The independent medical news service

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.

US researchers have used population-based data to predict an individual’s absolute risk of developing cognitive impairment according to imaging-based biomarkers of amyloid and neuronal injury.

The number of people living with dementia globally has more than doubled between 1990 and 2016, estimates the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.

Dementia is the proximate cause of death in 70% of older adults with Down’s syndrome, show findings from a large community-based study published in JAMA Neurology.

Elevated cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light levels are associated with an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment, indicate findings from a population-based study.

High-income countries currently have the highest rates of motor neuron diseases worldwide, and the burden is increasing with the ageing population, shows an analysis of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016.

Switching from dopamine agonists to levodopa-carbidopa slow-release formulations reduces impulse control disorders in patients with Parkinson’s disease, shows a multicentre study.

The benefits of medicinal cannabinoids for the treatment of spasticity, pain and bladder dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis may be limited, suggests a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The insulin-like growth factor-1 pathway may be a suitable treatment target for patients with spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, suggest preliminary findings.

Study findings show an increased risk of dementia in older people with atrial fibrillation and support the use of anticoagulants to reduce the likelihood.

The global burden of Parkinson’s disease has more than doubled over the past 26 years, show findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.

A retrospective analysis of a cohort of children and adolescents with Huntington’s disease points to the presence of two juvenile forms that have markedly different clinical features and prognosis.

The positron emission tomography tracer [¹⁸F]flortaucipir could be a useful test for distinguishing Alzheimer’s disease from other neurodegenerative disorders, say researchers.

Adolescents with multiple sclerosis may experience fewer relapses if they take fingolimod versus interferon beta-1a, suggest findings from the phase III PARADIGMS trial.