Latest Conference Coverage

NeuroVoices: Mark Lew, MD, on Exploring Reflex Tears as a Biomarker for Parkinson Disease

The director of the Division of Movement Disorders at the USC Keck School of Medicine discussed the phenomenon behind reflex tears and whether they can serve as a valuable biomarker for Parkinson disease.

Addition of Mechanical Thrombectomy Improves Odds of Good Outcome in Elderly Poststroke Patients

Following respective improvements in odds of good and poor outcomes, investigators concluded that the addition of mechanical thrombectomy should be considered over best medical management practices alone.

Aligning Patient, Clinician, and Caregiver Goals in Alzheimer Disease: Sharon Cohen, MD, FRCPC

The neurologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto discussed why elevating the voices of patients and caregivers is important to understanding and treating an individual with Alzheimer disease. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

Ozanimod Treatment Results in Higher Rates of No Evidence of Disease Activity vs Interferon ß-1a

After readjusting baseline to month 12, more patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis on continuous ozanimod achieved NEDA-3 and NEDA-4 status than those on interferon ß-1a.

Idiopathic Hypersomnia Demonstrates Moderate to Severe Impact on Quality of Life, Patient-Reported Outcomes

Despite a low percentage of patients missing work time due to their condition, a higher percentage reported impairment while working, overall work impairment, and activity impairment.

Treatment Optimization in Epilepsy and the Need to Individualize the Approach

Jacqueline A. French, MD, discussed the factors that influence the challenges in treatment selection in epilepsy, and how patient conversations and comprehension of heterogeneity can help in the treatment selection process.

Understanding the Effects of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Multiple Sclerosis: Ludwig Kappos, MD, FEAN, FAAN

The professor of neurology at the University of Basel discussed a recent study presented at AAN 2022 on whether levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with MS disease activity or progression. [WATCH TIME: 4 minutes]

Ofatumumab Shows Decreased Effect on Microglial Activation in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

Patients treated with ofatumumab (Kesimpta; Novartis) demonstrated significant decreases in absolute and percent CD19 counts at day 5 of treatment, which persisted through the 90-day period.

Reasons for Selecting Certain Outcome Measures in Aducanumab’s Drug Development: Sharon Cohen, MD, FRCPC

The neurologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto provided insight on the differences between outcome measures for Alzheimer disease and how they factored into a new item-level analysis of aducanumab (Aduhelm; Biogen). [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

Episode 62: Advanced Therapeutics in Parkinson and Movement Disorders

Mind Moments®, a podcast from NeurologyLive®, brings you an exclusive interview with Yasar Torres-Yaghi, MD. [LISTEN TIME: 25 minutes]

Building the Next Generation of Migraine Specialists: Rashmi B. Halker-Singh, MD, FAAN, and Paul Mathew, MD, DNBPAS, FAAN, FAHS

The chair and vice-chair of the Headache and Facial Pain Section of the American Academy of Neurology provided insight on projects they feel are needed to advance the care of patients with migraine-related disorders. [WATCH TIME: 4 minutes]

Weighing Cardiovascular Risk When Treating Narcolepsy

Rami H. Ben-Joseph, PhD, executive director, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, provided insight on the real-world CV-BOND study that evaluates the cardiovascular burden in patients with narcolepsy.

Details of Item-Level Analysis of Aducanumab at AAN 2022: Sharon Cohen, MD, FRCPC

The neurologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto detailed findings from a new analysis that supports meaningful treatment effect with aducanumab in Alzheimer disease. [WATCH TIME: 6 minutes]

The New Bar Set for Therapies in Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy: Jacqueline A. French, MD

The codirector of Epilepsy Clinical Trials at NYU Langone spoke to the progress that’s been made in treating refractory epilepsy and her hopes for the future of drug development in this area of medicine. [WATCH TIME: 5 minutes]

Exploring Repurposed Therapeutics to Treat COVID-19: Jennifer Frontera, MD

The professor of neurology at NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine discussed what high-potential repurposed medications could be an option to treat symptoms of COVID-19 and the realistic possibility of clinical trials. [WATCH TIME: 4 minutes]

Top Priorities Within the Migraine Field: Rashmi B. Halker-Singh, MD, FAAN, and Paul Mathew, MD, DNBPAS, FAAN, FAHS

The chair and vice-chair of the Headache and Facial Pain Section of the American Academy of Neurology discussed some of the key research needs for migraine care going forward. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

Ublixtumab’s Effect on Measures of MS Disability: Bruce Cree, MD, PhD, MAS, FAAN

The clinical research director of the UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Center discussed the recently presented analysis on ublituximab’s effect on disability in relapsing MS and the critical need to focus on improving quality of life. [WATCH TIME: 4 minutes]

The Progress Made in Stem Cell Therapy, Regenerative Medicine: Peter J. McAllister, MD, FAAN

The medical director and chief medical officer of the New England Center for Neurology and Headache discussed notable data from the STEMTRA trial, and the progress made in the field of regenerative medicine. [WATCH TIME: 2 minutes]

Multilevel Impact Fenfluramine’s Approval Brings to Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

As a primary investigator for fenfluramine’s pivotal phase 3 program, Kelly Knupp, MD, MSCS, FAES, provided insight on new results presented at AAN 2022, as well as the positive ripple effect its recent approval brings to patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Gamma Sensory Stimulation Demonstrates Efficacy in Alzheimer Disease in New Analysis

In addition to demonstrating significant differences in slowing functional decline, those on gamma sensory stimulation also demonstrated a significant reduction in brain atrophy relative to the sham group in the OVERTURE study.

Understanding the Associations of Stroke and COVID-19: Matthew Schindler, MD, PhD

The assistant professor of neurology at the University of Pennsylvania discussed stroke risk among patients with COVID-19 and the need to seek neurological consultation. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

NeuroVoices: Justin Klee, Josh Cohen on Building AMX0035’s Case as the Next ALS Treatment

Following their data presentation on AMX0035 at AAN 2022, Justin Klee and Josh Cohen, the co-CEOs and co-founders of Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, shared their perspectives on the agent.

Tenecteplase Demonstrates Better Efficacy Outcomes Than Alteplase in Telestroke

In addition to significantly less disability observed in tenecteplase-treated patients, this group was also administered treatment 9.40 minutes faster than those on alteplase.

Relaying Messages About Long-Term Effects of COVID-19: Jennifer Frontera, MD

The professor of neurology at NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine broke down the knowns and unknowns about long-term changes related to COVID-19, their legitimacy, and associations with neurodegenerative disorders. [WATCH TIME: 6 minutes]

Ofatumumab Shows Long-term Safety and Efficacy, Does Not Restrict COVID-19 Vaccine Immune Response

Data presented at the 2022 AAN Annual Meeting from the ALITHIOS and KYRIOS trials suggest that ofatumumab (Kesimpta; Novartis), an anti-CD20 therapy, is safe with up to 4 years of treatment and does not prevent the mounting of an immune response to mRNA vaccines.

Losmapimod Shows Significant Effect on Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy Despite Unchanged Biomarkers

After showing several significant differences between placebo, the company has planned a phase 3 study that will assess the therapeutic in a cohort of 230 adults with FSHD.

Opioid Use Significantly Decreased on Rimegepant Regimen, Real-World Claims Suggest

Among triptan non/past use and current use patients, investigators observed refill decreases of 15.3% and 16.8%, respectively, in the 9 months following rimegepant treatment.

Episode 61: 2022 AAN Annual Meeting Highlights

Mind Moments®, a podcast from NeurologyLive®, brings you exclusive interviews with Jennifer Frontera, MD; Stephen Krieger, MD; Peter McAllister, MD; Kelly Knupp, MD, MSCS; Bruce Cree, MD, PhD, MAS; Shrujal Baxi, MD, MPH; and Indu Subramanian, MD. [LISTEN TIME: 32 minutes]

Long-Term Advantages of Fenfluramine for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome: Kelly Knupp, MD

The pediatric neurologist and epilepsy specialist at Colorado Children’s Hospital discussed new data presented at AAN 2022 on the use of recently approved fenfluramine in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

Multiple-Source Constant-Current DBS Shows Safety, Efficacy at Long-Term Follow-Up

As a result of treatment with the Vercise Genus DBS system, patients reduced their use of anti-parkinsonian medications while maintaining improvements in quality of life.