Welcome to the fall edition of US Neurology. This issue features a number of topical articles that have been chosen for their evaluation of current practices and research that directly affect neurologists and other practitioners involved in the care of patients with neurological illness.
We begin with an editorial on the subject of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a condition that is becoming more common in our aging population. Drug candidates in AD have a high failure rate, and poor early detection methods make clinical trials difficult and expensive. Cummings et al. discuss the role of default mode network assessment using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in phase II clinical trials, a method that could provide more robust information to justify a phase III study.
Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) face a number of challenges in terms of physiological, psychological, cognitive, social, and spiritual needs, and this is addressed by three articles. In an editorial, Zackowski discusses the need for an evidence-based exercise prescription for people living with MS. Gallagher and Bethoux review the benefits of the therapeutic arts including art therapy, dance and movement therapy, and music therapy, in promoting self-efficacy, emotional well-being, and motor control in people with MS. In addition, Kannan and Yadav describe the role of vascular disease risk factors such as obesity, smoking, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, on outcomes in people with MS.
This issue contains two articles on epilepsy. The first, an editorial by Fisher, presents the important changes in the International League Against Epilepsy revised operational classification of seizure types. In the second, an expert interview, Harden discusses the challenges of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, why new guidelines were needed from the American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society, and the key recommendations of these new guidelines.
Movement disorders remain an important focus of the neurology world. Talman and Shah review the latest data on the emerging surgical technique of MRI-guided focused ultrasound, which has demonstrated efficacy and safety in patients with essential tremor and is now under clinical investigation for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Also on the subject of PD, Barrett discusses risk factors for psychosis in patients with PD, a characteristic symptom
that is associated with a more severe disease burden.
In another review, Kahkeshani and Sheikh discuss the significance of headache in the emergency room and the need to rule out dangerous causes of this common clinical presentation. Finally, Darki and Beydoun present an interesting case of delayed appearance of conductance block in multifocal neuropathy (MMN). MMN is a rare but treatable condition that is frequently misdiagnosed, and this case emphasizes the importance of its early recognition.
US Neurology would like to thank all expert authors who contributed towards this edition. Special thanks to our Editorial Board for their continuing support and guidance. We are also grateful to all organisations and media partners for their ongoing support. We trust that you will find this edition of US Neurology useful and insightful.
