The independent medical news service

A night-time only infusion of the dopamine agonist apomorphine could help to reduce sleep disturbances in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease and moderate-to-severe insomnia, suggest the results of the APOMORPHEE trial.

This independent news story was supported by an educational grant from L’Institut Servier, Suresnes, France.

Researchers have identified an association between faster rates of increase of TREM2 levels in soluble cerebrospinal fluid and slower progression of several markers of disease evolution in participants of the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network, which they say points to a likely protective effect of TREM2 during the early pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease.

This independent news story was supported by an educational grant from L’Institut Servier, Suresnes, France.

Treatment with DMARDs that target cytokine signaling is not associated with a reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia in people with rheumatoid arthritis, US researchers report.

Serum levels of neurofilament light protein are elevated in both the pre-ataxic and ataxic stages of spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, and are associated with onset of ataxia, shows research published in Neurology.

This independent news story was supported by an educational grant from L’Institut Servier, Suresnes, France.

The Val66Met polymorphism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene may be “an important moderator” of clinical and tau outcomes in people with dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s disease, say researchers.

This independent news story was supported by an educational grant from L’Institut Servier, Suresnes, France.

Risdiplam significantly improves the motor function of patients aged 2–25 years with type 2 or nonambulant type 3 spinal muscular atrophy relative to placebo, report the SUNFISH investigators in The Lancet Neurology.

This independent news story was supported by an educational grant from L’Institut Servier, Suresnes, France.

Overall use of DMARDs or corticosteroids is not associated with a reduced risk for Parkinson’s disease in people with rheumatoid arthritis, but chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine use may be, show results of a nationwide case-control study.

Plasma levels of phosphorylated-tau proteins could serve as a biomarker for cognitive decline in individuals with dementia with Lewy bodies, say researchers who found an association between increasing levels of the proteins and more rapid decline in Mini-Mental State Examination scores over time.

This independent news story was supported by an educational grant from L’Institut Servier, Suresnes, France.

Plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein outperforms its cerebrospinal fluid counterpart in the detection of amyloid-β pathology even in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, indicates a cross-sectional study.

This independent news story was supported by an educational grant from L’Institut Servier, Suresnes, France.

Methylphenidate is effective for the treatment of apathy in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, suggest study findings published in JAMA Neurology.

This independent news story was supported by an educational grant from L’Institut Servier, Suresnes, France.

An analysis of the TAILORx trial has revealed early, but not sustained, cognitive decline among breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemoendocrine therapy relative to endocrine therapy alone.

Research suggests that women who use hormone-modulating breast cancer treatments such as tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors may experience a reduced risk for neurodegenerative disease.

Findings from a UK feasibility study suggest that continuous glucose monitoring is an acceptable approach for older people with diabetes and memory problems, but devices with automated transfer of glucose readings may be needed to improve completeness of data capture.

Poor attenuation of the default mode network regions of the brain may contribute to cognitive impairments in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, say UK researchers.

Researchers have found that clinically healthy women with high amyloid burden have elevated tau deposition compared with men.

Levodopa does not modify Parkinson’s disease, show study findings suggesting there is no benefit to starting the drug early in the disease course.

Frailty appears to modify the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease pathology and Alzheimer’s dementia, with increased levels making people more susceptible to clinical disease.

The findings from two studies published in JAMA show the benefits of initial disease-modifying therapy and nonmyeloablative haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in delaying conversion to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

Rituximab treatment may reduce and delay disability progression in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, show findings from a comprehensive real-world cohort study.

The oromucosal cannabinoid spray nabiximols has had a positive effect on spasticity symptoms in patients with motor neuron disease in a proof-of-concept trial.