Latest Conference Coverage

Critical Updates to the Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome: John Winkelman, MD, PhD

The chief of the Sleep Disorders Clinical Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital provided insight on new updates to the management of restless legs syndrome, including removing dopamine agonists as first line treatments. [WATCH TIME: 8 minutes]

Lemborexant Continues to Show Efficacious Profile in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Without Insomnia

At the conclusion of the analysis, lemborexant was shown to be safe, with significant improvements seen in REM latency, total REM sleep, and other measures.

Samelisant Shows Potential as a Treatment for Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Parkinson Disease

Preclinical findings show the potential of samelisant, a potent and orally active Histamine H3 receptor inverse agonist, as a potential treatment for patients with Parkinson disease who experience excessive daytime sleepiness.

Lower Oxygen Levels in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Associated With Worsening Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease

According to a recent study presented at SLEEP 2023, the decline in MOCA scores in patients with mild cognitive impairment was associated with the degree of hypoxia observed from sleep studies.

Reasons to Attend the 2023 Advanced Therapeutics in Movement & Related Disorders Congress: Fernando Pagan, MD; Yasar Torres-Yaghi, MD

The course directors of the 2023 ATRMD Congress provided an overview of the upcoming meeting, and the educational benefits clinicians can gain from attending. [WATCH TIME: 6 minutes]

NeuroVoices: Kumar Budur, MD, on Pitolisant’s Impact in Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, Prader-Willi Syndrome

The chief medical officer of Harmony Biosciences provided perspective on a proof-of-concept study assessing pitolisant’s (Wakix) clinical benefit in reducing excessive daytime sleepiness individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome.

Bridging the Gap, De-Escalation of MS Disease Modifying Therapies

Carolyn H. Goldschmidt, DO, a neurologist at NorthShore University Health System in Chicago, talked about a retrospective study analyzing disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis patients at CMSC 2023.

Investigating the Impact of a Low-Fat Diet on Quality of Life and Symptom Management in MS: Vijayshree Yadav, MD, MCR, FANA, FAAN

The professor of neurology at Oregon Health & Science University talked about a study on a modified low-fat diet intervention and its effects on fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis over a 16-week period at CMSC 2023. [WATCH TIME: 8 minutes]

Pimavanserin Tolerable in PSTD-Associated Insomnia, Pilot Study Suggests

At the conclusion of the 6-week treatment period, preliminary analyses suggested a greater trend toward improvement on subjective measures of insomnia compared with objective sleep measures.

Need for Additional Treatments to Target Secondary Symptoms of Narcolepsy: Anne Marie Morse, DO, FAASM

The pediatric neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at Geisinger Medical Center provided commentary on the current unmet needs for patients with narcolepsy, including improvements in treatment options. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

Stress Management Protocol Reduces Depression and Anxiety in Patients With MS: Amy Sullivan, MD

Patients with multiple sclerosis who presented with high-stress maintained their stress management practice through later protocol sessions, according to a study a recent study.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions to Reduce Stress in Patients With MS

At the 2023 CMSC Annual Meeting, Christopher C. Hemond, MD, assistant professor of neurology at UMass Chan Medical School, provided an overview of his study on mindfulness-based stress reduction in patients with MS using MRI and patient outcomes.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Common Following Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Regardless of Sex

More than 25% of patients in the pooled meta-analysis developed OSA after undergoing vagus nerve stimulation treatment, prompting the need for routine screening for the condition.

Understanding More About the Influence of Gut Microbiome, Other Factors on Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Anne Marie Morse, DO, FAASM

The pediatric neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at Geisinger Medical Center discussed her talk given at SLEEP 2023 on the influence of obesity, asthma, metabolic syndrome, gut microbiome, and circadian rhythm on obstructive sleep apnea. [WATCH TIME: 4 minutes]

Low-Sodium Oxybate Remains Efficacious Regardless of Baseline Sleep Inertia

Nearly all patients showed improvement on the Patient Global Impression of Change scale, regardless of sleep inertia status, assessed through a visual analog scale.

Complexities With Management of Insomnia in Children and Adolescents: Judith Owens, MD

The professor of neurology in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School provided insight on current management of insomnia for children and adolescents, and where improvements could be made. [WATCH TIME: 3 minutes]

Once-Nightly Sodium Oxybate Shows Significant Impact on Cataplexy Attacks, Post-Hoc Analysis Shows

Following 13 weeks of treatment with once-nightly sodium oxybate, some patients in the 7.5 g and 9.0 g groups showed complete resolution of cataplexy attacks.

PUMAS Intervention Results in Greater Insomnia Remission Rates, Reduced Depression in Prenatal Insomnia Than CBT-I

PUMAS significantly alleviated depression relative to controls whereas cognitive behavioral therapy-insomnia did not differ from either group.

New Insights on Discovering Targeted Therapies for Progressive MS: Anne H. Cross, MD

The professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine discussed progressive multiple sclerosis and the need for targeted therapies to address the progression and associated challenges. [WATCH TIME: 5 minutes]

Post-COVID Abnormal Sleep is Common, With Potential Impacts on Cognition

Among patients with post-acute sequelae from COVID-19 infection, self-reported cognitive symptoms were correlated with severity of fatigue, anxiety, and depression, but not subjective sleep disturbance.

Solriamfetol Improves Cognition in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

In a study of 59 individuals with obstructive sleep apnea, solriamfetol yielded cognitive improvements at post-dose time points throughout the day, along with improvements in Patient Global Impression of Severity.

Poor Sleep Quality Correlated With Higher Neurofilament Light Levels in Veterans

Neurofilament light, a biomarker elevated in neurodegeneration and dementia, was higher among poor sleepers with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores of less than 5.

Challenges and Advancements in Biomarkers for Accurate Diagnosis in MS: Andrew Solomon, MD

At CMSC 2023, the associate professor of neurological sciences at the University of Vermont in Burlington talked about data surrounding multiple sclerosis diagnosis and misdiagnosis, suggesting the need for the development of diagnostic biomarkers. [WATCH TIME: 5 minutes]

Rethinking MS as a Smoldering Disease and the Role of the Epstein Barr Virus: Gavin Giovannoni, MBBCh, PhD, FCP, FRCP, FRCPath

At CMSC 2023, the professor of neurology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry discussed the emerging paradigm shift in understanding multiple sclerosis (MS) as a smoldering disease and the potential role of Epstein Barr Virus in causing MS. [WATCH TIME: 6 minutes]

Positive Long-Term Safety, Low Discontinuation Rates Seen With Vidofludimus Calcium

Most patients completed at least 3 years of treatment, with no new safety signals observed and a treatment discontinuation rate of 5.3%.

Aerobic Exercise Provides Benefits for Gait and Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis

Using the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, patients either forced to exercise or who volunteered saw significant improvements over a 12-week period.

Building and Expanding Wearable Devices to Alleviate MS Symptoms: Valerie J. Block, PT, DPTSc

The adjunct instructor at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences provided perspective on the next steps in research for potential wearable devices focused on treating issues of multiple sclerosis. [WATCH TIME: 2 minutes]

Certain Factors May Assist in Predicting Clinical Phenotype Following Optic Neuritis

Factors such as older age, poor steroid responsiveness, and plasma exchange were associated with NMOSD phenotype, while normal or thinned retinal nerve fiber layer and short-segment hyperintensity were associated with idiopathic optic neuritis.

Telomere Length in Aging Cells May Influence Disability Progression in Multiple Sclerosis

Jennifer Graves, MD, PhD, presented data at the CMSC annual meeting suggesting that secondary progressive disease might be more age-related than previously realized.

Long-Term Data of Ocrelizumab Highlights Specific Patient Population at Risk for Severe Infection

The combination of EDSS scores above 6 and age over 55 years resulted in higher serious infection rate that was nearly double that seen in the overall population.