Welcome to this special episode of the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice. For major FDA decisions in the field of neurology, we release short special episodes to offer a snapshot of the news, including the main takeaways for the clinical community, as well as highlights of the efficacy and safety profile of the agent in question.

In this episode, "Key Challenges Facing Neurology in the Year Ahead," Natalia Rost, MD, President of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), Stroke Division Chief at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, joins NeurologyLive to discuss the top clinical priorities shaping neurology in 2026.

Throughout the discussion, Rost outlines the most urgent unmet needs across neurology, including expanding equitable access to care, integrating preventive neurology into routine practice, strengthening the workforce, and closing persistent evidence gaps. She explains how the AAN Brain Health Initiative provides a practical framework for embedding brain health into everyday clinical encounters. The conversation also explores the growing role of biomarkers, imaging, and digital tools in care delivery, where innovation may be outpacing evidence, and how the Academy aims to guide ethical and evidence based implementation while addressing ongoing health equity gaps.

Episode Breakdown:

• 1:10 – Most urgent unmet clinical needs facing neurology in 2026
• 3:25 – Implementing brain health in everyday clinical practice
• 8:00 – Role of biomarkers, imaging, and digital tools in routine neurologic care
• 11:20 – AAN priorities for education, advocacy, and clinical guidance in 2026
• 14:25 – Major clinical gaps driving health inequities in neurologic care and outcomes

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this Mind Moments episode, Amaal Starling, MD, FAHS, FAAN, joins the podcast to provide clinical perspective on the INFUSE real world study evaluating IV eptinezumab in adults with migraine who previously found one or more CGRP preventive options ineffective, based on data presented at the 2026 Headache Cooperative of the Pacific Annual Conference. Starling, an associate professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and a study author on INFUSE, discusses how clinicians should interpret the magnitude of benefit in a high burden population and why IV delivery, including rapid and consistent bioavailability, may help explain early and sustained response. The conversation also explores what the findings suggest for real world care and treatment sequencing, how migraine trials can better capture patient experience through outcomes like good days and PGIC, and what precision medicine research could look like next as the field pushes toward predictive modeling and individualized treatment selection.

Looking for more Headache & Migraine discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® Headache & Migraine clinical focus page.

Episode Breakdown:

• 1:20 – Interpreting real world response after prior CGRP preventive failure
• 4:25 – Mechanistic reasons IV eptinezumab may drive early sustained benefit
• 6:25 – Clinical implications for earlier, more robust treatment sequencing
• 8:50 – Neurology News Network 
• 11:20 – Integrating good days and Patient Global Impression scales into migraine trial design
• 15:30 – Future studies needed to advance precision migraine care

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

• Fenebrutinib Achieves Primary End Point in Phase 3 Head-to-Head Trial vs Teriflunomide in Relapsing MS

• Praxis Submits NDAs for Ulixacaltamide in Essential Tremor and Relutrigine in SCN2A/SCN8A Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathies

• Efgartigimod Meets Primary End Point in Phase 3 ADAPT OCULUS Study of Ocular Myasthenia Gravis

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this special Mind Moments episode, Lauren Sansing, MD, MS, FAHA, FANA, Professor of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine, joins the podcast to provide a clinical breakdown of the 2026 International Stroke Conference and its implications for real-world stroke care. Sansing reflects on how this year’s meeting built on prior advances, highlighting expanded global collaboration, greater patient engagement, and a record number of clinical trials presented. The discussion explores which late-breaking studies may influence practice in the coming year, including data on secondary stroke prevention, adjunctive thrombolysis strategies, and evolving patient selection for thrombectomy in extended windows and large core infarcts. Sansing also reviews renewed momentum in neuroprotection research, key updates from the newly released acute ischemic stroke guidelines, emerging pediatric stroke data, and how the conference continues to shape the roadmap for 2027 and beyond.

Looking for more Stroke discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® Stroke clinical focus page.

Episode Breakdown:

• 1:00 – Biggest moments and structural evolution of ISC 2026
• 3:15 – Presented practice-changing trial data impacting stroke care
• 7:05 – Thrombectomy strategy and extended window patient selection
• 10:40 – Renewed momentum in neuroprotection research
• 15:20 – Neurology News Network 
• 17:40 – Key updates from the new acute ischemic stroke guidelines
• 25:00 – A brief look-ahead to ISC 2027

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

• PTC Withdraws Ataluren Submission as Treatment for Nonsense Mutation Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

• Microbiome-Targeted Agent PLL001 Passes Safety Check in Phase 1/2 Trial of ALS

• Rimegepant Displays Safety and Efficacy in Study of Adolescents With Migraine

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this Mind Moments episode, Jeff Chamberlain, PhD, joins the podcast during Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week to provide clinical and translational perspective on the evolving landscape of DMD biology and therapy. Chamberlain, professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Director of the Senator Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center in Seattle, reflects on aspects of Duchenne pathophysiology that may still be underappreciated, including evidence that disease processes begin earlier than once recognized and the growing importance of immunologic factors in shaping progression and therapeutic response. The conversation also explores how neuromuscular specialists should approach treatment timing and combination strategies as gene-targeted therapies expand, the evolving interpretation and limitations of biomarkers such as creatine kinase and dystrophin expression, and what emerging gene therapy platforms may signal for care heading into 2026 and beyond.

Looking for more Neuromuscular discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® Neuromuscular clinical focus page.

Episode Breakdown:

• 1:15 – Underrecognized aspects of DMD pathophysiology, including early onset and immunologic drivers
• 4:50 – Treatment timing, sequencing, and the rationale for combination strategies
• 8:00 – Neurology News Minute
• 10:30 – Clinical trial and real-world implications of dystrophin and CK as biomarkers
• 16:20 – Anticipated gene therapy innovation and safety considerations heading into 2026

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

• Regenxbio's MPS II Gene Therapy RGX-121 Hit With CRL

• FDA Accepts New Drug Application for Orexin Agonist Oveporexton in Narcolepsy Type 1, Grants Priority Review

• FDA Expands Indication for Pitolisant to Treat Cataplexy in Pediatric Narcolepsy

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to this special episode of the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice. For major FDA decisions in the field of neurology, we release short special episodes to offer a snapshot of the news, including the main takeaways for the clinical community, as well as highlights of the efficacy and safety profile of the agent in question.

In this special edition of Mind Moments, Shyam Prabhakaran, MD, MS, the James Nelson and Anna Louise Raymond Professor of Neurology and chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Chicago Medicine, joined the show to discuss the recent updates to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's guideline for the early management of acute ischemic stroke.  Prabhakaran clarified the main takeaways for clinicians and touched on details around endovascular thrombectomy care in pediatrics as well as treatment within and outside of the golden window.

For NeurologyLive's coverage of ISC 2026, head here: International Stroke Conference (ISC)

To read the new guidelines, head here: 2026 Guideline for the Early Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Guideline From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive Mind Moments podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this Mind Moments episode, Benjamin Tolchin, MD, MS, FAAN, joins the podcast to provide clinical perspective on the recently published American Academy of Neurology (AAN) guidelines on functional seizures, drawing on his role as a contributing author to the recommendations. Tolchin, Director of the Center for Clinical Ethics at Yale New Haven Health and Associate Professor of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine, discusses what prompted the development of the first AAN guideline in this space and how the evidence base evolved to support formal recommendations. The conversation explores key considerations around diagnosing functional seizures, including history, semiology, EEG use, and the growing role of video documentation. Tolchin also addresses how clinicians should approach psychiatric comorbidities and co-occurring epilepsy, the evidence supporting psychological interventions, why pharmacologic therapies are not recommended for functional seizures themselves, and where major gaps remain in research to advance care in the years ahead.

Looking for more Epilepsy discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® Epilepsy clinical focus page.

Episode Breakdown:

• 1:10 – Why growing evidence prompted the first AAN guideline on functional seizures
• 3:20 – Diagnostic priorities including history, semiology, EEG, and video documentation
• 6:15 – Assessing psychiatric comorbidities and co-occurring epilepsy in functional seizures
• 9:15 – Neurology News Minute
• 11:30 – Evidence supporting psychotherapy for functional seizures
• 14:50 – Pharmacological evidence and use of antiseizure medications for functional seizures
• 18:35 – Barriers to advancing clinical trials in functional seizures
• 22:05 – Research priorities to refine treatment and long-term outcomes

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

• FDA Approves Subcutaneous Copper Histidinate as First Treatment for Pediatric Menkes Disease

• sBLA Acceptance Positions Efgartigimod as Potential First Therapy for Seronegative Myasthenia Gravis

• High-Dose Nusinersen Gains European Commission Approval for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, "Bexicaserin, the PACIFIC Trial, and Treating Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathies," Johannes Streffer, MD, PhD, discusses phase 1/2 findings from the PACIFIC trial evaluating bexicaserin in developmental epileptic encephalopathies, presented at the American Epilepsy Society 2025 Annual Meeting. Streffer, senior vice president of clinical development at Lundbeck, outlines the scientific and clinical rationale for studying DEEs as a unified population, emphasizing the unmet need and complexity of trial design in this highly vulnerable group. He reviews key efficacy outcomes, including sustained reductions in countable motor seizures and strong patient retention through long-term open-label extension and expanded access follow-up. The discussion also explores safety and tolerability considerations in patients receiving multiple concomitant antiseizure medications, the highly selective mechanism of action of bexicaserin, and how Lundbeck’s broader strategy in rare neurological disorders aims to de-risk development early while addressing populations with limited therapeutic options.

Looking for more Epilepsy discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® Epilepsy clinical focus page.

Episode Breakdown:

• 1:05 – Rationale for studying developmental epileptic encephalopathies as a unified group
• 3:05 – Challenges of trial design and retention in vulnerable pediatric DEE populations
• 5:25 – Key PACIFIC efficacy findings and long-term open-label extension results
• 7:05 – Neurology News Minute
• 9:15 – Safety, tolerability, and drug-drug interaction considerations for bexicaserin
• 11:20 – Lundbeck's strategy across rare and severe neurological disorders

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

• Remyelinating Agent PIPE-307 Falls Short in Phase 2 Trial of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis

• Semaglutide Linked to Improved Neurological Outcomes in Large Vessel Occlusion Without IV Thrombolysis

• FDA Approves Generic Glatiramer Acetate Injection for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, "Clinical Advances and Unanswered Questions in Narcolepsy," Lindsay McCullough, MD, discusses how clinical understanding of narcolepsy has evolved, where major diagnostic and treatment advances have occurred, and where important gaps remain. McCullough, assistant professor of medicine and associate program director for the sleep medicine fellowship at Rush University, reflects on progress in defining narcolepsy subtypes, the growing role of orexin biology, and how recent research in 2025 has reshaped conversations around disease-modifying approaches. The discussion also explores emerging links between sleep disorders and neurodegenerative disease, common misconceptions that continue to delay diagnosis, and how clinician education can improve recognition, safety, and long-term management of patients with narcolepsy.

Looking for more Sleep Disorder discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® Sleep Disorder clinical focus page.

Episode Breakdown:

• 1:05 – Advances and remaining gaps in the clinical understanding of narcolepsy
• 2:30 – How narcolepsy care and research meaningfully evolved throughout 2025
• 4:50 – Sleep disorders, neurodegeneration, and what clinicians should watch for
• 6:50 – Neurology News Minute
• 8:50 – Persistent myths that delay diagnosis and affect clinical decision-making
• 12:30 – How lived experience shapes holistic, patient-centered narcolepsy care

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

• FDA Approves Inebilizumab for AChR- and MuSK-Positive Generalized Myasthenia Gravis

• FDA Clears Pivotal Phase 3 PREVAiLS Study of Pridopidine in Early, Rapidly Progressive ALS

• Tolebrutinib Falls Short in Phase 3 PERSEUS Study, Forcing Decision to Redact Regulatory Submission

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, "Mood, Behavior, and Quality of Life in Parkinson Disease," Sneha Mantri, MD, MS, Chief Medical Officer at the Parkinson’s Foundation, discusses how mood and behavioral symptoms shape the lived experience of people with Parkinson disease across the disease course. Mantri, a practicing movement disorders specialist with extensive training and experience, explains why depression and anxiety often precede motor symptoms, how these issues evolve with cognitive change, and why they remain key drivers of quality of life. Mantri reviews commonly used screening tools – including the PHQ-2/9, Geriatric Depression Scale, GAD-7, and emerging measures like the HOPE questionnaire – emphasizing their role in opening deeper clinical conversations. She also highlights Parkinson’s Foundation initiatives that support both clinicians and patients, from PD Health at Home programming to team-based care models. The conversation concludes with ongoing challenges, including cultural barriers to mental health care, access limitations, and the continued need for true mental health parity in Parkinson disease management.

Looking for more Movement disorder discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® Movement disorder clinical focus page.

Episode Breakdown:

• 1:10 – How mood and behavior symptoms shape Parkinson disease quality of life
• 5:30 – How conversations about mental health in Parkinson disease have evolved
• 9:25 – Screening tools and practical assessment strategies for mood and anxiety
• 13:40 – Neurology News Minute
• 15:50 – Foundation and community initiatives supporting mood and behavior care
• 19:50 – Remaining gaps, cultural barriers, and mental health parity challenges

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

• CTAD Presentation Lays Insights Into Disappointing Phase 3 EVOKE Trial of GLP-1 Semaglutide in Alzheimer Disease

• Gene Therapy ETX101 Demonstrates Significant Effects on Seizure Reduction, Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in POLARIS Phase 1/2 Program

• FDA Accepts NDA for Low-Sodium Oxybate TRN-257 in Narcolepsy and Idiopathic Hypersomnia

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, "Understanding Variability in Infantile Spasms Care," Christina Briscoe, MD, epileptologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, discusses new multi-center findings on current treatment practices for infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS). Briscoe outlines why first- and second-line therapies remain largely standardized, yet significant variability emerges once hormonal therapy and vigabatrin fail. She details the evidence gaps driving inconsistent third-line and fourth-line decision-making, including limited clinical trial data, uneven access to ketogenic diet programs and epilepsy surgery, and historically low industry investment in infant-specific trials. Additional discussion focuses on ongoing research from the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium, national and global comparisons in treatment pathways, barriers to study scalability in rare pediatric epilepsies, and the practical challenges of implementing timely diagnosis and standardized care across diverse healthcare settings. Briscoe also highlights under-recognized issues such as incorporation of ketogenic diet and early surgical evaluation into treatment pathways, and emphasizes the need for broader infrastructure, funding, and multi-center collaboration to improve outcomes for children with IESS.

Looking for more Epilepsy discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® Epilepsy clinical focus page.

Episode Breakdown:

• 1:05 – Origins of the study, need to pursue more standardized care in IESS
• 4:40 – Reasons behind treatment variability after first and second-line options
• 8:00 – What research is needed to guide sequencing and standardize care
• 12:05 – Neurology News Minute
• 14:30 – What makes IESS studies difficult and how infrastructure can improve
• 18:50 – Lesser-discussed gaps, including ketogenic diet and surgical evaluation

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

• Positive Phase 3 OCEANIC-STROKE Data Position Asundexian for Upcoming FDA Submission

• FDA Approves New Intrathecal Administration Route for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Gene Therapy

• GLP-1 Semaglutide Fails to Outperform Placebo in Phase 3 EVOKE Trial of Alzheimer Disease

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice.

In this episode, "NEALS 2025: Takeaways That Matter for ALS Care," ALS experts Jinsy Andrews, MD, MSc, and James Berry, MD, MPH, reflect on key themes from the 2025 NEALS Annual Meeting, now reintroduced as the Network of Excellence for ALS. They discuss format changes that elevated lightning science, the expanding gene therapy pipeline, and a growing slate of NEALS-affiliated trials. The conversation highlights updates from the HEALEY Platform Trial, the MY-MATCH biomarker-guided precision trial, SOD1 program data, and new antisense and viral vector therapies aimed at sporadic ALS. They also explore the impact of Act for ALS on trial access, the ALL ALS biospecimen repository, and NIH-supported expanded access cohorts. The discussion closes with insights on combination therapy strategies, genetic subtypes, presymptomatic enrollment, and how new collaborations, digital endpoints, and infrastructure advances are shaping momentum heading into 2026.

Looking for more Neuromuscular discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® Neuromuscular clinical focus page.

Episode Breakdown:

• 1:05 – Reflections on meeting highlights and NEALS rebranding into a global network
• 5:00 – Notable NEALS-affiliated trials and promising new mechanisms in ALS care
• 12:45 – Combination therapy strategies and future approaches in ALS research
• 15:20 – Neurology News Minute
• 18:00 – Expanding clinical trial access for rare and genetic ALS subtypes
• 22:10 – Building momentum and expectations for the 2026 NEALS Annual Meeting

The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

• FDA Approves Doxecitine and Doxribtimine Combination Therapy as First Treatment for Thymidine Kinase 2 Deficiency

• Supplemental New Drug Application Submitted for AXS-05 as Treatment for Alzheimer Disease Agitation

• BTK Inhibitor Fenebrutinib Meets Primary End Points in Phase 3 Trials for Both Relapsing and Primary Progressive MS 

Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.