REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY (AAN) ANNUAL MEETING, PHILADELPHIA PA, APRIL 26-MAY 3, 2014 – For over 50 years, solar radiation and vitamin D have been implicated in the pathogenesis of MS (Acheson et al. Acta Psychiatr Scand Suppl 1960;35:132-147), in large part due to the latitude effect. However, the relevance of serum 25(OH)D levels and the virtues of vitamin D supplementation remain controversial. Read More

REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY (AAN) ANNUAL MEETING, PHILADELPHIA PA, APRIL 26-MAY 3, 2014 – There has been a growing recognition in the U.S. of the problem of sports-related traumatic brain injury (TBI), notably in children and adolescents. An analysis of the U.S. National Electronic Injury Surveillance database found  that the incidence of TBI-related Emergency Department visits increased 62% over a 10-year period, with 248,418 visits recorded in 2009 (Gilchrist J. MMR Weekly 2011;60:1337-1342). The estimated incidence of TBI visits was 298 per 100,000 population.

The highest TBI rates were seen in males aged 10-19 years. Long-term consequences of TBI include chronic traumatic encephalopathy, chronic post-concussion syndrome, chronic neurocognitive impairment, post-traumatic cognitive impairment or dementia, and post-traumatic parkinsonism. Read More

REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY (AAN) ANNUAL MEETING, PHILADELPHIA PA, APRIL 26-MAY 3, 2014 – Conversion disorder, or the development of neurological symptoms originating in psychological factors, has undergone a shift in recent years, with neurologists playing a larger role in what was once the exclusive domain of psychiatrists.

When characterized as hysterical neurosis, the emphasis was on the psychogenic basis of symptoms. However, in the current iteration of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), the importance of changes in the functioning of the nervous system has been underlined. Thus, Conversion Disorder may also be considered as a Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder in DSM-V, and a critical component of diagnosis is a neurological exam that excludes organic signs and identifies positive signs of a functional disorder. One challenge, however, is that there are numerous clinical signs for functional neurological symptoms, but few of these have been validated (for a systematic review see Daum et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2014;85:180-190). Read More

REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY (AAN) ANNUAL MEETING, PHILADELPHIA PA, APRIL 26-MAY 3, 2014 – A new phase II study reports that a novel dry-powder formulation of inhaled levodopa, CVT-301, may be useful for rapid improvement in motor function during Off periods (Freed et al. AAN 2014; abstract S7.007). Read More