

Practical Neurology Podcast
BMJ Group
The Practical Neurology Podcast is the essential guide for the everyday life of all neurologists. Just like our journal Practical Neurology, this podcast is useful for everyone who sees neurological patients and who wants to keep up-to-date and safe in managing them. In other words, this is a podcast for jobbing neurologists who plough through the tension headaches and funny turns week in and week out.
Subscribe to enjoy deep dives into each journal issue with editors Prof. Philip Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, discussions on recent case reports with Prof. Martin Turner, and Editor’s Choice article discussions between authors and Dr. Amy Ross Russell.
Practical Neurology - pn.bmj.com - is included as part of a subscription to JNNP and provided in print to all members of the Association of British Neurologists.
Subscribe to enjoy deep dives into each journal issue with editors Prof. Philip Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, discussions on recent case reports with Prof. Martin Turner, and Editor’s Choice article discussions between authors and Dr. Amy Ross Russell.
Practical Neurology - pn.bmj.com - is included as part of a subscription to JNNP and provided in print to all members of the Association of British Neurologists.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 16, 2024 • 43min
Making the most of electroencephalography, with Dr. Nick Kane
Neurophysiologists may "lock ourselves away in rooms looking at screens with wiggly lines on", but what are the applications in a clinical context for electroencephalography (EEG)?
In this deep-dive episode, podcast editor Dr. Amy Ross Russell is joined by Dr. Nick Kane (1), an author of the Editors' Choice for the Feb 2024 issue, "Electroencephalography in encephalopathy and encephalitis". They discuss the strategy of serial EEGs in epilepsy diagnosis, neuroinflammation in both autoimmune and COVID19 cases, prognostication for coma patients, and how automated AI systems may be integrated into ICU monitoring.
Further reading:
Tveit J, Aurlien H, Plis S, et al. Automated Interpretation of Clinical Electroencephalograms Using Artificial Intelligence. JAMA Neurol. 2023;80(8):805–812.
L.J.W. Canham et al. Electroencephalographic (EEG) features of encephalopathy in the setting of Covid-19: a case series. Clin Neurophysiol Pract (2020)
(1) Grey Walter Dept of Clinical Neurophysiology, North Bristol NHS Trust, Westbury on Trym, UK
Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.
The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

Jan 23, 2024 • 42min
Gait analysis, CBT, and neurology book clubs - Editors’ Highlights February 2024
Topics include EEG for encephalopathies, integrating CBT in neurology, gait analysis in neurological diseases, impact of rising temperatures on the brain, and the benefits of medical department book clubs.

Jan 12, 2024 • 40min
Periocular pain, and sciatic nerve thickening - Case Reports
In the first case this episode, a 69-yo woman has developed severe pain around her right eye with blurring to the vision on that side (1:08), which prompts use of a "rediscovered" treatment technique by the ophthalmology department - (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/6/527).
The second case (15:23) is that of a 45-yo man with progressive pain in his lower limbs, hyperaesthesia and then weakness, who was initially diagnosed with meralgia paraesthetica by tele-medicine examination - (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/6/516).
The case reports discussion is hosted by Prof. Martin Turner (1), who is joined by Dr. Ruth Wood (2) and Dr. Xin You Tai (3), for a group examination of the features of each presentation, followed by a step-by-step walkthrough of how the diagnosis was made. These case reports and many others can be found in the December 2023 issue of the journal.
(1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital.
(2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex.
(3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital.
Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.
The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

Dec 29, 2023 • 26min
Artificial intelligence for neurologists, with Prof. James Teo
With artificial intelligence (AI) being declared the solution to many of the challenges faced in our personal and professional lives, Prof. James Teo (1) joins the podcast to set us straight on where AI tools fit into neurological practice. This discussion follows the publication of the December 2023 Editors' Choice paper, "Artificial intelligence (AI) for neurologists: do digital neurones dream of electric sheep?" (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/6/476)
(1) Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.
The PN Editors' Choice podcast is hosted by Dr. Amy Ross Russell, and produced and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.

Dec 1, 2023 • 24min
Climate change and the brain, with Prof. Sanjay Sisodiya
In this extra episode of the PN podcast, recorded to coincide with the COP28 summit, podcast editor Dr. Amy Ross-Russell (1) speaks to Prof. Sanjay Sisodiya (2) about his paper, "The hot brain: Practical climate change advice for neurologists". They discuss the role that neurologists have to play in treating and guiding patients as they find themselves exposed to shifts in their habitual climate.
Read the paper: https://pn.bmj.com/content/early/2023/11/10/pn-2023-003777
(1) Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK
(2) Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.
The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.
Thank you for listening.

Nov 24, 2023 • 46min
Editors’ Highlights of the December 2023 issue
Practical Neurology Editors Phil Smith and Geraint Fuller talk you through the highlights of the December 2023 issue of the journal - https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/6/461
Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3vVPClm) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/4baxjsQ). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.
The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.
Thank you for listening.

Nov 14, 2023 • 40min
Case Reports: Right side weakness, and progressive confusion
Prof. Martin Turner hosts Dr. Ruth Wood and Dr. Xin You Tai as they discuss two intriguing case reports. The first case involves a rare condition misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis. The second case examines a woman's progressive confusion and gait difficulty alongside schizophrenia. The podcast delves into the diagnostic challenges and potential causes for both cases, including leukodystrophies and neuroleptic malignant syndrome. It also explores the implications of Alexander's disease and the possibility of sarcoidosis and cryptococcal infection.

Oct 25, 2023 • 37min
Behçet’s syndrome, with Dr. Desmond Kidd
Dr. Amy Ross Russell (1) is joined by Dr. Desmond Kidd (2) to discuss the paper “Neurological involvement by Behçet’s syndrome: clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and outcome”.
Read this latest Editor’s Choice paper on the Practical Neurology website (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/5/386) and the October print issue of the journal. The paper is also discussed by the Practical Neurology editors, Dr. Phil Smith and Dr. Geraint Fuller, in their latest podcast: https://pnbmj.podbean.com/e/editors-highlights-of-the-october-2023-issue/
(1) Neurology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK
(2) Behçet's Syndrome Centre of Excellence, The Royal London Hospital, London, UK (https://www.behcets.nhs.uk)
Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053).
The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.
Thank you for listening.

Oct 2, 2023 • 42min
Editors’ Highlights of the October 2023 issue
Learn the value of case reports in neurology and explore specific examples. Discover the challenges in diagnosing intracerebral abscesses and Bechet's Syndrome. Explore the benefits of the 135 teaching innovation and the clinical assessment of parietal lobe function. Dive into the study of genomics and its relevance to neurology.

Sep 12, 2023 • 33min
Case Reports: Slurring of speech, and swimming with Parkinson’s
In the third episode of this new series of the Practical Neurology podcast, Prof. Martin Turner (1) hosts Dr. Ruth Wood (2) and Dr. Xin You Tai (3) in a discussion of two Case Reports from the latest issue of the Practical Neurology journal. The first case (0:36) is one of a 78-yo man with variable slurring speech and swallowing difficulties - "Bilateral hypertrophic olivary degeneration in symptomatic palatal tremor" (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/4/346). The second case (19:21) is a first-person report from the "Me and My Neurological Illness" section, with a 56-yo man living with Parkinson's getting into difficulty while swimming in open water - "Near-drowning in Parkinson’s disease: common or uncommon?" (https://pn.bmj.com/content/23/4/354).
(1) Professor of Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and Consultant Neurologist at John Radcliffe Hospital.
(2) Neurology Registrar, University Hospitals Sussex.
(3) Clinical Academic Fellow, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, and Neurology Specialty registrar, Oxford University Hospital.
Please subscribe to the Practical Neurology podcast via all podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify, to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the Practical Neurology Podcast iTunes page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pn-podcast/id942932053). We'd love to hear your feedback on social media - @PracticalNeurol.
The PN podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole. Thank you for listening.