JNNP Podcast

The meta‑analysis discussed in this podcast reveals that adults recovering from COVID‑19 without major medical or psychiatric complications experience mild yet statistically significant cognitive deficits - particularly in processing speed, attention, memory, language, and executive function.However, as the main author of this paper tells podcast editor and host, Dr Saima Chaudhry, the impairments generally fall below the threshold for clinical concern, with no evidence of profound neuropsychological dysfunction. Dr Saima Chaudhry is an assistant professor of neurology at the Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Rhode Island, USA.Dr Stephen Aita is a neuropsychologist in the Department of Neurology at the University of South Alabama, Whiddon College of Medicine, Mobile, Alabama, USA. Read the paper on the JNNP website: Neurocognitive and psychiatric outcomes associated with postacute covid 19 infection (doi:10.1136/jnnp-2024-333950). Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or find it on your platform of choice. Your feedback and reviews are very appreciated. Follow JNNP on twitter: @JNNP_BMJ

Patients with refractory or high-risk myasthenia gravis (MG) respond poorly to conventional immunosuppressive therapy, requiring rescue therapies and often experiencing treatment toxicity. The study discussed in this podcast suggests that lower doses of cyclophosphamide can be effective and safe in people with MG, including older age. JNNP's podcast editor, Saima Chaudhry, is joined by Professor Carolina Barnett-Tapia, University of Toronto, University Health Network, who authors the editorial comment 'Cyclophosphamide for myasthenia gravis: a comeback?'(https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/95/12/1095).The original paper is also free to access: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/95/12/1096. Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or find it on your platform of choice. Your feedback and reviews are very appreciated. Follow JNNP on twitter: @JNNP_BMJ

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) can be difficult to distinguish from autoimmune nodopathy. In this podcast, Dr. Saima Chaudhry (1) is joined from the Netherlands by Dr. Ruth Huizinga (2) and Dr. Maarten Titulaer (3), to discuss their article, "Clinical relevance of distinguishing autoimmune nodopathies from CIDP: longitudinal assessment in a large cohort". They start with explaining what an autoimmune nodopathy really is, patient features to look out for, and the typical testing process for identifying CIDP. (1) Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Rhode Island, USA (2) Department of Immunology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (3) Department of Neurology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or find it on your platform of choice. Your feedback and reviews are very appreciated. Follow JNNP on twitter: @JNNP_BMJ

How often do movement disorder specialists agree when classifying tics? A recent study published in JNNP explores this question with a two-stage approach, seeking a diagnosis from experts first based on video evidence alone and then following the provision of additional clinical data. The study's last author, Dr. Christos Ganos (1), joins host Dr. Saima Chaudhry (2) to discuss the results. Read the paper here: "Distinguishing functional from primary tics: a study of expert video assessments" Related links: European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome 2022 criteria for clinical diagnosis of functional tic-like behaviours: International consensus from experts in tic disordershttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ene.15672 Tics and functional tic-like movements: can we tell them apart?https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000008372 (1) Department of Neurology (C.G.), Charité University Medicine Berlin, Germany(2) Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Rhode Island, USA Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or find it on your platform of choice. Your feedback and reviews are very appreciated. Follow JNNP on twitter: @JNNP_BMJ

Social media platforms and clinical patient encounters are abundant in references to brain fog, but how much is it really understood? In this episode, JNNP's podcast host, Dr. Saima Chaudhry (1), speaks with Dr. Laura McWhirter (2) about her recently published article, "What is Brain Fog?"and how further understanding of this can help to better treat patients. You can read the paper at the following link: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/94/4/321 (1) Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Rhode Island, USA (2) Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or find it on your platform of choice. Your feedback and reviews are very appreciated. Follow JNNP on twitter: @JNNP_BMJ

In this episode, JNNP's new podcast host Dr. Saima Chaudhry (1) speaks with Dr. Matteo Gastaldi (2) about Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease, or MOGAD for short. A multi-centre retrospective study, "Prognostic relevance of quantitative and longitudinal MOG antibody testing in patients with MOGAD", was recently published in JNNP, and Dr. Gastaldi is its first author. Listen to this podcast to learn what MOGAD is, its differential diagnosis and the potential pathogenesis. Plus some discussion of the use of MOG titres in predicting relapse of the disease. You can read the paper at the following link: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/94/3/201 (1) Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Rhode Island, USA (2) Neuroimmunology Research Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy Please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or find it on your platform of choice. Your feedback and reviews are very appreciated. Follow JNNP on twitter: https://twitter.com/jnnp_bmj

Prof Michael Barnett, Director Sydney Neuroimaging Analysis Centre and Professor of Neurology, University of Sydney, joins JNNP's Podcast Editor, Colin Mahoney, to discuss how the use of Alemtuzumab may have longer-term impacts on improving one of the most commonly involved neurological pathways, the visual system, in multiple sclerosis (MS). Prof Barnett discusses his team's results after following up patients with highly active MS for 24 months, using multifocal visual evoked potentials and advanced neuroimaging. He also talks about what this means for future remyelination strategies. Related paper: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/92/12/1319

Mark Goh and Shu-Ling Chong, Duke-NUS Medical School and KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore joins editor Colin Mahoney to discuss their systematic review and meta-analysis spanning 6000 articles dealing with neurocognitive outcomes following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children. They highlight how dose of TBI impacts executive function and memory with potentially long term impacts. https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/92/8/847

Over the last ten years, huge progress has been made in the common but often poorly understood condition of motor Functional Neurological Disorder (mFND). In this podcast, Dr W. Curt La France, Jr., Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, Brown University, USA, joins editor Colin Mahoney to discuss diagnosis, insights on disease mechanisms, and emerging therapeutic approaches. They also highlight the stigma associated with mFND and ways to improve outcomes for patients. Read the paper on the JNNP website and the journal's June issue: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/92/6/668

Prof Alaisdair Coles and Dr Nick Cunniffe, The University of Cambridge joins editor Colin Mahoney to discuss: The work carried out by a team of researchers alongside the MS Society in the United Kingdom. The authors discuss the process of identifying therapies to repurpose in future MS trials and why they think this drugs may work. https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/92/3/295

Jonathan Tay joins our podcast editor Colin Mahoney to discuss the findings from two large cohort studies of cerebral small vessel disease, highlighting the fact that apathy can predict future dementia risk in these patients. https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/91/9/953

Prof Joseph Jankovic, Distinguished Chair in Movement Disorders, Baylor College of Medicine joins Podcast editor Colin Mahoney. Prof Jankovic provides a historical look back on the key developments in our understanding of the causes of Parkinson's disease and key treatments. https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/91/8/795

Dr Christian Lobue, lead author joins Podcast Editor Colin Mahoney to discuss his original research which examines the clinical, neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric features of those with confirmed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) at autopsy. He compares the features with patients with CTE and those with Alzheimer's disease. https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/91/6/586