[In Context] Hildegard of Bingen's remedies for Parkinson's disease
Hildegard of Bingen (1098 –1179) was a German abbess who is considered to be the founder of the natural history field in Germany. Hildegard's medical writings were collected in two works called Physica (Natural History) and Causae et curae (Causes and Remedies). Physica is an inventory of natural therapies describing the h ealing properties of various plants, animals, and minerals. In the section devoted to zedoary (Curcuma zedoaria), the reader can find the following statements: (Source: Lancet Neurology)
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Francesco Brigo, Bruno Brigo, Nicola Luigi Bragazzi, Raffaele Nardone, Mariano Martini Tags: In Context Source Type: research
[In Context] Juan Fortea
Juan Fortea is a neurologist and dementia expert at the Hospital of Sant Pau and Catalan Down Syndrome Foundation, both in Barcelona, Spain. His main research interest is investigating the preclinical phase of sporadic and genetically determined Alzheimer's disease. He has received several awards, including the Best Young Neurologist in Dementia from the Spanish Neurological Society and the Centro de Investigaci ón Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas award to the Best Young Neurologist. (Source: Lancet Neurology)
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Tags: In Context Source Type: research
[In Context] A better, fairer, and safer world for people with dementia
There are an estimated 50 million people with dementia worldwide. This number is projected to double every 20 years. Jules Morgan reports on initiatives to create dementia-inclusive communities, and changing attitudes towards people living with dementia. (Source: Lancet Neurology)
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Jules Morgan Tags: In Context Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Lessons from the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial – Authors' reply
We thank Hussein Yassine and Lon Schneider for their interest in the MAPT trial1 and their analysis of its contribution to research on the prevention of cognitive decline. Given the nature of the intervention, it would have been virtually impossible for the multidomain component of our intervention to be double-blind. We acknowledge that this is a limitation of our study, as underlined in the discussion section of the Article.1 However, we made every effort to make sure that the trial was at least single-blind by using blinded evaluators and asking participants not to disclose their multidomain group assignment to these ev...
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Nicola Coley, Sandrine Andrieu, MAPT Study Group Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Correspondence] Lessons from the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial
The Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial (MAPT) investigators should be commended for their work on one of the larger and longer duration multicentre trials to investigate dementia prevention.1 The results of MAPT showed no significant effects with any of the three treatment interventions compared with placebo on the primary outcomes, the 15 secondary outcomes (except for one comparison of combined intervention with placebo on the ten item Mini-Mental State Examination, p=0 ·036), or on five of seven prespecified and exploratory subgroup analyses, which compared a multidomain intervention combined with omega 3 polyunsat...
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Hussein N Yassine, Lon S Schneider Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research
[Corrections] Corrections
Aarsland D, Creese B, Chaudhuri KR. A new tool to identify patients with Parkinson's disease at increased risk of dementia. Lancet Neurol 2017; 16: 576 –78—In this Comment (published online on June 16), Byron Creese's affiliation should have been University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK. This correction has been made to the online version as of July 11, 2017, and the printed comment is correct. (Source: Lancet Neurology)
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Tags: Corrections Source Type: research
[Corrections] Corrections
Lamberink HJ, Otte WM, Geerts AT, et al. Individualised prediction model of seizure recurrence and long-term outcomes after withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs in seizure-free patients: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. Lancet Neurology 2017; 16: 523 –31—In the ‘Instructions’ box within figure 3A (Nomogram to predict seizure recurrence after antiepileptic drug withdrawal), point 3 should not refer to the 2-year and 5-year recurrence risk, but to the 10-year chance of seizure freedom. (Source: Lancet Neurology)
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Tags: Corrections Source Type: research
[Corrections] Corrections
Charlier P, Saudamini D, Lippi D, Perciaccante A, Appenzeller O, Bianucci R. The cerebrovascular health of Thomas Aquinas. Lancet Neurol 2017; 16: 502 —In this Focal point, the first sentence should be “On Dec 6, 1273, the theologian and philosopher Thomas Aquinas had visions and experienced a spiritual transformation that radically affected his subsequent behaviour.1–3” This correction has been made to the online version as of July 11, 20 17. (Source: Lancet Neurology)
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Tags: Corrections Source Type: research
[Comment] Thank you to our peer reviewers in 2016
For the thirteenth consecutive year, The Lancet Neurology has maintained its position as the leading journal in the clinical neurology category, according to the 2016 Journal Citation Report released by Thomson Reuters. We owe this achievement to our authors for their outstanding Articles and Reviews, but also to our clinical and statistical reviewers for their tireless support in guiding the journal and its content. (Source: Lancet Neurology)
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Caitlin Aspinall Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Comment] Genomic profiling and diagnostic biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease
Biomarkers will be essential in identifying individuals with prodromal Alzheimer's disease and stratifying participants in clinical trials. In a Policy View in The Lancet Neurology, Giovanni Frisoni and colleagues1 set out the evidence on Alzheimer's disease diagnostic biomarkers, using a framework previously developed in oncology. Their comprehensive review of neuroimaging and CSF biomarkers draws attention to the lack of common standards and clinical validation across health systems, and the subsequent effects on diagnosis. (Source: Lancet Neurology)
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Valentina Escott-Price, Lesley Jones Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Comment] Diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease: a regulatory view
Health-care systems worldwide face an unprecedented challenge in dealing with the unmet needs of dementia diagnosis. Dementia is a clinical concept, and the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease remains essentially based on clinical symptoms, despite the neuropathological end state of the condition being known. Several potential diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease have been assessed in cohort studies.1 However, for any disorder, the usefulness of biomarkers is only as good as the understanding of the disease process. (Source: Lancet Neurology)
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: MT Isaac, S Vamvakas, MB Isaac Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Comment] Adding insight to injury: a new era in neurotrauma
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an age-old disease, and core principles that still guide its management were identified centuries ago. The Edwin –Smith Papyrus describes the use of neurological examinations to classify injury severity, localise lesions, identify intracranial hypertension, triage patients, and predict outcome from as early as 3000–2500 BC.1 Progress in management came in 1744 with the first report of an external ventricul ar drain for CSF diversion,2 and shortly afterwards, the fundamental Monro–Kellie hypothesis was proposed, which described the pressure–volume association between intracranial pres...
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Ruchira M Jha, Patrick M Kochanek Tags: Comment Source Type: research
[Editorial] WHO has a dementia plan, now we need action
Dementia is a growing global challenge. Around 47 million people worldwide were estimated to be living with dementia in 2015, with 60% in low-income or middle-income countries; by 2030, the number of people with dementia is expected to reach 75 million, at a cost of US$2 trillion. Recognising the need for action, on May 29, 2017, delegates at the 70th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, voted to adopt a Global Action Plan on the public health response to dementia. For this decision to be a useful step towards reducing the burden of dementia, meaningful action must now follow. (Source: Lancet Neurology)
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: The Lancet Neurology Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
[In Context] The mind's secrets brought to life
It cannot be denied that for many a layperson, myself included, something as simple as self-seeking curiosity is enough motivation to delve into the field of neuroscience and to contemplate or query the way in which our lives are shaped by the development of our minds. It was with great joy and satisfaction then that I devoured Mariano Sigman's book, The Secret Life of the Mind, a wide-ranging and comprehensive exploration of how our brains think, feel, and make decisions. (Source: Lancet Neurology)
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Anna Kennedy Tags: In Context Source Type: research
[In Context] Keeping an open mind about autism
There is a common goal shared between science and art —to educate and captivate—and the meeting of these two fields can increase the public's awareness and understanding of medical conditions that are often difficult to comprehend. Expression of the effects of autism through an artistic medium is an excellent way for the wider population to appreci ate how an autistic person may view the world, as it allows the artist to portray the condition in a multitude of ways. The Open Minds exhibition at the London School of Economics featured interactive installations that brought together stories collected from one community i...
Source: Lancet Neurology - July 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Angela Bonsu Tags: In Context Source Type: research
