15.5 Million US Adults Have ADHD; Most Struggle To Access Treatment

Reuters: More Than 15 Million US Adults Have ADHD, New Study Estimates
Roughly 15.5 million U.S. adults have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and most of them struggle with gaining access to treatment for the condition, according to data from a U.S. study released on Thursday. Only about one-third of those reporting a diagnosis of ADHD said they had received a prescription for a stimulant drug used to treat it in the previous year, researchers reported in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Singh, 10/10)

Newsweek: Neurons Different In Children With Autism, Study Finds
Children with autism have different brains than children without autism, down to the structure and density of their neurons, according to a study by the University of Rochester Medical Center, New York, published in Autism Research in September. "People with a diagnosis of autism often have other things they have to deal with, such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD," said first author Dr. Zachary Christensen, of the University of Rochester's School of Medicine and Dentistry, in a statement. (Willmoth, 10/10)

The Washington Post: Parkinson’s Is Often Misdiagnosed. New Tests May Change That
One in four people are told they have a different condition before receiving the correct Parkinson’s diagnosis, one poll reported. On the other side, nearly 42 percent of people are initially misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, according to studies. The lack of a definite lab or imaging test is one reason for these errors, some experts said. The diagnosis is currently based on a visual clinical exam in which a physician looks for motor symptoms such as slowed movement, tremor or rigidity. (Kim, 10/10)

Reuters: Denali-Sanofi Scraps Mid-Stage Study For Multiple Sclerosis Drug
Denali Therapeutics (DNLI.O) said on Thursday its partner Sanofi (SASY.PA) has discontinued a mid-stage study testing their experimental drug to treat multiple sclerosis as it failed to meet the main and secondary study goals. ... The drug candidate, oditrasertib, co-developed by Sanofi and Denali, had failed to meet the main goal another mid-stage study testing it as a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal neurodegenerative disease. (10/10)

Meanwhile —

The Wall Street Journal: Can We Prevent Cancer With A Shot?
Researchers are making progress toward vaccines that train healthy people’s immune systems to eliminate signs of cancer before it develops. Vaccines are in early trials for people with inherited genetic mutations that put them at a greater risk. Other shots are designed to destroy precancerous lesions to stop full-blown disease. (Abbott, 10/10)