Weekly Neurology Deep Dive - A review of recent impactful publications in the field of Neurology

This episode reviews clinical practice guideline developed for the management of Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy (SBMA), also known as Kennedy disease, in Canada. The guideline is prompted by the discovery of a substantially elevated prevalence of this rare X-linked recessive neuromuscular disorder among First Nations and Métis people in western Canada. It addresses the diagnosis and comprehensive, multidisciplinary management of SB...

This episode reviews the VasCog-2-WSO Criteria, which is the 2025 revised consensus diagnostic guidelines for Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID). Developed by an international consortium of experts using a Delphi consensus process, these criteria update the previous VasCog guidelines to incorporate recent advances in neuroimaging and biomarkers. The objective was to create an operationalized international standard fo...

This episode reviews 5 publications on Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (iNPH), specifically addressing diagnosis, patient selection for shunting, and long-term treatment outcomes. One article is a systematic review and consensus protocol from the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society, which addresses the lack of standardization in the large-volume lumbar puncture "tap test," reviewing extensive literature ...

This 2025 article titled "Progressive Encephalomyelitis With Rigidity and Myoclonus With Glycine Receptor Antibodies" by Guasp et al., published in Neurology Neuroimmunology Neuroinflammation aims to detail the clinical features and long-term prognosis of patients suffering from Glycine Receptor (GlyR) antibody–mediated Progressive Encephalomyelitis with Rigidity and Myoclonus (PERM). Through a retrospective analysis of cases from ...

The paper provides an extensive overview of the neurological complications stemming from drug misuse, encompassing both illicit substances and prescription medications. It addresses the global prevalence of drug-use disorders and the increasing complexity introduced by new psychoactive substances like synthetic cannabinoids and potent opioids such as fentanyl. The document details the acute and long-term neurological manifestations...

This document outlines the protocol for a multicenter, randomized clinical study evaluating the effectiveness and safety of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) using the Artemis Neuro Evacuation Device for treating supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) compared to conventional medical management (MM). The study employs an adaptive design with potential interim analyses to assess efficacy and possibly stop early for success or ...

This research investigates alpha-synuclein (aSyn) strains in Lewy body diseases (LBDs), specifically Parkinson's disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The study utilized monoclonal antibodies to detect distinct aSyn species, termed strain A and strain B, in various human biological samples. Significantly, higher levels of both strain A and B aSyn were found in the plasma of individuals with PD compared to those with...

This article investigates the features, outcomes, and treatment efficacy of postanoxic status epilepticus (SE) following cardiac arrest. The researchers conducted a multicenter pooled analysis of patient data, including the TELSTAR trial and two registries, to identify predictors of neurological recovery and determine when antiseizure medication is beneficial. The study highlights that definite or possible SE does not always lead t...

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy and safety of various preventive treatments for episodic migraine, focusing on options available in Mexico. The research synthesizes findings from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), categorizing treatments into pharmacological (like anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies, gepants, and traditional medications) and non-pharmacological approaches (such as neuromodulation and a...

This study explores the clinical significance of serum autoantibody titers and neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels in patients diagnosed with CASPR2/LGI1 autoimmune encephalitis. Researchers investigated these biomarkers longitudinally to understand their relationship with disease progression and patient outcomes. The findings indicate that NfL levels at the onset of the disease can predict long-term cognitive impairment, sugges...

This paper explores Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system, and focuses on identifying biomarkers to predict disease activity. The researchers used high-dimensional flow cytometry to analyze peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from individuals with MS and healthy controls. Their findings highlight HLA-DRhiCD141+ classical monocytes (CMs) as a significant predictor of both impendin...

This episode reviews two articles "Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome in the Late Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury (LETBI) Study Cohort" and "Dementia Risk Due to Traumatic Brain Injury in Subtypes of Dementia in the Welsh Population," both investigate the long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The first study aims to operationalize and test the applicability of traumatic encephalopathy syndrome...

This original investigation published in JAMA Neurology concerning the association between influenza, oseltamivir treatment, and serious neuropsychiatric events in children and adolescents. The study, conducted retrospectively using data from Tennessee Medicaid, aimed to determine if oseltamivir, a common antiviral, is linked to these events or if the influenza infection itself is the primary factor. The findings indicate that whil...

This article published in 2025 by Huw Green and Jon Stone, focuses on health anxiety within neurological settings. It explains health anxiety as a distinct, treatable psychological disorder characterized by excessive worry about illness and compulsive "safety behaviors" like seeking reassurance. The authors distinguish health anxiety from normal health concerns and functional neurological disorders, emphasizing that reass...

Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is an increasingly standard surgical tool for ablating epileptic foci, and the Laser Ablation of Abnormal Neurological Tissue Using Robotic NeuroBlate System (LAANTERN) registry, representing the largest prospective multicenter cohort, aimed to describe seizure outcomes, procedural outcomes, and safety data for LITT in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). LITT was found to be well tolerate...

This paper investigates the heterogeneity of autoantibodies in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), focusing on their diverse pathogenic properties and temporal fluctuations. The researchers utilized advanced cell-based assays to analyze serum samples, revealing that different immunoglobulin isotypes (IgG, IgM, IgA) and IgG subclasses contribute to the disease through varying mechanisms like complement activation, receptor interna...

Valosin-Containing Protein (VCP) myopathy, also known as Multisystem Proteinopathy (MSP1) or Inclusion Body Myopathy associated with Paget disease of bone and Frontotemporal Dementia (IBMPFD), is a complex, progressive, autosomal dominant adult-onset disorder caused by mutations in the VCP gene. The VCP protein, also called p97, is a highly conserved ATPase crucial for maintaining cellular protein homeostasis (proteostasis) through...

This comprehensive report from the American Academy of Neurology, in collaboration with the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, provides updated guidelines for managing prolonged disorders of consciousness (DoC) in both adults and children. It outlines diagnostic accuracy improvements, including the use of standardized assessments an...

This article presents a multicenter cohort study examining the influence of comorbidities on outcomes and infectious complications in patients with autoimmune encephalitis (AE). The study analyzed data from 308 adult patients with common AE variants, identifying various preexisting conditions (PECs) and secondary diagnoses. Key findings indicate that psychiatric PECs are an independent risk factor for unfavorable outcomes, while se...