News & Views in 2018

Autoantibodies against the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) are known to cause encephalitis; however, a new study has identified anti-NMDAR antibodies in the absence of encephalitis in various mammalian species. These chronically produced natural antibodies might function in physiological target protein modulation and contribute to the symptoms of non-immune diseases.

Delayed treatment of status epilepticus is known to increase seizure duration, but new research shows that a delay of more than 10 minutes from seizure onset increases morbidity and risk of death. The findings emphasize the importance of time and suggest that status epilepticus should be treated as a medical emergency.

Effective drug development for infantile-onset spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) requires a meaningful understanding of disease progression and reliable biomarkers. A new report presents the results of a longitudinal, multicentre, prospective natural history study of SMA, which are critical for the research of future therapies.

Results from the PATH study indicate that subcutaneous immunoglobulin is efficacious and well tolerated for maintenance treatment in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). This finding represents an important step in the management of patients with immunoglobulin-responsive CIDP, with considerable implications for the cost of treatment and, most importantly, for these patients' quality of life.

A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, Brave Dreams, has shown no clinical or radiological benefit of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) to correct chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). These results finally settle the scientific debate over whether PTA can improve clinical, radiological and symptomatic outcomes in this patient population.