30-Second Takeaway
- Wearables, smartphones, and imaging in MS detect subclinical progression and inflammatory activity before conventional milestones.
- Dynamic hemorrhage edema growth and AI infarct detection sharpen stroke prognostication and trial targeting.
- Middle meningeal artery embolization for nonacute subdural hematoma is associated with lower long-term dementia risk and mortality.
Week ending March 7, 2026
Digital, imaging, and fluid biomarkers tightening neurologic monitoring and prognosis across MS, stroke, dementia, and critical care
Wrist accelerometry captures subclinical progression and atrophy in MS
In this 3-year cohort of 238 people with MS aged at least 40 years, wrist accelerometers were worn every 3 months with annual MRI. Total activity declined about 2% per year, and within-person daytime activity drops, especially 8:00–14:00, preceded EDSS+-confirmed progression. A 1-SD decrease in morning activity was associated with higher risk of disability worsening and greater whole-brain, deep gray, and thalamic atrophy. Lower average moderate-to-vigorous activity between individuals tracked lower brain volumes over time but did not predict EDSS+ progression. Findings support accelerometry as a scalable biomarker of emerging disability and neurodegeneration before overt clinical change.
Perihematomal edema growth predicts 90-day death or dependence after ICH
This individual participant data meta-analysis pooled 1,523 spontaneous ICH patients with diagnostic CT within 72 hours and repeat CT within 14 days. Greater perihematomal edema growth in the first 24±12 hours independently increased odds of death or dependence at 90 days. Edema expansion over 72±12 hours showed a similar association after adjusting for age, sex, baseline ICH volume, and intraventricular extension. Results position perihematomal edema growth as a prognostic imaging marker and potential therapeutic target beyond hematoma size alone.
Middle meningeal artery embolization lowers dementia and mortality after nonacute subdural hematoma
This multicenter retrospective TriNetX cohort compared standalone middle meningeal artery embolization with conservative management in nonsurgical nonacute subdural hematoma. After one-to-one propensity matching, 1,972 dementia-free patients per group were followed for up to 5 years. Embolization was associated with lower 5-year incident dementia probability than conservative care (6.0% vs 11.4%; hazard ratio 0.55, 95% CI 0.40–0.77). All-cause mortality was also lower with embolization (25.1% vs 32.1%). These hypothesis-generating data suggest embolization may offer long-term neurocognitive and survival advantages, warranting prospective confirmation.
References
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Additional Reads
Optional additional studies from this edition.