Parkinson disease

Olfactory dysfunction in Parkinson disease (PD) is more closely associated with cholinergic than dopaminergic denervation, report Nicolaas Bohnen and colleagues at the University of Michigan. In 58 patients with PD, scores on an odor identification test showed positive correlations with acetylcholinesterase activity in several brain regions, including the neocortex, amygdala and hippocampal formation. The ability to identify odors also correlated with cognitive function, suggesting that olfactory dysfunction might signify a heightened risk of cognitive impairment.

Neuro-oncology

New research shows that medulloblastoma cells are susceptible to killing by the measles virus. Studebaker et al. demonstrated measles virus-related killing in five human medulloblastoma cell lines, and a mouse xenograft model of this brain tumor showed improved survival after treatment with the active virus. Medulloblastoma is particularly common in children, and current treatments are associated with substantial long-term morbidity. The findings of this study could pave the way for a new therapeutic strategy.

Pain

A family of lipid mediators known as resolvins, which are derived from omega-3 polyunsaturated acids, could provide a new approach to treating inflammatory pain while circumventing some of the adverse effects associated with currently available drugs, such as opioids and cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors. Zhen-Zhong Xu and colleagues administered the resolvins RvE1 and RvD1 to mice with inflammatory pain and found that pain behaviors were reduced but basal pain perception remained unaffected.

Movement disorders

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) shows clustering within families, according to a Canadian study involving 671 individuals with this condition. Sons or daughters of people with RLS were nearly twice as likely to develop the condition than children of unaffected individuals, and the risk was increased almost fourfold in siblings of affected patients. Familial RLS was especially common in women, in whom the risk was increased further by iron deficiency, arthritis and pregnancy.