What is the link between of septum and seizures?

Texas scientists say the brain`s septum helps stop epileptic seizures by inducing electrical activity in another area of the brain called the hippocampus.

Researchers at the University of Texas-Brownsville found that imposing a normal 'theta' rhythm on epileptic rats reduced the rate of seizures by 86 percent to 97 percent.

The septum acts as a conductor, orchestrating brain impulses as they pass from the brain stem through the septum and on to the hippocampus, said the study`s lead researcher, Luis Colom. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that plays a role in memory, spatial navigation and sensory motor integration, among other functions.

'My hypothesis is that the septum keeps the electrical activity of neurons within certain areas of the brain working within normal ranges,' Colom said. 'By keeping the neurons firing normally, the septum inhibits neuronal hyperexcitability, such as epilepsy, and hypoexcitablity, such as Alzheimer`s disease.' In addition, he said, septal impulses may help to maintain the anatomical integrity of other brain structures.

Seizures are not a synonym for Epilepsy

Not all seizures are caused by epilepsy, but psychological seizures can be hard for even trained medical professionals to distinguish from epileptic seizures, new research has found.

Psychological - or psychogenic - non-epileptic seizures are triggered by psychological conditions such as emotional trauma, not by the abnormal electrical activity in the brain that causes epileptic seizures. However, treating people who have psychological seizures with epilepsy drugs or other epilepsy therapies can produce unwanted, potentially fatal, consequences, the researchers warned.

A trio of new studies, in the June issue of Neurology, explore the issue of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), which affect between 5 percent and 20 percent of people thought to have epilepsy.

"(PNES) are a neurological manifestation of an underlying psychological conflict. These are seizures, but they're not epileptic seizures," explained Dr. W. Curt LaFrance Jr., an assistant professor of psychiatry and neurology at Brown Medical School, and director of neuropsychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

"Any way that an epileptic seizure can present, a non-epileptic seizure can present," he added. That's why it can be so hard to tell the difference between these seizures until a video electroencephalogram (vEEG) to measure electrical activity in the brain is conducted.

LaFrance co-authored an editorial in the journal focused on psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. He noted that it takes an average of seven years before someone who experiences PNES receives a correct diagnosis. During that time, they are often treated with increasing doses of anti-epileptic medications, paralytic drugs and sometimes mechanical ventilation.

Side effects from these medications and treatments can be significant and the costs extremely high. In his editorial, LaFrance estimated that the expense of repeated medical tests and treatments for PNES may run as high as $900 million annually in the United States.

Diagnosing PNES in the emergency room can be especially challenging, according to one of the studies in Neurology. That's because the patients are in the middle of a seizure and don't respond to anti-epileptic medication. That could mean one of two things - the patient has what's known as "refractory" epilepsy, which doesn't respond to drugs, or he or she could be having a non-epileptic seizure.

Refractory epilepsy "is a neurological emergency that requires rapid treatment escalation, including the administration of intravenous anticonvulsant anesthetics," said the study's lead author, Dr. Martin Holtkamp, from Charite Universitatsmedizin in Berlin, Germany. "These drugs have a lot of side effects, such as respiratory depression and patients are ventilated mechanically. The decision to administer anesthetics has to be made immediately. The majority of patients with PNES are misdiagnosed and consequently treated for true refractory epilepsy, and severe and fatal side effects have been reported."

In Holtkamp's study, the researchers found that people with PNES were often younger, often already had port systems for intravenous access implanted, needed higher levels of medications and had lower blood levels of creatine kinase.

Another study, this one from St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, found that one possible way to spot PNES is to note whether or not the patient's eyes remain open during a seizure. This study looked at more than 200 people who had seizures, 52 of whom were eventually diagnosed with PNES. Of those 52, 50 had closed eyes during their seizures. Of the 156 with epilepsy, 152 had open eyes during their seizures.

"These findings suggest that ictal (seizure) eye closure is a highly reliable indicator for PNES," the authors wrote.

The third study included 267 people with PNES. Twenty-six were over the age of 55. Because PNES is generally considered a disorder of younger people - those under 50 - the Scottish researchers wanted to see if there were any significant differences in older people with PNES. And, in fact, the researchers did find differences. The older group was more likely to be male and not have suffered sexual abuse. They were also more likely to have other serious physical health problems than younger people with PNES.

In many cases, LaFrance explained, people with PNES have a history of trauma or abuse. Sometimes a bad accident or even brain surgery can trigger these types of seizures. And, he added, the seizures sometimes don't start until years after the triggering event.

What's most important, he said, is to get an accurate diagnosis.

"Video EEG is the gold standard. People can be fooled by just using history alone," LaFrance said.

Once PNES has been diagnosed - and it's possible to have both PNES and epilepsy - then the patient should be weaned off anti-epileptic medications, or at least have the dose lowered in the case of mixed PNES and epilepsy. Generally, people with PNES are treated with psychotherapy or medications other than anti-epileptics to treat their seizures, he said.

Additionally, LaFrance said, "We still need good, controlled treatment trials for patients with non-epileptic seizures to advance from the limited treatment research that presently exists in the literature. He and his colleagues are currently conducting three different research trials for the treatment of PNES, including medication to treat co-existing anxiety and depression, cognitive behavioral therapy and family therapy.

Eyes can give a lot of information on seizures

A simple but reliable way to distinguish psychogenic nonepileptic seizures from epilepsy is to determine whether the patient's eyes are closed or open, researchers here reported.

In nearly every one of more than 200 patients studied, the eyes of those with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures closed during seizures, while the eyes of those with epilepsy remained open, said neurologist Steve S. Chung, M.D., and colleagues, at the St. Joseph's Medical Center here in the June 13 issue of Neurology.

In an editorial, W. Curt LaFrance, Jr., M.D., of Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I., and Selim R. Benbadis, M.D., of the University of South Florida in Tampa said a quick and accurate way to distinguish psychogenic nonepileptic seizures from epilepsy is crucial.

"There is an average of seven years delay between the onset of seizures and the correct diagnosis of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, the editorialists wrote. "During that time, while they are being treated for epileptic seizures, patients are prescribed antiepileptic drugs that do not treat their disorder. When their seizures do not abate, they are prescribed more antiepileptic drugs, sometimes to the point of toxicity."

Dr. Chung and colleagues retrospectively reviewed videos of seizures of 208 patients with either psychogenic nonepileptic seizures or epilepsy. Of the 52 patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, 50 closed their eyes during the seizure, the investigators reported.

"Most of them closed their eyes for the entire duration of the seizure, and a few closed their eyes forcefully with facial frowning," the authors said. Some even covered their eyes with their hands at times.

In contrast, 152 of the 156 patients with epilepsy had their eyes open, at least during the onset of the seizure. "During tonic-clonic activity, rhythmic eye blinking was typically seen followed by postictal confusion and eye closure, even though their eyes were open at the onset," the authors said.

"Even when epileptic seizures occurred during sleep, many patients opened their eyes at the onset of seizures," they added.

Ictal eye closure was 96% sensitive and 98% specific for diagnosing psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, the investigators found. Similarly, ictal eye opening was 98% sensitive and 96% specific for indicating true epileptic seizures, they said.

"In our clinical experience, many observers (e.g., family members) can accurately describe whether a patient's eyes were open or closed during a seizure," the authors said. "Thus, careful history taking of seizure semiology in an outpatient setting may help to discern between epileptic seizures or psychogenic nonepileptic seizures. If possible, a home video clip of a seizure can also help to make a diagnosis without long-term monitoring."

Two other studies, published in the same issue of Neurology, also provided information to help clinicians distinguish psychogenic nonepileptic seizures from epilepsy:
A study in Scotland compared 26 patients whose psychogenic nonepileptic seizures began when they were 55 or older to 241 people whose psychogenic nonepileptic seizures started when they were younger than 55. The researchers found that those with late-onset psychogenic nonepileptic seizures were more likely to be male (42% compared with 23%; P=.029) and have severe health problems (42% versus 8%; P<.001). The late onset group was also more likely to report health-related traumatic experiences (47% compared with 4%; P<.0001) and less likely to report a history of sexual abuse (4% versus 32%; P=.008).

"Our findings suggest that the development of physical ill health, especially when it has been frightening to the patient, may be an important triggering factor for non-epileptic seizures in a subset of patients," said Roderick Duncan, Ph.D., of the West of Scotland Regional Epilepsy Service in Glasgow, and colleagues.

A small, German study examined 18 patients seen in the emergency room for continuous seizures, or status epilepticus, that did not respond to epilepsy medication. Compared to those with epileptic seizures, those with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures were more likely to be less than 30 years old, to have a port system implanted for administration of IV drugs (likely because of repeated emergency presentations with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures), and to have lower blood levels of the enzyme creatine kinase, which normally rise after epileptic seizures, the study found.

These characteristics can help guide the emergency doctor to the correct diagnosis, said Martin Holtkamp, M.D., of Charite-University Medicine Berlin, and colleagues.

"Patients pay a price physically, socially, and financially as long as their psychogenic nonepileptic seizures remain undiagnosed and improperly treated," Dr. LaFrance and Dr. Benbadis said. "The gold standard diagnostic test is video EEG. With it and a thorough history and physical, aided by the above red flags, we make the diagnosis of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures with a high degree of certainty."

"Yet the persistent seven- to 10-year delay in diagnosis of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures clearly indicates that the index of suspicion is not high enough when treating refractory seizures," they said. "The three studies in this issue make a major contribution to helping raise the clinicians' suspicion and thereby to recognize psychogenic nonepileptic seizures."

Among those diagnosed with epilepsy in the United States, 5% to 20% may actually have psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, they noted.

Cerebral Palsy can be related to seizures

Cerebral palsy is a disorder affecting parts of the brain that control the muscles.

Many people with CP have difficulty walking, running, speaking, or holding objects. Some people may also have CP-related seizures, the Nemours Foundation says.

Physical, occupational and speech therapy can help people with the disease control balance, coordination and learn to train their muscles. Medications typically are prescribed to help control seizures.

Child's death related to seizures has been rated as an homicide

Two Grand Junction children were taken into the custody of Human Services Tuesday, a day after investigators ruled the death of their 3-year-old sister a homicide.Police said the girl's mother called 9-1-1 Friday morning, saying she'd just arrived home from work and found the girl having seizures.The child was transported to St. Mary's Hospital. Authorities said emergency room staffers called police saying the girl's injuries were suspicious.She never regained consciousness and died on Saturday.The coroner's office said the girl's injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome.Police spokeswoman Linda Bowman said no arrests have been made, and authorities aren't rushing to judgment.The 8-month-old and 5-year-old siblings are in protective custody.

More information about psychogenic seizures

Nearly 30 percent of people diagnosed with epilepsy actually have psychological events, or "psychogenic" seizures.

Three new studies published in the June 13 issue of Neurology focus on this issue and offer clues that may make it easier for clinicians to discriminate between the two conditions.

In one study, the researchers found that people in true epileptic seizures opened their eyes during a seizure, while people having psychogenic seizures closed them.

Another study discovered that people whose psychogenic seizures began when they were 55 or older were more likely to report traumatic experiences related to worsening physical health, and those whose seizures began before age 55 were more likely to have experienced sexual abuse.
The final study looked at 18 people seen in the emergency room for continuous seizures, or status epilepticus, who did not respond to epilepsy medication.

The members of this group who had psychogenic seizures were more likely to be less than 30 years old and had lower blood levels of the enzyme creatine kinase, which normally rise after epileptic seizures.

The study authors stressed the need for early, accurate diagnosis of psychogenic seizures because it typically takes seven and nine years to make the distinction.

During that time, the researchers noted, patients receive no treatment for their real condition, undergo constant testing, and take useless epileptic drugs that can, in the case of status epilepticus, result in severe complications.

What are psychological seizures?

Up to 30 percent of those diagnosed with epilepsy don’t actually have the disorder. They have psychological nonepileptic seizures, or psychogenic seizures, that are caused by psychological conditions, not by the abnormal electrical activity in the brain that causes epileptic seizures.
Because these nonepileptic seizures are similar to epileptic seizures, they can be difficult to diagnose. Three new studies published in the June 13, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology, may help make that diagnosis easier.

“The need for an accurate diagnosis early on is crucial,” said neurologist Selim Bendadis, MD, of the University of South Florida in Tampa, who wrote an editorial accompanying the studies. “Right now there is an average of seven to nine years from the time someone first has these seizures and when they are correctly diagnosed with psychological nonepileptic seizures. During that time, they are given drugs for epilepsy that do not treat their problem and they undergo repeated testing – they pay a price physically, socially and financially.”

In the simplest of the three studies, researchers reviewed videos of 208 people whose seizures were monitored at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ. They found that 50 out of 52 people with psychological nonepileptic seizures closed their eyes during seizures, while 152 out of 156 people with epileptic seizures opened their eyes during seizures.

“We need to confirm these results, but these findings could help guide us toward the appropriate diagnosis early on,” said the study author, neurologist Steve S. Chung, MD. “In our experience, family members can accurately describe whether a patient’s eyes were open or closed during a seizure.”

The second study compared 26 people whose psychological nonepileptic seizures began when they were 55 or older to 241 people whose nonepileptic seizures started when they were younger than 55. The researchers found that those with late onset nonepileptic seizures were more likely to be male (42 percent compared to 23 percent) and have severe health problems (42 percent and eight percent). The late onset group was more likely to report health-related traumatic experiences (47 percent compared to four percent) and less likely to report a history of sexual abuse (four percent and 32 percent).

“Our findings suggest that the development of physical ill health, especially when it has been frightening to the patient, may be an important triggering factor for nonepileptic seizures in a subset of patients,” said study author Rod Duncan, PhD, of the West of Scotland Regional Epilepsy Service in Glasgow.

The third study examined 18 people seen in the emergency room for continuous seizures, or status epilepticus, that did not respond to epilepsy medication. Compared to those with epileptic seizures, those with nonepileptic seizures were more likely to be less than 30 years old, were more likely to have a port system implanted for administration of IV drugs and had lower blood levels of the enzyme creatine kinase, which normally rise after epileptic seizures.

“These characteristics can help guide the emergency doctor to the correct diagnosis, which is so critical in these cases, because the drugs can result in severe complications if it is in fact not epilepsy,” said study author and neurologist Martin Holtkamp, MD, of Charité – University Medicine Berlin in Germany. “Yet an immediate diagnosis is required, even though there is often no time to access EEG recordings and the patient’s detailed history.”

Benbadis said, “The ‘red flags’ raised by these studies make a major contribution in helping raise awareness about making the diagnosis of psychological nonepileptic seizures when dealing with seizures that do not respond to medications.”

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 19,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating, and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.

Mother turns visit with children into kidnapping

Five children who thought they were spending Tuesday afternoon at the park with their mother were found in Fort Myers, Fla., 24 hours later.

Samantha Key picked up her five children about 4:30 Tuesday afternoon from her mother's house and said she was taking them to the park, Smyrna Detective Jeff Peach said.

After seven hours passed with no sign of Key or the children, Key's mother got worried and called police. The grandmother has had custody of the children, who are 6, 8, 9, 10 and 13, for almost two years.

The situation didn't meet the criteria for an Amber Alert, Peach said.

"We made contact with the Lee County (Fla.) Sheriff's Department and their missing persons department began working the case there," he said. "While working with an informant, we got an address of where she might be."

One of the children takes two different medications for seizures but was apparently OK. Peach said Key did something similar two years ago, forcing her mother to drive to Orlando to pick up the children.

Key will be charged with five counts of custodial interference, police said.

Epilepsy affects your daily life

A diagnosis of an auto immune disorder means a person will be living with that illness every day for the rest of their life. There are treatments that can help those afflicted live a more productive life, but there are no cures.

Some may have no idea a person suffers from one of these illnesses, while others may look at them as different.

M Magazine profiled people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis and epilepsy, about their illness and their positive attitude on dealing with what life has dealt them.

On a more even keel Story by Lawrence Silver

Keith Eveland has a defibrillator in his heart that goes off for 30 seconds every five minutes. This may sound unusual, but for a person with epilepsy it helps them to live a more normal life.

Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person is prone to having recurring seizures.

The seizures are caused when there is a disturbance in the way nerve cells in the brain send electrical signals.

Eveland, 34, of Waukesha, says he’s been treated poorly most his life and has lost full custody of his children because of something that is out of his control.

At the height of his disease, he was suffering from seven to eight seizures a day. That is no longer the case with the help of the defibrillator.

Today he owns an auto body business and lives alone. But the road to independence was an arduous one.

When he was diagnosed with the disease at 6, few people knew anything about epilepsy.

Eveland says at age 8, he was kicked out of a local Boy Scout troop as soon as it was discovered he had epilepsy.

"You were treated like a school district would treat a sex offender," Eveland says. "But it wasn’t something you did. You were born with it. People didn’t know a lot about it back then."

Today the Epilepsy Foundation Web site reports 2.7 million Americans of all ages are affected by epilepsy and seizures.

Eveland says he controlled epilepsy most of his life with medications. But in 2001, the seizures started coming more rapidly and were more severe. It was then doctors discovered he was also being affected by tubular sclerosis, a disease that leaves calcium deposits on different areas of the body including the brain. The tubular sclerosis causes his epilepsy seizures to be more severe.
Between 2001 and 2003, he was having seven to eight seizures a day, and living in a home next to his parents in Crandon. "It was almost like I didn’t have a life," Eveland says. "I couldn’t drive and when the kids were around they had to be leery."

It was at that time he decided to have the defibrillator, known as a vega nerve stimulator, connected to his heart and brain. Now, his life is more stable and Eveland plans to spend that time enjoying life with his children.

Parkinson’s means a different pace / Story by Cathy Breitenbucher

When longtime UW-Milwaukee professor Bob Magill retired two years ago, his plans weren’t that different from those of other retirees: travel, write a book, spend time with family.

Magill, however, had a sense of urgency to what should have been a shift toward a leisurely lifestyle. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a couple of years earlier and worried he should be squeezing as much into life as possible.

"For a while, I was going at super speed to get things in shape financially, because I didn’t know how long I’d be sharp mentally," he explains. "I was driving everyone crazy, and I had to slow it down."

Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder of the nervous system. In Magill’s case, early symptoms included sleep problems, a shuffling gait, trembling hands, depression and a facial muscle condition commonly called "Parkinson’s mask."

"Everyone knew there was something wrong but me," says Magill, now 65.

The East Side Milwaukee resident credits exercise with helping him sustain muscle tone and overall fitness. A few accommodations — a ride to his tennis matches because he no longer drives, a yoga class geared to Parkinson’s patients, and a three-wheeled bicycle to help maintain balance — are all he needs to work out.

On a recent trip to the lava fields of the Galapagos Islands, "I made it with a cane," Magill boasts. Last month, he went snorkeling in Florida.

Besides traveling, Magill and his wife, Peggy, are avid fans of the ballet and theater, and also enjoy dining out, reading and spending time with their two children and grandson. Magill says family dynamics can change when a person is diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

"It changes the whole balance of power in the family," he explains. "A lot of men had been heads of corporations, and now they have trouble tying their shoes. People need to be direct — this disease puts pressure on your caregiver and your kids worry about how long you’ll be around."

Parkinson’s patients usually are between the ages of 50 and 79, and it’s a slowly progressive disorder. Actor Michael J. Fox and boxing legend Muhammad Ali have Parkinson’s, and Pope John Paul II exhibited symptoms for years before his death in 2005. Its cause is unknown.
On the medical front, Magill is part of a project at Aurora Sinai Medical Center studying the effectiveness of patch-delivered dopamine, which guarantees a constant flow of the important function-preserving drug to the body. Magill is writing a book about the impact of Parkinson’s on him and his family.

When first diagnosed, he wrestled with whether he should inform his students in UW-Milwaukee’s School of Social Welfare. He soon decided that by telling them, he could provide them with an education far beyond the course syllabus.

"I told them, my mind is still working, but I can’t speak as well," he recalls. "They were wonderful, uniformly. They weren’t condescending. They did disagree with me in class, but that’s good. I welcome debate."

Reaching out to others helps MS patient / Story by Cathy Breitenbucher

In his career as a litigation attorney, Jeffrey N. Gingold learned to keep his cool in the courtroom. Now, Gingold literally must keep from overheating so he does not become incapacitated by multiple sclerosis.

Gingold, 46, has spent the 10 years since his diagnosis learning coping skills. He looks at his life as one with reasonable boundaries, not one with limitations.

"Physically, I may present myself as looking OK, but I don’t do stairs and I don’t drive in certain circumstances," he explains. "Heat and humidity are to me like kryptonite to Superman — it’s an immediate drain.

Once I overheat, my hands and body tremor, and I lose coordination and balance."

Heat sensitivity is one of the many sensory symptoms that can come with MS, a disorder in which nerve fibers in the eyes, brain and spinal cord are damaged or destroyed. In addition to motor symptoms such as weakness and clumsiness, patients also can experience depression and mental impairment.

The onset of MS generally is between the ages of 20 and 40. Because a patient’s condition can improve and then deteriorate, treating MS is like shooting at a moving target. A variety of drug therapies is used, and exercise is encouraged for most patients.

"Sixty-five percent of patients will experience some level of cognitive disability and challenges," says Gingold. "When they are unprepared and no one has asked them about it, they don’t even feel comfortable telling a spouse. They won’t get their questions answered and will miss out on available treatment."

Gingold, who lives in Milwaukee, is an active advocate with the National MS Society Wisconsin Chapter, headquartered in Hartland. He recently published a book, "Facing the Cognitive Challenges of Multiple Sclerosis" (www.demosmedpub.com) to share his experiences and offer hope.

Asked if he finds his volunteer work more fulfilling than the law and teaching career he left five years ago, Gingold gives a quick "yes."

"The secret of volunteering is that people who are volunteering get more out of it than those they are trying to help," he explains. "I talk with people from the newly diagnosed to those who have had MS for 25-plus years. You see the devastation in all forms, and it propels me to stay active."
When Gingold was diagnosed, he and his wife were expecting their second child.

"I used to feel a little sad when our girls started walking faster than I did, but you get beyond that," he says. "It’s useless to complain — why be consumed by it?"

While avoiding fatigue is a constant balancing act, Gingold has found that ice skating is an ideal form of exercise because the cool of the rink prevents him from overheating. He’s a member of the West Allis Speedskating Club and works out at the Pettit National Ice Center.

"Years ago, I did a 500-meter time trial against Tucker Fredricks when he was just a kid. Now I can say I’ve skated against an Olympian," he says with pride.

Under control Story by Lawrence Silver

Kevin Laufer’s wife almost dumped him after their second date. Laufer took his wife, Kristine, to a friend’s wedding. After dinner had been served and the dance began, Laufer’s eyes started to droop and speech started to slur. Kristine Laufer said it appeared her future husband was drunk, which was surprising since she hadn’t seen him take a drink the entire night. "I thought he must be hiding in the corner taking shots with his buddies," Kristine says.

Turns out Kevin wasn’t getting drunk. He was showing symptoms of myasthenia gravis, a common primary disorder of neuromuscular transmission.

"He was slurring his words and I thought he was the biggest jerk," Kristine says. "But when we got home, he got better, and he told me he had MG."

Myasthenia gravis, or MG as it is commonly known, is an autoimmune disorder affecting neuromuscular transmission.

Kevin, 36, says the immune system attaches itself to the muscle and fights off the charge coming from nerve endings.

The charges are reduced and fatigue starts to set in. For Laufer, symptoms first arrived when he was 17, but he didn’t do anything about it until he was 19, when he came home from a vacation and was unable to speak.

Laufer says he was having trouble swallowing at the time. "I just didn’t pay attention," Laufer says. "I just didn’t think much of it."

The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America Web site says there are 36,000 documented cases of MG in America. But the foundation predicts many more go undocumented because the disease is under diagnosed.

Laufer says he was lucky because he had a doctor able to diagnose him immediately. Since then he’s been able to control the disease fairly well with medication.

Given a spectrum of 1 to 10, Laufer of Greenfield puts himself at a 2 or 3 as far as severity of the disease, even though his wife puts him at a 5. He says he leads a fairly sedentary lifestyle as a data analyst for a financial company in Brookfield.

Drowning may be due to lack of funds

A drowning victim whose body was pulled from the Suwannee River at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park over the weekend may have suffered seizures because he couldn’t afford to buy his medication, according to a report by the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office.

The body of Joseph Paul Earl, 26, of Atlantic Beach, was discovered by a passerby Sunday afternoon at about 3 p.m. in the Suwannee River floating just under the surface. Chief Deputy Ron Colvin and John Hale used a boat to recover Earl’s body.The search began Saturday, May 27 after Earl’s girlfriend, Tessla Plunkett, also of Atlantic Beach, reported that she and Earl were spending the Memorial Day weekend at the Music Park and were swimming at the Music Park’s sandbar when she noticed that Earl has walked up the embankment toward the parking area, leaving behind his shoes and clothes.

When he did not return, she began searching for him, spending several hours looking for him along with his friends at the Music Park. The Sheriff’s Office was called, a search by Plunkett and Deputy Larry Rogers of the entire park turned up nothing. The Hamilton County K9 team was called in, but due to the number of people at the Music Park, the dogs were not affective.

The search for Earl went on through the night, encompassing a search of the river by Colvin and Hale and the Florida Wildlife Commission and by air with the Florida Highway Patrol that did not yield any trace of Earl.Plunkett told Rogers that Earl had severe seizures and was on medication but had not taken his medication in about two months because they could not afford to buy it.Earl’s body was sent to the medical examiner’s office in Jacksonville for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The report said no signs of foul play were seen on the body recovered from the river.