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Klaus Lauer (born 1950) is a German neuroepidemologist, mostly known for his work on multiple sclerosis (MS).
Klaus Joachim Lauer was born in 1950 and studied medicine in Frankfurt (Germany) from 1968 to 1975. He became a resident in the Department of Neurology of Klinikum Darmstadt, the Academic Teaching Hospital of Frankfurt University (Akademisches Lehrkrankenhaus der Universitäten Frankfurt/Main und Heidelberg-Mannheim, a major healthcare institution in South Hesse. Besides clinical work, Lauer devoted most of his research to epidemiology, with a special focus on MS etiology.
Early on, he published a series of five articles [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] on multiple sclerosis in the land of Hesse with Wolfgang Firnhaber, who had already been studying MS epidemiology in Göttingen and Darmstadt, [6] with support from the Hertie Foundation, the German Research Foundation and the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft. His lasting collaboration with Prof. Firnhaber, a longtime expert in MS prognostication [7] [8] [9] and geomedical aspects of MS, [10] provided K. Lauer with a solid background in geomedical investigation. [11] [12]
In the mid 80's, Lauer launched a series of specialized reports in Scandinavia, starting with a study of multiple sclerosis in Western Norway published in Neurology. [13] He has been following Norvegian MS ever since [14] [15] and has also coauthored epidemiological studies in Sweden with Anne-Marie Landtblom and Inger Boström. [16]
Like John Kurtzke, [17] Klaus J. Lauer has dedicated a large part of his work to the study of MS in the Faroe Islands, [18] starting with a 1986 article in the Journal of Neurology entitled "Some comments on the occurrence of multiple sclerosis in the Faroe Islands", [19] followed in 1988 by "Multiple sclerosis in relation to industrial and commercial activities in the Faroe Islands" [20] in the journal Neuroepidemiology, followed one year later by "Dietary changes in temporal relation to multiple sclerosis in the Faroe Islands: an evaluation of literary sources" [21] in the same journal.
MS is generally considered a multifactorial disease, [22] in which genetic predispositions and environmental triggers combine to launch an autoimmune process. As an international expert on the environmental dimension of MS, [23] Lauer compiled a review in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. [24]
Since 1992, Lauer has published a large number of epidemiological studies covering most west European countries, [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] Russia, [30] the USA, [31] [32] Canada, some countries in Asia and the Middle-East, [33] with a special focus on dietary aspects of etiology. [34] [35] [36] [37] Most recently, Klaus Lauer has focused again on MS in the Faroes [38] [39] and has been involved as an expert in the steering committee of the EnviMS study, a major multi-countries study investigating the impact of environmental exposures on MS. [40] [41] [42] Lauer is also one of the authors of a reference study of the cost of MS in Europe [43] and of several publications dealing with technical and methodological considerations in neuroepidemiology applied to multiple sclerosis. [44] [45]
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), or acute demyelinating encephalomyelitis, is a rare autoimmune disease marked by a sudden, widespread attack of inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. As well as causing the brain and spinal cord to become inflamed, ADEM also attacks the nerves of the central nervous system and damages their myelin insulation, which, as a result, destroys the white matter. It is often triggered by a viral infection or vaccinations.
Multiplesclerosis (MS) is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This damage disrupts the ability of parts of the nervous system to transmit signals, resulting in a range of signs and symptoms, including physical, mental, and sometimes psychiatric problems. Specific symptoms can include double vision, blindness in one eye, muscle weakness, and trouble with sensation or coordination. MS takes several forms, with new symptoms either occurring in isolated attacks or building up over time. In the relapsing forms of MS, between attacks, symptoms may disappear completely, although some permanent neurological problems often remain, especially as the disease advances.
The McDonald criteria are diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS). These criteria are named after neurologist W. Ian McDonald who directed an international panel in association with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) of America and recommended revised diagnostic criteria for MS in April 2001. These new criteria intended to replace the Poser criteria and the older Schumacher criteria. They have undergone revisions in 2005, 2010 and 2017.
Pseudobulbar affect (PBA), or emotional incontinence, is a type of emotional disturbance characterized by uncontrollable episodes of crying, laughing, anger or other emotional displays. PBA occurs secondary to a neurologic disorder or brain injury. Patients may find themselves crying uncontrollably at something that is only moderately sad, being unable to stop themselves for several minutes. Episodes may also be mood-incongruent: a patient may laugh uncontrollably when angry or frustrated, for example. Sometimes, the episodes may switch between emotional states, resulting in the patient crying uncontrollably before dissolving into fits of laughter.
The British occupation of the Faroe Islands during World War II, also known as Operation Valentine, was implemented immediately following the German invasion of Denmark and Norway. It was a small component of the roles of Nordic countries in World War II.
β-Methylamino-L-alanine, or BMAA, is a non-proteinogenic amino acid produced by cyanobacteria. BMAA is a neurotoxin and its potential role in various neurodegenerative disorders is the subject of scientific research.
Dihydroergocryptine (DHEC), sold under the brand names Almirid and Cripar among others, is a dopamine agonist of the ergoline group that is used as an antiparkinson agent in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. It is taken by mouth.
Inflammatory demyelinating diseases (IDDs), sometimes called Idiopathic (IIDDs) due to the unknown etiology of some of them, are a heterogenous group of demyelinating diseases - conditions that cause damage to myelin, the protective sheath of nerve fibers - that occur against the background of an acute or chronic inflammatory process. IDDs share characteristics with and are often grouped together under Multiple Sclerosis. They are sometimes considered different diseases from Multiple Sclerosis, but considered by others to form a spectrum differing only in terms of chronicity, severity, and clinical course.
Research in multiple sclerosis may find new pathways to interact with the disease, improve function, curtail attacks, or limit the progression of the underlying disease. Many treatments already in clinical trials involve drugs that are used in other diseases or medications that have not been designed specifically for multiple sclerosis. There are also trials involving the combination of drugs that are already in use for multiple sclerosis. Finally, there are also many basic investigations that try to understand better the disease and in the future may help to find new treatments.
Mitochondrially encoded tRNA leucine 1 (UUA/G) also known as MT-TL1 is a transfer RNA which in humans is encoded by the mitochondrial MT-TL1 gene.
Methiodal is a pharmaceutical drug that was used as an iodinated contrast medium for X-ray imaging. Its uses included myelography ; for this use, cases of adhesive arachnoiditis have been reported, similar to those seen under the contrast medium iofendylate.
CSF/serum albumin ratio is a test performed to compare the levels of albumin in the cerebrospinal fluid and the serum.
Poser criteria are diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS). They replaced the older Schumacher criteria, and now they are considered obsolete as McDonald criteria have superseded them. Nevertheless, some of the concepts introduced have remained in MS research, like CDMS, and newer criteria are often calibrated against them. The criteria were unveiled in the Annals of Neurology in 1983 by a team lead by Dr. Charles M. Poser.
The tapping rate is a psychological test given to assess the integrity of the neuromuscular system and examine motor control. The finger tapping test has the advantage of being a relatively pure neurologically driven motor task because the inertial and intersegmental interactions are so small that biomechanical influences on movement are reduced. Finger tapping involves three important features: time, spatial amplitude, and frequency. Studies have reported that the average number of taps per 10-second interval can be used to distinguish between patients with mild traumatic brain injury and healthy controls, is slower in people one month after sustaining a mild traumatic brain injury, and in experienced boxers and soccer players who frequently "headed" the ball. The speed of finger tapping has also been found to be related to severity of initial traumatic brain injury, and can be used to help assess recovery from mild and moderate traumatic brain injuries.
Harding ataxia is an autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia originally described by Harding in 1981. This form of cerebellar ataxia is similar to Friedreich ataxia including that it results in poor reflexes and balance, but differs in several ways, including the absence of diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, cardiomyopathy, skeletal abnormalities, and the fact that tendon reflexes in the arms and knees remain intact. This form of ataxia is characterized by onset in the first 20 years, and is less severe than Friedreich ataxia. Additional cases were diagnosed in 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1998.
Georg Herman Monrad-Krohn, born in Bergen, Norway, is known for his work on the development of neurology early in the 20th century. He studied at the National Hospital, Queens Square in London, and often visited Paris, France to work in the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital facilities. In 1917 he returned to Norway, and began studies at the Neurological University Clinic of Oslo (Rikshospitalet), where he was appointed a Professor in 1922. In 1927 he became Professor of Neurology at the University of Oslo, and later Emeritus Professor of Neurology.. He retired from this professorial chair at the age of 70. His son, the computer engineer and entrepreneur Lars Monrad-Krohn was born in 1933. Monrad-Krohn died in 1964 after a long career in what both he and Acta Neurologica Scandinavica termed "the struggle for neurology".
John Francis Kurtzke was a neuroepidemiologist and Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University who is best known for his creation of the Expanded Disability Status Scale and for his research on multiple sclerosis (MS). After graduating from Cornell University Medical College in 1952, Dr. Kurtzke started his career in the field of Neurology as Chief of the Neurology Service at the Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Medical Centers in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, from 1956 to 1963, and then in Washington, DC, from 1963 to 1995, where he became Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University. At the time of his death, he held the title of Professor Emeritus at Georgetown University.
Lymphocytic meningoradiculitis, also known as Bannwarth syndrome, is a neurological disease characterized as intense nerve pain radiating from the spine. The disease is caused by an infection of Borrelia burgdorferi, a tick-borne spirochete bacterium also responsible for causing Lyme disease.
Anti-AQP4 diseases, are a group of diseases characterized by auto-antibodies against aquaporin 4.
Vimla Virmani, also seen as Vimala Virmani, was an Indian neurologist. In 1978, she became the first woman to serve as president of the Neurological Society of India.
