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Neurological diseases have a very different frequency. Neurological practice and brain research need to have this in mind. The global burden of disease study has shown that neurologic diseases are the leading cause group of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of all medical disease groups in 2015 with 10.2% of global DALYs. Table 1 shows the age-standardized rates of DALYs, deaths and the prevalence of the different neurologic diseases.1 In this schematic rare neurological diseases are mostly covered within the category ‘other neurological diseases’. The prevalence cannot be estimated based on the available data. However, the number of existing rare neurological diseases is very large. The current website of the NIH lists 1244 neurologic rare diseases which is the largest number among all rare disease groups and covers approximately 60% of rare diseases.2 These more than 1200 diseases produce more than 0.9% of the neurological DALYs world-wide which seems at first glance to be relatively small.

For February 2018, we have selected: Feneberg E, Oeckl P, Steinacker P, et al. Multicenter evaluation of neurofilaments in early symptom onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurology 2018;90:e22-30. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000004761. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurological disorder affecting motor neurons. The course of the disease is progressive with life span of 3 to 5 years from the onset of the symptoms.

Kyrgyzstan is a Central Asia country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, landlocked and extremely mountainous with almost 90% of its territory being 1500 m above sea level. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek.

by Prof. Victor Oliveira, University of Lisboa, Portugal – Member of the Local Organising Committee for the 4th EAN Congress in Lisbon, Portugal Egas Moniz (1874-1955) was a Portuguese neurologist whose name is associated to the invention of angiography and… Continue Reading

For January 2018, we have selected: Mendell JR, Al-Zaidy S, Shell R, et al. Single-dose gene-replacement therapy for spinal muscular atrophy. NEJM 2017;377:1713-1722. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by loss or dysfunction of the gene encoding survival motor neuron 1 protein (SMN1). Disease severity is also influenced by a second gene, SMN2, which can produce smaller amounts of this protein.

David B. Vodušek (DBV): When looking back at your long and varied career, can you tell us what was crucial for you to choose neurology as your specialty, and headache as your primary research field of interest?  Jes Olesen (JO): Already as a medical student, I was interested in neurology. I thought at that time – and I still think so today – that the brain is by far the most interesting organ in a human being.

The past year has been a good year for neurology. With the major progress for neurological treatments and the aging of the population, neurology is becoming one of the key disciplines of medicine. Its organized bodies like the World Federation of Neurology, the regional societies in America, Asia and Europe as well as the specialty societies for stroke, movement disorders, dementia, multiple sclerosis and many other diseases are becoming the key drivers of this development.

The French Republic was born in 1793, fruit of a long and tormented political history. France is a constitutional republic with a semi presidential regimen, and it has around 67 million people. The French national statement is “to govern the nation, by the nation and for the nation”, which fits well with our motto: “liberté, égalité, fraternité”. The capital is Paris, and the official language is French. Paris and the French Riviera are both high touristic places.

For December 2017, we have selected: Dwivedi R, Ramanujam B, Chandra PS, et al. Surgery for drug-resistant epilepsy in children. NEJM 2017;377:1639-1647. Drug-resistant epilepsy can be particularly devastating in children due to the heavy impact on psychosocial aspects and quality of life of these little patients and their family.

It is not new that human disease is imposing a burden on the sufferers and a challenge for the physician. While neurologists are having the privilege being physicians and have the single patient in our focus of attention, health economists take a different view. Their thinking is focusing on the burden of disease for the society and its economic implications. They look at the costs of disease in different terms. The classical measures for the burden of disease are the costs in terms of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) which are defined as the sum of years of life lost due to the disease (YLLs) and years lived with the disease (YLDs) accounting for reduced life time with good quality of life due to the disability. Another important measure is the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) reflecting economic and educational development. There is big science behind all these calculations which I will not go into detail here.

Situated at the north-eastern end of the Mediterranean basin, Cyprus is the third largest island in the region, with an area of 9,251 square kilometers (3,572 square miles). Cyprus is a small island with a long history and a rich culture that spans 10,000 years, making it one of the oldest civilizations in the Mediterranean area. Situated at the crossroads of three continents - Europe, Asia and Africa - the island’s unique geographic position has played an important part in its turbulent past since antiquity. The island was divided in 1974 following the Turkish invasion.

For November 2017, we have selected: Mittal S, Bjørnevik K, Im DS, et al. ß2-Adrenoreceptor is a regulator of the α-synuclein gene driving risk of Parkinson’s disease. Science 2017;140:2295-2305. Disturbed proteostasis of α-synuclein is now thought to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Physiological functions of this protein include synaptic transport as well as involvement in the metabolism of membrane phospholipids, and in the differentiation and survival of dopaminergic neurons.

Belgium occupies a central position in Western Europe, bordered by France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and the North Sea. Densely populated since ancient times, its inhabitants were famously dubbed by Caesar as “the strongest of the Gauls” (Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae). In the Middle Ages this geographical area was occupied by independent fiefdoms which were later united with the northern Dutch provinces by the Dukes of Burgundy; together, they were called “The Low Countries”

Prof. Gunhild Waldemar (GW): Geriatric medicine has become very important in our fast ageing European population.I invite you to introduce the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society – EUGMS of which you are the president to the EANpages readership. Can you please explain to the readers of the EAN Pages what the EUGMS stands for and what its objectives and aims are? Prof. Stefania Maggi (SM): The European Union Geriatric Medicine Society, EUGMS, is the collaborating and co-ordinating organisation of the national geriatric medical societies of the European Union member states, but also includes Norway, Switzerland and Iceland. The EUGMS’ mission is to develop geriatric medicine in all member states as a recognised independent medical specialty, contributing to the care of all older people with age related diseases.

For October 2017, we have selected: Andersen G, Hedermann G, Witting N, Duno M, Andersen H, Vissing J. The antimyotonic effect of lamotrigine in non-dystrophic myotonias: a double-blind randomized study. Brain 2017;140:2295-2305. Patients with myotonia congenita and paramyotonia congenita can be disabled by the myotonic phenomenon in the activities of daily living, with a huge impact on their quality of life.