To analyze the functional consequences of coassembly of Trp1 and Trp3 channel proteins we characterized membrane conductances and divalent cation entry derived by separate overexpression and by coexpression of both Trp isoforms. Trp1 expression generated a 1-

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting regions of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions. Immunization against ␤-amyloid (A␤) in animal models of AD has been shown to be effective on the molecular level but also on the behavioral level. Recently, we reported naturally occurring autoantibodies against A␤ (NAbs-A␤) being reduced in Alzheimer's disease patients. Here, we further investigated their physiological role: in epitope mapping studies, NAbs-A␤ recognized the mid-/Cterminal end of A␤ and preferentially bound to oligomers but failed to bind to monomers/fibrils. NAbs-A␤ were able to interfere with A␤ peptide toxicity, but NAbs-A␤ did not readily clear senile plaques although early fleecy-like plaques were reduced. Administration of NAbs-A␤ in transgenic mice improved the object location memory significantly, almost reaching performance levels of wild-type control mice. These findings suggest a novel physiological mechanism involving NAbs-A␤ to dispose of proteins or peptides that are prone to forming toxic aggregates.

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Nationwide analyses of drug use can provide a prevalence estimate of the underlying disease and can help in understanding the characteristics of treatment. This study aimed for such analyses regarding the utilization of antiepileptic drugs (AED) for epilepsy in Germany. In 2009, all 4,115,705 AED prescriptions of all German patients with statutory health insurance (70,011,508 persons) were retrospectively analyzed. The IMS(®) LRx database served as data source, which accesses nationwide pharmacy data centers processing all German prescription data. To establish the age and sex-specific percentage of patients taking AED because of epilepsy, we used a second database, Disease Analyzer(®), which covered a representative sample of the German population (7.2 million patients) and contained ICD10 codes alongside with prescription data. The period prevalence of patients taking AED because of epilepsy was 9.1/1,000 (children/adolescents: 5.2/1,000; elderly: 12.5/1,000). Of the patients, 83.1 % took at least one of four AED: valproate (29.8 %), carbamazepine (26.4 %), lamotrigine (21.4 %), and levetiracetam (16.9 %). Oxcarbazepine and sultiame were popular with pediatricians. Elderly patients frequently received phenytoin and primidone. More than half of the patients were treated by family physicians; 68 % took AED in monotherapy and 7.9 % received >2 AED (children/adolescents: 12.5 %). The costs for AED prescribed for epilepsy amounted to €285.1 Mio (median AED costs/patient: €158/a). The German 2009 prevalence of epileptic patients taking AED was 9.1/1,000. Family physicians cared for the majority of patients. Prevalence and prescribing patterns changed with age. Costs of AED against epilepsy added up to 1 % of total medication costs in Germany.

To investigate the health-related quality of life (HrQoL) of adult patients with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (GTS) in Germany. HrQoL was evaluated in 200 adult patients with GTS (Mean age: 34.9 +/- 11.8 years). Patients were recruited from three outpatient departments in Germany and completed a semi-structured, self-rating interview. HrQoL was measured using the EQ-5D. Depression was assessed using the Beck's depression inventory (BDI) and clinical symptoms using the Yale Tourette syndrome symptom list (TSSL) and the Shapiro Tourette-syndrome severity scale (STSSS). Multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of HrQoL. Patients with GTS proved to have a worse HrQoL than a sample from the general German population. The domains most affected were anxiety/depression (57.1%), followed by pain/discomfort (47.5%), usual activities (38.4%), mobility (14%), and self-care (6.6%). The mean EQ-5D visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) was 65.4 +/- 21.9. The patients had a mean BDI score of 12.3 +/- 9.9, which was considerably worse compared to a healthy group who had a score of 6.45 +/- 5.2. The mean STSSS value was 3.2 +/- 1.1. In multivariate analyses, depressive symptoms contributed considerably, whereas the severity of symptoms as well as age only contributed minimally to HrQoL in the model (R(2) = 0.54). HrQoL is considerably reduced in adult patients with GTS. The main independent factors for determining HrQoL were depression, severity of symptoms, and age. Although, treatment of tics is important, co-morbidities such as depression should be diagnosed and treated vigorously.