🧠Oruen CNS Weekly Roundup: The Latest in CNS Medicine 🧠Â
The CNS field continues to evolve rapidly, with new developments emerging across psychiatry, neurology, and interventional neuroscience. This week’s roundup highlights key updates across multiple therapeutic areas.
Oruen CNS Weekly Roundup: Latest Findings Across CNS Medicine
Depression / Neuroimaging
Large international study highlights substantial brain-structure variation within major depression
Researchers from the ENIGMA Major Depressive Disorder Working Group analysed MRI data from 5,146 people and found that neuroanatomical differences in depression were primarily expressed through variation in cortical thickness. Greater variability was also associated with antidepressant use and more severe depressive symptoms, reinforcing the biological heterogeneity of major depressive disorder.
Hyperlink:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-026-04189-x
Psychosis / Schizophrenia
Genomic evidence reframes schizophrenia as a disorder affecting brain development and adult synaptic function
A new expert review concludes that genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia is expressed across the lifespan and involves multiple neuronal populations and brain regions. The authors argue that synaptic dysfunction is central to the condition, while cautioning against models that attribute schizophrenia to a single circuit, cell type or developmental stage.
Hyperlink:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-026-03654-9
Alzheimer’s Disease
European memory-clinic patients show strong interest in lecanemab treatment
A multicentre survey of 281 people with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease found that 81.9% would choose lecanemab treatment if it were available, while 91.8% supported its approval in Europe. Support remained substantial but was lower when participants were asked to consider the increased treatment risks associated with APOE ε4 homozygosity.
Hyperlink:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-61640-1
Stroke
World Stroke Organization introduces global standards for stroke rehabilitation services
International experts have developed a new rehabilitation-certification programme to help stroke centres evaluate and improve the delivery of evidence-based rehabilitation. The recommendations are designed for use in both high-income and lower-resource settings, where access to multidisciplinary post-stroke care remains inconsistent.
Movement Disorders / Ataxia
Experts identify MRI biomarkers for upcoming disease-modifying ataxia trials
The Ataxia Global Initiative has issued evidence-based recommendations on using quantitative MRI measures as clinical-trial endpoints in spinocerebellar ataxias and Friedreich ataxia. Reliable imaging biomarkers could improve participant selection, monitor disease progression and support trials involving people who carry disease-causing mutations before symptoms appear.
Hyperlink:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-026-01218-7
Neurology / Peripheral Neuropathy
AI performs comparably to general neurologists when assessing complex polyneuropathy cases
In an analysis of 100 real-world cases, ChatGPT-4o achieved 65.5% accuracy for the leading diagnosis, compared with 63% among non-specialist neurologists and 74% among peripheral-nerve specialists. General neurologists improved their performance after reviewing the AI-generated suggestions, indicating a possible decision-support role in non-specialist settings.
Hyperlink:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-026-02815-y
Motor Neurone Disease / ALS
ALS biomarker research receives European Journal of Neurology’s 2026 Jes Olesen Award
Research recognised by the European Academy of Neurology has advanced the evaluation of biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Biomarkers capable of measuring disease activity and progression are increasingly important for improving prognosis, monitoring treatment response and designing more efficient ALS clinical trials.
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