Medicine In The News – September 2015

Dementia Risk After Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Among patients evaluated in the ER or inpatient settings, those with moderate to severe TBI at 55 years or older or mild TBI at 65 years or older had an increased risk of developing dementia. Younger adults may be more resilient to the effects of recent mild TBI than older adults. – JAMA, November 2014
Depressive Symptoms and Physical Activity
Findings suggest that activity may alleviate depressive symptoms in the general population and, in turn, depressive symptoms in early adulthood may be a barrier to activity. – JAMA, October 2014
Effect of Anti-inflammatory Treatment on Depression
Analysis suggests that anti-inflammatory treatment, in particular celecoxib, decreases depressive symptoms without increased risks of adverse effects. – JAMA, October 2014
Increased Release of Dopamine in the Striata of Young Adults With Hearing Impairment
An increased risk for psychosis is observed in people with hearing impairment. – JAMA, October 2014
Prefrontal Cortical Dendritic Spine Pathology in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
Dendritic spine loss in the DLPFC (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) was seen in both individuals with schizophrenia and individuals with bipolar disorder, suggesting that the two disorders may share some common pathophysiological features. – JAMA, October 2014
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Food Addiction
Strategies to reduce obesity associated with PTSD may require psychological and behavioral interventions that address dependence on food and/or use of food to cope with distress. – JAMA, September 2014
Effects of Cognitive Therapy with Antidepressant Medications
Cognitive therapy combined with antidepressant medication treatment enhances the rates of recovery from major depressive disorder relative to antidepressant medications alone, with the effect limited to patients with severe, non-chronic depression. – NEJM, October 2014
Migraine and Stroke: “Vascular” Comorbidity
Recent meta-analyses have consistently demonstrated a relationship between migraine and stroke, which is well-defined for ischemic stroke and migraine with aura, even stronger in females on oral contraceptives or smokers. – Frontiers in Neurology, 2014
High-Dose Simvastatin on Brain Atrophy and Disability in MS
Simvastatin has immune-modulatory and neuro-protective properties that could make it an appealing candidate drug for patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. – Lancet, 2014
Post-Stroke Depression and Lesion Location
Studies only found significant association between right hemisphere stroke and incidence of depression in the subacute post-stroke phase. – Journal of Neurology, October 2014
Adipokines – A Link between Obesity and Dementia?
Being overweight or obese over the life course has been associated with brain atrophy, white matter changes, disturbances of blood-brain barrier integrity, and risk of all cause late-onset dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. – Lancet Neurology, September 2014
Do Artificial Sweeteners Cause Glucose Intolerance? 
Non-caloric artificial sweeteners, such as saccharine, sucralose, and aspartame can change the gut microbiome in a way that leads to absorption of more calories and compromises glucose tolerance. – NEJM, October 2014

---