The Neurology Minute® podcast delivers a brief daily summary of what you need to know in the field of neurology, the latest science focused on the brain, and timely topics explored by leading neurologists and neuroscientists. From the American Academy of Neurology and hosted by Stacey Clardy, MD, PhD, FAAN, with contributions by experts from the Neurology® journals, Neurology Today®, Continuum®, and more.
US Medicare data from 2013 to 2023 show inflation-adjusted hospital resource requirements for inpatient neurological care rising substantially faster than reimbursement, creating a widening financial gap with potential implications for the sustainability of specialist neurological services.
Progressive bilateral visual loss with spastic paraparesis in a chronically immunosuppressed patient may indicate Peguivirus-associated encephalomyelitis. Cerebrospinal fluid detection alone is insufficient; the clinical phenotype, tract-focused magnetic resonance imaging pattern, sample quality and tissue evidence should be assessed together.
Rapidly progressive encephalopathy after influenza A raises concern for acute necrotising encephalopathy, especially with bilateral thalamic or brainstem magnetic resonance imaging lesions. The discussion covers inflammatory treatment, targeted RANBP2 testing, recurrence risk and prevention planning.
Blood biomarkers may make assessment of Alzheimer’s disease-related changes more accessible and cost-effective in symptomatic patients. Current diagnostic use should remain separate from the future possibility of identifying people at risk before symptoms develop.
A positive thyroid peroxidase antibody result establishes thyroid autoimmunity, not brain inflammation. The historical label of Hashimoto encephalopathy risks diagnostic closure and unnecessary immunotherapy unless the phenotype, alternative causes and objective treatment response are reassessed.
Borderline serum vitamin B12 should be interpreted alongside the neurological phenotype, absorption risks and renal function. Methylmalonic acid is the more specific functional marker, while homocysteine is supportive but can rise for several other reasons.
Cause-directed treatment for infantile epilepsy depends on whether the underlying problem is genetic or structural. Seizure freedom remains important, but developmental, cognitive and behavioural outcomes require long-term follow-up and should shape treatment evaluation.
Older adults may recover muscle strength and sensory function after spinal cord injury without equivalent gains in walking or personal care. Functional recovery declines more markedly around 70 years, but this is a change point rather than a fixed rehabilitation threshold.
Propensity-matched data from new neurology patients found no overall increase in 90-day follow-up, emergency department attendance, hospitalisation or testing after a virtual first visit. Small differences between presenting complaints support selective use and complaint-level monitoring rather than blanket conclusions
Rapid improvement with corticosteroids does not confirm Tolosa–Hunt syndrome. Painful ophthalmoplegia requires anatomical localisation with high-quality contrast MRI and a differential-led search for infection, malignancy, sarcoidosis, IgG4-related disease and other inflammatory causes.
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