Neurology

Zonisamide for Epilepsy: Effectiveness, Safety, and Real-World Use

Zonisamide for Epilepsy: Effectiveness, Safety, and Real-World Use

What Did the Research Discover? Zonisamide is an anti-seizure medication that has been used since 1989 to treat epilepsy. It is approved for different types of seizures in various countries, including the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Korea. It can be taken alone or alongside other seizure medications. Studies show that zonisamide works through multiple mechanisms,...

Understanding Dementia Risk in Parkinson’s Disease: What the Latest Research Reveals

Understanding Dementia Risk in Parkinson’s Disease: What the Latest Research Reveals

What did the research discover? This research investigated how frequently patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) develop dementia, a feared long-term outcome. Older studies suggested that up to 80% of PD patients develop dementia, but this study used more recent data from two large research cohorts to provide a clearer picture. The study followed 417 participants...

The Future of Alzheimer’s Drugs: A New Direction

The Future of Alzheimer’s Drugs: A New Direction

What did the research discover? A review of the 2024 Alzheimer's disease (AD) drug pipeline found 164 clinical trials testing 127 drugs, a decline from 187 trials and 141 drugs in 2023. The pipeline consists of: 48 trials in Phase 3 (testing 32 drugs) 90 trials in Phase 2 (testing 81 drugs) 26 trials in Phase 1 (testing 25 drugs) Most drugs in the pipeline aim to...

Breakthrough Blood Test May Predict Parkinson’s Disease Earlier

Breakthrough Blood Test May Predict Parkinson’s Disease Earlier

What did the research discover? Parkinson’s disease is becoming more common and progresses from a pre-motor stage, where early non-motor symptoms like REM sleep behavior disorder appear, to the more disabling motor stage. Detecting the disease early is critical to slowing its progression, but there is currently no reliable biomarker for early diagnosis. This study...

New Hope for Alzheimer’s: Tackling Protein Clumps and Aging with Mitochondria Boosters

New Hope for Alzheimer’s: Tackling Protein Clumps and Aging with Mitochondria Boosters

What did the research discover? This study explored how amyloid beta (Aβ), a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), accelerates the process of protein insolubility that naturally occurs with aging. Protein insolubility happens when proteins clump together and lose their normal function, a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and...

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Decline in Cognitive Function in MS Patients

Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Decline in Cognitive Function in MS Patients

What did the research discover? This study explored the link between vitamin D levels and cognitive function in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers studied 181 MS patients at Policlinico Federico II University Hospital in Naples, Italy, measuring their blood vitamin D levels and assessing their cognitive function using the Brief International Cognitive...