FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON April 11, 2007

Columbia University Researcher Honored by AAN for Seizure Research

Jan Claassen, MD, PhD, Receives Founders Award

St. Paul, Minn -

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is awarding the 2007 Founders Award to Jan Claassen, MD, PhD, member of the AAN, with Columbia University Neurological Institute, for his research tracking seizures in stroke patients. Claassen will receive the award during the AAN’s 59th Annual Meeting in Boston, held April 28 – May 5, 2007. The Founders Award is designed to encourage clinical and translational research in neuroscience by physicians in clinical neurology training programs. The Alliance Awards Subcommittee considers originality, scientific merit, neurological interest, and clarity of expression as criteria for review. Claassen’s work tracked seizures in stroke patients after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) by reviewing brain waves electronically. “Often seizures are not visible at the bedside but may be unmasked through an electroencephalogram (EEG), a measurement of the electrical activity of the brain,” said Claassen. “Our study demonstrates that most seizures after ICH have no obvious clinical manifestations and can only be diagnosed with EEG monitoring.” The 59th Annual Meeting takes place in the Hynes Convention Center. It is the world’s largest annual gathering of neurologists. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com. –end–

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 20,000 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, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke.