VBCN - April 2016 Volume 3, No 1

Neurologist-directed ambulatory care for chronic neurologic diseases resulted in higher costs but fewer adverse events and less use of acute care services, according to an American Academy of Neurology–supported study.

Patients with drug-refractory tardive dyskinesia had significant and durable symptomatic improvement after bilateral deep-brain stimulation, a small clinical study showed.

The monoclonal antibody ocreliz­umab was recently granted a breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA for the treatment of patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS).

Ozanimod, an oral modulator of the sphingosine1-phosphate (S1P) receptor, was effective up to 72 weeks in a blinded extension of the phase 2/3 RADIANCE clinical trial that included patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Could stem-cell transplantation prove equally efficacious and more cost-effective than the currently available and expensive drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS)? Experts weighed in on this topic at ACTRIMS Forum 2016, a recent meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis.

Migraine is the third most common medical condition and the eighth leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization; yet, migraines are still underdiagnosed and undertreated. The misdiagnosis of migraines is partly to blame for patients not receiving optimal care.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers and cerebral beta-amyloid and amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) measures are equally accurate in the identification of early Alzheimer’s disease.

Significant strides have been made in understanding the factors that influence cognitive decline in older adults. Multiple studies have found that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may play a role in late-life cognitive impairment, particularly in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. For example, beta-amyloid, which is increased in Alzheimer’s disease, may interact with BDNF and suppress its expression, resulting in impaired cognition.