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Neurology News Network. for the week ending July 5, 2025. [WATCH TIME: 4 minutes]

Salanersen Shows Promise in Phase 1, MESA Open-Label Data Released, Fenfluramine Meets End Points in Phase 3 GEMZ Trial

Articles

Take 5 minutes to catch up on NeurologyLive®'s highlights from the week ending July 4, 2025. 

NeurologyLive® Friday 5 — July 4, 2025

Laren Becker, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist at Stanford University, discussed how gastrointestinal dysfunction and peripheral dopaminergic activity impact Parkinson disease treatment and progression.

Recognizing Gastrointestinal Symptoms as Early Indicators of Parkinson Disease

Continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion significantly reduces OFF episodes and enhances ON time in Parkinson's disease patients, improving overall health status.

Reduction in Parkinson OFF Episodes Through Subcutaneous Apomorphine Infusion Leads to Doubling of Good ON Time

Marco Meglio, Assistant Managing Editor for 

, has been with the team since October 2019. Follow him on Twitter 

Nurse practitioner in the Center for Movement Disorders & Neurorestoration at the University of Florida.

The nurse practitioner in the Center for Movement Disorders & Neurorestoration at the University of Florida discussed a complex case of childhood-onset dystonia treated with DBS. [WATCH TIME: 6 minutes]

Revisiting Deep Brain Stimulation in a Pediatric-Onset Dystonia Case: Pamela Zeilman, NP

, has been with the team since September 2022. Follow her on Twitter 

A physician assistant specializing in Parkinson disease shared key clinical considerations for selecting and educating patients about on-demand therapies for the movement disorder.

NeuroVoices: Cheryl Kyinn, PA-C, on Personalizing On-Demand Therapies for OFF Episodes in Parkinson Disease

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 Insomnia Disease Spotlight page offers specific updates and coverage on the latest expert conversations and data readouts related to the treatment and management of patients with the disorder of sleepiness.

 to subscribe on your favorite streaming service.

 podcast features exclusive interviews with leaders in the field discussing the latest research and disease management strategies across the breadth of neurology, including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease, dementia, sleep disorders, and more.

Episode 74, "Prescription Digital Therapeutics for Insomnia," features an exclusive interview with Yuri Maricich, MD, MBA, internal medicine physician, and chief medical officer and head of development, Pear Therapeutics. He joined the show to discuss the current use of digital therapeutics in insomnia such as cognitive behavioral therapy, the state of education and treatment for the sleep disorder, some of the challenges in care, and more.

. Check out new episodes of a variety of shows, airing every single day, only on

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

Alzheimer Disease Agent Lecanemab Shows Reduction in CDR-Sum of Boxes in Clarity AD

Verdiperstat Fails to Differentiate From Placebo in Critical HEALEY ALS Platform Trial

AMX0035 Approved for the Treatment of ALS

CNM-Au8 Shows Survival Benefit in HEALEY ALS Trial, But Fails to Meet End Points

Episode Breakdown

 podcast. Be sure to leave a rating and review for the show. Thanks for listening!

Hoping to listen on your favorite podcast app? See below:

REFERENCES
1. Forma F, Knight TG, Thorndike FP, et al. Real-World Evaluation of Clinical Response and Long-Term Healthcare Resource Utilization Patterns Following Treatment with a Digital Therapeutic for Chronic Insomnia. 

. 2022;14:537-546. doi:10.2147/CEOR.S368780

Mind Moments®, a podcast from NeurologyLive®, brings you an exclusive interview with Yuri Maricich, MD, MBA. [LISTEN TIME: 30 minutes]

Episode 74: Prescription Digital Therapeutics for Insomnia

Deepa Burman, MD, FAASM, co-director of the Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, discussed the potential contributors to pediatric insomnia and the role of a thorough assessment for effective management.

Understanding Pediatric Insomnia: Risk Factors, Clinical Diagnosis, and Care Management

Recent research reveals that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) shows no significant benefits for insomnia, highlighting the need for larger studies.

Negative Study Findings Further Question Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Stimulation to Treat Insomnia

Test your neurology knowledge with NeurologyLive®'s weekly quiz series, featuring questions on a variety of clinical and historical neurology topics. This week's topic is on Alzheimer disease.

NeurologyLive® Brain Games: October 13, 2024

Test your neurology knowledge with NeurologyLive®'s weekly quiz series, featuring questions on a variety of clinical and historical neurology topics. This week's topic is on insomnia.

NeurologyLive® Brain Games: October 6, 2024

Daridorexant, an FDA-approved dual orexin receptor antagonist, had a dose-response relationship observed at month 1 on all 4 efficacy end points for all doses tested.

Pooled Phase 3 Data Suggests 50 mg Daridorexant as Most Effective Starting Dose in Insomnia

 Eric Olson, MD, talked about increasing awareness of the sleep disorder for the clinical and patient community

Raising Awareness on Insomnia, Asking Patients About Their Sleep: Eric Olson, MD

"Insomnia awareness is of huge importance, because there's a large unmet need for patients to be able to share and address their insomnia concerns."

Patients with insomnia have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, or regularly waking up earlier than desired even if they allow enough time in bed for sleep. Symptoms of this sleep disorder include daytime fatigue or sleepiness, feeling dissatisfied with sleep, having trouble concentrating, feeling depressed, anxious or irritable; and having low motivation or low energy. Research shows that chronic insomnia can be detrimental to a patient’s physical, mental and emotional health, negatively impacting their overall wellness and daily functioning. Moreover, it can lead to an increase in risk for depression, anxiety, substance abuse, motor vehicle accidents, Alzheimer disease and type 2 diabetes.

The most known effective treatment for chronic insomnia is cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), which combines behavioral strategies. CBT-I recommendations are personalized to accommodate for each patient’s individual needs and symptoms. While 6 to 8 sessions are typical, some patients may improve quicker in time.

According to a new online survey, 12% out of 2006 adult patients in the United States reported that they have been diagnosed with chronic insomnia between May 16 and May 24, 2024. Commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the margin of error for the overall sample was ±2% points with a confidence level of 95%.

In honor of Insomnia Awareness Night, held June 20 by the AASM and the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Eric Olson, MD, the division chair for pulmonary and critical care medicine at 

 in an interview to discuss the main reasons for the underreporting of insomnia among patients and clinicians. Olson, who also serves as the president for the AASM board of directors, spoke about how behavioral and pharmacological treatments for insomnia differ, and when are each typically recommended. Furthermore, he talked about the steps that are being taken by the AASM to increase awareness and improve insomnia treatment resources.

REFERENCES
1. Survey shows 12% of Americans have been diagnosed with chronic insomnia. News Release. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Published June 17, 2024. Accessed June 22, 2024. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/06/17/2899727/0/en/Survey-shows-12-of-Americans-have-been-diagnosed-with-chronic-insomnia.html

In honor of Insomnia Awareness Night, the president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine board of directors talked about increasing awareness of the sleep disorder for the clinical and patient community. [WATCH TIME: 6 minutes]

SAP Partners

Monepantel in ALS, GA Depot CRL, Tasimelteon for insomnia

Positive Phase 1 Study of Monepantel, CRL Given to GA Depot, FDA Rejects Tasimelteon sNDA

the association between sleep disorders and pediatric epilepsy at the 2022 AES annual meeting

The Relationship Between Sleep Disorders, Pediatric Epilepsy, and AntiSeizure Medications: Sanjeev Kothare, MD

“I think people are slowly becoming aware that there can be comorbid sleep problems in patients with epilepsy and so they're trying to address them. My job is to educate neurologists on how to screen for sleep disorders and document them in electronic medical records.”

Based on observed interactions in the literature, sleep and epilepsy seem to be connected to one another. Antiseizure medications also appear to have an impact on sleep when used to treat those with epilepsy, in the sense that the treatment might improve the patient’s sleep—or have the opposite effect. Therefore, these observations between sleep and epilepsy should be considered by clinicians when deciding on treatment for patients who may have comorbid sleep disorders.

Sanjeev Kothare, MD, gave a talk about sleep and epilepsy in children in a special lecture at the 

2022 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting

, held December 2 to 6, in Nashville, Tennessee.

 He mentioned the impact that antiseizure medications can have on a patient’s sleep health if they also have pediatric epilepsy, and how clinicians are trying to address the issue in the lecture.

Kothare, who is the division director of pediatric neurology, and director of the pediatric sleep program at Cohen Children's Medical Center of Northwell Health, was interviewed by 

 at the 2022 AES annual meeting to provide an overview about the relationship on epilepsy and sleep disorders in children. He also discussed how common sleep disorders are in patients with epilepsy and what the most important aspect of care is for these patients.

Click here for more coverage of AES 2022.


REFERENCES
1. Kothare S. Sleep and Epilepsy in Children. Presented at: AES Annual Meeting; December 2-6, 2022; Nashville, TN, and virtual. Special Lecture.

The division director of pediatric neurology, and director of the pediatric sleep program at Cohen Children's Medical Center of Northwell Health, spoke about the association between sleep disorders and pediatric epilepsy at the 2022 AES annual meeting. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes] 

the associations of mental health with insomnia in transgender youth.

Increased Risk of Insomnia in Transgender Youths With Mental Health Disorders: Ronald Gavidia, MD, MS

“The transgender population has a very high burden of mental health disorders and there's a strong association between those and the development of insomnia. We believe that as they are starting to transition that may improve their mental health, and that secondarily may decrease insomnia.”

Many young individuals that identify within the transgender population experience several challenges that affect their mental health, which may also impact their sleep health. There has been limited research on sleep disorders in the transgender community and even fewer in relation to mental health disorders. Based on a recent cross sectional study conducted by Ronald Gavidia, MD, MS, findings showed that transgender youth were more likely to experience insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, or a diagnosis of some other sleeping disorder in association with poor mental health.

Data has shown that transgender youth with mood disturbances were twice as likely to have depression and anxiety and 4 times as likely to have ever attempted suicide in comparison with the cisgender population. Therefore, a higher burden of mood symptoms is present within transgender youth as well as a higher burden of sleep disorders.

Recently, Gavidia, sat down for an interview with 

® and talked more about how generalizable the findings from his study are in terms of the transgender youth population in the United States. He also spoke on what future studies should focus on moving forward and the type of study that should be conducted. Gavidia, clinical assistant professor in the division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, concluded by adding what clinicians need to be more aware of when caring for patients in this population regarding their sleep health. 

REFERENCES
1. Hershner S, Jansen EC, Gavidia R, Matlen L, Hoban M, Dunietz GL. Associations Between Transgender Identity, Sleep, Mental Health and Suicidality Among a North American Cohort of College Students. 

. 2021;13:383-398. Published 2021 Mar 16. doi:10.2147/NSS.S286131
2. Gavidia R, Whitney DG, Hershner S, Selkie EM, Tauman R, Dunietz GL. Gender identity and transition: relationships with sleep disorders in US youth. 

. 2022;18(11):2553-2559. doi:10.5664/jcsm.10158

The clinical assistant professor in the division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Neurology, University of Michigan spoke about the associations of mental health with insomnia in transgender youth. [WATCH TIME: 5 minutes] 

sleep disorders associated with transgender youths.

High Risk of Sleep Disorder Burden in Transgender Youth: Ronald Gavidia, MD, MS

“The most important part is to inform people that the transgender community has more sleep disorders than the cisgender population and the use of gender affirming therapy may help.”

Presently, there has been few reported studies on sleep disorders in individuals who identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming (TGNC). In addition, the role of gender-affirming therapy (GAT) in sleep disorders with TGNC has not been fully understood or investigated in studies.

In a recent, retrospective, cross-sectional study conducted by Ronald Gavidia, MD, MS, and colleagues, findings showed that there was a high burden of sleep disorders in TGNC youths in comparison with cisgender individuals in the United States.

 The study included 1,216,044 youth, 2603 (0.2%) of which identified as TGNC and 1387 who pursued GAT (transmasculine, n = 868 and transfeminine, n = 519). 

The adjusted analysis displayed an increased odds of insomnia (OR = 5.4; 95% CI 4.7-6.2), sleep apnea (OR = 3.0, 95% CI 2.3-4.0), and other sleep disorders (odds ratio = 3.1; 95% Cl 2.5-3.9) in TGNC compared with the cisgender youth. Notably, decreased odds of any sleep disorder were shown in the TGNC youth on GAT (OR= 0.5; 95% CI, 0.4-0.7) in comparison with those not on GAT.

Gavidia, clinical assistant professor in the division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, recently had an interview with 

and provided an overview about the study. He discussed his hypothesis going into the research, and the associations of sleep disorders in transgender youth in the United States. Gavidia also explained what the findings mean for patients that identify within the transgender population and experience insomnia.



REFERENCES
1. Gavidia R, Whitney DG, Hershner S, Selkie EM, Tauman R, Dunietz GL. Gender identity and transition: relationships with sleep disorders in US youth. 

The clinical assistant professor in the division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, spoke about sleep disorders associated with transgender youths. [WATCH TIME: 4 minutes] 

the field of newborn sleep and epilepsy based on a special lecture from the 2022 AES annual meeting

Need for Increased Multidisciplinary Study of Newborn and Infant Sleep in Epilepsy: Renee Shellhaas, MD, MS, FAES

“Newborn and infant sleep is really a field that's wide open for discovery. There are a lot of fundamental questions that we don't fully understand yet. Again, raising awareness so that we can bring more really smart people in to study these various issues is super important.”

In the clinical practice of sleep and epilepsy, research that needs additional consideration is understanding the interactions between the two conditions, especially across the different stages of life, as both have a role in the patient’s quality of life. It’s been known that medications for epilepsy have sedative factors that may also impact the patient’s sleeping patterns, and as general rule, clinicians have prescribed the lowest effective dose. 

, held December 2 to 6, in Nashville, Tennessee, Renee Shellhaas, MD, MS, FAES, pediatric neurologist, gave a special lecture on epilepsy and its relation to the development of sleep-wake patterns in neonates. During the session, she spoke about how the interactions of sleep and epilepsy are considered by clinicians for the evaluation of the patient’s treatment.

Shellhaas, professor of neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, further discussed the treatment plans for patients with epilepsy and the impact they have on patients’ sleep. She also spoke on research needs within the field of sleep and epilepsy, along with the need for increased awareness.



REFERENCES
1. Shellhaas R. Development of Sleep-Wake Patterns in Neonates and Interaction with Epilepsy. Presented at: AES Annual Meeting; December 2-6, 2022; Nashville, TN, and virtual. Special lecture.

The professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis spoke about the field of newborn sleep and epilepsy based on a special lecture from the 2022 AES annual meeting. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes] 

sleep-wake patterns in epilepsy based on a special lecture from the 2022 AES Annual meeting.

More Awareness Needed for Sleep Health and Pediatric Epilepsy: Renee Shellhaas, MD, MS, FAES

“Sleep is a very important issue for parents and for children with epilepsy. Yet, we have very few data to really guide our practice. We know that most often, nobody asks a parent about their child's sleep, and even when there are pretty significant sleep disorders, a lot of times kids aren't evaluated.”

Across the lifespan, there are some considerations that should be addressed in terms of patient care for sleep and epilepsy. The current general challenges within the field are that the bidirectional interactions between sleep, circadian rhythms, and epilepsy are overlooked when it comes to the clinical care of patients, which impacts their quality of life. Additionally, the approach to evaluating these factors for patients at different stages of life is frequently not appreciated.

Renee Shellhaas, MD, MS, FAES, a pediatric neurologist, gave a talk about the development of sleep-wake patterns in neonates and interaction with epilepsy in a special lecture at the 

, held December 2 to 6, in Nashville, Tennessee. In the session, she highlighted the interactions between sleep and epilepsy along with how those interactions are considered by clinicians. 

Shellhaas, a professor of neurology at Washington University in St. Louis, recently had an interview with 

 at the 2022 AES annual meeting to discuss more about sleep and epilepsy across the lifespan, specifically with pediatric epilepsy. She also mentioned what she hypothesizes could help with sleep-wake cycling and possibly alter the trajectory of development for newborns.

REFERENCES
1. Shellhaas R. Development of Sleep-Wake Patterns in Neonates and Interaction with Epilepsy. Presented at: AES Annual Meeting; December 2-6, 2022; Nashville, TN, and virtual. Special lecture.

The professor of neurology at Washington University in St. Louis, spoke about sleep-wake patterns in epilepsy based on a special lecture from the 2022 AES Annual meeting. [WATCH TIME: 6 minutes]

an overview on her ongoing lab project about a music-based intervention to improve insomnia in dementia and caregivers.

Music-Based Application to Improve Insomnia in Patients With Dementia and Their Caregivers: Darina Petrovsky, PhD, RN

“Not everybody seeks care or seeks treatment or diagnosis of Alzheimer's or other types of dementia. We have a couple of clinicians that we work with, but we are not working with all of the physicians in New Jersey that are seeing these patients.”

The assistant professor, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, offers an overview on her ongoing lab project about a music-based intervention to improve insomnia in dementia and caregivers. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]  

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