[lurkingforacure]

This is really interesting, here's a link to the text copied below:

http://www.maximilianobraun.net/blog.html

"Zolpidem is marketed worldwide under different names; Stilnox, Silnoct, Ambien, etc. Some families have decided to try zolpidem after reading or hearing about Louis’ story and Dr Clauss’ research. Indeed, there are positive results reported worldwide. The number of these, however, is difficult to determine. Also, not all results are dramatic and many may be quite subtle. However, some weeks ago I found this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sE_r-B1Hcs

In an effort to keep families informed, I have asked Dr Clauss to summarise his findings and facts of zolpidem from his research, which is now written below.

Zolpidem is a pharmaceutical used routinely for treating insomnia, inducing sleep by attaching to GABA(A)receptors in the brain. It was first described as a medication for brain damage by Drs Nel and Clauss in the South African Medical Journal of 2000, months after patient Louis Viljoen was unexpectedly aroused from his Vegetative State (SAMJ 90(1): 68- 72). In the decade following the discovery, further case reports and international studies have independently verified these initial findings. The largest multi patient study on zolpidem to date was published by Dr Nyakale et al in April 2010 (Arzneimittelforschung 60(4): 177- 81). The study evaluated 41 patients after brain damage enrolled in the order that they presented to the clinic. 23 scored less than 100/100 on the Barthel Index which indicated that they had a degree of dependency on their carers. Causes of brain damage in these 23 patients were stroke, traumatic brain injury, anaphylaxis, drug overdose and cerebral palsy. All had zolpidem treatment for at least 4 months. After zolpidem there was a highly significant, 11.3% mean improvement in activities of daily living as scored on the standard Tinetti Falls Efficacy Scale (p=0.0001) while 6/23 patients improved by 20% or more. Remarkably brain imaging studies in these patients showed that parts of damaged brain, inactive before dosing, started to function again after zolpidem. The inactive areas had no typical location or distribution pattern and varied from patient to patient. Such areas had previously been considered ‘dead’, but evidently they are dormant rather than dead so the new term ‘neurodormancy’ or ‘brain dormancy’ has been coined to refer to the areas that zolpidem affects. Further information and updates can be found at

http://sites.google.com/site/zolpidemtherapy/home and http://twitter.com/#!/Zolpidemupdates"

And a more recent article from February 2014: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24434886

We have never had a SPECT scan, only MRI. Does anyone know if an MRI would show the "inactive" parts of the brain like the SPECT scan does?