neurology - Page 1 | CARLAT PUBLISHING

Expert Q&A

Akathisia: Manifestations and Treatment

January 1, 2025

Michael Poyurovsky, MD

Associate professor, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.

Dr. Poyurovsky has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Dr. Poyurovsky offers practical guidance for identifying and treating akathisia, a movement disorder marked by inner restlessness. He highlights the importance of psychoeducation, gradual dose adjustments, and the use of propranolol or low-dose mirtazapine for relief. He underscores the importance of distinguishing akathisia from other conditions, like psychotic agitation, to avoid unnecessary increases in antipsychotic doses.

Expert Q&A

Fundamentals of Functional Neurological Disorder

January 1, 2025

Gabriela S. Gilmour, MD, FRCPC

Gabriela S. Gilmour, MD, FRCPC

Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Dr. Gilmour has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Dr. Gabriela Gilmour offers practical insights into diagnosing and managing functional neurologic disorder (FND) and recommends retiring the term "conversion disorder." She emphasizes that FND is no longer a diagnosis of exclusion, thanks to improved diagnostic tools, and stresses that accurate identification is essential to avoid unnecessary treatments.

CLINICAL UPDATE

Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures

January 2, 2023

Susie Morris, MD.

Susie Morris, MD, MA. Assistant professor of psychiatry and forensic psychiatrist, UCLA. Los Angeles, CA.

Dr. Morris has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Your patient experiences frequent episodes of falling to the floor and shaking for several minutes, but extensive neurologic work-ups find no evidence of epilepsy. Might your patient have psychogenic nonepileptic seizures? Several clues will help you distinguish these from epileptic seizures. We review the evaluation and management of this challenging condition.

In the News: Aducanumab (Aduhelm)

November 5, 2021

Rehan Aziz, MD.

Rehan Aziz, MD. Associate professor of psychiatry and neurology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Aziz has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

When the FDA approved aducanumab (Aduhelm) in Alzheimer dementia, the decision came with a heavy dose of controversy. Rehaz Aziz, MD, considers where this novel therapy fits in practice.

In Brief: Meds in the Fast Lane

November 5, 2021

Chris Aiken, MD.

Chris Aiken, MD. Editor-in-Chief of TCPR. Practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC.

In the last five years, more psychotropics have gained approval through the FDA’s expedited pathways than the slow and cautious routes we’ve grown used to. These “fast-track” and “breakthrough therapy” approvals allow drugs to enter the market on the basis of more efficient (ie, smaller) clinical trials.

How COVID-19 Affects the Brain

September 3, 2020

Paul Riordan, MD.

Paul Riordan, MD. Assistant Consulting Professor of Psychiatry, Duke University. Dr. Riordan has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Pandemics create a long list of psychosocial stressors, but COVID-19 also has direct effects on the CNS. Neuropsychiatric syndromes can develop after the respiratory illness resolves. Paul Riordan reviews the cardinal symptoms to look for after a COVID infection.

Assessing and Treating Traumatic Brain Injury

July 30, 2020

Jonathan Silver, MD

Jonathan Silver, MD

Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine. Co-editor of the Textbook of Traumatic Brain Injury 3e (APA, 2019). Dr. Silver has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity

Not all head injuries are traumatic brain injuries. Learn how to tell the difference, and which medications to use and which to avoid in this interview with Jonathan Silver.

Nuplazid: Novel Mechanism, Modest Benefits

March 30, 2020

Randall Moore, MD, JD. and Chris Aiken, MD.

Randall Moore, MD, JD. Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Texas A & M University Health Science Center College of Medicine. Chris Aiken, MD. Editor-in-Chief of TCPR. Practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC. Dr. Moore and Dr. Aiken have disclosed that they have no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Pimavanserin (Nuplazid) aims to treat psychosis without blocking dopamine. Though FDA-approved for psychosis associated with Parkinson’s disease, the drug is being tested in a host of other disorders: Depression, dementia, and sexual dysfunction.

Antipsychotics Fall Short in Delirium

March 30, 2020

Adrienne Grzenda, MD.

Adrienne Grzenda, MD. Dr. Grzenda has disclosed that she has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Antipsychotics remain a mainstay of delirium treatment despite significant concerns about their safety and efficacy. A pair of reports recently evaluated the evidence on their use in delirium.

Meet the First H3 Antagonist

November 15, 2019

Chris Aiken, MD

Chris Aiken, MD. Editor-in-Chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report. Practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC.

Pitolisant (Wakix) is now FDA-approved for narcolepsy and is the first histamine H3 agonist released. Though used for a neurologic condition, its novel mechanism has potential psychiatric effects that are worth monitoring.