American Academy of Neurology, April 22-27

The annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology was held from April 22 to 27 in Boston and attracted more than 38,000 participants from around the world, including clinicians, academicians, allied health professionals, and others interested in neurology. The conference highlighted recent advances in neurological disorders, with presentations focusing on the diagnosis, management, and treatment of disorders impacting the brain and nervous system.

In one study, Adithya Vegaraju, a medical student at the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine in Spokane, and colleagues found that increased exposure to blue and green spaces is associated with lower odds of serious psychological distress among older adults living in urban areas.

The authors examined the associations between exposure and proximity to green and blue space and severe psychological distress in urban-dwelling older adults from Washington State. The researchers found that increased exposure to blue and green spaces was associated with lower odds of serious psychological distress.

"This is important because serious psychological distress is associated with the development of cognitive impairment and dementia among older adults," Vegaraju said. "We hope that this and similar studies will fuel studies to explore the mechanisms behind the relationship between green/blue spaces and psychological health, as well as the effectiveness of nature-based treatments for neuropsychiatric conditions."

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In the prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled SENZA-PDN trial, Erika Petersen, M.D., of the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, and colleagues found that high-frequency, 10 kHz spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) improves pain and neurological function over a 24-month period.

The authors evaluated high-frequency, 10 kHz SCS for the treatment of PDN. Specifically, they compared conventional medical management (CMM) alone to CMM plus high-frequency (10 kHz) SCS. A total of 216 patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to either CMM alone or CMM plus SCS. Patients were followed for 24 months to see how high-frequency SCS affected their pain and neurological function.

The researchers found that during the course of six months, patients in the CMM group saw no change in their pain scores, whereas those in the 10 kHz SCS group experienced a 76 percent reduction in pain, on average. In addition, 85 percent of patients in the 10 kHz SCS group were responders (defined as those with at least 50 percent pain relief) compared with 5 percent of patients in the CMM group. Additional benefits of high-frequency (10 kHz) SCS were demonstrated by improvements in sleep, health-related quality of life, and neurological function. At six months, patients were offered the chance to cross over to the other treatment group, and 93 percent of eligible CMM patients chose to cross over and receive high-frequency SCS.

"High-frequency (10 kHz) SCS has been shown to be a superior treatment for patients with chronic back and leg pain, compared to the low-frequency approaches we have used for decades," Petersen said. "And now, in this study, the largest SCS randomized controlled trial to date for PDN, high-frequency (10 kHz) SCS has demonstrated durable pain relief in long-term follow-up to 24 months."

Two authors disclosed financial ties to Nevro Corp, which funded the study.

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Pamela Rist, Sc.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues found that higher scores on the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 scale, a measure of cardiovascular health, are associated with a decreased risk for dementia among middle-aged and older women.

The authors studied the association between Life's Simple 7 and the risk for dementia. Life's Simple 7 captures factors such as being a nonsmoker, having a normal body mass index, having normal cholesterol levels and blood pressure levels, not having diabetes, achieving adequate physical activity, and eating a healthy diet. Risk factor status was measured at study enrollment in the early to mid-1990s and dementia outcomes were assessed from 2011 to 2018. The researchers found that individuals with higher Life's Simple 7 scores had a lower risk for dementia.

"In addition, we observed the strongest association between higher scores on Life's Simple 7, indicating better cardiovascular health, and decreased risk of dementia among women who were middle aged at the time of risk factor assessment," Rist said. "This underscores the importance of mid-life health and lifestyle habits for lowering dementia risk."

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AAN: Stroke Prevalence Stable Overall From 1999 to 2018

TUESDAY, April 25, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- From 1999 to 2018, the prevalence of self-reported stroke overall and by racial and ethnic group and age group remained stable, while an increase was seen among men, according to a study published online April 24 in JAMA Neurology to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, held from April 22 to 27 in Boston.

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AAN: Atogepant Efficacious for Preventive Treatment of Migraine

FRIDAY, April 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For adults with episodic migraine who have previously failed two to four classes of oral preventive medications, the oral calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist atogepant is efficacious for preventing migraine, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, held from April 22 to 27 in Boston.

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AAN: Teriflunomide Reduces Clinical Events in Radiologically Isolated Syndrome

FRIDAY, April 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For adults with radiologically isolated syndrome, teriflunomide is associated with a reduction in the first clinical demyelinating event compared with placebo, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, held from April 22 to 27 in Boston.

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AAN: Mediterranean Diet Score Linked to Cognition in MS

THURSDAY, March 2, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The Mediterranean diet score is associated with cognition among persons with multiple sclerosis, according to a study scheduled for presentation at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, to be held from April 22 to 27 in Boston.

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AAN: Spinal Cord Stimulation Beneficial for Diabetic Neuropathy

WEDNESDAY, March 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Spinal cord stimulation provides pain relief and neurological improvement for patients with painful diabetic neuropathy, according to a study scheduled for presentation at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, to be held from April 22 to 27 in Boston.

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AAN: Higher Scores on Life's Simple 7 Linked to Lower Dementia Risk in Women

WEDNESDAY, March 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- For women, higher scores on the American Heart Association Life's Simple 7 in midlife are associated with a lower risk for dementia, according to a study scheduled for presentation at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, to be held from April 22 to 27 in Boston.

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