Articles related to Neurology

A study of nearly 10,000 adults aged 65 and older found that individuals with either complete tooth loss or diabetes had accelerated cognitive decline compared to those without the diseases. And decline was fastest for individuals 65-84 who had both conditions. The authors hypothesize a combination of nutritional deficiency and inflammation as playing a role.

It is especially important to educate physicians who provide primary care to patients of these ages about spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and other neuromuscular diseases. Shortening diagnostic times is critical for the success of current therapies, and neonatal SMA screening programs have a high potential for identifying affected children.

The prevalence of neurologic illness in the United States is increasing. In 2019, there were approximately 12,000 neurologists practicing in the United States, which was insufficient to meet the needs of the aging population. Furthermore, many neurologists are subspecialized, and their care may be limited to specific disease states. General neurologists, as defined by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) as “neurologists who are comfortable evaluating and treating patients across the broad spectrum of neurological diseases and do not limit their practice to a specific subspecialty,” are becoming increasingly scarce.

In a synopsis from ACTRIMS San Diego forum at the end of February, most patients who achieved a “no evidence of disease activity” in the first 6 months of therapy with Briumvi continued to show no active disease at the 2-year mark. At the same time, high-dose vitamin D appears to have no effect in controlling MS. And a suspension of gold nanoparticles designed to increase intracellular energy production, and previously demonstrating positive effects on cognition, vision, and motor function in MS, is the focus of a new study set to begin enrolling patients with progressive forms of MS.

In this study of 243 adolescent and adult patients, addition of Modified Atkins Diet (MAD) to standard drug therapy netted seizure reduction of >50% in 26% of patients in the intervention arm versus 2.5% in the control group.

The Nerivio device is worn on the arm and uses painless electrical stimulation to activate peripheral nerves, thereby inducing a conditioned pain modulation response. It is controlled by a smartphone app and is recommended to be used every other day for migraine prevention.