NeurologyLive® Year in Review 2023: Most-Read Features

Throughout the course of the year, the NeurologyLive^® team and a number of clinician and physician partners put together feature-length, in-depth articles that encapsulate the topics and themes that have driven the conversations in the field of neurology in 2023.

From a review of the ongoing shortage of physicians to an overview of the achievements that the field has experienced, these stories offer insight from a variety of experts in neurology. Featuring commentary and perspectives from those involved in clinical care, advocacy, and industry, these pieces were crafted to provide a deeper look into some of the ongoing discussions, problems, and controversies that have, in part, dominated this year. These pieces were authored not only by staff members of NeurologyLive^® but physicians who experience these discussions first-hand.

Here, we'll highlight the most-read features on NeurologyLive^® this year. Click the buttons to read further into these conversations.

1. Alzheimer Disease Pipeline Update: Inside Look at Promising Agents

To parallel the ongoing coverage and data presentations at the 2023 Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC), held July 16 to 20, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, NeurologyLive® conducted a pipeline overview of some of the notable agents currently in development. The team focused in on a few main therapuetic groups, with provided commentary from leaders in the field.

2. Understanding the Widespread Impacts of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Teleneurology Program

The need for an effective and sustainable teleneurology program becomes even more critical because of the landscape of some parts of the US Midwest. Recently, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center implemented a telehealth program focused on neurology care that aims to improve patient outcomes at rural locations across the state, becoming one of the few health systems in Ohio to do so.

3. Leading by Example: How the University of Rochester’s Neuropalliative Care Service Expands Treatment Possibilities

At the University of Rochester, one of the core aspects of the neuropalliative care service is treating the total pain of illness—meaning not just the physical and mental symptoms, but also the psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of what a patient and their family are going through. The faculty is comprised of several different subspecialties, including those who work as administrators, community and patient advocates, and registered nurses.

4. A New World: Digitally Assessing Cognitive Decline and Innovating the Clock Drawing Test

Most patients presenting with cognitive decline are first seen by primary care physicians, then by neurologists. In today’s age, with the rising number of AD cases and the lack of neurologists to treat, clinicians have begun to lean on the digital assessments at their disposal, one of them being the DCTclock. The DCTclock is part of Linus Health’s digital cognitive assessment platform, which has ties back to the original clock drawing test developed in the early 1900s.

5. Medical Gaslighting: Multiple Sclerosis’ Dirty Little Secret?

The term gaslighting comes from the 1938 play-turned-film Gaslight, which tells of a husband’s manipulative attempts to drive his wife insane so he can commit her to a mental institution and steal her inheritance. During the 1960s, the word began to appear in psychological literature to describe emotional abuse in intimate relationships. Recently, the phenomenon of gaslighting has been attracting attention in the general public.

6. Let’s Get Moving: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Gait Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis

Regular aerobic and resistance training have been shown to increase cardiorespiratory fitness, enhance muscle strength and endurance, reduce fatigue, improve mood, and boost ability to perform daily tasks.1 Therefore, a large body of research within the field of multiple sclerosis (MS) aims to understand how exercise impacts overall brain health and progression of the disease

7. Read All About It: How On-Demand Therapy Has Changed the PD Landscape

Parkinson Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration leads to motor symptoms of bradykinesia, rigidity, and rest tremor. Recently, on-demand therapies have emerged to acutely treat an OFF episode. These therapies can be used as needed and have more rapid onset of benefit by avoiding GI route of absorption.

8. ChatGPT: A Promising Tool to Combat Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly the development of conversational AI tools such as ChatGPT, have demonstrated promising potential in addressing these issues. Here, we will explore the role of ChatGPT in mitigating social isolation and loneliness among older adults with MCI, highlighting its benefits and the need for further research in this area.

9. Digital Health Tool Offers Innovative Quantitative Fall Assessment Solution for Older Adults

Research has revealed that better visual-somatosensory multisensory integration performance, reflected as faster reaction time to multisensory over unisensory events, is associated with better balance, faster gait, and decreased history of falls, as well as decreased risk of future falls. Moreover, visual-somatosensory integration performance in aging has also been linked to important cognitive outcomes, specifically attention and executive functioning processes.

10. AI-Powered Patient Advocacy: Amplifying Health Care Voices

Numerous opportunities exist within medicine for artificial intelligence (AI) to assist and support in a field so heavily overburdened. AI can help triage patients in an emergency department or help with contact tracing during a pandemic or epidemic. Models can be employed to aid in drug dosage optimization, such as in patients with renal impairments. Deep learning models can be utilized in early disease detection, such as identifying early signs of heart failure.