Dear Colleagues:

Welcome to the April–June 2021 edition of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience (ICNS). For 2021’s second quarterly issue of ICNS, we start with the case report of a 76-year-old female patient with pudendal neuralgia who also exhibited minimal improvement over the years. In “Pudendal Neuralgia: The Need for a Holistic Approach—Lessons from a Case Report,” Beerten et al discuss how integrating a psychosocial approach into physical therapy is essential for mitigating physical pain and symptoms. The authors report that the above patient demonstrated improvement of symptoms after sessions with a therapist and addressing the phycological impact of her lifestyle and those around her.

Next is another case report titled, “A Rare Case of Fahr’s Syndrome in a Patient with Secondary Hypoparathyroidism and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms.” Here, Beneki et al described the case of an 83-year-old female patient with a clinical diagnosis of Fahr’s syndrome, secondary to hypopathyroidism, to highlight the importance of considering organic causes when patients present with neuropsychiatric disturbances. 

Following this, “A Case Report on Robot-Aided Gait Training in Primary Lateral Sclerosis Rehabilitation: Rationale, Feasibility and Potential Effectiveness of a Novel Rehabilitation Approach,” explores the effectiveness of a customized robotic rehabilitation protocol in primary lateral sclerosis, and other motor neuron diseases though, the case of 54-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with the condition. Calabro et al report and compare the outcomes following two different treatment methods that were implemented as well, which included conventional physiotherapy followed by a combined approach (physical therapy and Lokomat-Pro therapy).

After, Ergun et al present the case of a 10-year-old African American patient with a history of misdiagnoses based on their symptoms, which eventually resulted in a missed diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, following neuropsychological evaluation. Additionally, “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder—Issues of Misdiagnosis and Missed Diagnosis in Black Youth: A Case Report” reports the significance of gathering a thorough family history, which involves questioning teratogens exposure, specifically alcohol, in utero and regarding the impact of prenatal alcohol on the developing brain prior to neuropsychological testing. 

A commentary by Eyre et al is next. In “Brain Health Executives: A Transdisciplinary Workforce Innovation—A Commentary,” the authors evaluate the discipline of convergence brain health (which is the integration of scientists, clinicians, bioinformaticists, global health experts, social scientists, engineers, technology entrepreneurs, medical educators, caregivers, and consumers, per Eyre et al) and how it is being used to bring awareness to the current brain health crisis. 

After this is original research reported by Narine et al in “Energy Drink Use in Adolescents with and without ADHD: Trends and Influences,” wherein the researchers aim to evaluate frequency, reasons for, and factors associated with energy drink consumption in adolescents with or without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) via survey results. Additionally, Narine et al report trends that influence energy drink consumption and discovered that adolescents with parents or guardians who consumed energy drinks were more likely to also drink them. 

Following, Sawanyawisuth et al present the case of a 50-year-old male patient who contracted severe rat lung worm disease nine days after eating lettuce contaminated with parasitic nematodes (Angiostrongylus cantonensis [A. cantonensis]) in “Rat Lung Worm Disease Caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis: A Review of Clinical and Diagnostic Characteristics and Lessons from a Severe Case in Hawaii.” Due to presenting symptoms resulting in a delayed diagnosis, the authors use this case to demonstrate how better awareness of this disease could prevent such delays. 

Next, Saherwala et al use various case vignettes and patient experiances to analyze the mental health treatment of Muslim women in this issue’s psychotherapy rounds. “Providing Culturally Competent Mental Health Care for Muslim Women” also offers physicians approaches to provide this patient population with culturally competent treatment(s). 

Finally, we wrap up this issue with the Risk Management column, wherein Ann L. McNary, JD, shares methods on how to properly dispose of patient records. “Maintenance and Destruction of Treatment Records” also highlights protocol for medical record storage.


Sincerely

Amir Kalali, MD

Editor, Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience