Do statins increase the risk of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) in patients with a previous stroke? Professor David Werring (Stroke Research Centre, UCL Institute Of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK) joins Elizabeth Highton (JNNP podcast editor) for the first JNNP podcast of 2019. Read the full paper here: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/90/1/75

Elizabeth Highton (podcast editor) hosts the final JNNP podcast for 2018, an episode on functional improvement after stroke (Dr. Aravind Ganesh, University of Oxford, UK- https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/89/12/1301) and cognitive impairment in functional neurological disorders (Dr. Jeremy Isaacs (St George’s University and Hospital, London, UK - https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/89/12/1308).

Professor Mark Humphries (University of Nottingham, UK) discusses how computational modelling could be a crucial tool in untangling the complexities of diseases like Parkinson’s disease. Can this type of modelling help us understand causes, and eventually lead to treatment options? Read the full paper here: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/2018/04/17/jnnp-2017-315922.long

In collaboration with many different specialists, professions and patient representatives, Mollan et al (2018) have developed the first ever guidelines for the investigation and management of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Senior author, Dr Alexandra Sinclair (University of Birmingham) discusses these with the JNNP podcast editor, Elizabeth Highton. Read the full guidelines here: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/89/10/1088 Access the Practical Neurology infographic summary here: https://pn.bmj.com/content/early/2018/08/28/practneurol-2018-002009

Elizabeth Highton (JNNP Podcast Editor) speaks with Dr. Michelle Farrar (University of New South Wales) discussing nusinersen, the first disease-modifying therapy for spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA). https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/89/9/937

Dr. Carlo Rinaldi (University of Oxford) discusses how the traditional view of Kennedy’s disease is evolving, to extend beyond pure motor symptoms. What non-motor features may be present in Kennedy's, and crucially how do they impact on patient's care and management? Read the full paper here: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/89/8/808. Helle Stangeland and Vaughan Bell join us to discuss a much overlooked clinical syndrome in stroke: poststroke psychosis. Just how often does it occur and how can it be treated? Read their systematic review here: https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/89/8/879.

Dr Georg Kaji (Kantonsspital, St.Gallen, Switzerland) provides a historical overview of surgical techniques and incisionless interventions for tremor – how have interventions changed over time? Read the full paper here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/89/7/727.long

Patients with epilepsy are often not permitted to drive, but can this change after surgery? Professor John Duncan (University College London, UK) provides a crucial update on measuring relative risk of seizures following epilepsy surgery, and how this impacts on UK driving regulations. Read the paper here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/89/6/599

In the second half of this podcast, Professor Ryuji Kaji (Tokushima University, Japan) discusses the pathogenesis of dystonia (uncontrolled movements). Is it a basal ganglia or cerebellar disorder? Or both? Read the full paper here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/89/5/488.

Read the editorial here: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/89/4/327