Practical Neurology Podcast (BMJ Group)

Hugh Morris is joined by Nick Fletcher to discuss his ABN Conference lecture "Movement disorders in young adults".

The ABN conference 2016, which theme was "The Seven Ages of Man", was held in May, in Brighton, UK.

A framework to guide general neurologists in the diagnostic reassessment of people with epilepsy and complex neurological problems of unknown cause is discussed in this podcast. Dr Tom Hughes, Practical Neurology Associate Editor, is joined by Dr Lina Nashef (King’s College Hospital, London, UK), the corresponding author of the paper “Investigating adults with early-onset epilepsy and intellectual or physical disability”, which also addresses imaging, electroencephalography, genetic studies and metabolic testing.

Read the paper included on the Practical Neurology April issue here: ttps://pn.bmj.com/content/19/2/115.

Andrew Chancellor, consultant neurologist in Tauranga, New Zealand, gives the background to his reported case of honey neurotoxicity in the June issue of Practical Neurology.

Read Dr Chancellor's report here http://bit.ly/15EnIam

Practical Neurology Associate Editor Neil Scolding interviews ABN Medallist Prof. Alastair Compton, at the British Neurosciences Association 2016 conference. Alastair Compton, Professor Emeritus of Neurology, looks back to the history of the Multiple Slerosis research, the books he is publishing, advice for young scientists and his most recent medal.

The ABN conference 2016, which theme was "The Seven Ages of Man", was held in May, in Brighton, UK.

Practical Neurology Editor Geraint Fuller is joined by Jon Stone to discuss two of his recent Practical Neurology papers on the subject of functional disorders. Dr Jon Stone is a Consultant Neurologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Neurology. The discussed papers: Functional neurological disorders: the neurological assessment as treatment - http://pn.bmj.com/content/16/1/7.full Explaining functional disorders in the neurology clinic: a photo story - http://pn.bmj.com/content/16/1/56.full

http://www.neurosymptoms.org/

Based on the ABN's Autumn Meeting, David Nicholl interviews Mark Edwards on his lecture Functional Movement Disorders - Phenomenology and Management. The ABN Autumn Meeting took place on 20th October 2016 in London. Recommended articles on this topic include: Explaining functional disorders in the neurology clinic: a photo story Alan Carson, Alexander Lehn, Lea Ludwig, Jon Stone pn.bmj.com/content/16/1/56 Functional neurological symptoms: welcome to the new normal Mark J Edwards pn.bmj.com/content/16/1/2 Functional neurological disorders: the neurological assessment as treatment Jon Stone

http://pn.bmj.com/content/16/1/7

Based on the ABN's Autumn Meeting debate, Ralph Gregory interviews Neil Robertson on the subject of MS and stem cells and whether they're hope or hype. The ABN Autumn Meeting took place on 20th October 2016 in London.

For more content on this topic please visit: http://pn.bmj.com/

Based on the ABN's Autumn Meeting, PN Editor Geraint Fuller interviews Khalid Hamandi on his lecture Epilepsy Surgery - Who, What and When?

The ABN Autumn Meeting took place on 20th October 2016 in London.

Based on the ABN's Autumn Meeting, PN Editor Phil Smith interviews Peter Sandercock on his lecture Stroke Treatment - Past, Present and Future.

The ABN Autumn Meeting took place on 20th October 2016 in London.

Dr Jacqueline Palace is interviewed about her 10 year analysis of the UK Multiple Sclerosis risk sharing scheme study, presented at this year's Association of British Neurologists (ABN)conference, in Brighton, UK. Jackie Palace, who is interviewed in this podcast by Ralph Gregory, is a clinical lead for the UK MS risk sharing scheme study assessing the long term effects of beta-interferon and Copaxone.

The ABN conference 2016, which theme was "The Seven Ages of Man", was held in May, in Brighton, UK.

Practical Neurology Editor Phil Smith is joined by Ingrid Scheffer to discuss her ABN Conference Gordon Holmes' lecture: "Epilepsy genetics comes of age". Professor Ingrid Scheffer, paediatric neurologist and professor at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, is a world leading voice in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy.

The ABN conference 2016, which theme was "The Seven Ages of Man", was held in May, in Brighton, UK.

Based on the ABN's Autumn Meeting, David Burn interviews Anthony Chalmers on his lecture Gliomas - from Biology to Bedside.

The ABN Autumn Meeting took place on 20th October 2016 in London.

In preparation for this year's ABN annual conference in May, listen to last year's ABN Medallist speaker, David Chadwick.

David Chadwick OBE is currently professor of neurology and consultant neurologist at the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Liverpool.

PN editor Phil Smith talks with him about his career, and the past, present and future of neurology.

For more details about the ABN Annual Meeting 2014, see http://www.theabn.org

Based on the ABN's Autumn Meeting, David Nicholl interviews Mary Reilly on the her lecture Treatable Hereditary Neuropathies. The ABN Autumn Meeting took place on 20th October 2016 in London.

For more content on this topic please visit: pn.bmj.com/

Michael J Fox, star of the Back to the Future trilogy, was born in 1961, moved to Hollywood aged 18 and while avidly lapping up the customary attention and refreshments, he developed Parkinson’s disease.

He has now authored a memoir describing his experience of the disease alongside his career as an actor.

In this podcast, hear PN editor Phil Smith the book with Fox's neurologist from the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Allan Ropper.

Listen to the other interviews on Fox's memoir: http://goo.gl/L2z10X

Read Katherine Harding's review of the book: http://pn.bmj.com/content/14/4/283.full

Based on the ABN's Autumn Meeting, Martin Turner interviews Matthew Wood on the his lecture Antisense treatments in neurological disease. The ABN Autumn Meeting took place on 20th October 2016 in London.

For more content on this topic please visit: pn.bmj.com/

Autoimmune encephalitis comprises a group of disorders in which the host immune system targets self-antigens expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). Some of the best-characterised diseases are associated with autoantibodies that target neuroglial antigens. These autoantibodies are considered pathogenic because they are directed against the extracellular—and hence in vivo exposed—domains of their target antigens. Associate Editor of Practical Neurology, Dr Tom Hughes, Department of Neurology, Cardiff, interviews Prof Sarosh R Irani, Oxford Autoimmune Neurology Group, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, about his recent paper, in which he summarised the well-known autoantibody-mediated encephalitis syndromes with neuronal cell-surface antigens and focus on practical aspects of their diagnosis and treatment, offer their clinical experiences of managing such cases and highlight more basic neuroimmunological advances that will inform their future diagnosis and treatments. Read the paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/5/412) and the October print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by Practical Neurology editors, Dr Phil Smith and Dr Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/editors-highlights-of-the-october-2021-issue?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/pn-podcast Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). Thank you for listening.

Dr Amy Ross Russell, Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, interviews Dr William Diprose, Dept. of Neurology, Auckland City Hospital and Dept. of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand; Dr Anthony Jordan, Dept. of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Auckland City Hospital, NZ; and Dr Neil Anderson, Dept. of Neurology, Auckland City Hospital, NZ about their recent paper reviewing the neurological features of specific autoinflammatory syndromes. Read this latest Editor’s Choice paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/2/145) and the April print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by Practical Neurology editors, Dr Phil Smith and Dr Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/pn-april-2022-highlights?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/pn-podcast Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). Thank you for listening.

What do adult neurologists need to know ahead of the likely licensing of Epidiolex for epilepsy in the UK in 2019? It is quite possible that cannabidiol, currently licensed in the USA for treating rare genetic epilepsies, may open the door for the widespread legalisation of recreational cannabis. Dr Rhys Thomas (Neurologist at the Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, UK) tells fellow Practical Neurology Associate Editor Dr Tom Hughes why the arguments about who may benefit from cannabis-derived medicines have to be separate from the discussion about the legalisation of recreational cannabis. They also discuss the distinction between cannabidiol oils and the cannabidiol rigorously tested in clinical trials.

Read the review on the Practical Neurology website - https://pn.bmj.com/content/early/2018/10/18/practneurol-2018-002058 - and on the journal's December 2018 issue.

In this new series of the Practical Neurology podcast, Professor Martin Turner (1) invites Dr Ruth Wood (2) and Dr Xin You Tai (3) to discuss the nitty-gritty details of two Case Reports from the latest issue of the Practical Neurology journal. This month, they start by commenting on a case of a woman in her 70s with renal failure who developed confusion and seizures after receiving aciclovir, and was subsequently diagnosed with aciclovir-induced neurotoxicity (Aciclovir-induced neurotoxicity - https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/2/157). They also talk (starting at 23:05) about an unusual case of an acute posterior spinal artery syndrome in a man in his 60s with vascular risk factors (Posterior spinal artery infarct - https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/2/160). (1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital. (2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex. (3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital. Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the December issue of the journal. Read more on the PN website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/20/6/427

The full issue here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/20/6

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the October issue of the journal. Read more on the PN website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/6/463. The full issue here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/6 Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the April 2023 issue of the journal (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/2/103). Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the August issue of the journal. Read more on the PN website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/4/273 The full issue here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/4

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the August 2022 issue of the journal. Read more on the PN website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/4/261 The full issue here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/4 Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the December 2022 issue of the journal (https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/6/445). Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the February issue of the journal. Read more on the PN website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/1/1

The full issue here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/1

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the February 2022 issue of the journal. Read more on the PN website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/1/1 The full issue here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/1 Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053).

Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the February 2023 issue of the journal (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/1/1). Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the June issue of the journal. Read more on the PN website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/3/183 The full issue here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/3

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the June 2022 issue of the journal. Read more on the PN website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/3/175 The full issue here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/3 Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053).

Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the October issue of the journal. Read more on the PN website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/5/373 The full issue here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/5 Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the October 2022 issue of the journal. Read the highlights: https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/5/341. Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

Essential tremor is the most common form of tremor in humans. In this podcast, Dr Tom Hughes, Practical Neurology Associate Editor, interviews Dr Elan D Louis, Yale Neurology, Division of Movement Disorders, New Haven, CT, who’s the author of a recent paper called, ‘Essential tremor: a nuanced approach to the clinical features’. They discuss this condition, not always easy to diagnose, and the distinction between essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease as well as dystonia.

Read the paper on the Practical Neurology website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/19/5/389.

Martin Samuels, professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, tells Huw Morris, professor of Clinical Neuroscience at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery how neurologists make decisions, and the value of making mistakes.

Professor Samuels gave the 20th Gordon Holmes lecture, supported by Practical Neurology, at the 2014 ABN Annual Meeting, where this podcast was recorded.

Michael J Fox, star of the Back to the Future trilogy, was born in 1961, moved to Hollywood aged 18 and while avidly lapping up the customary attention and refreshments, he developed Parkinson’s disease. He has now authored a memoir describing his experience of the disease alongside his career as an actor. In this podcast, hear PN editor Phil Smith discuss the book with Huw Morris, expert in young onset Parkinson's, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Listen to the other interviews on Fox's memoir: http://goo.gl/YW9miQ

Read Dr Harding's review of the book: http://pn.bmj.com/content/14/4/283.full

Dr. Amy Ross Russell(1) discusses a recently published review by Dr. Christopher Carswell(2) on the historical context of normal pressure hydrocephalus, the challenges faced when dealing with patients, and the current state of clinical evidence for diagnosis and treatment. Read this latest Editor’s Choice paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/1/15) and the February print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by Practical Neurology editors, Dr. Phil Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/editors-highlights-of-the-february-2023-issue?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/pn-podcast (1) Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK (2) Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

‘Query encephalitis’ is a common neurological consultation in hospitalised patients. Identifying the syndrome is only part of the puzzle. Although historically encephalitis has been almost synonymous with infection, we increasingly recognise parainfectious or postinfectious as well as other immune-mediated causes. Encephalitis must also be distinguished from other causes of encephalopathy, including systemic infection, metabolic derangements, toxins, inherited metabolic disorders, hypoxia, trauma and vasculopathies. The paper discussed in this podcast reviews the most important differential diagnoses (mimics) of patients presenting with an encephalitic syndrome and highlight some unusual presentations (chameleons) of infectious encephalitis.

Listen to the conversation of Dr Tom Hughes, Practical Neurology Associate Editor, with Dr Nicholas Davies (Department of Neurology, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK) and read the paper on the Practical Neurology website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/practneurol-2018-002114.

Michael J Fox, star of the Back to the Future trilogy, was born in 1961, moved to Hollywood aged 18 and while avidly lapping up the customary attention and refreshments, he developed Parkinson’s disease. He has now authored a memoir describing his experience of the disease alongside his career as an actor. In this podcast, hear PN editor Phil Smith discuss the book with Katherine Harding, PN book club lead, and Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Wales. Listen to the other interviews on Fox's memoir: http://goo.gl/YW9miQ

Read Dr Harding's review of the book: http://pn.bmj.com/content/14/4/283.full

Dr Amy Ross Russell, Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, interviews Dr Fahmida Chowdhury and Dr Matthew Walker, both from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, about their recent paper, summarising the current literature on localisation in focal epilepsies using illustrative cases and discussing possible pitfalls in localisation. Read the paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/6/481) and the December print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by Practical Neurology editors, Dr Phil Smith and Dr Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/editors-highlights-december-2021-issue?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/pn-podcast Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). Thank you for listening.

Michael J Fox, star of the Back to the Future trilogy, was born in 1961, moved to Hollywood aged 18 and while avidly lapping up the customary attention and refreshments, he developed Parkinson’s disease.

He has now authored a memoir describing his experience of the disease alongside his career as an actor. PN editor Phil Smith gathered the PN book club to discuss the memoir with Fox's neurologist from the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Allan Ropper, and in this podcast you can hear his thoughts, as well as contributions from book club lead Katherine Harding, Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Wales, and Huw Morris, expert in early onset Parkinson's, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

You can also hear each contributor's interview in full.

Allan Ropper: http://goo.gl/tsl2p3

Katherine Harding: http://goo.gl/8B6ENw

Huw Morris: http://goo.gl/3gRqNY

Read Dr Harding's review of 'Lucky Man': http://pn.bmj.com/content/14/4/283.full

Listen to Andrew Lees, director of the Reta Lila Weston Institute for Neurological Studies at UCL and director of the Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, discuss his article on the intersection between neurology and crime writing.

This interview is part of a Practical Neurology package on neurology and detective writing. For more information, and the other interviews in the set, see bit.ly/19YiaEM

Listen to Chris Goetz, director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Program at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, talk about the parallel careers of neurologist and crime fiction writer of his friend and colleague Harold Klawans.

This interview is part of a Practical Neurology package on neurology and detective writing. For more information, and the other interviews in the set, see bit.ly/19YiaEM

Listen to Oliver Sacks, professor of neurology and NYU School of Medicine, discuss the role of narrative in neurology, and the parallels between the skills of detectives and clinicians in the specialty.

This interview is part of a Practical Neurology package on neurology and detective writing. For more information, and the other interviews in the set, see bit.ly/19YiaEM.

Peter Gautier-Smith, now retired from neurological consulting at Queen Square, and crime fiction writer, describes how he made the leap from clinician to novelist.

This interview is part of a Practical Neurology package on neurology and detective writing. For more information, and the other interviews in the set, see bit.ly/19YiaEM

Welcome to another Practical Neurology book club podcast with PN editor Phil Smith. This time the club and discussed Oliver Sack’s ‘The man who mistook his wife for a hat’, and were honoured to be joined via Skype by Dr Sacks himself.

Listen to hear his thoughts on understanding patients, how writing has influenced his clinical approach, and changes in neurology in the past few decades.

Dr. Amy Ross Russell(1), interviews Dr. Stephen Kirker(2) about his recent paper detailing the use of appropriate orthoses for patients with weakness or abnormal posture of their lower leg, and they discuss the sorts of problems that can be helped in neurological practice and the range of devices commonly used. Read the latest Editor’s Choice paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/4/311) and the August print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by Practical Neurology editors, Dr. Phil Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/editors-highlights-of-the-august-2022-issue (1) Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK (2) Rehab Medicine Department, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The Practical Neurology podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

Dr Amy Ross Russell, Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, interviews Dr Sophie Binks and Professor Sarosh Irani, from the Oxford Autoimmune Neurology Group, about their recent paper about a practical approach to diagnosis and management of paraneoplastic neurological syndromes. Read the latest Editor’s Choice paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/1/19) and the February print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by Practical Neurology editors, Dr Phil Smith and Dr Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/editors-highlights-of-the-february-2022-issue?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/pn-podcast Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). Thank you for listening.

Dr Tom Hughes, Department of Neurology, Cardiff, interviews Dr Luis Idrovo, Department of Neurology, Leeds, about one of the most prevalent, disabling and undertreated conditions in neurological clinical practice: headaches. They discuss the administration of peripheral nerve blocks to treat various headache disorders both in the acute and outpatient setting. Please read the related paper, which is the Editor's Choice of the February 2021 issue of the journal: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/1/30

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.

Professor Michael Hanna, Senior Consultant Neurologist at Queen Square, UCL, London, discusses the developments in genetics in neuromuscular diseases with Eric Hoffman, Gordon Holmes lecturer at the ABN meeting 2017, in Liverpool. Professor Eric Hoffman (Binghampton University, USA) describes in this conversation his extensive work on the rare condition of Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy. This is the last of a series of podcasts recorded at the 2017 ABN meeting, held in May, in Liverpool, UK. More on this subject on the Practical Neurology website: http://pn.bmj.com/, where you can find these particular articles as well: "Muscle disease" - http://pn.bmj.com/content/9/1/54;

"Muscle diseases: mimics and chameleons" - http://pn.bmj.com/content/14/5/288.

Professor Andrew Schwartz (University of Pittsburgh, USA) discusses the latest progress toward high-performance neural prosthetics with Practical Neurology's editor Geraint Fuller. The subject was highlighted at the ABN annual meeting 2017, held in May, in Liverpool, UK.

For more content on this topic please visit http://pn.bmj.com/.

At the ABN annual meeting 2017, David Burn interviews Kevin Talbot on the his talk on Antisense treatments in spinal muscular atrophy. The ABN Autumn Meeting took place on Wednesday 3rd May in Liverpool.

For more content on this topic please visit: pn.bmj.com/

Nodding syndrome affects children from 5 to 15 years old in some parts of the African continent. In this podcast, David Nicholl, Department of Neurology, City Hospital, Birmingham, UK, is joined by Mark Ellul, ABN fellow, University of Liverpool, UK, to discuss the latest research in this epileptic disorder. They talked at the Association of British Neurologists annual meeting, Liverpool, May 2017.

http://pn.bmj.com/

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the April 2022 issue of the journal. Read more on the PN website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/2/93 The full issue here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/2 Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053).

Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the April issue of the journal. Read more on the PN website: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/2/91 The full issue here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/2

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.

Dr. Amy Ross Russell(1), interviews Assoc. Prof. Todd Hardy(2) and Dr. James Triplett(3), about their recent paper detailing the clinical approach to diagnosis and management of Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES). Read this latest Editor’s Choice paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/3/183) and the June print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by Practical Neurology editors, Dr. Phil Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/editors-highlights-of-the-june-2022-issue?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/pn-podcast (1) Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK (2) Staff Specialist Neurologist at Concord Hospital, Clinical Associate Professor in Medicine at the University of Sydney, Australia (3) Staff Specialist Neurologist and Neurophysiologist, Concord Hospital, Sydney, Australia Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

Dr. Amy Ross Russell(1) discusses a recently published review by Dr. Jeremy Rees(2) and Dr. Michael Kosmin(3) on the subject of radiation therapy on the brain, the history and motivation of its use, and its benefits and limitations. Read this latest Editor’s Choice paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/6/450) and the December print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by Practical Neurology editors, Dr. Phil Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/editors-highlights-of-the-december-2022-issue?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/pn-podcast (1) Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK (2) Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK (3) Clinical Oncology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

The basic principles of B-cell depletion with therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, the available evidence for using rituximab in neurological diseases as well as prescribing advice are discussed in this podcast.

Practical Neurology Associate Editor Dr Tom Hughes is joined by Dr Daniel Whittam and Dr Anu Jacob, the authors of the review paper: “Rituximab in neurological disease: principles, evidence and practice”, which is part of the Practical Neurology February issue (https://pn.bmj.com/content/19/1/5).

When searching for clues to reach a diagnosis, neurologists often empathise with the detective who is trying to solve a case, write Peter Kempster and Andrew Lees in Practical Neurology bit.ly/1dqReQq.

In this podcast Andrew Lees, director of the Queen Square Brain Bank, discusses with PN editor Phil Smith how neurologists draw upon detective skills (and how this is changing as the specialty changes), those who have turned these skills to crime fiction writing, and the use of narrative in clinical case histories.

The expert witnesses called upon are Oliver Sacks, best selling author and professor of neurology at NYU School of Medicine, Peter Gautier Smith, now retired from consulting at Queen Square and who wrote 31 detective novels, and Chris Goetz, who worked at Rush University Medical Centre with Harold Klawans, crime fiction writer and authority on Parkinson’s disease.

Listen to the full interviews here:

Andrew Lees bit.ly/1cPaoxM

Peter Gautier-Smith bit.ly/1d5HhKj

Harold Klawans bit.ly/19cXRGC

Oliver Sacks bit.ly/1hBsbgz

As the number of people with dementia worldwide approaches 50 million, the need for early and accurate diagnosis is more urgent than ever. However, the biggest challenge is often suspecting dementia in the first place and deciding why this is not ‘just’ Alzheimer’s disease. Associate Editor of Practical Neurology, Dr Tom Hughes, Department of Neurology, Cardiff, interviews Dr Jeremy Johnson and Dr Jason Warren, both from the Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, about their recent paper, in which they outline a practical, symptom-led, bedside approach to suspecting dementia and its likely diagnosis, inspired by clinical experience and based on recognition of characteristic syndromic patterns. You can read the paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/21/4/300) and the August print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by Practical Neurology editors, Dr Phil Smith and Dr Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/editors-highlights-of-the-august-2021-issue?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/pn-podcast Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month.

If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). Thank you for listening.

Neurological symptoms occur in approximately 20% of patients with Sjögren's syndrome, and may be the presenting manifestations of the disease.

In this podcast, PN co-editor Phil Smith asks Aaron Berkowitz, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, about several neurological conditions that can occur in Sjögren's syndrome: sensory ganglionopathy, painful small fibre neuropathy, and transverse myelitis (independently or as part of neuromyelitis optica).

Dr Berkowitz describes the symptoms, signs, differential diagnoses, recommended diagnostic evaluation, and treatment of each of these, highlighting the features that should alert neurologists to consider Sjögren's syndrome.

Read the full review here: bit.ly/1fF2lev

Dr. Amy Ross Russell(1) is joined by a selection of the authors of "Toxic neuropathies; a practical approach", a review recently published in Practical Neurology. The guests, Dr. Duncan Smyth(2), Dr. Aisling Carr(3) and Prof. Michael Lunn(3), explain the background to these conditions and describe approaches to treatment and care of toxic neuropathy patients. Read this latest Editor’s Choice paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/2/120) and the April print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by Practical Neurology editors, Dr. Phil Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/editors-highlights-of-the-april-2023-issue?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/pn-podcast (1) Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK (2) Dept. of Neurology, Wellington Hospital, Wellington, NZ (3) MRC Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, National Hospital for Neurology, University College London Hospitals, UK Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

In the return of the Practical Neurology Podcast, Dr Tom Hughes interviews Dr Saúl Reyes, Consultant Neurologist at the Blizard Institute, and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, UK. They discuss the important issues regarding what vaccinations people with MS should have, and when they should have them in relation to their immunosuppressant drugs. Read the accompanying paper on the Practical Neurology's November issue and online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/practneurol-2020-002527

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Valproate is now contraindicated in pregnancy and women of child-bearing potential. The new stipulations from the Coordination Group for Mutual Recognition and Decentralised Procedures-Human (CMDh), a regulatory body representing European Union member states, about the use of valproate in women of child-bearing potential states that “Valproate should never be started unless alternative treatments are not suitable”. However, people taking this drug used to treat epilepsy should not stop valproate use abruptly, without consulting their doctor. The new regulations are discussed in this podcast by Professor Sanjay Sisodiya (UCL Institute of Neurology, London), who’s the author of a Practical Neurology editorial on this subject (http://pn.bmj.com/content/early/2018/04/19/practneurol-2018-001955). Other related articles in the Practical Neurology website: ►http://pn.bmj.com/content/early/2018/04/19/practneurol-2018-001932

► http://pn.bmj.com/content/early/2018/04/19/practneurol-2018-001931

Dr. Amy Ross Russell(1), interviews Dr. Jon Walters(2) about his recent review of approaches to weakness in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Read this latest Editor’s Choice paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/22/5/358) and the October print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by Practical Neurology editors, Dr. Phil Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/editors-highlights-of-the-october-2022-issue?in=bmjpodcasts/sets/pn-podcast (1) Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK (2) Consultant Neurologist, Morriston Hospital, Swansea, UK Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

"Could this presenting syndrome be caused by a neurotoxin?"

Oftentimes neurologists will pass over toxins when diagnosing. Yet disease caused by neurotoxins is widespread, with many having quite typical syndromes.  In the studio to discuss this is the first author of the October 2024 Editors' Choice paper, Dr. Frederick Vonberg¹. He draws attention to some hobbies and occupations to watch out for, the global prevalence of lead poisoning, presentations of botulism, and the origin of the infamous Mad Hatter syndrome. 

Read the paper:

Neurotoxicology: a clinical systems-based review

1. National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

This episode was hosted by PN's podcast editor Dr. Amy Ross Russell. Production by Letícia Amorim, Brian O'Toole, and Amy Ross Russell. Editing by Brian O'Toole.

The first case for this issue's discussion is one of a young man with a history of involuntary jerks and photosensitivity (1:20). Several more seizures followed his initial presentation with a general tonic-clonic seizure. A number of examinations were done including an MR scan and EEG - (link)

Case two involves a 69-yo woman who developed non-convulsive status epilepticus, having been examined as a gastroenterology inpatient for abdominal pain (22:20). A positive PCR for Whipple’s disease in stools and saliva, but negative in the CSF, prompted further testing - (link)

The case reports discussion is hosted by Prof. Martin Turner (1), who is joined by Dr. Ruth Wood (2) and Dr. Xin You Tai (3) for a group examination of the features of each presentation, followed by a step-by-step walkthrough of how the diagnosis was made. These case reports and many others can be found in the February 2024 issue of the journal.

Further reading:

Panegyres PK. Diagnosis and management of Whipple’s disease of the brain. Practical Neurology 2008;8:311-317.   Association of British Neurologists. Rare Diseases Ascertainment and Recruitment (RaDAR).

 

(1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital. (2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex. (3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital.  Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol. The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

In this extra episode of the PN podcast, recorded to coincide with the COP28 summit, podcast editor Dr. Amy Ross-Russell (1) speaks to Prof. Sanjay Sisodiya (2) about his paper, "The hot brain: Practical climate change advice for neurologists". They discuss the role that neurologists have to play in treating and guiding patients as they find themselves exposed to shifts in their habitual climate.

Read the paper: https://pn.bmj.com/content/early/2023/11/10/pn-2023-003777  (1) Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK (2) Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

Prof. Martin Turner (1) hosts Dr. Ruth Wood (2) and Dr. Xin You Tai (3), as they puzzle through two Case Reports from the latest issue of the Practical Neurology journal. The first case (1:11) is one of a 27-yo man, whose initial presentation suggests a form of multiple sclerosis, but turns out to be something more rare - (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/5/414). The second case (19:16) is that of a 59-yo woman, with a two month history of progressive confusion and gait difficulty against a background of schizophrenia - (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/5/453). 

Additional reading:

Practical approach to the diagnosis of adult-onset leukodystrophies: an updated guide in the genomic era -  https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/90/5/543 (1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital. (2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex. (3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital.  Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol. The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

A puzzling pair of Case Reports from the most recent issue of the journal. First up (1:35) is a man in his mid-fifties, presenting with lumbar spine fractures, which then developed into confusion, vomiting, and abdominal pain. An x-ray showed  dilated intestinal loops and his blood sodium levels were low. https://pn.bmj.com/content/25/1/87

The second case (23:06) involves a 21-yo woman, who presented  at 18 weeks pregnant with  multiple episodes of right upper limb tonic extension, and subsequently developed new-onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE). https://pn.bmj.com/content/25/1/56 

 

The case reports discussion is hosted by Prof. Martin Turner¹, who is joined by Dr. Ruth Wood² and Dr. Xin You Tai³ for a group examination of the features of each presentation, followed by a step-by-step walkthrough of how the diagnosis was made. These case reports and many others can be found in the February 2025 issue of the journal.

(1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital. (2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex. (3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital. 

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

Production and editing by Letícia Amorim and Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the June 2023 issue of the journal (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/3).

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053).  The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors can significantly improve cancer survival rates. But resulting immune-related toxicities are common, requiring multidisciplinary cooperation between oncology and neurology. 

This episode, PN's podcast editor Dr. Amy Ross Russell speaks with a panel of experts on the balancing act required when treating cancer patients with these new drugs. Oncologist Dr. Heather Shaw is alongside neurologists Dr. Aisling Carr and Dr. Mark Willis, and they are amongst the authors of the editors' choice paper for the latest issue of Practical Neurology.

Read the paper: Neurological complications of immune checkpoint inhibitors: a practical guide 

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

Production by Letícia Amorim, Brian Kennedy, Amy Ross Russell and Brian O'Toole. Editing by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

In the second episode of this new series of the Practical Neurology podcast, Prof. Martin Turner (1) hosts Dr. Ruth Wood (2) and Dr. Xin You Tai (3) as they delve into two Case Reports from the latest issue of the Practical Neurology journal. First up this month (0:42) is a young man, presumed suffering from a drug overdose, with symptoms of transient global amnesia. This case is determined to be an example of "Cerebellar Hippocampal and Basal Nuclei Transient Edema with Restricted diffusion (CHANTER) Syndrome" (https://pn.bmj.com/content/early/2023/04/17/pn-2023-003724). Next (13:07) is a young woman with urinary retention and leg paraesthesia over multiple days. Investigations showed this to be "Conus medullaris syndrome as a presenting feature of MOG-associated disease" (https://pn.bmj.com/content/early/2023/01/13/pn-2022-003560). (1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital. (2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex. (3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital. Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053).    The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

Journal editors Prof. Philip Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller discuss the April 2024 issue of Practical Neurology, covering some of the interesting articles published this month. Topics include inconsistencies observed in functional gait, the consequences of restrictive diets with reduced riboflavin, and a guideline to managing patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension. In syndromic sightings there's a scattering of Ehlers-Danlos, Strachan and Alzheimer's to name but a few. Plus, some correspondence shedding light on the meaning behind an oversized comb - or was it an extreme brush?

Read the issue: https://pn.bmj.com/content/24/2

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the October 2023 issue of the journal (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/5/365).

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053).  The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

The surgical sieve and Occam's razor may sound like familiar diagnostic metaphors, but what about Crabtree's bludgeon? These are just a few of the tools touched on by journal editors Prof. Philip Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, as they discuss the October 2024 issue of Practical Neurology. They cover recent publications on oligoclonal bands, neurotoxicology, methotrexate, carotid artery disease, epilepsy surgery, and how unsolved cases remain part of the "art of neurology". To finish, there is a conversation on the topic of neurology podcasts themselves. 

Read the issue: https://pn.bmj.com/content/24/5

 

Further reading:

The BMJ - What Three Wise Men have to say about diagnosis

JNNP - Neurotoxicology: what the neurologist needs to know

 

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

Production by Letícia Amorim and Brian O'Toole. Editing by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

The first multidisciplinary consensus guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) has recently been published by the UK SIH Specialist Interest Group. Group members Prof. Manjit Matharu (1), Dr. Indran Davagnanam (2), and Mr. Parag Sayal (3) join Dr. Amy Ross Russell to explain their recommendations. They discuss the impact this condition has on patients, the possible presentations, and approaches for diagnosis and treatment.   Read the article: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension  

(1) Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK (2) Lysholm Department of Neuroradiology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK (3) Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

Dr. Amy Ross Russell (1) is joined by the authors of "Multiple system atrophy", a review recently published in Practical Neurology. The guests, Dr. Yee Yen Goh (2), and Dr. Viorica Chelban (2), detail the effects of this condition, describe its detection, and provide information on the support that patients can receive. 

Read this latest Editor’s Choice paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/3/208) and the June print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by the Practical Neurology editors, Dr. Phil Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://pnbmj.podbean.com/e/editors-highlights-of-the-june-2023-issue/ 

(1) Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK

(2) UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053).

The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

Dr. Amy Ross Russell (1) is joined by the authors of the paper “First-line immunosuppression in neuromuscular diseases”, Dr Michael Foster, Prof Michael Lunn, Dr Aisling Carr (2).

Read this latest Editor’s Choice paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/4/327) and the August print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by the Practical Neurology editors, Dr. Phil Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://pnbmj.podbean.com/e/editors-highlights-of-the-august-2023-issue/

(1) Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK

(2) UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, London, UK

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053).

The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.

Thank you for listening.

It’s the Christmas Special for 2024! Joining Amy in the studio is Dr. Steven Lewis. Current secretary general of the World Federation of Neurology, Steven is based in the United States, where he works as a general neurologist. Their conversation builds on a recent article by Dr. Bas Bloem, "Islands and bridges in healthcare: the importance of general neurology”. Listen in for insights on the differences in training and practice in the US and UK, the value of developing a network as a neurologist, and the enduring need for general neurology’s broad diagnostic approach.

Related links:

• "Welcome to the mainland: general neurology’s role in rescue from the islands of subspecialisation", the editorial by Dr. Steven Lewis
• "In defence of general neurology", an editorial by Dr. Neil Anderson

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

Production and editing by Letícia Amorim, Amy Ross Russell, and Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

In the third episode of this new series of the Practical Neurology podcast, Prof. Martin Turner (1) hosts Dr. Ruth Wood (2) and Dr. Xin You Tai (3) in a discussion of two Case Reports from the latest issue of the Practical Neurology journal. The first case (0:36) is one of a 78-yo man with variable slurring speech and swallowing difficulties - "Bilateral hypertrophic olivary degeneration in symptomatic palatal tremor" (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/4/346). The second case (19:21) is a first-person report from the "Me and My Neurological Illness" section, with a 56-yo man living with Parkinson's getting into difficulty while swimming in open water - "Near-drowning in Parkinson’s disease: common or uncommon?" (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/4/354).  (1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital. (2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex. (3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital.  Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol. The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

In the first case this episode, a 69-yo woman has developed severe pain around her right eye with blurring to the vision on that side (1:08), which prompts use of a "rediscovered" treatment technique by the ophthalmology department - (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/6/527).

The second case (15:23) is that of a 45-yo man with progressive pain in his lower limbs, hyperaesthesia and then weakness, who was initially diagnosed with meralgia paraesthetica by tele-medicine examination - (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/6/516).

The case reports discussion is hosted by Prof. Martin Turner (1), who is joined by Dr. Ruth Wood (2) and Dr. Xin You Tai (3), for a group examination of the features of each presentation, followed by a step-by-step walkthrough of how the diagnosis was made. These case reports and many others can be found in the December 2023 issue of the journal.

(1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital. (2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex. (3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital.  Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol. The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

Two more fascinating Case Reports from the latest issue of the journal. The first case (1:15) is of a 57-yo woman, with an intermittent posterior headache, which had an associated bilateral pressure-like sensation. Her symptoms had begun on a recent trip to Sri Lanka. https://pn.bmj.com/content/24/6/526 

Following on is the second case (22:18), which features a 54-yo man experiencing deterioration in his speech and mobility. He had a background of chronic HIV infection with ongoing treatment. https://pn.bmj.com/content/24/6/507

 

The case reports discussion is hosted by Prof. Martin Turner¹, who is joined by Dr. Ruth Wood² and Dr. Xin You Tai³ for a group examination of the features of each presentation, followed by a step-by-step walkthrough of how the diagnosis was made. These case reports and many others can be found in the December 2024 issue of the journal.

(1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital. (2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex. (3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital. 

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

Production and editing by Letícia Amorim and Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

Intermittent painful spasms, stiffness and rigidity of the proximal and truncal muscles are only a few symptoms of the relatively uncommon Stiff-person syndrome (SPS). In this podcast, we delve into the characteristics and diagnosis of this complex autoimmune condition.

PN's podcast editor Dr. Amy Ross Russell interviews Professor Saiju Jacob (University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK). The paper is the Editor's Choice paper of the February issue of Practical Neurology.

The episode is released to coincide with world Encephalitis day. For more information about World encephalitis day, or encephalitis international please follow this link: https://www.encephalitis.info/world-encephalitis-day/ 

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

Production by Letícia Amorim and Brian O'Toole. Editing by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

Neuromuscular junction disorders can present in a variety of challenging ways, with the potential to mislead neurologists. Journal editors Prof. Philip Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller begin with this subject as they talk through the latest issue of Practical Neurology, for December 2024. The conversation moves to neck flexion and brain zaps, reflects on the undiminished importance of "general" neurology, and also touches on maternal epilepsy risks, frailty's impact on stroke patients, timely recognition of glaucoma, and sustainable practices for green physicians. To finish, there's the now-traditional recital of eponymous syndromes.

Read the issue: https://pn.bmj.com/content/24/6 

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

Production by Letícia Amorim and Brian O'Toole. Editing by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

The immune system is a recurring feature in the cases discussed in this edition of the Case Reports podcast. The first paper details the cases of two young women, sisters, presenting with overlapping conditions but resulting in tragically different outcomes (1:16). Both were in their twenties, had given birth recently, and developed limb weakness along with several other neurological symptoms. https://pn.bmj.com/content/24/5/422

Our second case is a 72-yo woman with a range of symptoms including diplopia, ptosis, myalgia, and worsening shortness of breath (21:27). She had had surgical resection of a malignant melanoma, and was receiving immunotherapy treatment. Her presentation resembled myasthenia gravis, but initial treatment did not yield a response. https://pn.bmj.com/content/24/5/428 

The case reports discussion is hosted by Prof. Martin Turner¹, who is joined by Dr. Ruth Wood² and Dr. Xin You Tai³ for a group examination of the features of each presentation, followed by a step-by-step walkthrough of how the diagnosis was made. These case reports and many others can be found in the October 2024 issue of the journal.

(1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital. (2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex. (3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital. 

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol. This episode was produced and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

Journal editors Prof. Philip Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller discuss the June 2024 issue of Practical Neurology, covering some of the interesting articles published this month. A number of difficult challenges and tradeoffs are featured, relating to recent men-only guidance for sodium valproate use, folic acid dosing for women with epilepsy, post-mortem brain donation, and sexual dysfunction caused by neurological medication. There is also some insight into the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy and congenital myasthenia.

Read the issue: https://pn.bmj.com/content/24/3

Further reading:

Cancer Risk in Children of Mothers With Epilepsy and High-Dose Folic Acid Use During Pregnancy. Vegrim HM, Dreier JW, Alvestad S, et al. JAMA Neurol. 2022;79(11):1130–1138.

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

Genetic testing is a useful tool for any practising neurologist, but they must know how to interpret the results. This Editors' Choice podcast features two experts on the subject, Prof. Mary Reilly¹ and Dr. Christopher Record¹. They're in the studio to talk through their paper, covering the technology of genome sequencing itself, testing strategies, clinical use cases, and the constant changes in this developing field.

Read the paper:

Lessons and pitfalls of whole genome sequencing

1. Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

This episode was hosted by PN's podcast editor Dr. Amy Ross Russell. Production by Letícia Amorim, Brian O'Toole, and Amy Ross Russell. Editing by Brian O'Toole.

It's a podcast of pairs this time, for the latest issue of the journal. There's two hosts, two halves of the brain, two sides to a clinical debate, and two themes to the episode itself. Leading off is a discussion on peripheral neurology, taking a look at the editors' choice paper on immune checkpoint inhibitors. That's followed by a paper on  secondary hypertension, and another on small fibre neuropathies. The second half covers elements of cognitive neurology, including a topic with increasing awareness - that of brain fog. There's the dramatically named STOP-BANG questionnaire, a notable appearance from a monkey, and a reflection on modern practices for cognitive assessment.

Read the issue: https://pn.bmj.com/content/25/2/101

Listen to Dr. Laura McWhirter on the JNNP podcast: Brain fog demystified

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

Production by Letícia Amorim and Brian O'Toole. Editing by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

The latest guidelines on disease-modifying treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS) from the Association of British Neurologists is discussed in this intercontinental podcast with perspectives from the UK, the USA, and Australia.   Participants:

• Professor Alasdair Coles is Head of Department for Clinical Neuroscience and also Co-Director of the Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair, UK.
• Dr. Tamara Kaplan is Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, and is also affiliated with the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, USA.
• Professor Michael Barnett is a consultant neurologist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Sydney, Central Clinical School, and Director of the RPAH MS Clinic and the MS Clinical Trials Unit at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Australia.

Read the paper (https://pn.bmj.com/content/25/1/18) which is part of the February issue of the Practical Neurology journal.  

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

Production and editing by Letícia Amorim. Thank you for listening. 

 

 

Journal editors Prof. Philip Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller discuss the August 2024 issue of Practical Neurology, with room for mystery, history and practical advice. In particular, they cover topics like whole genome sequencing, foot surgery for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, safe prescribing in steroids, and fertility treatment for the epileptic. There are also good reasons for dusting off the old optokinetic nystagmus drum, and a touching story of neuro palliative care.

Read the Highlights - https://pn.bmj.com/content/24/4/261 - and the full issue - https://pn.bmj.com/content/24/4.

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the August 2023 issue of the journal (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/4/269).

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053).  The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

Two highly unusual cases in this edition of Case Reports. The first case describes a 64-yo woman presenting to the emergency department with a five day history of bizarre behaviours (1:45). A BBC radio show prompts her, out of character, to reflect aloud about her childhood, and she experiences recurrent periods of unresponsiveness followed by intense agitation. She was kept in hospital for scans and discharged after two weeks, but returned soon after with a similar presentation - (link)

A lifetime bodybuilder is the patient in the second case (21:12), with a practice of anabolic steroid injection over several decades. He presents with a three year history of unsteadiness when walking and tingling in his feet, as well as reduced dexterity. His symptoms are found to be brought on by a toxicity from an unexpected source - (link)

The case reports discussion is hosted by Prof. Martin Turner (1), who is joined by Dr. Ruth Wood (2) and Dr. Xin You Tai (3) for a group examination of the features of each presentation, followed by a step-by-step walkthrough of how the diagnosis was made. These case reports and many others can be found in the June 2024 issue of the journal.

(1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital. (2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex. (3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital.  Listen to the JNNP podcast, "Nutritional peripheral neuropathies, with Dr. Alexander Rossor" on Apple (https://apple.co/3WjTmrM), Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4bKOhNA), Web (https://bit.ly/4cYhx4m).

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol. This episode was produced and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

The often challenging diagnosis of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) disorders can be explained by suspicious red flags for the key differential diagnoses (mimics) and atypical presentations (chameleons). 

In the latest Editor's Choice paper podcast, PN's podcast editor Dr. Amy Ross Russell interviews Dr Stephen Reddel and Dr Shadi El-Wahsh, both from the Concord Hospital, New South Wales, Australia, and the authors of Neuromuscular junction disorders: mimics and chameleons.

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

Production and editing by Letícia Amorim, Amy Ross Russell, and Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the December 2023 issue of the journal - https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/6/461 

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol. The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

Neurodegenerative disease is the subject of this month's Editors' Choice podcast, with Dr. Patrick Cullinane¹ and Dr. Zane Jaunmuktane.¹ They join the podcast for an overview of brain examination, explaining the process of protein misfolding, the spread of pathology through the brain, and what new discoveries can tell us about old diseases.

Read the paper: Pathology of neurodegenerative disease for the general neurologist

1. Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

This episode was hosted by PN's podcast editor Dr. Amy Ross Russell. Production by Letícia Amorim, Brian O'Toole, and Amy Ross Russell. Editing by Brian O'Toole. Special thanks to The Podcast Studios Dublin for their assistance with the recording of this episode, and thank you for listening.

Journal editors Prof. Philip Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller discuss the February 2024 issue of Practical Neurology, covering some of the interesting articles published this month. The papers discussed touch on the use of electroencephalography (EEG) for encephalopathies, neurologists' role in the integration of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in treatment, key signs to look for in walking patients, and how rising temperatures due to climate change may affect our brains. The final topic of conversation is book clubs, including a cunning tip for boosting your attendance figures.

Read the issue: https://pn.bmj.com/content/24/1

Further listening: Climate change and the brain, with Prof. Sanjay Sisodiya

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

The practice of neurology is constantly changing, and the papers in this issue exemplify that trend. On this episode, journal editors Dr. Geraint Fuller and Prof. Philip Smith discuss their highlights from the latest issue of Practical Neurology, for February 2025. They begin with the editors' choice paper on stiff person syndrome, then speak about new guidance from the ABN on disease-modifying treatments for MS. There's also life-improving interventions for posterior cortical atrophy, changing attitudes towards stroke as a career option for neurologists, and management techniques for cryptococcal meningitis - including a resourceful substitute for India ink. 

Read the issue: https://pn.bmj.com/content/25/1/1 

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

Production by Letícia Amorim and Brian O'Toole. Editing by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

The first of this episode's two case reports features a 62-yo man, referred from ophthalmology with a drooping eyelid, chronic coughing, and excess sweating in the face provoked by eating (1:21). An MR scan finds abnormal deposits in his brain - (link)

The second report describes two patients (17:05), firstly a 70-yo man presenting with abnormal facial movements and weight loss, and secondly a 90-yo woman with abnormal movements of her right arm and leg. Routine blood tests at presentation for both patients were normal at presentation - (link) The case reports discussion is hosted by Prof. Martin Turner (1), who is joined by Dr. Ruth Wood (2) and Dr. Xin You Tai (3) for a group examination of the features of each presentation, followed by a step-by-step walkthrough of how the diagnosis was made. These case reports and many others can be found in the April 2024 issue of the journal. (1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital. (2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex. (3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital.  Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol. The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening. 

Neurophysiologists may "lock ourselves away in rooms looking at screens with wiggly lines on", but what are the applications in a clinical context for electroencephalography (EEG)?

In this deep-dive episode, podcast editor Dr. Amy Ross Russell is joined by Dr. Nick Kane (1), an author of the Editors' Choice for the Feb 2024 issue, "Electroencephalography in encephalopathy and encephalitis". They discuss the strategy of serial EEGs in epilepsy diagnosis, neuroinflammation in both autoimmune and COVID19 cases, prognostication for coma patients, and how automated AI systems may be integrated into ICU monitoring. 

Further reading:

Tveit J, Aurlien H, Plis S, et al. Automated Interpretation of Clinical Electroencephalograms Using Artificial Intelligence. JAMA Neurol. 2023;80(8):805–812.

L.J.W. Canham et al. Electroencephalographic (EEG) features of encephalopathy in the setting of Covid-19: a case series. Clin Neurophysiol Pract (2020)

 

(1) Grey Walter Dept of Clinical Neurophysiology, North Bristol NHS Trust, Westbury on Trym, UK

 

Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.

The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.