Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, Russ Lebovitz, MD, PhD, chief executive officer and cofounder of Amprion, discussed the company's SAAmplify-aSYN biomarker test, a first-in-class qualitative laboratory developed test and the only seed amplification assay available to aid in the diagnosis of synucleinopathies such as Parkinson disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). Lebovitz provided insight on the new technology and its remarkable accuracy in identifying underling a-synuclein pathology using fluorescence changes. He gave a complete overview of the notable study published in The Lancet Neurology that further tested and validated the assay among a heterogenous group of synucleinopathies. Furthermore, he provided clinical context on the feasibility of the assay, the potential for clinical use, and the continued validation needed. 

Episode Breakdown:

1:05 – Overviewing mechanistic function of SAAmplify-aSYN biomarker test, its purpose, and how it came about

7:50 – Results from the published study; ways the fluorescence-based amplification method could distinguish MSA from PD and Lewy body dementia

16:25 – Neurology News Minute

18:30 – Therapeutic feasibility of the assay in clinical settings and the next steps in validation

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this special episode, we’ve compiled some of the most compelling conversations from Mind Moments podcast episodes throughout 2024. These discussions spotlight groundbreaking research and advancements in neurology that are propelling the field forward. The NeurologyLive team also explored the impact of several newly FDA-approved therapies, offering clinicians valuable insights into what these treatments mean for patient care and their practical use in the clinic. Featured in this week’s episode, in order of appearance, are:

Daniel Ontaneda, MD, PhD, a staff member of the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis, who gave an overview on the new 2024 McDonald criteria to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS), which was presented at the 40th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). 

• Check out the full episode here: https://www.neurologylive.com/view/episode-125-understanding-major-changes-new-mcdonald-criteria-multiple-sclerosis

Ian Kremer, executive director of the leaders Engaged on Alzheimer's Disease (LEAD) coalition, on the changing and exciting advances in Alzheimer disease therapeutics, as well as the discontinuation of aducanumab, the first approved antiamyloid therapy. 

• Check out the full episode here: https://www.neurologylive.com/view/episode-113-lessons-learned-alzheimer-drug-development

Andy Berkowski, MD, PhD, vice chair of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's Practice Guidelines Task Force, discusses the newly revised guidelines for restless legs syndrome, including the latest updates in literature and changes to clinical care. 

• Check out the full episode here: https://www.neurologylive.com/view/episode-129-implications-2024-aasm-guidelines-restless-legs-syndrome

Sameea Husain-Wilson, DO, a movement disorder specialist at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute of Baptist Health, provided clinical perspective on the use of the Syn-One diagnostic test for patients with Parkinson disease.

• Check out the full episode here: https://www.neurologylive.com/view/episode-119-utilizing-the-syn-one-test-to-diagnose-parkinson-disease

Jonathan Parker, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic Arizona, spoke at the 2024 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting on cell therapy approaches for epilepsy, the challenges the clinical community faces, and the outlook for the future. 

• Check out the full episode here: https://www.neurologylive.com/view/episode-130-promise-behind-cell-therapy-approaches-epilepsy

Lawrence Robinson, MD, a senior scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute, gives insight on educating the next generation of neuromuscular and electrodiagnostic (EDX) practitioners, and the major differences in how this generation of medical students learn relative to previous ones. 

• Check out the full episode here: https://www.neurologylive.com/view/episode-127-adapting-neuromuscular-electrodiagnostic-medicine-education-modern-learners

Episode Breakdown:

1:05 – Ontaneda on the incorporation of new biomarkers into the 2024 McDonald Criteria for multiple sclerosis.

7:35 – Kremer on the lessons learned from drug development, including antiamyloid treatments, and initial reaction to the discontinuation of aducanumab for AD. 

10:30 – Berkowski on the outlook of treating and preventing restless legs syndrome going forward using the newly updated American Academy of Sleep Medicine treatment guidelines. 

13:10 – Husain-Wilson on the function of the Syn-One test for Parkinson disease, its applicability, and how it may distinguish patients with PD from other synucleinopathies.

18:40 – Parker on the promise and thought process behind stem cell approaches for drug-resistant epilepsy, including the different types of cell methods being tested. 

21:45 – Robinson on the distinct differences in learning styles based on generation, the importance of adaptive teaching, and the new approaches educators in neuromuscular and electrodiagnostic medicine can take. 

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, Jonathan Parker, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic Arizona, spoke about the emerging commotion around cell therapies as a way to treat patients with epilepsy. The discussion, which took place at the 2024 American Epilepsy Society (AES) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California, covers the thought process behind this approach and why it may hold greater advantages over other traditional surgeries that result in detrimental cognitive effects. Parker, director of the Device-Based Neuroelectronics Lab, spoke on the different types of cell therapies currently in development, the limitations and challenges associated with these medications, and the need to create innovative trials to appropriately test them. Furthermore, Parker spoke on the therapeutic pipeline of cell therapies for epilepsy, including his experience leading a study site for a first-in-human trial of an investigational agent NRTX-1001, a product derived from human pluripotent stem cells.

Episode Breakdown:

1:00 – Idea behind cell therapy to treat epilepsy

4:05 – Current state of stem cell therapies for neurological disorders, focusing on Parkinson disease, stroke, and epilepsy

8:05 – NTE001 study of NRTX-1001, an investigational human embryonic stem cell product

11:45 – Neurology News Minute

13:50 – Unanswered questions and safety concerns with cell therapies; challenges with clinical trial design and the need for more innovative trials

17:35 – Misconceptions or gaps in understanding about cell therapies for epilepsy

20:05 – Unique challenges and potential of stem cell therapies for epilepsy, particularly in younger patients; patient motivation and hope

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, Andy Berkowski, MD, PhD, founder of Relax Health, sat down to discuss the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's (AASM) recently published guideline update for the treatment of restless legs syndrome (RLS). Berkowski, who serves as a vice chair of the AASM's Practice Guidelines Task Force, provided clinical insight on the reasons behind the guidelines, pointing to the vast research advances and literature updates since its last iteration in 2012. Additionally, he touched on the greatest changes to the guidelines, noting things like the shift away from dopaminergic agents, the importance of iron in RLS pathophysiology, and the use of alpha-2-delta ligands and intravenous iron as first-line treatments. Berkowski also shared thoughts on how the guidelines impact care for patients of all ages, sexes, and RLS subtypes, as well as some of the more troubling parts of the guidelines to write and areas that were left unanswered. Furthermore, he gave his thoughts on how these guidelines will transform care going forward, including accelerating conversations on preventing RLS in many cases in the near future.

Episode Breakdown:

1:00 – Reasons behind new guidelines, progress in clinical research

2:50 – Overview of the greatest changes to the guidelines and what treating physicians should key in on

11:25 – Neurology News Minute

13:40 – How the guidelines address management based on age, sex, and RLS subtype

16:30 – Challenges when drafting the guidelines and the unanswered questions that remain

20:10 – A promising future for treating, managing, and preventing RLS

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, Lara Jehi, MD, MHCDS, an epilepsy specialist and Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Research and Information Officer, sat down to discuss a recently published study that explored using machine learning algorithms to predict seizure control after epilepsy surgery. In the interview, Jehi explained the unique aspects of the study design, emphasizing the importance of a large, well-characterized patient cohort with consistent follow-up and the choice of scalp EEG—a commonly used, non-invasive test in epilepsy care—as the data source. In addition, Jehi touched on the use of AutoML to streamline the process, enabling efficient identification of the top-performing algorithms and enhancing the model’s predictive accuracy. Furthermore, she spoke on the team needed to properly implement machine learning techniques for neurosurgery, while providing recommendations for other institutions interested in pursuing these types of approaches.

Episode Breakdown:

1:00 – Background on various machine learning approaches for epilepsy research

3:20 – Study details, findings, and notable takeaways

8:20 – Neurology News Minute

10:20 – Novelty in using scalp EEG and its global application

15:30 – Team personnel needed for proper implementation of machine learning techniques in epilepsy surgery

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, Lawrence Robinson, MD, a senior scientist at Sunnybrook Research Institute, sat down to discuss his presentation from the 2024 American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) annual meeting, focused on educating the next generation of neuromuscular and electrodiagnostic (EDX) practitioners. Robinson gave an overview of his presentation, why this was a topic of interest, and the major differences in how this generation of medical students learn relative to previous ones. In addition, he discussed adapting to new learning styles, the benefits of flipped classrooms, and the impact of technology on education and practice. Furthermore, he touched upon the personal connections and humor in teaching, as well as ways to improve critical evaluation skills as a learner.

Episode Breakdown:

1:05 – Overviewing and background on AANEM presentation

3:15 – Challenges with educating next generation of neuromuscular and EDX practitioners

4:40 – Areas of opportunity and growth for these next generation learners

5:50 – Neurology News Minute

8:00 – Novelty and advantages of flipped classroom approaches to teaching

10:10 – Future expected changes to neuromuscular care

11:55 – Final thoughts on care on NM and EDX education

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to this special episode of the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice. For major FDA decisions in the field of neurology, we release short special episodes to offer a snapshot of the news, including the main takeaways for the clinical community, as well as highlights of the efficacy and safety profile of the agent in question.

In this episode, we cover the recent approval of Avadel's sodium oxybate formulation (Lumryz) as a treatment for pediatric patients with narcolepsy aged 7 years and older. The new indication expands on its previous one, granted in May 2023, which included the the treatment of cataplexy or excessive daytime sleepiness in adults with narcolepsy. It's initial approval was based on data from the phase 3 REST-ON trial (NCT02720744), a large-scale study in which the therapy met all 3 of its primary end points of change from baseline in mean sleep latency on the Maintenance of Wakefulness test, Clinical Global Impression Improvement, and weekly cataplexy attacks. Following its new indication, NeurologyLive sat down with Anne Marie Morse, DO, FAASM, a pediatric sleep disorders expert, to discuss the significance of the new approval. Morse, director of Child Neurology and Pediatric Sleep Medicine at Geisinger Janet Weis Children's Hospital as well as the program director for Child Neurology Residency Program, provided commentary on the clinical considerations behind this once-nightly formulation of sodium oxybate, and how it should be used going forward.

For more of NeurologyLive's coverage of sodium oxybate's (Lumryz) expanded indication, head here: FDA Approves Avadel's Sodium Oxybate for Cataplexy or Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Pedatric Narcolepsy

Episode Breakdown:

2:10 – Immediate reaction and significance 

4:10 – Considerations and caution with prescribing sodium oxybate

8:20 – Closing remarks and the need to utilize highly effective treatments for narcolepsy

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive Mind Moments podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, Daniel Claaseen, MD, MS, a professor of neurology and chief of the Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, offered his insight on phase 1/2 data that was recently presented at the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) Congress on ATH434, an investigational drug in development from Alterity Therapeutics for multiple system atrophy (MSA). He dove into the therapy's mechanism of action and the currently known safety profile and considerations for its use, as well as the next steps in advancing care for patients with MSA as a whole.

Episode Breakdown:

1:10 – Overviewing the conduct of the phase 1/2 studies

3:00 – Notable findings from data presented at MDS

4:30 – Mechanism of action behind ATH434

8:20 – Neurology News Minute

10:20 – Next steps in ATH434's development

11:15 – Current unmet needs for patients with MSA

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, Daniel Ontaneda, MD, PhD, a staff member of the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis, provided an in-depth overview on the newly announced McDonald criteria to diagnose multiple sclerosis (MS). Ontaneda, who also serves as an assistant professor of neurology, discussed the most notable changes to the criteria and how it may help towards improving rates of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. He spoke on the incorporation of new biomarkers, such as central vein sign and paramagnetic rim lesions, and the ability to diagnose MS in stages before clinical presentation shows. Furthermore, Ontaneda gave some perspective on the areas of the new criteria that will take some time to adjust to, as well as how these criteria may change the philosophical perspective of the disease as a whole. 

Episode Breakdown:

1:10 – Focus and direction of new diagnostic criteria

3:00 – Overviewing specific changes to McDonald criteria

10:50 – Approach to diagnosing pre-MS; treating radiologically isolated syndrome earlier

12:55 – Neurology News Minute

15:10 – Incorporation of new biomarkers, central vein sign, paramagnetic rim lesions, OCT

21:45 – Unanswered questions/challenges left out of the diagnostic criteria

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, Joanne Donovan, MD, PhD, chief medical officer at Edgewise Therapeutics, sat down to discuss the clinical program of EDG-5506, an investigational drug in development for Becker muscular dystrophy, and the recent progress in treating and understanding Becker muscular dystrophy. She spoke on the mechanism of action of the drug, also known as sevasemten, and why the company believes it can be therapeutically beneficial for this patient population. Furthermore, Donovan spoke on the previous failures in drug development for Becker, advances in biomarker detection, and how other trials paved the way for the company's phase 2 study and open label extension, dubbed CANYON (NCT05291091) and GRAND CANYON. Furthermore, she spoke on the ways the clinical community has tried to improve the quality of life for patients with Becker, focusing on approaches and tactics that curve cardiac issues commonly seen in this group. 

Episode Breakdown:

1:15 – Overview of CANYON study and extension phase 

3:50 – Mechanism of action of EDG-5506

6:30 – How previous trial experiences shaped CANYON 

10:10 – Neurology News Minute

11:50 – Ongoing challenges with treating and testing drugs for Becker

15:25 – Safety profile of EDG-5506

16:45 – Ways to tackle cardiac issues in Becker

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.