JNNP podcast

The September 2017's JNNP podcast is a double episode. The first conversation is with Professor Michael Hornberger from the Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, UK. The cerebellum is often overlooked when looking at neurodegenerative diseases, a practice which Professor Hornberger and his team are challenging. Their recent JNNP paper looks at patterns of grey matter atrophy in the cerebellum across neurodegenerative diseases. What they found may surprise some listeners. Read the paper here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/9/780. Elizabeth also speaks with Dr Ester Coutinho from the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK. Dr Coutinho & colleagues have been looking into maternal transfer of autoantibodies during pregnancy. In particular, their research has focused on antibodies which may be linked to disorders of psychological development in children. Read the paper here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/9/718.

The September 2017's JNNP podcast is a double episode. The first conversation is with Professor Michael Hornberger from the Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, UK. The cerebellum is often overlooked when looking at neurodegenerative diseases, a practice which Professor Hornberger and his team are challenging. Their recent JNNP paper looks at patterns of grey matter atrophy in the cerebellum across neurodegenerative diseases. What they found may surprise some listeners. Read the paper here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/9/780. Elizabeth also speaks with Dr Ester Coutinho from the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK. Dr Coutinho & colleagues have been looking into maternal transfer of autoantibodies during pregnancy. In particular, their research has focused on antibodies which may be linked to disorders of psychological development in children. Read the paper here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/9/718.

“Take a comprehensive economic approach to evaluating treatment cost-effectiveness in MS”. Jacqueline Palace (Consultant Neurologist, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford) and Ruth Geraldes (Neurologist, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford) examine the economic burden of multiple sclerosis, which was debated at the international roundtable “Time Matters in MS”, organised by the BMJ and the JNNP on World MS Day 2017, in Lisbon. Read more, watch the videos and access all the information about the event on the JNNP's website special page: jnnp.bmj.com/pages/time-matters-in-ms/. “Time Matters in preventing disabilities from MS” was supported by an unrestricted educational grant from F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Roche Farmacêutica e Química.

“Take a comprehensive economic approach to evaluating treatment cost-effectiveness in MS”. Jacqueline Palace (Consultant Neurologist, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford) and Ruth Geraldes (Neurologist, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford) examine the economic burden of multiple sclerosis, which was debated at the international roundtable “Time Matters in MS”, organised by the BMJ and the JNNP on World MS Day 2017, in Lisbon. Read more, watch the videos and access all the information about the event on the JNNP's website special page: jnnp.bmj.com/pages/time-matters-in-ms/. “Time Matters in preventing disabilities from MS” was supported by an unrestricted educational grant from F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Roche Farmacêutica e Química.

There has been an increase in life expectancies for the general population over the last few decades. A similar trend has also been identified in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). To investigate this trend further, Dr Lunde and colleagues, from the Norwegian Multiple Sclerosis Competence Centre, investigated survival and cause of death in an MS cohort. Dr Lunde discusses the findings with Elizabeth Highton in the August 2017's JNNP podcast. Download the paper here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/8/621.

There has been an increase in life expectancies for the general population over the last few decades. A similar trend has also been identified in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). To investigate this trend further, Dr Lunde and colleagues, from the Norwegian Multiple Sclerosis Competence Centre, investigated survival and cause of death in an MS cohort. Dr Lunde discusses the findings with Elizabeth Highton in the August 2017's JNNP podcast. Download the paper here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/8/621.

Professor Emeritus Alastair Compston (University of Cambridge) discusses with JNNP’s Publisher Janet O'Flaherty the issues raised by the discussion “Brain health matters in multiple sclerosis” (MS), which was part of the international roundtable “Time Matters in MS”, organised by the BMJ and the JNNP on World MS Day 2017, in Lisbon. Read more, watch the videos and access all the information about the event on the JNNP's website special page: http://jnnp.bmj.com/pages/time-matters-in-ms/. “Time Matters in preventing disabilities from MS” was supported by an unrestricted educational grant from F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Roche Farmacêutica e Química.

Professor Emeritus Alastair Compston (University of Cambridge) discusses with JNNP’s Publisher Janet O'Flaherty the issues raised by the discussion “Brain health matters in multiple sclerosis” (MS), which was part of the international roundtable “Time Matters in MS”, organised by the BMJ and the JNNP on World MS Day 2017, in Lisbon. Read more, watch the videos and access all the information about the event on the JNNP's website special page: http://jnnp.bmj.com/pages/time-matters-in-ms/. “Time Matters in preventing disabilities from MS” was supported by an unrestricted educational grant from F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Roche Farmacêutica e Química.

MRI is an important clinical tool to study dementia symptoms in vivo. However, certain pathologies (microbleeds, plaques, tangles) can evade current imaging techniques. Seven tesla (7T) MRI provides a potentially exciting new opportunity to visualise these pathologies in vivo. Dr. Elizabeth McKiernan (University of Cambridge) discusses the literature around 7T MRI, and its scope in neurodegenerative dementias. Read the review in the JNNP website: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/2017/03/03/jnnp-2016-315022.

MRI is an important clinical tool to study dementia symptoms in vivo. However, certain pathologies (microbleeds, plaques, tangles) can evade current imaging techniques. Seven tesla (7T) MRI provides a potentially exciting new opportunity to visualise these pathologies in vivo. Dr. Elizabeth McKiernan (University of Cambridge) discusses the literature around 7T MRI, and its scope in neurodegenerative dementias. Read the review in the JNNP website: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/2017/03/03/jnnp-2016-315022.

Laughter serves a fundamental social purpose, the appropriate use of which requires recognition of social norms. So what happens when these interpersonal abilities are affected, such as in the frontotemporal dementias? Does use of laughter change too? Dr Peter Pressman (Rocky Mountain Alzheimer’s Disease Center, University of Colorado, USA) talks to Elizabeth Highton about observing conversational laughter in frontotemporal dementia. This paper was chosen for this month’s Editor’s Choice and can be found here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/5/418.

Laughter serves a fundamental social purpose, the appropriate use of which requires recognition of social norms. So what happens when these interpersonal abilities are affected, such as in the frontotemporal dementias? Does use of laughter change too? Dr Peter Pressman (Rocky Mountain Alzheimer’s Disease Center, University of Colorado, USA) talks to Elizabeth Highton about observing conversational laughter in frontotemporal dementia. This paper was chosen for this month’s Editor’s Choice and can be found here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/5/418.

Professor Andrew Lees discusses his book "Mentored by a Madman: The William Burroughs Experiment" with Dr Sean O’Sullivan and Elizabeth Highton. Andrew speaks to the importance of looking beyond one’s area of expertise for mentorship, the relationship between art and science in neurology, Parkinson's disease and how William Burroughs played an unlikely role in his own medical career. You can read Sean O’Sullivan’s review of the book on the JNNP website: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/3/280.

Professor Andrew Lees discusses his book "Mentored by a Madman: The William Burroughs Experiment" with Dr Sean O’Sullivan and Elizabeth Highton. Andrew speaks to the importance of looking beyond one’s area of expertise for mentorship, the relationship between art and science in neurology, Parkinson's disease and how William Burroughs played an unlikely role in his own medical career. You can read Sean O’Sullivan’s review of the book on the JNNP website: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/3/280.

Both patient and editor's choices are discussed in this monthly episode of the JNNP podcast. The clinical care of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) can often be complex; a disease with a highly variable clinical course. Professor Bart Jacobs, from the Department of Neurology at Erasmus Medical Centre (Rotterdam) provides an overview of some of the dilemmas that may arise when treating patients with GBS. The full article: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/4/346. In the second part of this podcast: The C9orf72 repeat expansion is reported to have a negative impact on prognosis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Until now, researchers have not been able to examine the relationship between C9orf72 and factors such as age, site of onset or gender. Dr James Rooney discusses how he and colleagues examined the prognostic impact of the C9orf72 repeat expansion in more detail. The full article is available here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/88/4/281.1.