Welcome to the winter edition of European Neurological Review, which features a diverse range of articles covering a number of therapeutic areas. This edition begins with a special report entitled ‘A Year of the Brain’. This article focuses on the economic burden of disorders of the brain, which is increasing with ageing populations around the world.
Major advances were made in 2014 in clinical and basic science-based research related to Parkinson’s disease (PD), and this is reflected in two articles in this edition. Kulisevsky discusses the emerging role of safinamide, an oral agent that has a dual mechanism of action, both dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic, and has shown promise in early clinical studies. In another review, Lees et al. describe proceedings of a recent satellite symposium with three leading key opinion leaders in the field and outlines the extensive clinical experience of using subcutaneous apomorphine in the management of PD over the past 25 years.
In another satellite symposium report, Amarenco et al. discuss the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, including the growing body of data supporting the use of the non-vitamin K antagonist (VKA) oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Also on the subject of stroke, Cordonnier et al. outline the pathophysiology and classification of intracerebral haemorrhages, the second most common cause of stroke.
Despite the rapid expansion of treatment options for multiple sclerosis (MS), the provision of MS treatment remains suboptimal and there is a need for new methodologies assessing the real-world effectiveness of therapies. In this issue, there is a report of a satellite symposium describing the evolution of real-world evidence outcome measures for different MS therapies, which incorporate sophisticated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques.
Also in this issue, an editorial by Avanzini discusses whether seizures promote epileptogenesis and cause cognitive decline. Finally, an editorial by Kesselring discusses the concept of neuroplasticity, which has replaced the formerly held idea that the brain is a physiologically static organ and is the basis of lifelong learning, a concept that is without doubt of interest to all our readers.
European Neurological Review would like to thank all expert authors who contributed towards this edition. A special thanks goes to our Editorial Board for their continuing support and guidance. We hope you find this edition useful and thought provoking.
