Researchers in Texas have proposed that vascular activation contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, resulting in the overexpression of amyloid-beta and other factors (Grammas et al. J Alzheimers Dis 2014;40:619-630). Read More
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Atacicept: the aftermath
September 3, 2014The debate about the relative importance of T cells and B cells in the pathogenesis of MS will be refueled with the long-awaited publication of the results of the failed ATAMS study of atacicept (Kappos et al. Lancet Neurol 2014;13:353-363). Preliminary results from the two atacicept studies, ATAMS in relapsing MS and ATON in optic neuritis, were presented at ECTRIMS 2011 (Kappos et al. Abstract 107; Sergott et al. Abstract P436) and signalled the death knell for the drug in MS. Read More
Cognitive function in PD: gender effect?
August 20, 2014Sex differences have been reported in Parkinson’s disease, notably with respect to a lower incidence and less severe motor symptoms in females.
For example, in the Oxford PD Disease Center discovery cohort study, males demonstrated a pattern of more symmetrical and severe symptoms in the upper body whereas postural problems were more evident in women (Szewczyk et al. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2014;20:99-105). Non-motor symptoms of cognitive impairment, REM behaviour disorder, orthostatic hypotension and sexual dysfunction, were more common in men. Read More
Amyloid-beta in CSF: meta-analysis of accuracy in diagnosis
August 20, 2014A meta-analysis has concluded that amyloid-beta1-42 in CSF is useful for discriminating Alzheimer’s disease from controls (Rosa et al. J Alzheimers Dis 2014; epublished January 21, 2014). Read More