Neurology

Managing patients with severe Alzheimer disease

January 27, 2009

The management of severe Alzheimer disease may include the use of cholinesterase inhibitors and/or memantine, and atypical antipsychotics for patients with severe agitation, aggression and psychosis, according to the Third Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia (Herrmann & Gauthier. Can Med Assoc J 2008;179:1279-1287; free text at www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/179/12/1279. See also Patterson et al. Can Med Assoc J 1999;160:1738-1742).

The Third Canadian Consensus Conference also recommends using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for the assessment of cognitive function, although this measure will be less sensitive as the disease progresses. The Global Deterioration Scale (Reisberg et al. Am J Psychiatry 1982;139:1136-1139) may be employed to assess overall severity. Read More

AAN recommendations on natalizumab in MS

January 27, 2009

The American Academy of Neurology has issued its recommendations on the use of natalizumab in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (Goodin et al. Neurology 2008;71:766-773).
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Role of autoimmunity, inflammation in atherosclerosis in young women

January 6, 2009

REPORT FROM THE 6^TH WORLD STROKE CONGRESS – The Atherosclerosis Risk Factors in Female Youngsters (ARFY) study reports that atherosclerosis in young women appears to develop as a result of autoimmune and inflammatory factors rather than because of classical risk factors (Zangerle et al. Abstract P002-474).

Significance of elevated troponin in acute stroke

January 6, 2009

REPORT FROM THE 6^TH WORLD STROKE CONGRESS – Approximately 1 in 5 acute stroke patients will demonstrate elevated troponin levels, which are associated with an increased risk of disability or mortality, according to a systematic review of the literature (Kerr et al. PS1).

Unruptured intracranial aneurysms: to treat or not?

January 6, 2009

REPORT FROM THE 6^TH WORLD STROKE CONGRESS – Larger aneurysms and those in the posterior circulation and posterior communicating artery are at greatest risk of rupture, according to new data from the International Study of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms presented at the World Stroke Congress (Brown et al. Abstract FC02-04).
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