Spotlight on the August 6 Issue

Principal component analysis of PiB distribution in Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases

Using whole-brain principal component analyses, PiB PET scans were compared among persons with Parkinson disease (PD) with cognitive impairment (n = 53), persons with symptomatic Alzheimer disease (AD; n = 35), and persons with normal cognition (n = 67). Participants with AD exhibited the expected cortical PiB binding pattern, whereas participants with PD exhibited a pattern similar to controls, with no unique noncortical PiB binding patterns.

See p. 520; Editorial, p. 516

Anemia and risk of dementia in older adults: Findings from the Health ABC study

The authors found that older adults with anemia (defined by World Health Organization criteria as concentrations below 12 g/dL for women and below 13 g/dL for men) had a 41% higher risk of developing dementia over 11 years of follow-up compared to those without anemia. Anemia may be a modifiable risk factor for dementia.

See p. 528

Visualization of nigrosome 1 and its loss in PD: Pathoanatomical correlation and in vivo 7 T MRI

The authors assessed the ability to depict Parkinson disease (PD) pathology on in vivo T2*-weighted scans by comparing data from 10 patients with PD and 8 controls. The absence of nigrosome 1 in the pars compacta on MRI scans may prove useful in developing a neuroimaging diagnostic test for PD.

See p. 534

Identification of a novel risk variant in the FUS gene in essential tremor

The authors sequenced the exon and exon-intronic boundaries of FUS in 84 essential tremor (ET) samples, identifying a novel risk variant, Met392Ile, in the FUS gene that increased susceptibility of ET among ethnic Chinese. Further studies in other populations are needed to determine whether this is a specific risk factor.

See p. 541

Optic nerve head component responses of the multifocal electroretinogram in MS

A novel stimulation method, multifocal electroretinography (mfERG), was used to elicit a response in 7 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 10 controls. The optic nerve head component of the mfERG may represent a method to track disease progression, neuroprotection, and even myelin repair in MS.

See p. 545

From editorialists Dinkin & Thurtell: “…the high value of this study remains clear as it opens the door to the utilization of a new technique that allows topographic evaluation of optic nerve function…”

See p. 518

Teriflunomide effect on immune response to influenza vaccine in patients with multiple sclerosis

The 2011/2012 seasonal influenza vaccine (containing H1N1, H3N2, and B strains) was administered to patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis treated for more than 6 months with teriflunomide 7 mg or 14 mg or interferon-β-1. Teriflunomide-treated patients had effective immune responses to seasonal influenza vaccination, consistent with preservation of protective immune responses.

See p. 552

Antithrombotic drugs and risk of hemorrhagic stroke in the general population

This study compared antithrombotic drug use in 1,797 cases of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and 1,340 cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) with controls free from hemorrhagic stroke. While warfarin increased the risk of both hemorrhagic stroke types, aspirin was not associated with ICH and may reduce the risk of SAH.

See p. 566; See also p. 559

Role of trauma and infection in childhood hemorrhagic stroke due to vascular lesions

The authors measured recent exposure to trauma and infection in 65 children with hemorrhagic stroke due to an underlying structural lesion compared to 195 controls. After accounting for possible traumatic pseudoaneurysms, neither trauma nor infection appeared to be a risk factor for hemorrhagic stroke in children with underlying vascular lesions.

See p. 581