Neurology: Disease Deep Dive

Elyse Perweiler, RN, MPP, Professor, Rowan–Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, and Tim MacLeod, PhD, Program Director, Healthcare System Preparedness Program, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC), Toronto, Ontario, Canada, examine how health systems can operationalize early cognitive screening to better prepare patients for specialty evaluation. Learn how standardized workflows, digital cognitive tools, and primary care–neurology collaboration can enhance diagnostic efficiency and access to Alzheimer disease care.

This episode explores new evidence showing that paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) are highly prevalent early in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can differentiate MS from mimics with striking accuracy. Dr. Daniel Ontaneda, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, and Dr. Pascal Sati, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,  Los Angeles, CA, discuss how PRLs, paired with optimized susceptibility-based MRI, are reshaping diagnostic confidence and informing the latest revisions to the McDonald criteria.

Patrick Y. Wen, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, discusses current standards of care for low- and high-grade gliomas, including the importance of comprehensive molecular testing, the World Health Organization classification of tumors of the central nervous system, and newly available therapies.

Hope O’Brien, MD, MBA, FAHS, FAAN, Founder and CEO of the Headache Center of Hope, Cincinnati, OH, discusses challenges and considerations for adult headache neurologists who are onboarding adolescent patients as they transition from pediatric practice. Dr. O’Brien highlights a framework with strategies for a seamless transition, while noting best practices for promoting patient autonomy and mental wellbeing.

Merit Cudkowicz, MD, Julieanne Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, discusses the evolving landscape of treatment for ALS, including FDA-approved disease-modifying therapies, the importance of genetic testing, the emergence of gene therapies, and the promising clinical trial pipeline targeting genetic and sporadic forms of ALS.