Welcome to your daily round-up of everything happening in the world of neurorehabilitation.
Research news
Could taking certain drugs reduce risk of ruptured brain aneurysm?
A new study suggests that people who take a few common drugs may have a decreased risk of having a bleeding stroke due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. The study is published in the June 5, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The results do not prove that these drugs reduce the risk of this type of aneurysm; they only show an association.
Stroke patients can benefit from thrombectomy
Access to thrombectomy should be expanded to include patients who experience basilar artery occlusion (BAO), a deadly type of emergent large vessel occlusion stroke, urges the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS). The scientific association, which represents more than 1,200 neurointerventionalists globally, issued an update to its standards and guidelines in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery (JNIS), citing randomized trials proving endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) can be a lifesaving treatment for BAOs. Currently, 68% of patients with BAOs end up dying or having a lifetime of disability, making it one of the most dreaded types of stroke.
Normal ageing might be associated with increased blood-brain barrier permeability
Normal ageing might be associated with increased blood-brain barrier permeability in regions also vulnerable in Alzheimer’s Disease, shows a small study comparing healthy brains of the young and old.
Company and financial neuro-rehab news
FDA accepts Eisai’s filing of LEQEMBI
Eisai Co. and Biogen Inc. have confirmed that the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Eisai’s Supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for monthly lecanemab-irmb intravenous (IV) maintenance dosing. A Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date is set for January 25, 2025. LEQEMBI is indicated for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia stage of disease (collectively referred to as early AD).
Lifestyle changes improve cognition and function in early Alzheimer’s Disease
For the first time, a randomized controlled clinical trial has demonstrated that an intensive lifestyle intervention, without drugs, significantly improved cognition and function after 20 weeks in many patients with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. The multisite clinical study was published today in the leading peer-reviewed Alzheimer’s translational research journal, Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy.
Technology news
First-of-its-kind “Sleep, On-Demand” headband
Elemind, the neurotech wellness company, has launched its first-of-its-kind neurotechnology headband that improves sleep performance by directing brainwaves out of wakeful patterns and into a deeper sleep, on-demand. In a clinical trial, Elemind’s wearable shortened time to fall asleep in 76% of study participants, by an average of 48% faster and up to 74% faster.
