Practical Neurology Podcast

As with any Darwinian subject, neurology is under constant evolution. This podcast for the April 2026 issue of Practical Neurology has co-editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller taking a look at some intriguing specimens from the neurological field. Populating the menagerie for this episode are the "reversed clock phenomenon", a new study on brain problems in retired sportspersons, a practice guide for biosimilar drugs, and a look at...

What unsuspecting dangers lie within a garden compost bin? The Case Reports team are back to uncover a new pair of neurological mysteries.

The first case this episode (1:24) comes from Edinburgh, centred on an 88-yo woman who presents with headache and eye-pain on her right side. She receives an early diagnosis of migraine, but returns a few weeks later with intermittent vomiting and subsequent progressive visual loss.

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Many patients will affirm seeing clouds shaped like animals or other similar phenomena, which is why confirming pareidolia (seeing meaningful images in meaningless visual stimuli) is such a tricky symptom in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). While it may not be exclusive to DLB, placing such symptoms in the context of "the company it keeps" is a key method to narrowing down the diagnosis. The Editors' Choice paper for the February 2...

When a patient says, "I biffed the car," how should that be translated? Puzzles like this represent the gap between description and diagnosis, and are a critical part of neurological practice. In this podcast for the February 2026 issue of Practical Neurology, editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller take turns decoding some of the mysteries of everyday neurology. They cover dementia with Lewy bodies, osteoporosis and fracture risk, a...

Eye pain can be a source of serious concern for patients, bringing worries about their eyesight. While uveitis is far from the only source of ocular pain, in many presentations of the condition it is a feature. In this Editors' Choice podcast, ophthalmic surgeon Mr. Harry Petrushkin¹ ² and neurologist Dr. Ruth Dubson³ join forces to explain a comprehensive approach to uveitis treatment. Host Dr. Amy Ross Russell leads the way throu...

Another set of intriguing cases from the latest issue of the journal, pored over by the Case Reports team. 

In the first case, a 24-yo man presents acutely with reduced consciousness, following 3 days of right-sided headache. His mother reports sudden behavioural changes with jerky movements and enlarged pupils. He is agitated, not obeying commands and not moving his left-side limbs. He had a history of autism and vascular Ehlers-D...

Neurology requires some detective work at times, and identifying the patterns of symptoms associated with drug misuse can be a tricky mystery indeed. For this episode, we're receiving a masterclass from Dr. Robin Howard¹ on the wide variety of drugs that bring patients into hospital, as well as the mechanisms they act on. His paper "Neurological aspects of drug misuse" is the Editors' Choice for the October 2025 issue, and he joins...

Who do we need to scan? Behind the constant considerations of irradiation risk and resource usage, there is nuance to be found. Parkinson's disease - being a clinical diagnosis - doesn't suggest a need for imaging, yet one case in this issue argues that should not be an absolute rule. Another paper brings in the context of a specific patient: does one man really need 50 CT scans in his life? There's also an unboxing of uveitis, dia...

Two new cases from the latest issue of the journal present the podcast team with some rare explanations, and a chance to test yourself on food trivia.  

In the first case (1:18), from Malaysia, a 49-yo left-handed woman develops 10 days of recurrent left-sided focal facial seizures. These seizures progressed to epilepsia partialis continua, which is controlled with some difficulty by employing a broad range of six different anti-se...

Another packed episode for this month's issue of the journal. There's a special emphasis on case reports this time, showing their value as a way to understand the rarely encountered. For the more common conditions there are guidelines, and the editors give you an introduction to the new ABN guidelines on myasthenia gravis, as a preview to an upcoming full episode on the topic. There's a birder's take on the use of EEG for status ep...

The wonders of the animal kingdom make an absorbing reappearance this episode, so grab your scuba mask before listening - or your chef’s hat.

The first case this month is the kind that even an experienced neurologist would be nervous to encounter (1:35). A holidaymaker in his sixties presents to the emergency department with vomiting, dizziness, and an inability to walk, amongst several other symptoms. A...

"This is a disorder that you don't want to miss", says Prof. Jon Stone¹, describing the condition at the heart of this episode, alongside co-author Dr. Huw Green². Their paper "Health anxiety in a neurological setting" is the subject of the Editors' Choice podcast for the August 2025 issue, hosted by Dr. Amy Ross Russell. They cover the assumptions to avoid, the problematic pattern of patient reassurance and return, effective treat...

Simplification is everything - that's the message for the latest issue of the journal. Assisted by a cast of characters including Albert Einstein and deep sea sponges, your editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller take on topics from hyponatraemia to health anxiety. You'll also find bread and butter epileptology, somatosensory evoked potentials, creatine kinase, and a guide for exploring the hinterlands of essential tremor.

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In the latest bonus podcast, the practical use of intravenous immunoglobulin is discussed with perspectives from three continents.

Participants:

• Professor Alasdair Coles is Head of Department for Clinical Neuroscience and also Co-Director of the Cambridge Centre for Myelin Repair, UK.
• Dr. Lynette Kiers is a Clinical Associate Professor at The University of Melbourne, and Director of Clinical Neurophysiology at the Royal Melbou...

Gastric sleeve surgery is the key feature of a pair of recent cases from the journal, which start this episode (1:17). Both cases feature 25-yo women with presentations in common: paraesthesia and limb weakness, along with disordered eye movement. Their symptoms arose soon after the gastrectomy operation.  https://pn.bmj.com/content/25/3/268 

The second report is a "true grey case" (22:14), with a myriad of presenting symptoms in a...

A neuroinflammatory disorder with the potential to affect virtually any organ in the body, IgG4-related disease is a challenge on many fronts. The latest Editors' Choice paper in the June 2025 issue takes on this systemic disease, presenting a treatment algorithm for its management. This episode, PN's podcast editor Dr. Amy Ross Russell speaks with author Dr. Claire Rice. Hear an overview on the disease background, the signs in pre...

This episode’s theme is new diseases, whether they are newly described, or old diseases back in a new form. We start off with IgG4-related disease, a chronic multisystem disorder that is still being understood. Then there is a genetics paper on repeat expansion disorders, a group of conditions often thought as disparate but with quite a few commonalities. Next along is a fascinating case following gastric sleeve baria...

Two wide open cases from the latest issue of the journal. Starting with a case from Italy (1:18), of a 63-yo man having a history of behavioural and cognitive problems since retiring. His many changes included low mood, significant weight loss, and problems with sleep and temperature regulation. He had a background of type 2 diabetes. Initial treatment was on a suspicion of Alzheimer's, but there was no clinical improvement. https:...