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Dr. Elena Moro, a young neurologist with multi-national and multi-continental training and experience, will be the new EDITOR-IN-CHIEF of Neuropenews. With the help and enthusiasm of Dr. Tim von Oertzen, the web-Editor, they will shortly propose a brand new web journal of our Academy, to the European Neurology community.

The first paper that I would like to point out to Neuropenews readers concerns a neurological syndrome that often I have personally disregarded, or linked to similar “foggy” presentations such as the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Serra J, Collado A, Solà R et al, have published in ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, 12 february 2014, Vol 75, Issue 2, pages 196-208, a paper “Hyperexcitable C nociceptors in fibromyalgia” that initially escaped my attention (it was published one year ago) and that indicates how in fibromyalgia there is more than many neurologists (at least myself) previously thought.

Top 10 Articles 2012 from keywords: Neurology, Neurological Sciences, Ageing and Dementia, Cerebroascular diseases/ Stroke, Clinical Neurophysiology, Cognitive neurology/neuropsychology, Critical care, Epilepsy, Headache and Pain, Infections & AIDS, Motorneurone diseases, Movement Disorders, Multiple sclerosis and Related Disorders, Muscle and neuromuscular… Continue Reading

Gian Luigi Lenzi (GLL): How do you see the role of patient and carers organisations in society, and, specifically, Alzheimer Europe? Jean Georges (JG): Most Alzheimer associations were initially set up for three principal reasons: to provide information on Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, to provide support to people with dementia and their carers and to raise the awareness of the general public. Since the early days of the Alzheimer movement, some associations have taken on additional tasks such as lobbying governments for a greater recognition of dementia as a public health priority or funding dementia research.

The first paper that we like to indicate to the Neuropenews readers is “The paraventricular thalamus controls a central amygdala fear circuit”, published online in Nature on January 19, 2015. The authors are: Mario Penzo, Vincent Robert, Jason Tucciarone, Dimitri De Bundel, Minghui Wang, Linda Van Aelst, Martin Darvas, Luis Parada, Richard Palmiter, Miao He, Z. Josh Huang, and Bo Li. The paper can be obtained online here.

by Jan Kuks The European Academy of Neurology facilitates collaboration in fields of science, health care and education within Neurope. On the other hand, the Section of Neurology (European Board of Neurology, EBN), being part of the Union of European… Continue Reading

Neuropenews (NN) has as one of its constant features a Section, named “TOP 10”, with the list of the 10 most cited papers in the neurological literature over the preceding two (full) years, i.e. for the NN 2014 Issues, the publication years 2012 and 2013.

The first paper that I would like to point out to Neuropenews readers has attracted my attention because it concerns the impact of a “black-box” warning on the behaviour of a general and/or selected population. The paper has been published on the 30 October issue of the New England J of Medicine, by Richard A. Friedmanm (NEJM, 2014; 371;1666-1668): “Antidepressant’s Black-Box Warning – 10 years later”. The rate or suicidal thinking or suicidal behaviour was 4% in the treated cohort, in comparison to 2% in the placebo arm. Something to think about.

he number of patients with neurological diseases will rapidly increase in Europe during the next 50 years. For some of the neurological diseases even a doubling of the numbers of patients is expected. Therefore more neurologists are needed. One of the most important tasks of the EAN is to support all attempts to increase the attractiveness of neurology as a profession and to improve teaching for students, trainees and residents in our field.

Following a “golden century” that had started with Moritz Heinrich Romberg in 1832 (see the previous chapters of this series) German neurology entered its dark age in 1933. Legislation implemented by the “Nazi“ party banned many Jewish fellow citizens including physicians from their professions and from using their possessions.

The first paper that I would like to point out to Neuropenews readers has attracted my attention because it concerns a very general therapeutical and social problem, that is the costs of drugs, and the choice between a “brand” drug and its “generic” counterpart. It is a “perspective” paper, published on the 13 November issue of the New England J of Medicine, by Jonathan D. Alpers, William M. Stauffer & Aaron S. Kesselheim ( NEJM, 2014; 371;1859-1862) : “High-Cost Generic Drugs – Implications for Patients and Policymakers”. This paper refers mainly to USA and FDA problems and initiatives. However, I feel deeply in my gut that these problems will pretty soon affect European countries too.

The Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine for 2014 has been awarded to three neuroscientists; John O’Keefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard I. Moser.  They have received the prize for their discoveries of cells that constitute a positioning system in the brain. May-Britt and Edvard Moser is a young, married couple from Trondheim, Norway, that during the last decade has published a series of Science and Nature papers on the grid cells in the entorhinal cortex of the brain. They show how the brain creates a map of the space surrounding us and how we can navigate through a complex environment by using these cells.

Gian Luigi Lenzi (GLL): As Chair of the Liaison Committee, can you illustrate the role you give to EAN within the community of European neurologists? David Vodušek (DV): We Europeans have become accustomed to “European institutions”. Although – related to… Continue Reading

The first paper that I would like to point out to Neuropenews readers has been published in a very “peripheral” Journal, such as Missouri Medicine, at least in respect to European Neurology. However, the paper “Beta blocker eye drops for treatment of acute migraine”, by Migliazzo CV, and JC Hagan, Missouri Medicine, 111, 2014, 283-288 has been highly “tagged” by neurologists. Seven cases of acute migraine patients, successfully treated with beta blocker eye drops are reported.

The Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award is one of the most important medical awards and goes this year to Mahlong R. Delong, Atlanta, USA and Alim Benabid, Grenoble, France for the ‘development of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS), a surgical technique that reduces tremors and restores motor function in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease’.