Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2024
Prevalence of autoimmune diseases in functional neurological disorder: influence of psychiatric comorbidities and biological sex.
Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a common and disabling neuropsychiatric condition, which disproportionally affects women compared with men. While the etiopathogenesis of this disorder remains elusive, immune dysregulation is emerging as one potential mechanism. To begin to understand the role of immune dysfunctions in FND, we assessed the prevalence of several common autoimmune diseases (ADs) in a large cohort of patients with FND and examined the influence of psychiatric comorbidities and biological sex. ⋯ This study is unique in providing evidence of an association between FND and ADs. Future studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms underlying this association and to understand whether FND is characterised by distinct dysregulations in immune response.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2024
Circuit-based neuromodulation enhances delayed recall in amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of circuits-based paired associative stimulation (PAS) in adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). ⋯ Circuit-based PAS effectively enhances long-term delayed recall in adults diagnosed with aMCI, which includes individuals aged 50-80 years. This enhancement is potentially linked to the decreased functional connectivity between the left hippocampus and left precuneus.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2024
COVID-19 has no impact on disease activity, progression and cognitive performance in people with multiple sclerosis: a 2-year study.
Sequelae of COVID-19 in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) have not been characterised. We explored whether COVID-19 is associated with an increased risk of disease activity, disability worsening, neuropsychological distress and cognitive dysfunction during the 18-24 months following SARS-COV-2 infection. ⋯ In PwMS, COVID-19 has no impact on disease activity, course and cognitive performance 18-24 months after infection.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2024
Premorbid brain structure influences risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease of the motor network associated with brain structure and functional connectivity alterations that are implicated in disease progression. Whether such changes have a causal role in ALS, fitting with a postulated influence of premorbid cerebral architecture on the phenotypes associated with neurodegenerative disorders is not known. ⋯ This study provides evidence that premorbid brain structure, in particular white matter volume, contributes to the risk of ALS.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2024
Best practices in phase III clinical trials on DMTs for multiple sclerosis: a systematic analysis and appraisal of published trials.
Great advances have been made in the field of multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy due to the publication of numerous randomised clinical trials (RCTs). In this study, we carried out a critical appraisal of phase III RCTs of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for MS published after 2010, intending to identify critical areas of improvement. ⋯ RCTs for DMTs in MS have relevant and frequent limitations. These should be addressed to enhance their quality, transparency and external validity.