Vaccines and Neurologic Complications; NIH Toolbox on iPad; The Dying Human Brain

A researcher from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke reviewed challenges in determining neurologic complications of vaccines and what steps need to be taken. (Neurology)

Unawareness — not heightened awareness — was strongly associated with future progression from preclinical to symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease, a cohort study found. (JAMA Network Open)

Eli Lilly expects Medicare to reverse course and fully cover Alzheimer’s drugs, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, 26 attorneys general have asked Medicare to cover Alzheimer’s treatments without restrictions. (CNBC)

An iPad app using the NIH Toolbox developed by Northwestern Medicine can help clinicians measure aspects of cognitive, motor, sensory, and emotional function.

Mild breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections occurred in 59% of MS patients treated with ocrelizumab (Ocrevus) after three mRNA vaccines. (Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry)

Oculomotor performance was stable in INDYCAR professional motor sport drivers despite exposure to multiple crashes in a 3-year period. (JAMA Network Open)

Hippocampal somatic variants, particularly those activating Ras/Raf/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling, may contribute to sporadic drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. (JAMA Neurology)

The FDA approved an extended-release formulation of sodium oxybate (Lumryz) to treat cataplexy or excessive daytime sleepiness in adults with narcolepsy, Avadel Pharmaceuticals announced.

Disability and quality-of-life outcomes were similar in the RESCUE-ASDH trial of craniotomy versus decompressive craniectomy after surgery for acute subdural hematoma, but the craniotomy group had a higher likelihood of additional surgery and the craniectomy group had more wound complications. (New England Journal of Medicine)

Electroencephalograms of dying patients before and after ventilatory support were withdrawn suggesting the brain may be activated by the dying process. (PNAS)