News Roundup: New and Noteworthy Information

Bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the anterior nuclei of the thalamus reduced the frequency of seizures in patients with refractory epilepsy, according to a study published in the March 18 online Epilepsia. The two-year, multicenter Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of Thalamus for Epilepsy (SANTE) trial included 110 patients with medically refractory partial seizures. In the initial three-month, double-blind segment, participants were randomized to either receive stimulation or no stimulation. At the three-month mark, the group that received stimulation reported a 29% greater reduction in seizures than the control group. For the remainder of the study, all patients received the treatment. At the two-year mark, there was a 56% median reduction in seizure frequency. Fourteen patients were seizure-free for at least six months, and researchers reported modest complication rates.

Long-term smoking has a greater effect in reducing the risk of Parkinson’s disease than the amount of cigarettes smoked per day, according to a study in the March 16 Neurology. Researchers compared the relative importance of smoking duration versus intensity in 305,468 participants of the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Cohort, 1,662 of whom were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Using multivariate logistic regression models, the investigators found that current smokers had a 0.56 odds ratio (OR) of Parkinson’s disease, compared with those who never smoked, and former smokers had an OR of 0.78. When the researchers stratified current and former smokers by number of years smoked, they found the highest Parkinson’s risk among those who smoked for fewer than 10 years (OR, 0.96) and the lowest risk among those who smoked for 30 or more years (OR, 0.59). The typical number of cigarettes smoked per day, in contrast, appeared to have no impact on risk.

The FDA has approved Botox (onabotulinumtoxin A) to treat spasticity in the flexor muscles of the elbow, wrist, and fingers in adults, a condition that is common after stroke or traumatic brain injury, or with the progression of multiple sclerosis. Botox works by temporarily blocking the connections between nerves and muscles, resulting in a temporary paralysis of the spastic muscle. “Muscles affected by spasticity have increased stiffness and tightness, which may lead to pain, difficulties with hygiene and other activities of daily living, and may affect how a patient looks,” noted Russell Katz, MD, Director of the Division of Neurology Products at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. “In clinical trials, treatment with Botox was found to be beneficial to patients with upper limb spasticity. Botox is manufactured by Allergan Inc, of Irvine, California.

Cardiorespiratory fitness can preserve neuronal integrity in patients with multiple sclerosis, according to a study published in the February Brain Research. Investigators analyzed the relationship between physical fitness and brain tissue health and found that higher fitness levels correlated with preserved gray matter volumes and white matter tract integrity, both of which are associated with faster processing speed. Statistical mapping showed an association between greater gray matter volume in midline cortical structures and higher levels of fitness, and fitness levels also correlated with fractional anisotropy in the left thalamic radiation and right anterior corona radiata. “Taken together, these results suggest that fitness exerts a prophylactic influence on the structural decline observed early on, preserving neuronal integrity in multiple sclerosis, thereby reducing long-term disability,” researchers noted.

The FDA has approved once-daily Mirapex ER (pramipexole dihydrochloride) extended-release tablets for the treatment of early idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial of more than 400 patients found that treatment with extended-release pramipexole offered clinically significant improvement compared with placebo. The extended-release tablets also offered similar benefits to the currently available immediate-release formulation, which needs to be taken three times a day. “This new, once daily treatment has a more convenient dosing schedule, offering greater flexibility as someone with early Parkinson’s disease plans his or her day,” noted Robert Hauser, MD, Director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. Mirapex is distributed by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, based in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Recent immigrants to Ontario, Canada, have a lower risk of premature acute stroke than long-term residents, according to a population-matched cohort study in the February 9 Neurology. Researchers identified 965,829 new immigrants, defined as new recipients of universal public health insurance, and matched subjects to 3,272,393 long-term residents by year of birth, sex, and location. In a median six-year follow-up period, 6,216 strokes were reported. This translated to an incidence rate of 1.69 per 10,000 person-years among new residents and 2.56 per 10,000 person-years among long-term residents. After adjusting for age, income, residency, history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and number of insurance claims, the investigators found that the hazard ratio for stroke was 0.69. Risks for both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes were similar.

Bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the anterior nuclei of the thalamus reduced the frequency of seizures in patients with refractory epilepsy, according to a study published in the March 18 online Epilepsia. The two-year, multicenter Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of Thalamus for Epilepsy (SANTE) trial included 110 patients with medically refractory partial seizures. In the initial three-month, double-blind segment, participants were randomized to either receive stimulation or no stimulation. At the three-month mark, the group that received stimulation reported a 29% greater reduction in seizures than the control group. For the remainder of the study, all patients received the treatment. At the two-year mark, there was a 56% median reduction in seizure frequency. Fourteen patients were seizure-free for at least six months, and researchers reported modest complication rates.

Long-term smoking has a greater effect in reducing the risk of Parkinson’s disease than the amount of cigarettes smoked per day, according to a study in the March 16 Neurology. Researchers compared the relative importance of smoking duration versus intensity in 305,468 participants of the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Cohort, 1,662 of whom were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Using multivariate logistic regression models, the investigators found that current smokers had a 0.56 odds ratio (OR) of Parkinson’s disease, compared with those who never smoked, and former smokers had an OR of 0.78. When the researchers stratified current and former smokers by number of years smoked, they found the highest Parkinson’s risk among those who smoked for fewer than 10 years (OR, 0.96) and the lowest risk among those who smoked for 30 or more years (OR, 0.59). The typical number of cigarettes smoked per day, in contrast, appeared to have no impact on risk.

The FDA has approved Botox (onabotulinumtoxin A) to treat spasticity in the flexor muscles of the elbow, wrist, and fingers in adults, a condition that is common after stroke or traumatic brain injury, or with the progression of multiple sclerosis. Botox works by temporarily blocking the connections between nerves and muscles, resulting in a temporary paralysis of the spastic muscle. “Muscles affected by spasticity have increased stiffness and tightness, which may lead to pain, difficulties with hygiene and other activities of daily living, and may affect how a patient looks,” noted Russell Katz, MD, Director of the Division of Neurology Products at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. “In clinical trials, treatment with Botox was found to be beneficial to patients with upper limb spasticity. Botox is manufactured by Allergan Inc, of Irvine, California.

Cardiorespiratory fitness can preserve neuronal integrity in patients with multiple sclerosis, according to a study published in the February Brain Research. Investigators analyzed the relationship between physical fitness and brain tissue health and found that higher fitness levels correlated with preserved gray matter volumes and white matter tract integrity, both of which are associated with faster processing speed. Statistical mapping showed an association between greater gray matter volume in midline cortical structures and higher levels of fitness, and fitness levels also correlated with fractional anisotropy in the left thalamic radiation and right anterior corona radiata. “Taken together, these results suggest that fitness exerts a prophylactic influence on the structural decline observed early on, preserving neuronal integrity in multiple sclerosis, thereby reducing long-term disability,” researchers noted.

The FDA has approved once-daily Mirapex ER (pramipexole dihydrochloride) extended-release tablets for the treatment of early idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial of more than 400 patients found that treatment with extended-release pramipexole offered clinically significant improvement compared with placebo. The extended-release tablets also offered similar benefits to the currently available immediate-release formulation, which needs to be taken three times a day. “This new, once daily treatment has a more convenient dosing schedule, offering greater flexibility as someone with early Parkinson’s disease plans his or her day,” noted Robert Hauser, MD, Director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. Mirapex is distributed by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, based in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Recent immigrants to Ontario, Canada, have a lower risk of premature acute stroke than long-term residents, according to a population-matched cohort study in the February 9 Neurology. Researchers identified 965,829 new immigrants, defined as new recipients of universal public health insurance, and matched subjects to 3,272,393 long-term residents by year of birth, sex, and location. In a median six-year follow-up period, 6,216 strokes were reported. This translated to an incidence rate of 1.69 per 10,000 person-years among new residents and 2.56 per 10,000 person-years among long-term residents. After adjusting for age, income, residency, history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and number of insurance claims, the investigators found that the hazard ratio for stroke was 0.69. Risks for both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes were similar.

Bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the anterior nuclei of the thalamus reduced the frequency of seizures in patients with refractory epilepsy, according to a study published in the March 18 online Epilepsia. The two-year, multicenter Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of Thalamus for Epilepsy (SANTE) trial included 110 patients with medically refractory partial seizures. In the initial three-month, double-blind segment, participants were randomized to either receive stimulation or no stimulation. At the three-month mark, the group that received stimulation reported a 29% greater reduction in seizures than the control group. For the remainder of the study, all patients received the treatment. At the two-year mark, there was a 56% median reduction in seizure frequency. Fourteen patients were seizure-free for at least six months, and researchers reported modest complication rates.

Long-term smoking has a greater effect in reducing the risk of Parkinson’s disease than the amount of cigarettes smoked per day, according to a study in the March 16 Neurology. Researchers compared the relative importance of smoking duration versus intensity in 305,468 participants of the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Cohort, 1,662 of whom were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Using multivariate logistic regression models, the investigators found that current smokers had a 0.56 odds ratio (OR) of Parkinson’s disease, compared with those who never smoked, and former smokers had an OR of 0.78. When the researchers stratified current and former smokers by number of years smoked, they found the highest Parkinson’s risk among those who smoked for fewer than 10 years (OR, 0.96) and the lowest risk among those who smoked for 30 or more years (OR, 0.59). The typical number of cigarettes smoked per day, in contrast, appeared to have no impact on risk.

The FDA has approved Botox (onabotulinumtoxin A) to treat spasticity in the flexor muscles of the elbow, wrist, and fingers in adults, a condition that is common after stroke or traumatic brain injury, or with the progression of multiple sclerosis. Botox works by temporarily blocking the connections between nerves and muscles, resulting in a temporary paralysis of the spastic muscle. “Muscles affected by spasticity have increased stiffness and tightness, which may lead to pain, difficulties with hygiene and other activities of daily living, and may affect how a patient looks,” noted Russell Katz, MD, Director of the Division of Neurology Products at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. “In clinical trials, treatment with Botox was found to be beneficial to patients with upper limb spasticity. Botox is manufactured by Allergan Inc, of Irvine, California.

Cardiorespiratory fitness can preserve neuronal integrity in patients with multiple sclerosis, according to a study published in the February Brain Research. Investigators analyzed the relationship between physical fitness and brain tissue health and found that higher fitness levels correlated with preserved gray matter volumes and white matter tract integrity, both of which are associated with faster processing speed. Statistical mapping showed an association between greater gray matter volume in midline cortical structures and higher levels of fitness, and fitness levels also correlated with fractional anisotropy in the left thalamic radiation and right anterior corona radiata. “Taken together, these results suggest that fitness exerts a prophylactic influence on the structural decline observed early on, preserving neuronal integrity in multiple sclerosis, thereby reducing long-term disability,” researchers noted.

The FDA has approved once-daily Mirapex ER (pramipexole dihydrochloride) extended-release tablets for the treatment of early idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial of more than 400 patients found that treatment with extended-release pramipexole offered clinically significant improvement compared with placebo. The extended-release tablets also offered similar benefits to the currently available immediate-release formulation, which needs to be taken three times a day. “This new, once daily treatment has a more convenient dosing schedule, offering greater flexibility as someone with early Parkinson’s disease plans his or her day,” noted Robert Hauser, MD, Director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. Mirapex is distributed by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, based in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Recent immigrants to Ontario, Canada, have a lower risk of premature acute stroke than long-term residents, according to a population-matched cohort study in the February 9 Neurology. Researchers identified 965,829 new immigrants, defined as new recipients of universal public health insurance, and matched subjects to 3,272,393 long-term residents by year of birth, sex, and location. In a median six-year follow-up period, 6,216 strokes were reported. This translated to an incidence rate of 1.69 per 10,000 person-years among new residents and 2.56 per 10,000 person-years among long-term residents. After adjusting for age, income, residency, history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, and number of insurance claims, the investigators found that the hazard ratio for stroke was 0.69. Risks for both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes were similar.