We are proud and pleased to announce that “Aktualności Neurologiczne” (Current Neurology) has joined the elite group of periodicals with an Impact Factor (IF). Our IF for 2022 is <0.1.

On March 1, 2023, a new submission system has been launched. The manuscripts with all their attachments should be submitted via publishing platform Journals System.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common, irreversible, progressive neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system leading to dementia. Despite very intensive and multidirectional research efforts toward finding an effective form of therapy, the current approach remains primarily focused on symptomatic treatment. The effectiveness of procognitive drugs (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine) is limited to a minor contribution to improving cognitive abilities, but the drugs do not stop or slow the progression of the disease. 

Regardless of the aetiology of dementia, its terminal phase has a similar clinical picture. This is when progressive multi-organ dysfunction and, ultimately, death occur. At this stage, the therapy of cognitive dysfunction loses its dominant role in favour of treatment that reduces the severity of behavioural disorders and, above all, efforts to intensify the care and ensure the comfort of the patient. Dementia usually coexists with other conditions, presenting a difficult and complex medical and care problem.

Extracellular amyloid deposition in brain tissue is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Despite being the most common neurodegenerative disorder, it poses a major diagnostic challenge due to the lack of disease-specific biomarkers. Additionally, plaque-forming amyloid deposits are not unique to Alzheimer’s disease, but are also present in a high proportion of the elderly, as well as in patients with other neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia with Lewy bodies.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease that progresses over time, leading to disability. The condition is still incurable, but available therapies are increasingly effective. Ocrelizumab is the first anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. In the article, based on the results of the OPERA and ORATORIO clinical trials, their extensions, and post-hoc and meta-analyses, the evidence for long-term high effectiveness of the molecule is presented.

Treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis, despite the availability of many therapies, remains a challenge. The introduction of ocrelizumab, a highly effective therapy, has significantly improved the control of disease activity. The article discusses four different cases of patients treated with ocrelizumab, including one patient with newly diagnosed relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, one case of treatment modification after ineffective first-line therapy, and two cases of long-term follow-up of patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. 

Ocrelizumab is the first anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Ocrelizumab is administered intravenously (i.v.) at a dose of 600 mg every six months. It is a highly effective drug strongly inhibiting inflammatory changes in the central nervous system, which nearly completely prevents the development of new active magnetic resonance imaging lesions and clinical relapses. Pharmacokinetic studies and data from post hoc analyses of ocrelizumab pivotal studies suggest that a higher dose than the current dose level might have a stronger therapeutic impact. 

The differential diagnosis of conversion speech disorders and dysarthria is difficult, and publications on the topic are scarce. This study describes the case of a 47-year-old woman with conversion disorders mimicking post-stroke dysarthria. A speechlanguage pathologist analysed the record of the woman’s speech. 

The article presents the case of a 41-year-old man who was hospitalised because of neck and occipital pain with nausea. The patient had previously suffered an injury while riding an electric scooter. Computed tomography showed subdural haematomas and cerebral venous sinuses thrombosis, while magnetic resonance imaging confirmed intracranial hypotension.

The article presents a clinical case of a 62-year-old patient diagnosed with inflammatory amyloid angiopathy after extensive diagnostic imaging and based on the characteristic radiological picture. Inflammatory amyloid angiopathy is a rare condition with intermediate features between the classic form of amyloid angiopathy and primary central nervous system angiitis.

This study aimed to analyse the levels of selected pro-inflammatory cytokines in children with seizures during acute infection. The study was conducted in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Child Neurology of the Poznan University of Medical Sciences from 19 January 2017 to 5 December 2020. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured in 64 patients with febrile seizures and 11 patients after an epileptic seizure in generalised epilepsy. The control group comprised 46 patients with delayed development. Serum pro-inflammatory cytokines were determined using the BioLegend’s ELISA MAX™ Deluxe Set. Pathogens were detected by standard diagnostic methods. Total white blood cell count, C-reactive protein and procalcitonin were determined using standard diagnostic methods. 

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the major challenges of modern medicine. Despite strenuous research and numerous clinical trials, no registered causal treatment exists in Europe; however, such pharmacotherapy is already available in the United States (aducanumab and lecanemab). Positive results of immunotherapy clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease, both completed and still ongoing, give hope for finding safe substances that would effectively inhibit the development of Alzheimer’s disease (donanemab pending registration or remternetug in the research phase).