Dr Ray Dorsey, a neurologist at the University of Rochester, believes that we are on the tip of an iceberg. The prevalence of Parkinson’s has increased 35% in the last 10 years and may double in the next 25. Trichlorethylene (TCE) may be the driver of this increase. It has been clearly established to be… Read more »
This will be the next home pregnancy test. One third of healthy elderly will have a positive amyloid PET scan but will never show symptoms of dementia because they have adequate brain reserve. Higher educational level, working into old age, maintaining cognitive and social activities, and exercising all help to “preserve the reserve.” But two-thirds… Read more »
A new study, titled “Lifetime perspective on alcohol and brain health,” provides compelling evidence that alcohol is harmful. These are the three periods of greatest risk: 1. Pregnancy. Even small amounts can harm the developing brain, yet 10% of pregnant women ignore this warning. 2. Late teen-age years (15–19), a period of “synaptic pruning” and… Read more »
The COVID-19 pandemic is the elephant in the room for MS patients. Does their disease or their treatment make them more likely to be infected or to have a more severe or even a fatal course? Only older age, obesity and more severe disability are independent risk factors which also apply to all chronic diseases…. Read more »
Understanding the role of the pain peptide CGRP has led to advances in treatment of migraine not seen since the triptans (Imitrex and others) were approved in the early 1990’s. The “gepants” (Ubrelvy and Nuretec, with more to come) and the “ditans” (Reyvow) are starting to replace the triptans as acute treatment, owing to better… Read more »
Cannabis is still classified by the US government as a Schedule 1 substance, along with heroin, even though an increasing number of states allow medical and recreational use of marijuana. It is considered effective for chronic pain in cancer, chemotherapy-induced nausea, spasticity in multiple sclerosis and some forms of epilepsy. In fact, there are FDA-approved… Read more »
This may not be as gloomy as once thought. We now recognize that “subtypes” vary greatly. An important distinction is age at onset. Forty percent of patients are of late-onset (after age 70). Fifty percent are middle-onset (aged 50 to 69 years), and only 10% are younger than 50 years at onset. The second distinction… Read more »
Can MS be cured? Based on a recent case report, maybe. A young man with very severe MS was treated with stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the real thing, and not the scam at your local strip mall. His level of disability did not improve but he went into a long-term remission. In MS this is termed NEDA,… Read more »
If poor quality sleep increases risk of dementia, as some studies suggest, why not take benzodiazepines to improve sleep? Well, other lines of research conclude that use of this class of medication may also increase dementia risk. Confused? Practice good sleep hygiene and avoid sleeping pills. A new study seems to explain the effect of insufficient… Read more »
Early-life cognitive enrichment is based on socioeconomic status in early life, cognitive resources at 12 years of age, cognitively stimulating activities at 6 years of age and early life foreign language instruction. This looks a lot like the classic proxy measures of cognitive reserve which are years of education, life-long occupation, IQ, and adult reading…. Read more »
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