At the turn of the 20th Century, observations of human genetic disease largely followed Mendelian principles, based on the crucial experiments of pea hybridization from 1865 (1). Pivotal connections between these rediscovered laws of inheritance and neurological disorders were spotlighted across the literature during this time in this journal and in others: in 1893 […]
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New drugs new adverse effects: Neurology and immune checkpoint inhibitors
Checkpoint inhibitor drugs are a relatively new immunotherapy for cancer, showing outstanding clinical efficacy in various tumors, including lung cancer and melanoma. By improving the immune response to disease, these drugs also trigger immune-mediated side effects, which can compromise the nervous system. Among all the neurological complications, the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is commonly […]
The Neurology and Neuropsychiatry of COVID-19
By Matt Butler, Cameron Watson, Ally Rooney, Jia Song, Jamie Badenoch, Ben Cross, Danish Hafeez, Mao Fong Lim, Hamilton Morrin, Emma Rengasamy, Lucretia Thomas, Sylvia Ralovska, Ritika Sundaram, Sujoy Ray, Vanshika Singh, Isabella Conti, Samyak Pandey, Arina Tamborska, Stuti Chakraborty, Zain Hussain, Katie Pocock, Aman Saini, Stanimir Neroev, Ella Burchill, Christopher Lucas, Olivia Morrow, […]
Armoured with Tendon Hammers: The Neurologist at the Covid-19 Frontline
‘An unseen thief, called Death, came stalking by, Who hereabouts makes all the people die, And with his spear he dove his heart in two And went his way and made no more ado. He’s slain a thousand with this pestilence; And, master, ere you come in his presence, It seems to me to […]
NEUROPSYCHIATRY: Past, Present and Future and into the 21st century
The 30th Anniversary Meeting of the British Neuropsychiatry Association and the Third British Symposium on the History of Neurology and Psychiatry Held at the Royal College of Surgeons, London. February 22nd 2017. Edward H Reynolds* and Timothy R Nicholson** *Department of Clinical Neurosciences, King’s College, London SE5 9PJ, UK. **Section of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Institute of […]
Understanding the impact of psychosis in Huntington’s disease
In George Huntington’s original clinical monograph (1872), changes in mental state and behaviour were particularly noted in his description of patients with Huntington’s disease (HD) [1]. Despite the fact that such symptoms are frequently the most disabling, the illness phenotype beyond that of motor symptoms remains less narrated. In part, this is perhaps because non-motor […]
Improving clinical trials in ALS
The clinical trial design is extremely complex in neurodegenerative disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The clinical and pathological heterogeneity of ALS has made therapeutic targets difficult to identify, increasing the variability in endpoints. Nowadays, the most effective interventions in ALS are multidisciplinary clinics and non-invasive ventilation, which can significantly improve quality of […]
Jumping, Latah, and Miryachit: understanding neurobiological targets in Tourette Syndrome
In 1885, Gilles de la Tourette reported several patients with similar movement afflictions that were distinct from true chorea, which, in his case series, he named as the “jumping of Maine, latah of Malaysia, and miryachit of Siberia” [1]. Although a psychoanalytic aetiological view prevailed into the 20th Century, Tourette syndrome (TS) is now recognised […]
Praxis of a new tool to sharpen neurodegenerative testing
Clinicopathological correlation in dementia subtypes remains challenging, with similar clinical syndromes often caused by different pathologies. With the diagnosis of dementia relying primarily on clinical evaluation, this ambiguity clearly impacts clinical practice and has accelerated the search for biomarkers to help facilitate diagnosis and treatment. In this regard, apraxia profiling has recently gained momentum […]
Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: beyond central nervous system dysfunction
Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (sCJD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of misfolded human prion protein (PrPSc). Classically, sCJD presents with neurological symptoms and signs of central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction, including cognitive impairment, cerebellar dysfunction, myoclonus, visual impairment and pyramidal signs, amongst others. Moreover, clinical diagnostic criteria requires the presence of […]