Mayo Clinic neurology experts will present research findings on Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, sleep disorders, concussions, multiple sclerosis and more at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in San Diego, March 16-23. They also are available to offer expert comment on other research findings.
Mayo studies being presented and their embargo times include:
Cognitively normal people with high amyloid levels likelier to develop dementia
EMBARGOED until Monday, March 18, 2013, 1:30 p.m. EDT
People who aren't showing signs of cognitive decline but have evidence of amyloid in their brains, showed a greater rate of shrinkage of their hippocampus — the part of the brain involved with memory function — later on than cognitively normal people without amyloid in the brain.
Researchers evaluated people without cognitive decline, but who showed evidence on brain imaging of amyloid deposits in their brain. They measured the size of their hippocampus over time (it tends to shrink very early in the progression of Alzheimer's disease). They concluded that when amyloid is deposited in the brain, damage to the hippocampus is very likely to occur down the road.
Researchers develop test to gauge severity of concussions
EMBARGOED until Monday, March 18, 5 p.m. EDT
Neurologists at Mayo Clinic in Arizona have used autonomic reflex testing to find physical signs a concussion has occurred, a step toward creating a diagnostic test to gauge the severity of concussions.
In the study of 21 patients, each patient displayed the same abnormality, viewed as a sign a concussion has occurred. The hope is that, with more testing, what happens with this abnormality over time will prove a reliable physical sign of recovery.