Review Articles in 2011

Age-associated white matter lesions are commonly observed in patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease, and are expected to contribute to the clinical symptoms in this condition. Bohnen and Albin review the literature addressing the occurrence and effects of white matter lesions in Parkinson disease, as well as describing existing and emerging methods for studying white matter pathology.

Alzheimer disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, and is set to rise in prevalence with the growth in the global elderly population. Here, Reitz and colleagues provide a comprehensive overview of our current understanding of AD epidemiology. The authors also examine the diagnostic criteria for this disease, and discuss the use of various biomarkers to improve the accuracy of AD detection and risk prediction.

Much is still to be learned regarding how nociceptive stimuli, genes and various other factors influence the generation and maintenance of pain. In this article, Irene Tracey examines possible neuroimaging endophenotypes of pain that could act as measurable markers of this condition. Such markers would assist both the management of and research into acute and chronic pain.

Memory impairment is a major complicating feature of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), and our understanding of such cognitive disorders has been enhanced by the study of anterior temporal lobectomy outcomes. In this Review, Bell and colleagues examine the changing view of TLE, and explore the anatomical abnormalities that underlie cognitive impairments that extend beyond memory function.

Following a stroke, patients can have problems speaking and understanding language (aphasia). During the past decade, several therapies for poststroke aphasia have been developed on the basis of knowledge gained from advances in neuroscience research. In this article, Berthier and Pulvermüller provide an overview of these advances in poststroke neurorehabilitation and highlight the physiological processes that are considered to underlie their beneficial effects.

Monoclonal antibodies are being used to treat a variety of autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular diseases and rheumatoid arthritis, but neurological adverse effects have been reported in a substantial number of patients. Bosch et al. describe the characteristics, pathogenesis and outcomes of neurological disorders associated with monoclonal antibody therapy, and make recommendations regarding their management.

Motor impairment is a common symptom of stroke. Several processes, such as innate neuroplasticity, are considered to underlie gains in motor function after stroke. In this article, Dimyan and Cohen provide a review of neuroplasticity associated with poststroke motor impairment and highlight the latest experimental interventions being developed to manipulate neuroplasticity to enhance motor rehabilitation.

Drug-resistant focal epilepsy is potentially curable by surgery, but conventional MRI based on visual evaluation is sometimes unable to reveal a lesion for resection. In this Review, Bernasconi and colleagues consider recent advances in brain imaging for the detection of lesions in cases of so-called cryptogenic epilepsy, covering developments in MRI morphometry, computational modeling and diffusion tensor imaging.

To date, existing and emerging therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) have been evaluated solely in adult patients. MS in children is being increasingly recognized, however, and optimization of pediatric MS care requires that promising new therapies be made available to children and adolescents. Banwell et al. highlight the immunological, clinical and practical factors that must be considered when introducing new MS therapies into the pediatric population.

Dolichoectasia is a condition that causes dilatation and/or tortuosity of both intracranial and extracranial arteries. Intracranial dolichoectasia can be asymptomatic or manifest with compressive and/or vascular symptoms, such as cranial neuropathies or hemorrhagic stroke. In this article, Gutierrez et al. provide a review of the existing dolichoectasia literature and identify gaps in our knowledge to aid future research.

Copper metabolism is critical for numerous biological processes, and is mediated by various copper chaperones and transporters, including copper-transporting ATPase 1 (ATP7A). Here, Kaler examines the role of ATP7A in normal neurological function, and explores the three distinct clinical syndromes—Menkes disease, occipital horn syndrome and the newly described ATP7A-related adult-onset distal motor neuropathy—that are associated withATP7Amutations.