Neurology

A study recently reported the Annals of Neurology (2017;81:549-559), was performed to determine clinical and neuropathological outcomes following a clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). For the study, data were drawn from a large autopsy series (N=1,337) of individuals followed longitudinally from normal or MCI status to death, derived from 4 Alzheimer Disease (AD) Centers in the United States.

During mid-to-late gestation, neurons migrate from deep brain structures to their appointed places and organize themselves into the key working tissue of what will become the human cortex, the outer layer of the brain and seat of higher-order mental functions. This building process is complex and especially vulnerable to genetic and environmental insults that can set the stage for autism, schizophrenia, and other neurodevelopmental brain disorders.

In 1996, it was discovered that mutations in the ataxin 2 gene cause spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2), a fatal inherited disorder that primarily damages a part of the brain called the cerebellum, causing patients to have problems with balance, coordination, walking and eye movements.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in which motor neurons, cells that control muscle activity such as walking, talking and breathing, gradually die off, resulting in paralysis. There is no cure for ALS.

In order t0 improve the diagnostic workup of parkinsonian disorders, a study published online in Neurology (2017; 88:930-937), was performed to determine if blood neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein can discriminate between Parkinson disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonian disorders (APD) with equally high diagnostic accuracy as CSF NfL.

Multiple sclerosis (MS), is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system. MS symptoms vary widely and may include motor and speech difficulties, weakness, fatigue and chronic pain. The most common form of MS is relapsing-remitting MS, which is characterized by periods of mild or no symptoms interspersed with symptom flare-ups or relapses. Over years, the disease can worsen and shift to a progressive form.

Athletes who return to play before full recovery from concussions are at high risk for long-term symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and cognitive deficits with subsequent concussions. About half of college athletes see their post-concussive symptoms resolve within 10 days, but in others, the symptoms become chronic.