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Selective Disruption of Thalamo-Cortical Connections in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness — a Possible Biomarker for Cognitive-Motor Dissociation

In this case-control, functional neuroimaging study, the authors developed a novel method to evaluate correlations between integrity of neural circuits involved in overt and covert motor behavior and apply the method to two patients: one with a dissociation of imaging-based vs bedside evidence of command following and one without.

Neonatal MRI Can Predict Future Academic Difficulties for Children Born Preterm

Neonatal brain MRI can identify structural changes that predict future difficulties in school performance for children who are born preterm.

Clinical Features and Consequences of Inclusion Body Myositis

Inclusion body myositis, while poorly understood regarding cause, is clearly responsive to physical exercise, and patients should be encouraged to maintain robust physical activity.

Medication for Acute Low Back — A Randomized Clinical Trial

In a trial comparing naproxyn alone to combinations with cyclobenzaprine or oxycodone/acetaminophen in patients with acute low back pain, there was no difference in outcome after 1 week.

Every 5-minute Delay in Performing Endovascular Reperfusion Results in 1 out of 100 Patients Having a Worse Disability Outcome

Every 5-minute delay in performing endovascular reperfusion results in 1 out of 100 patients having a worse disability outcome.

Treatment for Ulnar Neuropathy at the Elbow

In a randomized treatment trial of steroid injection into the cubital tunnel for ulnar neuropathy, there was no difference in outcome compared to placebo.

Botulinum Toxin and Treatment of Spasticity

AbobotulinumtoxinA is effective at reducing spasticity and reducing disability in patients with upper limb spasticity due to stroke or traumatic brain injury.

Lower Risk of Parkinson’s Disease After Vagotomy: Implications for Spread of Pathology

Truncal vagotomy was associated with a reduced risk for Parkinson’s disease with a hazard ratio of 0.58 for those with more than 20 years’ follow-up. This suggests the vagus nerve as a possible route of entry into the central nervous system for this neurodegenerative process.

Potential Imaging Biomarkers of SUDEP: Can We Predict Sudden Death in Epilepsy?

The authors retrospectively conducted a voxel-based analysis of T1 MRI scans to compare gray matter volumes in 12 cases of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) acquired at a median of 2 years before death with patients at high or low risk for SUDEP and with healthy controls, and demonstrated significant anatomical differences between the groups.

Autoimmune Cerebellar Ataxia — Responses to Treatment

This study analyzed patients diagnosed with antibody-mediated paraneoplastic and non-paraneoplastic cerebellar ataxia, and treatment benefit was seen predominantly in the non-paraneoplastic group.