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General Neurology

News, opinions and meeting coverage in neurology.

Increasing Tysabri Dosing Interval May Cut PML Risk

No sacrifice of efficacy seen in retrospective analysis.

Experts Gain Ground in CTE Diagnosis

NIH working group says perivascular tau deposition is hallmark feature of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Novel Drug for Cramping Shows Promise in Early Trial

Could benefit patients with MS spasticity and cervical dystonia.

Idebenone Slows Respiratory Decline in DMD

Antioxidant is thought to stimulate mitochondrial activity to preserve breathing ability.

Neurologists Back FDA on Call for ALS Drug Data

Experts want Genervon to release all of its trial results for an investigational ALS drug that's already gained patient support.

TBI Patients Keep Cool With Induced Normothermia

Protocol linked to better temperature control and lower in-hospital mortality.

Guideline: Managing Unprovoked First Seizures in Adults

Anti-epileptic drugs may reduce risk of recurrence, joint AAN-AES guideline says.

What Makes an Opioid Stronger or Weaker Than Morphine?

CDC classification of stronger, weaker, and morphine-equivalent opioids is confusing.

Autism Therapy From a Robot?

Augmenting, not replacing, human therapists.

Mixed Results for Low-Dose Statin in Second Stroke

Pravastatin didn't reduce incidence of recurrent stroke, but did offer other benefits.

Cannabis for Child Seizures: Popular, But Is It Effective?

Thus far, only parent reports and open-label trials for support.

Opioid Linked to Low Blood Sugar

Tramadol was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for hypoglycemia.

Drugmaker: Aptiom Monotherapy Cuts Seizures

Study supports FDA filing for expanded indication.

Benefits Pile Up for Epilepsy Surgery

When surgery is an option, studies suggest it's usually the best one.

Mild Stenosis Linked to Death in Diabetes

Long-term registry shows impact similar to single-vessel obstruction.

Atherosclerosis a Signal for Brain Drain?

Plaque burden was linked to cognitive impairment in a population-based study.

Gout May Protect Against Alzheimer's Disease

Study showed AD incidence higher over 5 years for patients without gout.

That's Not Chronic Lyme, It's Cancer

Three case reports demonstrate the risks of "assuming that patients have chronic Lyme disease."

Portenoy Opioid Talk Sparks Controversy

Opioid advocate Russell Portenoy's invitation to an upcoming NIH workshop is under fire.

TCT: PFO No Panacea for Migraine

WASHINGTON -- Percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure did not significantly reduce the number of monthly migraine days compared with medical treatment, researchers reported here.

Multiple Sclerosis Risk Tied to Some OCs

BOSTON -- Women using combined oral contraceptives containing norethindrone or levonorgestrel were substantially more likely to develop multiple sclerosis than those not on "The Pill."

Generic Copaxone for MS Passes Clinical Test

BOSTON -- A copycat version of the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone, known generically as glatiramer acetate, performed similarly to the original product in a head-to-head trial, paving the way for it to win regulatory approval as a generic drug.

Novel Drug Beats Avonex for MS Efficacy; Safety Still a Worry

BOSTON -- Daclizumab HYP cut relapse rates and disability progression in multiple sclerosis patients more effectively than interferon beta-1a (Avonex) in a phase III trial, but liver toxicity with the IL-2 inhibitor reared its head again.

'Sleep Drunkenness' Common, But Rarely Unexplained

So-called confusional arousals were reported in the past year by some 15% of respondents in a population-based survey, with nearly all episodes associated with mental disorders or drugs with known sleep effects.

Wait, What? Medium Was Accurate, Says Peer-Reviewed Study

Sometimes, blog posts write themselves. Others are written by dead doctors with the help of a medium.

HIV Drug Cleared of Cognition Hit

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Although it has well-known psychiatric side effects, the HIV drug efavirenz (Sustiva) does not affect cognition, a researcher said here.

HTN May Halt Dementia in Very Elderly

COPENHAGEN -- Among individuals who developed hypertension at age 90 or later, their risk of also developing dementia was dramatically lower than other very elderly people whose blood pressure remained normal.

Codpieces a Cover for Syphilis? That's Improbable!

A weekly report from our friends at Improbable Research.

AMA Highlights: VA, Cheerleaders, and Guns

CHICAGO -- Wrapping up a full agenda, the AMA agrees cheerleading is a sport, doctors outside the VA need to pitch in to help care for veterans, and e-cigarettes need to be regulated.

AMA Clamps Down on MOC, But Punts on Gun Regs

CHICAGO -- The AMA鈥檚 House of Delegates drew the line on this year's hot button topic -- maintenance of certification (MOC), saying it should not be mandatory, nor should it be a condition of licensure.

Dalfampridine: Not Just a Walking Aid

DALLAS -- Extended-release dalfampridine (Ampyra) is approved for boosting walking speed in multiple sclerosis patients, but its benefits extend to other aspects of physical function, according to a small study reported here.

CCSVI Practices Suboptimal but Patients Don't Mind

DALLAS -- Canadian multiple sclerosis patients who left the country to undergo the controversial procedure called chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) often received poor pre- and postoperative care, but most were still relatively satisfied overall, a researcher reported here.

Gastro Effects Dog Oral MS Drug Tecfidera

DALLAS -- Large proportions of patients starting on dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera) for multiple sclerosis need additional medications to manage the drug's GI and other side effects, and a substantial minority ultimately find the drug intolerable.

MS Bladder Problems Show Up Early and Often

Nearly 80% of multiple sclerosis patients in a large registry reported overactive bladder symptoms, and one-third of a separate cohort of newly diagnosed patients also showed urinary dysfunction, researchers reported here.

War Wounds: Hearing Loss Tracks Gulf War Vets

Battlefield wounds are often both life-threatening and life-changing, but when hearing is the casualty, the wound is too often undiagnosed or untreated, but a new initiative is underway to change tackle the silent wounds of war.

Medtronic's Infuse Moves From Operating Room to Courtroom

An investigative series by 麻豆传媒/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been tracking the spinal fusion device called Infuse in a 4-year-long series and now reports how a flawed FDA system for device approval may have led to a long string of adverse events culminating in thousands of liability suits.

FDA Slashes Starting Dose for Lunesta

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Patients starting on the sleep drug eszopiclone (Lunesta) should take no more than 1 mg at bedtime -- one-third the current label-recommended dose -- because of the risk of next-day impairment, the FDA said Thursday.

Shingle Risk High in Lupus, RA, COPD

Patients with autoimmune diseases and certain other chronic conditions are at increased risk for herpes zoster, a U.K. case-control study found.

Patients鈥� Eye Color a Clue to Pain Tolerance

TAMPA -- Caucasian women with light-colored eyes -- blue or green -- appear to tolerate pain better than Causcasian women with brown or hazel eyes, researchers reported here.

Humans Beat Stroke Scales for ICH Prognosis

PHILADELPHIA -- Physicians and nurses in stroke units more accurately predicted outcomes in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) compared with common prognostic scales, a researcher reported here.

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