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Virtual Reality As a Tool to Diagnose Cognitive Impairment A S T U D Y B Y t h e N a t i o n a l I n s t it ut e of A l ler g y a n d Infectious Diseases yielded e x t en d e d r em i s s ion s f or patients coping with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The study appeared in an online issue of JAMA Neurology. Study participants received a combina- tion of high-dose immunosuppressive therapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant and were monitored over a three-year period. Researchers noted no additional brain lesions or increases in disabilities or symptoms associated with MS in approximately 80 percent of the subjects. Members of the study group had stem cells taken before receiving the chemo- therapy doses. Stem cell injections, used afterward to reconstruct participants' immune systems, helped the majority of patients remain in remission for the initial three-year phase of the study. A few in the study group incurred side effects such as gastrointestinal issues. However, participants no longer took any MS medications once the study began, and most remained in remission. ■ — By Carrie Frye T HE FALSE SENSATION that some- one is nearby results from the brain misperceiving sensorimotor signals, a recent study in Current Biology fi nds. The mechanism behind this glitch sheds light on schizophrenia-induced hallucinations. Researchers designed a robotic system that induced a "feeling of presence," or FoP, in healthy study participants. The system synchronously or asynchronously tapped participants on the back when they moved a stick. Asynchronous taps were more likely to generate a FoP. Researchers note that current models of schizophrenia accept that neural signals responsible for prediction — for example, expecting a tactile sensory experience when one reaches out to touch a table — are dysfunctional in patients with the disease. Before conducting the robot portion of the study, researchers used lesion analysis in patients with neurological disorders in conjunction with analysis of associated neurological defi cits to conclude that FoP "is associated with sensorimotor loss and caused by lesions in three distinct brain regions: temporoparietal, insular, and especially frontoparietal cortex." ■ — By Michael Ferguson A V I R T U A L R E A L I T Y g a me - b a s e d a p p l i c a t i o n i s a useful tool for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) — a condition that frequently precedes Alzheimer's — suggests a recent study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Researchers used a virtual supermar- ket (VSM) cognitive training application that, on its own, achieved an 87.3 percent correct classifi cation rate of MCI patients versus healthy older adults — comparable to that of neuropsychology tests that have been the gold standard for MCI screening. VSM was not useful, however, in assessing different MCI subtypes. An easy- and enjoyable-to-use screen- ing tool that requires no additional neuropsychological testing could be a boon for diagnosis and treatment. A VSM application could be used to establish automated, remote screening capabilities that may identify MCI before it progresses to Alzheimer's or other dementias, according to the study. ■ — By Michael Ferguson That Haunted Feeling May Unlock Secrets of Schizophrenia Combining Treatments to Boost MS Remission Rates 3 4 | Cleveland/Akron/Canton MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M ■ M AY/J U N E 2 0 1 5