Latest Conference Coverage

Albumin Replacement Therapy Promising in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer Disease

The AMBAR trial is based off of the hypothesis that amyloid-beta is bound to albumin and circulates in plasma; extracting this plasma may in turn flush amyloid from the brain.

Can Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Reduce Episodic Migraine Severity and Disability?

Lead author Elizabeth K. Seng, PhD, shared insight into the findings of an exploration of the use of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to reduce the impact of migraine on patients, as measured by Migraine Disability Assessment, as well as Headache Disability Inventory scores.

Manish Shah MD, MPH: How Telemedicine Can Reduce ED Use in Dementia

The professor of emergency medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health spoke about how telemedicine in senior living communities can effectively decrease ED use by individuals with dementia.

Cognitive Reserve Linked to Reduced Dementia Risk Regardless of Brain Pathology

The concept of cognitive reserve refers to one’s capacity to be resilient to age-related brain degeneration and disease-related pathology.

Sleep Aid Trazodone May Help Delay Cognitive Decline

People who did not use trazodone had up to a 2-fold faster decline in MMSE score than those who used the drug.

Amyloid Accumulation Below Clinical Threshold Still Contributes to Cognitive Decline, Neurodegeneration

Findings suggest that a subgroup of patients categorized as amyloid beta-negative may continue to accumulate the destructive protein and experience cognitive changes.

Elzbieta Kuzma, PhD: Healthy Lifestyle Reduces Dementia Risk Despite Genetics

The research fellow at the University of Exeter spoke about the findings from her observational study which showed that living a favorable lifestyle could offset the risk for dementia, even if that risk is genetically linked. 



Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Working Memory Training Beneficial in Prodromal Alzheimer Disease

While single modality therapy is safe, feasible, and effective, researchers demonstrated that a combined modality shows greater domain-specific cognitive enhancements with higher transferability and sustainability.

CSF Biomarkers of Neurodegeneration May Predict Progression in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Participants with high CSF Aβ1-42/tau and lower NPTX2 levels experienced greater decline throughout the 36 months than all other subgroups on memory acquisition, delayed recall, and CDR-sb.

Adherence May Be Key to VNS Therapy Success in Migraine Prevention

Investigators found that participants struggled to adhere to the treatment protocol, which required them to administer 3 treatments per day.

Christopher Gottschalk, MD: Advantages of Eptinezumab and CGRP Inhibitors

The director of headache medicine and chief of general neurology at Yale Medicine spoke about the significance of having CGRP inhibitors in migraine treatment, and how eptinezumab fits into the treatment landscape.

Ubrogepant Effective Migraine Treatment Regardless of Prior Triptan Efficacy

No differences were observed in the magnitude of ubrogepant treatment effect between defined triptan subgroups.

Dawn Buse, PhD: Where Are Patients With Migraine Seeking Care?

The clinical professor of neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine spoke about the trends revealed by the OVERCOME study, and how this data can be used to improve the management of the millions of patients with migraine in the US.

Richard Lipton, MD: Eptinezumab Maintains Reductions in the Impact of Migraine

The director of the Montefiore Headache Center and professor of neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine spoke about the results of an analysis of eptinezumab’s effect on the severity of migraine and its impact on patients’ lives.

Atogepant Effectively Prevents Migraine in Phase 2b/3 Trial

Atogepant significantly reduced mean monthly migraine days compared to placebo across a number of doses and was generally well-tolerated, with no treatment-related serious adverse events.

Real-World Erenumab Data Shows High Use in Chronic Migraine and Persistence to Therapy

Real-world data of erenumab indicates that a large number of patients are the chronic migraine population, and there is a high rate of persistence to the anti-CGRP therapy. The most commonly prescribed dose of erenumab was 70 mg.

Low-Dose DFN-11 Successful in Relieving Severe and Moderate Acute Migraine Pain

Patients with migraine who reported both moderate and severe pain intensity during headache attacks experienced high rates of relief and freedom from pain and their most bothersome symptom when treated with 3-mg sumatriptan injection, DFN-11.

Eptinezumab Treatment Results in Sustained Improvement in Headache Impact, Migraine-Related Burden

An analysis of the open-label PREVAIL trial demonstrated a magnitude of therapeutic effect for eptinezumab that was either maintained or improved with subsequent infusions.

Deborah Friedman, MD, MPH: Telemedicine for Headache Disorders

The professor of neurology, neurotherapeutics, and ophthalmology at UT Southwestern spoke about the potential of telemedicine in headache medicine, as well as the findings from a single-center, 45-patient study.

HIT-6 Questionnaire Relevant and Useful in Migraine Assessments

Despite ongoing discussion regarding the 6-item Headache Impact Test’s relevance in the migraine population—for which it was not specifically developed—the test has been shown to be a useful tool in the assessment of patients with migraine.

Jessica Ailani, MD: Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Ubrogepant in Acute Migraine

The director of the MedStar Georgetown Headache Center spoke about ubrogepant’s long-term safety and efficacy and its potential to fill the large gap that remains in acute migraine care.

Telemedicine Is an Effective Alternative to In-Office Migraine Follow-Up

Patients with migraine rated their telemedicine visits as more convenient with shorter visit times; two factors that can also benefit providers.

Opioid Use Remains High in Acute Migraine Settings

Survey data revealed 36% of patients with migraine with prescription medications were using opioids in acute management, though data also reinforced that receiving a diagnosis of migraine or chronic migraine was associated with a significantly decreased likelihood of opioid use.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Excels in Episodic Migraine

As measured with the Migraine Disability Assessment, the proportion of patients with episodic migraine experiencing severe disability was reduced significantly, and Headache Disability Inventory scores were significantly reduced.

Kelly Knupp, MD: Keeping Perspective on CBD for Pediatric Epilepsies

The pediatric neurologist and epilepsy specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado spoke about the need to continue to research therapies once they’re approved to better understand their use, and how cannabidiol falls into this category.

Michael Sperling, MD: Surgical Advancements for Epilepsy

The director of the Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Center spoke about the improvements that have come along with some of the surgical advancements in the treatment of epilepsy, specifically with laser interstitial thermal ablation.

AHS 2019: What You Need to Know Ahead of the American Headache Society Annual Meeting

Stephen D. Silberstein, MD, past AHS president and Editor in Chief of NeurologyLive, provides a preview of premier sessions that will take place at the upcoming annual meeting.

Sharon Chiang, MD, PhD: Recording Seizures With Detection Technology

The neurology resident at the University of California San Francisco discussed how new wearable technology and electronic diaries have helped improve the understanding of seizure rhythmicity, and ultimately, epilepsy care.

Improving Epilepsy Care By Systematically Measuring Seizure Rhythmicity

In order to improve patient care in epilepsy, physicians need a more consistent and cohesive method of recording patient seizure activity. As wearables get more sensitive and specific, using them in tandem with electronic seizure diaries may help address the challenge.

Marisa McGinley, DO: Advantages of Outpatient Telemedicine in Neurology Subspecialties

The staff neurologist at Cleveland Clinic’s Mellen Center for MS shared her insight into the use of telemedicine in an outpatient setting across a number of subspecialties in neurology and how it can supplement care going forward.