimes more often in MS patients than healthy individuals and may portend a flare-up of symptoms. MS patients that experience seizures also have a decreased quality of life and higher mortality rate. The mechanisms that cause seizures in MS patients remains poorly understood.

Drug addiction has been associated with deficits in mesostriatal dopamine (DA) function, but whether this state extends to behavioral addictions such as pathological gambling (PG) is unclear. Here we used positron emission tomography and the D 3 receptor-preferring radioligand [ 11 C]-(+)-PHNO during a dual-scan protocol to investigate DA release in response to oral amphetamine in pathological gamblers ( n =12) and healthy controls ( n =11). In contrast with human neuroimaging findings in drug addiction, we report the first evidence that PG is associated with greater DA release in dorsal striatum (54–63% greater [ 11 C]-(+)-PHNO displacement) than controls. Importantly, dopaminergic response to amphetamine in gamblers was positively predicted by D 3 receptor levels (measured in substantia nigra), and related to gambling severity, allowing for construction of a mechanistic model that could help explain DA contributions to PG. Our results are consistent with a hyperdopaminergic state in PG, and support the hypothesis that dopaminergic sensitization involving D 3 -related mechanisms might contribute to the pathophysiology of behavioral addictions.

Background:Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA) is an amphetamine derivative that is used recreationally and is now being tested in clinical trials for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. Ecstasy can damage serotonin neurones in brain of experimental animals; however, relevance of these findings to the human is debated.Aim:To measure by positron emission tomography (PET) levels of binding to the serotonin transporter (SERT), a marker of serotonin neurones, in brain of chronic ecstasy users and in matched controls.Methods:An estimate of brain SERT levels was obtained, using the PET tracer 11C-DASB, in 50 chronic (confirmed by drug hair testing) ecstasy users (mean age, 26 years; mean duration of drug use, 3.9 years; median drug withdrawal time, 38 days) and 50 (drug-hair negative) control subjects (mean age 26 years).Results:SERT binding levels in the ecstasy group were significantly decreased by 22 to 46% in frontal, temporal, cingulate, insular and occipital cortices, and by 23% in hippocampus. However, concentrations were distinctly normal in the SERT-rich caudate, putamen, ventral striatum and thalamus.Conclusion:Our imaging data suggest that cerebral cortical SERT concentration is below normal in some ecstasy users for at least one month after last use of the drug. However, it remains to be established whether low SERT might have preceded drug use, reflects actual loss of brain serotonin neurones, or is causally related to any functional impairment in the ecstasy users. (Supported by US NIH NIDA DA017301).

Background and Objectives. The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) is becoming increasingly popular. Although considered beneficial by users, the potential for interaction or substitution with conventional treatment should not be overlooked by health care professionals. It is therefore important to gain insight into the prevalence and the factors related to the use of CAM. To establish the prevalence of use of CAM among children with cancer treated in a large pediatric hospital, describe the profile of use and factors related with use. As a secondary objective we aimed at measuring quality of life of the children aged 5 or more and compare the scores between users and non-users. Methods. The study is a cross-sectional survey of parents whose child was treated at the oncology clinic or ward of Sainte-Justine Hospital, a large pediatric hospital in Montreal. Data on socio-demographic variables, the use of CAM and the quality of life was collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Quality of life was measured with the Child Health Questionnaire CHQ-PF50, while clinical data was collected from medical records. Results. A total of 115 patients were recruited and 92 parents completed and returned the questionnaire, resulting in a 80% response rate. According to this survey, 49% of the children used at least one type of CAM and 20% used herbal remedies/homeopathy/vitamins in the 2 months preceding the survey. Most popular CAM were spiritual/mental and physical strategies used by 35 and 33% of children under study, respectively. Only one parent reported having delayed a conventional treatment because of CAM. Although quality of life results must be interpreted with caution, they tend to favor non-users. Conclusions. CAM is likely to be used by a wide variety of people. In our study, we found that about half of the children with cancer has used CAM in the 2 preceding months. No specific profile of CAM users emerged from this study. The high prevalence of CAM warrants further studies to better understand the reasons and consequences of CAM use particularly on quality of life. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.