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572651 tn?1530999357

Last week's Neurology headlines -

There  was exciting news coming from New Orleans last week at the American Academy of Neurology conference.  Here is a brief synopsis of the highlights, taken from an email I received today.  Even the ones that aren't MS related make for some good reading.  

you can find links to all of these stories through their website at http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AAN/


AAN Wrap-Up  |  May 01, 2012  
  'Visual Snow' Called Real, Not Drug Related

NEW ORLEANS -- A mysterious and troubling phenomenon called "visual snow" is a distinct syndrome that does not appear to stem from illicit drug use, nor is it a migraine aura, a researcher said here. Full story  



Lacosamide Good in Trigeminal Neuralgia
NEW ORLEANS -- The anti-epileptic agent lacosamide (Vimpat) appears to give relief to patients with refractory trigeminal neuralgia, researchers reported here. Full story

Antidepressants May Help Cut Seizures
NEW ORLEANS -- Patients with epilepsy who experience more than one seizure a month appear to achieve a reduction in seizure activity when treated with antidepressants, researchers reported here. Full story

Topamax Not a Growth Deterrent in Epilepsy

NEW ORLEANS -- Children with newly diagnosed, partial-onset epilepsy who were treated with topiramate showed gains in height, researchers reported here. Full story

Tysabri Seems OK for Expectant Mothers with MS
NEW ORLEANS -- Accidental fetal exposure to natalizumab did not appear associated with adverse effects in pregnant multiple sclerosis patients, according to small studies presented here. Full story

Latest Use for Botox: Teeth Grinding
NEW ORLEANS -- Patients who ground their teeth so hard during sleep that they required medical attention achieved significant relief from botulinum toxin shots, researchers said here. Full story

Two MS Drugs No Better than One
NEW ORLEANS -- Among patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, little clinical benefit was seen for combining glatiramer acetate with interferon beta-1a versus either drug alone in a large randomized trial. Full story
Brain Bleed Size Affects Therapy in Afib Patients
NEW ORLEANS -- The size of a brain bleed appears to determine which medications, if any, are given to atrial fibrillation patients after an intracerebral hemorrhage, a retrospective study showed. Full story

Tardive Drug Effect Is Often Permanent
NEW ORLEANS -- Only about one patient in eight who develops tardive syndromes as a result of an antipsychotic or other drug therapy ever fully recovers, a researcher said here. Full story

Rare Brain Condition Yields to Prompt Tx
NEW ORLEANS -- A condition known as anti-NMDA encephalitis may be frightening to see, but it usually responds to prompt, aggressive treatment, researchers said here. Full story

Menopause Impact Negligible in MS
NEW ORLEANS -- The clinical course of multiple sclerosis does not appear to be affected by advent of menopause, researchers said here. Full story

More Negative Results for Vein Blockage in MS
NEW ORLEANS -- Occlusions in cerebrospinal veins imaged with ultrasound and magnetic resonance venography do not appear to be related to multiple sclerosis, researchers said here. Full story

Statins May Cut Stroke Mortality
NEW ORLEANS -- Stroke patients who were on statin therapy at the time of their stroke appear to be significantly less likely to die in the hospital than patients who were not on statins, researchers said here. Full story

Slow MS Progress Most Likely if Diagnosed Young
NEW ORLEANS -- Being a woman and being young at diagnosis of multiple sclerosis were key hallmarks that allowed for "benign" disease over two decades or more, researchers said here. Full story

Fumarate Safety, Efficacy in MS Confirmed
NEW ORLEANS -- Dimethyl fumarate (BG-12) showed good efficacy and safety in the pivotal, phase III CONFIRM trial, in line with results from an earlier phase III study. Full story
Cancer Drug Effective in Relapsing MS
NEW ORLEANS -- Alemtuzumab (Lemtrada, Campath) dramatically reduced multiple sclerosis relapses in patients with long-term disease -- with just once-a-year treatment, researchers reported here. Full story

New MS Drugs Will Give Patients More Options
NEW ORLEANS -- Investigational multiple sclerosis drugs moving through the trial pipeline offer the prospect of treatments more tailored to patient preferences, a prominent researcher said in this exclusive InFocus video report. Full story

Glatiramer-IFN Combo in MS a Toss-Up
NEW ORLEANS -- Radiologic findings from a closely watched trial of glatiramer acetate (Copaxone) and interferon-beta-1a (Avonex) combination therapy in multiple sclerosis were mixed, a researcher said here. Full story

Certified Stroke Centers Use More Thrombolysis
NEW ORLEANS -- Use of tPA has been substantially higher in primary stroke centers certified by the Joint Commission compared with other facilities, although the gap has narrowed recently, a researcher said here. Full story

Patients Drop MS Drug, Face Relapse Risk
NEW ORLEANS -- Multiple sclerosis patients treated with natalizumab were more likely to discontinue therapy after learning of a positive JCV antibody result, only to see a higher risk for relapse, according to a single-center study. Full story

Oral Steroids Effective in MS
NEW ORLEANS -- Outcomes for multiple sclerosis patients in relapse and treated with oral methylprednisolone were no different than those of similar patients who received intravenous steroids, researchers found. Full story

Dementia Risk Seen in Study Refusers
NEW ORLEANS -- People who declined to participate in a prospective study of aging developed dementia more quickly than those who joined the study, a researcher said here, suggesting study participants may not be a representative sample. Full story

New Migraine Guidelines Rank Rx, OTC Efficacy
NEW ORLEANS -- Seven different drugs are proven to be effective for preventing episodic migraine attacks and another half-dozen are probably helpful, according to new guidelines released here. Full story
Big News on MS, Alzheimer's Expected at Meeting
NEW ORLEANS -- Significant progress against multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease is slated to be reported at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting here next week. Full story
Novel MS Pill Passes Early Test
NEW ORLEANS -- An investigational oral drug for multiple sclerosis markedly reduced the number of brain lesions relative to placebo in a phase II study, researchers will report here next week. Full story

Mom's Migraines Linked to Baby's Colic
NEW ORLEANS -- New mothers may be more likely to face an inconsolable baby if they have a history of migraine, an observational study suggested. Full story

Clot Busters Look Safe in Pediatric Stroke
NEW ORLEANS -- Using thrombolytic therapy appears to be as safe in children with acute ischemic stroke as it is in adults, a retrospective study showed. Full story

Pumping Iron Best Exercise in Parkinson's
NEW ORLEANS -- Weight training may ease Parkinson's disease symptoms better than a mix of stretching, aerobics, and strengthening exercises long term, a trial suggested. Full story

Bad Sleep Linked to Alzheimer's
NEW ORLEANS -- Disturbed sleep is associated with preclinical signs of Alzheimer's disease, researchers found. Full story

Stuffing the Belly Could Starve the Mind in Seniors
NEW ORLEANS -- Overeating is associated with an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in people 70 or older, researchers are reporting. Full story




4 Responses
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Avatar universal
some interesting stuff there. i passed onto our local MS group.

Helpful - 0
987762 tn?1671273328
COMMUNITY LEADER
Thanks for posting this, so much information is coming out which is good to see, i was wow look at that lol i'm off to read the 'full story' on more than one so that should keep me out of trouble for a while. :o)

Cheers.........JJ
Helpful - 0
572651 tn?1530999357
thanks, Shell.  There are a  slew of topics in there, much beyond the MS headlines.  
Helpful - 0
198419 tn?1360242356
Wow Laura!

Thank you so much for cutting the "headlines" gives us good heads up on hot topics, and topics and meds to keep our eyes on!

Helpful - 0
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