Report from the 1st Congress of the European Academy of Neurology, Berlin, Germany, June 20-23, 2015 – There is an implied association between psoriasis and multiple sclerosis, as evidenced by an increased incidence of psoriasis in MS patients, and the efficacy of psoriasis treatments such as fumarates in MS. The relationship between psoriasis and MS was explored further in a retrospective database analysis from a single MS centre in Israel (Miron et al. EAN 2015; F2168). Read More
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Beyond remission: redefining the goal of schizophrenia management
August 4, 2015REVIEWER: Marc-André Roy, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec City, Canada
Remission vs. functional recovery
Continuum of treatment goals
An important goal of schizophrenia management is to reduce the frequency, severity and duration of psychotic episodes (Hasan et al. World J Biol Psychiatry 2012;13: 318-378; Lehman et al. APA, NGC-3572, 2008). Indeed, it has been shown that about 70-80% of first-episode patients do achieve a remission of psychotic symptoms within the first year of treatment (Lieberman et al. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1993;50:369-376). Among patients receiving maintenance antipsychotic therapy, a systematic review estimated that the one-year recurrence rate was only 3%, compared to a 90% risk of relapse at two years in those who discontinued medication (Zipursky et al. Schizophr Res 2014;152:408-414). Read More
Natalizumab in progressive MS: Phase II results
July 8, 2015A number of preliminary studies have investigated the possible effects of natalizumab in progressive MS. The latest is the open-label phase IIb NAPMS trial that examined the effect of treatment on osteopontin, an inflammatory marker, and CSF neurofilament (NfL) light chain, a marker of axonal damage (Romme Christensen et al. Neurology 2014;82:1499-1507). Read More
Citalopram a mixed blessing for AD agitation
July 8, 2015The Citalopram for Agitation in Alzheimer Disease Study (CitAD) randomized 186 AD patients with clinically significant agitation to psychosocial intervention with or without citalopram 30 mg/day for nine weeks (Porsteinsson et al. JAMA 2014;311:682-691). The dose of citalopram was titrated from 10 mg/day to the planned dose of 30 mg/day over three weeks. Read More