Movement disorders

Impaired postural stability as a marker of premanifest Huntington's disease Salomonczyk, D. et al. Mov. Disord. doi:10.1002/mds.23309

Individuals who have the Huntington disease (HD) gene have been shown to have subtle deficits in fine motor control before they develop clinical symptoms. Salomonczyk et al. now show that gross motor impairments—indicated by postural sway—are evident in individuals with premanifest HD up to 5 years before estimated disease onset. The researchers suggest that measuring postural sway might be a sensitive means of identifying individuals who are at risk of phenoconvertion to HD.

Alzheimer disease

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are associated with increased neuritic plaques Sonnen, J. A. et al. Neurology 75, 1203–1210 (2010)

Several studies have indicated that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) might reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer disease. However, a population-based study conducted by Sonnen et al. shows that heavy use of nonselective NSAIDs in midlife or later-life can increase neuritic plaque accumulation. The researchers postulate that this finding might explain why heavy use of NSAIDs is associated with an increased risk of dementia in certain patient groups.

Neurodegenerative disease

Dextromethorphan plus ultra low-dose quinidine reduces pseudobulbar affect Pioro, E. P. et al. Ann. Neurol. doi:10.1002/ana.22093

In a randomized, double-blind study, Pioro et al. have shown that dextromethorphan plus ultra-low dose quinidine (DMq) significantly reduces the frequency and severity of pseudobulbar affect in patients with multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The drug treatment was well tolerated, and the researchers conclude that DMq could be a valuable treatment option for patients with this socially debilitating condition.

Parkinson disease

Common genetic variation in the HLA region is associated with late-onset sporadic Parkinson's disease Hamza, T. H. et al. Nat. Genet. 42, 781–785 (2010)

A genome-wide association study of 2,000 individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) has identified an association between the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region on chromosome 6p21.3 and this condition. The HLA association was present in both sporadic and late-onset forms of this disease. These data indicate that the immune system might be involved in the development of PD.