Alzheimer disease

Meta-analysis confirms CR1, CLU , and PICALM as Alzheimer disease risk loci and reveals interactions with APOE genotypes Jun, G. et al. Arch. Neurol. doi:10.1001/archneurol.2010.201

Previously, two large meta-analyses have shown that CR1, CLU and PILCALM are risk loci for Alzheimer disease (AD). Jun et al. have replicated these findings in a cohort of European ancestry, but did not find any association between the three loci and AD in other ethnic groups. Furthermore, the researchers found that PICALM is associated with AD risk primarily in individuals with the apolipoprotein E ε4 allele.

Pain

Effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation and visual illusion on neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury Soler, M. D. et al. Brain 133, 2565–2577 (2010)

In a sham-controlled, double-blind study Soler et al. have shown that transcranial direct current stimulation of the motor cortex plus visual illusion is more effective at alleviating neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury than either treatment alone. The analgesic effects of the combined treatment lasted for at least 12 weeks after treatment, indicating that this treatment regime could be an effective means of pain control in patients with spinal cord injury.

Parkinson disease

Physical activities and future risk of Parkinson disease Xu, Q. et al. Neurology 75, 341–348 (2010)

Moderate to vigorous activity between the ages of 35 and 39 years is associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson disease (PD), report Qun Xu and colleagues at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, North Carolina, USA. The association between moderate to vigorous activity and PD risk seemed to follow a dose–response relationship. Exercise could be a simple means of reducing an individual's risk of developing PD.

Multiple sclerosis

Brain macro- and microscopic damage in patients with paediatric MS Absinta, M. et al. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry doi:10.1136/jnnp.2010.205682

Pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have less-severe intrinsic lesion damage than adult patients with MS, according to an Italian study involving 105 individuals with this condition. Diffusion tensor MRI abnormalities were shown to be confined to normal-appearing white matter in the pediatric patients, whereas lesions were also detected in the gray matter of the adult patients.