This week in Neurology®
A phase 2 multiple ascending dose trial of bapineuzumab in mild to moderate Alzheimer disease
This study enrolled 234 patients, randomly assigned to IV bapineuzumab or placebo in four dose cohorts. Patients received 6 infusions, 13 weeks apart, with final assessments at week 78. These phase 2 findings support the continued study of bapineuzumab for Alzheimer disease with special attention to APOE _4 carrier status.
See p. 2061; and
Editorial, p. 2052
Association of parental dementia with cognitive and brain MRI measures in middle-aged adults
Seven hundred seventeen Framingham offspring (mean age: 59 _ 8 years) were studied; offspring with and without verified parental dementia and Alzheimer disease were compared. The authors found that among middle-aged carriers of the APOE _4 allele, parental dementia and Alzheimer disease were associated with poorer verbal and visuospatial memory and a higher rate of global brain atrophy.
See p. 2071; and
Editorial, p. 2054
Medical decision-making capacity in patients with malignant glioma
Patients with malignant brain cancer must make ongoing medical treatment decisions for a disease that progressively erodes their cognition. The authors found that treatment consent abilities were already impaired in a newly diagnosed sample of 26 patients with malignant glioma and were primarily associated with patients’ short-term verbal memory deficits.
See p. 2086
Supratentorial low-grade gliomas in older patients
A series of 62 elderly (_60 years of age) patients with lowgrade glioma were identified in a department database collecting information on pathologically identified adult supratentorial low-grade gliomas. This retrospective study suggests that low-grade gliomas that occur in elderly patients have a more severe course compared with younger patients and are sometimes undertreated.
See p. 2093; and
Editorial, p. 2056
Statin use and neurologic morbidity after coronary artery bypass grafting: A cohort study
A post hoc analysis of a prospectively collected cohort of isolated coronary artery bypass grafting patients (CABG) was done over a 10-year period at a single institution. It showed that patients taking statin medications prior to undergoing CABG had a similar incidence of postprocedure neurologic injury and stroke compared with patients not taking statins.
See p. 2099; and
Editorial, p. 2058
Road safety in drivers with Parkinson disease
Licensed, active drivers with Parkinson disease and controls underwent cognitive, visual, and motor tests and also drove a standardized route. The authors found that familiarity with the roads was a mitigating factor, and impairments in visual perception and cognition were associated with road safety errors in drivers with Parkinson disease.
See p. 2112
Novel compound heterozygous ALS2 mutations cause juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Japan
These findings of compound heterozygous ALS2 mutations in Japanese siblings suggest that mutations in ALS2 should be considered in patients from Eastern Asia with infantile-onset ascending spastic paraplegia, pseudobulbar palsy, and amyotrophy of the extremities regardless of any consanguinity.
See p. 2124
