Medical publishing metrics and financial yields In “Chapters from My Autobiography” published in 1906, Mark Twain noted that “figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned […]
Latest articles
Can an app diagnose visual problems and monitor your recovery?
Introduction A web app has been developed that can test the eyesight of people with conditions that cause vision loss – particularly stroke. Hemianopia is a condition that causes a loss of vision in either the right or left sides of both eyes. It is a common side effect of stroke. Less […]
A Picture of 2012
Dr Susanna Park from the Institute of Neurology, London has created a novel picture of 2012 It is the time of year when reflection on the year that was and anticipation to the year ahead starts to build. The countdown is on to 2013… However it’s hard to capture a year in a statistic, or […]
Doctor: what would you do?
Many of you will have seen Bill Murray’s star performance in the 1990’s comedy classic, Groundhog Day, the story of a man who is forced to re-live the same day over and over again. In clinical neurology, Groundhog Days can occur once in a while but we are particularly blessed in having a wide variety […]
An encounter with Oliver Sacks
How often is one in the company of greatness? Perhaps you are quite impressive yourself, and to be in a like-minded assemblage is an everyday affair. However, even flinging self-deprecation aside, I would class myself as only ‘reasonably good’. So spending the gloaming hours on a Sydney winter’s eve with the eminent neurologist and author […]
A Themed Issue for JNNP
In the April issue of the journal, we launched the first of JNNP’s mini-themed issues, with a focus on how clinical research was making in-roads in the search for the common and overlapping threads that bind amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and fronto-temporal dementia (FTD). This theme was particularly timely, given the recent discovery of the […]
Complex regional pain syndrome: what is it?
Have you ever had a fracture? If you have, then you are probably aware of how difficult it can be to recover. Today, we have Hannah Pickering, a neuroscientist in Sydney, who provides us with an update on complex regional pain syndrome, a poorly understood neurological disorder that may occur with limb immobilisation. Over to […]
The best medicine: a film review of Patch Adams
The old paternalistic way of patient care is out the door as Robin Williams stars as Hunter ‘Patch’ Adams in this Oscar nominated film. Laughter is the best medicine is his mantra as he parades around the hospital in the best costumes you’ll ever see while breaking all health and safety regulations. Funny man Robin […]
The language of peripheral neuropathy
In daily neurological practice, peripheral neuropathy remains one of the most common reasons for neurological referral. The worldwide diabetes epidemic will no doubt ensure that more and more patients are seen with the classic syndrome of length-dependent sensory and motor impairment that inevitably sets in train a range of investigations: nerve conduction studies, blood tests […]
Lithium debunked for ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder of motor neurons in the spinal cord, brainstem, and motor cortex, with ea median survival of 3-5 years. At present, there is no cure for ALS, and the currently available treatments are of limited efficacy. Recently, a neuroprotective benefit of lithium carbonate was reported in […]