Intracerebral hemorrhage

Yoon and colleagues have shown that multidetector row CT angiography is a reliable technique for identifying the underlying causes of spontaneous lobar intracerebral hemorrhage. Multidetector row CT angiography is less invasive and easier to perform than digital subtraction angiography, which is currently the standard approach for detecting vascular abnormalities in this setting.

Yoon, D. Y. et al. Multidetector row CT angiography in spontaneous lobar intracerebral hemorrhage: a prospective comparison with conventional angiography. AJNR Am. J. Neuroradiol. [doi:10.3174/ajnr.A1471] (2009).

Cerebrovascular disease

CADASIL, the most common of the hereditary vascular dementias, is caused by mutations in NOTCH3, and is characterized pathologically by accumulation of granular osmiophilic material on vascular smooth muscle cells. Tikka et al. demonstrate that granular osmiophilic material can be reliably detected in skin biopsies from patients with genetically verified CADASIL, and they advocate the use of skin biopsy in the diagnostic work-up of patients in whom the condition is suspected.

Tikka, S. et al. Congruence between NOTCH3 mutations and GOM in 131 CADASIL patients. Brain [doi:10.1093/brain/awn364] (2009).

Alzheimer disease

Carrasquillo et al. have identified a single nucleotide polymorphism in the protocadherin 11, X-linked (PCDH11X) gene that is associated with an increased risk of late-onset Alzheimer disease, particularly in women. This is the first sex-specific risk factor to be identified for this disease, and the authors suggest that this finding could guide the development of new therapeutic approaches.

Carrasquillo, M. M. et al. Genetic variation in PCDH11X is associated with susceptibility to late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Nat. Genet. 41, 192–198 (2009).

Neural repair and rehabilitation

A new study shows that ibuprofen injections can improve functional recovery in a rat model of spinal cord injury. The compound seems to have both neuroprotective and axon-growth-promoting properties. The safety and tolerability of ibuprofen is already well established in humans, which makes this approach a good candidate for translation into the clinical setting.

Wang, X. et al. Ibuprofen enhances recovery from spinal cord injury by limiting tissue loss and stimulating axonal growth. J. Neurotrauma 26, 81–95 (2009).