In November, John Hardy, PhD, head of the department of molecular neuroscience and chair of molecular biology of neurological disease at the University College London Institute of Neurology, was awarded the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his work investigating the genetic underpinnings of Alzheimer’s disease, which led to the discovery of the first genetic mutation associated with familial Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Hardy spoke with Neurology Today about his prize-winning research.

In October, Beth Stevens, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, was named one of the recipients of the MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious fellowship. Her research on microglial cells has prompted a sea change in the way neurologists and neuroscientists think about these cells, and has implications for understanding diseases such as autism, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s. Dr. Stevens spoke with Neurology Today about some of her groundbreaking research on the role of microglia and complement in the synaptic pruning process.

Erik D. Roberson, MD, PhD, an associate professor of neurology and neurobiology and an endowed professor of neuroscience at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and co-director of UAB’s Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, received the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award in Basic Science at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Neurological Association. Dr. Roberson spoke with Neurology Today about his groundbreaking research and game-changing discoveries, including the crucial role of tau in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia.

Daniel Reich, MD, PhD, chief of the Translational Neuroradiology Unit at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, received the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award in Clinical Science at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Neurological Association. Dr. Reich spoke with Neurology Today about his groundbreaking research at the NIH, including the discovery of a dynamic pattern of blood-brain barrier opening in and around new MS lesions and the development of post-mortem MRI to examine these lesions in unprecedented detail.

NEUROLOGY IN THE NEWS: Later this month, David A. Hafler, MD, FAAN, the William S. and Lois Stiles Edgerly professor and chairman of neurology at Yale University School of Medicine, will deliver the 2015 Raymond D. Adams Lectureship at the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association. Here, Dr. Hafler tells Neurology Today about the personal and professional influences and events that shaped his research career. Read more of our interview with Dr. Hafler in the September 17 issue of Neurology Today.

NEUROLOGY IN THE NEWS: Personalized medicine for gliomas? Investigators identify molecular biomarkers for clinical outcomes of grade II and grade III gliomas. Here, Daniel Lachance, MD, FAAN, an associate professor of neurology and head of the Section of Neuro-oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, discusses how new data on molecular biomarkers for gliomas could change the way gliomas are diagnosed and treated. Dr. Lachance is a co-author of a June 25 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine. Read about the study in the July 16 issue of Neurology Today.

On June 11, Walter Koroshetz, MD, FAAN, acting director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) since October 2014, was officially named its director. Dr. Koroshetz spoke with Neurology Today about life at the helm of the NINDS and his plans for projects that will take advantage of advances in neuroscience and neurology that are leading to a richer understanding of diseases, and novel treatments for conditions that have never known cures.

In this episode, our editors discuss a new study that suggests that transthyretin could serve as the first gene-specific biomarker for ALS and frontotemporal dementia. Dr. Brent Fogel discusses the findings with Neurology Today Editor-in-chief Dr. Steven Ringel and Associate Editor Dr. Robert Holloway Jr.

The editors of Neurology Today discuss a new study from this year’s AAN Annual Meeting, which looked at how accurate brain biopsies are for diagnosing CNS vasculitis. Neurology Today Editor-in-chief Dr. Steven Ringel and Associate Editor Dr. Robert Holloway Jr. discuss the utility of brain biopsies for CNS vasculitis diagnosis with Yale University neurocritical care expert Dr. Kevin Sheth.

In this episode, our editors discuss a study that investigates the ability of clinicians to predict which patients will go on to develop mild cognitive impairment. Neurology Today Editor-in-chief Dr. Steven Ringel and Associate Editor Dr. Robert Holloway Jr. discuss the findings with Alzheimer’s disease expert Dr. David Gill.

In this episode, Dr. John Corboy discusses a new study, which looked at the potential for a PET tracer to predict clinical outcomes and potential remyelination in MS. Dr. Corboy discusses the opportunities and caveats of this new finding with Neurology Today Editor-in-Chief Dr. Steven Ringel and Associate Editor Dr. Robert Holloway Jr.

In this episode, Neurology Today Editor-in-chief Dr. Steven Ringel and Associate Editors Dr. Robert Holloway Jr. and Dr. Orly Avitzur discuss strategies neurologists can develop to educate patients and get them involved in their own care. Read the paper by Dr. Ringel, “The practice of neurology: Looking ahead by looking back,” in the May 19 issue of Neurology.

A new proof-of-principle study used inexpensive tablets and video conferencing software to screen stroke patients en route to the hospital. Dr. James Grotta discusses the most promising advances in assessing stroke in the ambulance with Neurology Today Editor-in-chief Dr. Steven Ringel and Associate Editor Dr. Robert Holloway Jr.

In this episode, our editors discuss a new evidence-based guideline from the AAN and the American Epilepsy Society that looks at factors that contribute to decisions about whether to treat an unprovoked first seizure in adults with an antiepileptic drug. Study author Dr. Jacqueline French discusses the findings of the review and its implications with Neurology Today Editor-in-chief Dr. Steven Ringel and Associate Editor Dr. Robert Holloway.