Browse Neurology Alert Articles by Topic

Functional MRI in REM Behavior Disorder Is Suggestive of Future Parkinson’s Disease

Rapid eye movement behavior disorder carries an increased risk of future Parkinson’s disease and has fMRI and DaTSCAN features that are similar to those in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Association of Traumatic Brain Injury with Late-life Neurodegenerative Diseases

This study analyzed pooled clinical and neuropathological data of older adults free of dementia from three prospective cohort studies and found that traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness was associated with risk for Lewy body accumulation, Parkinson’s disease, and progression of Parkinsonism, but not dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, neuritic plaques, or neurofibrillary tangles.

Neuropathy in Myeloma

Peripheral neuropathy is uncommon at presentation in patients with myeloma, and may be complicated by vitamin D deficiency and the neurotoxic effects of chemotherapy.

Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson’s: Are All Dopamine Agonists Equal Offenders?

This observational study of 425 patients with a broad range of stages of Parkinson’s disease found that long-acting pramipexole and transdermal rotigotine were less likely to be associated with impulse control disorders than were immediate-release pramipexole and any formulation of ropinirole. This study highlights differences between dopamine agonists that may affect patient care.

Ticagrelor vs. Aspirin for Secondary Stroke Prevention — About the Same!

Ticagrelor was not found to be superior to aspirin in reducing the rate of stroke, myocardial infarction, or death within 90 days, but there was a trend toward a reduced rate of ischemic stroke, that did not reach statistical significance.

In Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage, Intensive Lowering of Blood Pressure Does Not Improve Outcome

intensive treatment of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage to achieve a target systolic blood pressure < 120 mmHg did not result in a lower rate of death or disability, but did result in an increased rate of renal adverse events.

Stiff-Person Spectrum Disorder: What Can Antibody Profiles Tell Us?

This retrospective study of 121 patients with stiff-person spectrum disorder extensively examined antibody correlates of clinical features. Anti-GAD65 antibodies were highly associated with typical stiff-person syndrome, and anti-GlyR antibodies with SPS-plus. However, presence of anti-GAD antibodies predicted worse outcome than presence of antiGlyR antibodies, independent of clinical subtype.

Structural and Functional Imaging ‘Phenotypes’ in Refractory Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients

Using high-resolution 3-T magnetic resonance imaging, temporal lobe epilepsy-hippocampal sclerosis showed significant preoperative ipsilateral volume loss, T2 hyperintensity, and mean diffusivity increases across all subfields, with the greatest effects seen anteriorly. However, temporal lobe epilepsy-gliosis showed increased volume in the dentate gyrus bilaterally, and more focal and subtle increases in T2 intensity and mean diffusivity.

What is the End Game in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Progression?

Cerebellar and psychiatric symptoms at diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease may portend a higher risk for more rapid development of akinetic mutism.

For Migraine Pain, Green Light May Give Relief

Migraine-related photophobia appears to originate in cone-driven retinal pathways and is then mediated by thalamic neurons. Green light causes less stimulation than other colors.