Articles in 2016

Recently published American Headache Society evidence-based guidelines for cluster headache management provide updated guidance on which therapies are superior to placebo in randomized controlled trials. These valuable recommendations do not always translate to real-world settings, however, and other criteria should be taken into account when attempting to treat cluster headache.

Drawing on data from social network studies, Dhand and colleagues suggest that focusing on a patient's personal network can help identify individuals at risk of poor health outcomes. The authors provide an overview of the terminology used in social network studies, discuss social network structures that put patients at risk, and suggest how social network research might be applied in the neurology clinic.

Proinflammatory conditions have been associated with an increased risk of stroke. In this Review, Esenwa and Elkind look at the association between infection, inflammation and ischaemic stroke, and discuss recommended approaches to reducing the risk of stroke associated with inflammation.

Angelman syndrome is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder, the characteristics of which include severe learning disability, epilepsy, ataxia, and a happy, sociable disposition. The authors review past and recent developments in Angelman syndrome research, highlighting the role of multicentre and international collaboration in addressing this rare condition.

Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is a common disorder, but it remains under-recognized, and although several risk factors have been identified, the pathophysiology of the disorder is not completely understood. Here, Hans-Christoph Diener and colleagues review the epidemiology and pathophysiology of MOH, and suggest strategies for prevention and treatment.

A recent observational study showed that patients with stroke who participated in clinical research received better care and had lower mortality than patients who did not participate. However, the study has several limitations, and the available evidence suggests that patients should not be advised that participation in research improves outcomes.

In a powerful display of international collaboration, a new genome-wide association study has mapped susceptibility loci for migraine on the basis of genetic data from 375,000 individuals. The study implicates several new loci in migraine — many of them suggestive of vascular pathophysiology — but the functional relevance of many now-detected risk alleles remains elusive.

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) enable severely disabled patients to interact with the environment. In this Review, Chaudhary et al. provide an overview on current use of BCIs for communication, movement and rehabilitation in patients who are paralyzed as a result of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke or spinal cord injury.