Neurology explores the intricate workings of the brain and nervous system, tackling everything from memory and movement to complex conditions like epilepsy and Alzheimer's. This field seeks to understand how our minds function and what happens when that delicate machinery falters, aiming to improve lives through better diagnosis and treatment.

At Gist.Science, we make the latest research from medRxiv accessible to everyone. We process every new preprint in this category, offering both straightforward plain-language explanations and detailed technical summaries so you can grasp the science at your own pace. Below are the latest papers in neurology, ready for you to explore.

🧠 neurology

Unraveling the Lifespan Trajectory of White Matter Hypointensity on T1-weighted MR Images and Clinical Application in Various Brain Disorders

This study establishes a lifespan normative reference for T1-weighted white matter hypointensity using a large multicenter dataset and demonstrates that deviations from this reference serve as a distinct, clinically significant marker for disease-specific patterns, prognosis, and treatment response across various neurological and psychiatric disorders, independent of conventional T2-FLAIR lesions.

Zhuo, Z., Lv, S., Gao, P., Zhang, N., Chai, L., Du, X., Li, Y., Wang, Y., He, Y., Wang, P., Zhang, R., Cole, J. H., Lin (…)2026-11-13
🧠 neurology

Serum brain-derived tau distinguishes acute neurotrauma diagnoses

This study demonstrates that serum brain-derived tau (BD-tau) is a highly accurate, minimally invasive biomarker capable of rapidly distinguishing traumatic brain injury from spinal cord injury, outperforming both cerebrospinal fluid measurements and other established blood biomarkers to support early clinical decision-making and precision diagnostics in acute neurotrauma.

Shi, R., Svirsky, S. E., Balogun, W. G., Zeng, X., Fedak, J. D., Nafash, M., Brodman, S. T., Okonkwo, D. O., Puccio, A. (…)2026-11-10
🧠 neurology

Longitudinal Investigation of Autonomic Symptoms in Biologically Confirmed (SAA+) Parkinson's Disease

This longitudinal study of biologically confirmed Parkinson's disease patients reveals that autonomic symptoms are highly prevalent at onset and become near-universal over five years, with a higher baseline symptom burden specifically predicting faster cognitive decline rather than motor deterioration.

Memon, A. A., Choi, S. H., Yin, J., Lafontant, D.-E., Caspell-Garcia, C., Weintraub, D., Amara, A. W., Picillo, M.2026-11-09
🧠 neurology

A multi-scale cell-type resolved map of trans-regulatory architecture in the aging human brain

This study introduces TransMap, a computational framework that enhances the discovery of trans-regulatory variants by integrating multi-scale mapping and multi-phenotype colocalization to reveal a cell-type-resolved regulatory architecture in the aging human brain, including specific neuronal-glial interactions and Alzheimer's disease-associated mechanisms.

Cao, X., Wang, Y., Sun, H., Feng, R., Zhang, H., Li, Y., Lee, H., Karaahmet, B., Li, B., Gersbach, C., Crawford, G. E. (…)2026-11-08
🧠 neurology

Optimizing Lumipulse plasma pTau217/Aβ42 ratio cutpoints in an Asian cohort with high cerebrovascular disease burden

This study demonstrates that while the Lumipulse plasma pTau217/Aβ42 ratio effectively identifies amyloid pathology in an Asian cohort with high cerebrovascular disease burden, FDA-cleared cutpoints yield lower specificity and accuracy compared to locally derived thresholds, highlighting the critical need for population-specific validation of blood biomarker diagnostic criteria.

Chong, J. R., Yam, A. T. Y., Toh, A., Jiang, G., Ito, T., Kobayashi, C., Dash, A., Sachdev, P., Chen, C. P., Lai, M. K.2026-11-06
🧠 neurology

A Reproducible Decomposed Large Language Model Pipeline for Structured Abstraction of Multimodal Neuroimaging Reports: Development and Independent Validation in 1,669 Emergency Department Encounters for Dizziness and Vertigo

This study demonstrates that a decomposed, frozen large language model pipeline can reliably and accurately abstract structured variables from multimodal neuroimaging reports across 1,669 emergency department encounters for dizziness and vertigo, achieving high reproducibility and accuracy comparable to human reviewers to enable scalable, reusable research datasets.

Shahani, J., Ousta, A. R., Shaulov, S., El-Sherif, Y.2026-11-04
🧠 neurology

Cognition in healthy aging, ages 36 to 108: Associations with dementia risk factors and neurodegenerative disease biomarkers

In a large cohort of healthy adults aged 36 to 108, the study reveals that modifiable risk factors primarily influence the baseline level of cognitive performance, whereas the rate of cognitive decline is driven by emerging Alzheimer's pathology biomarkers like pTau217 starting around age 65.

Arnold, S. E., Kivisakk, P., Wu, C.-Y., Guzman-Velez, E., Dodge, H. H., Hong, Y., Yates, B. A., Harms, M. P., Cruchaga (…)2026-10-28
🧠 neurology

Aspirin-Containing Antiplatelet Therapy and In-Hospital Gout Flares in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients with Gout and Hyperuricemia: A Retrospective New-User Cohort Study

In a retrospective new-user cohort study of acute ischemic stroke patients with gout and hyperuricemia, initiating aspirin-containing antiplatelet regimens was associated with a significantly higher risk of in-hospital gout flares compared to clopidogrel monotherapy, often leading to frequent aspirin discontinuation that may compromise guideline-recommended dual antiplatelet therapy completion.

Ma, A., Xu, X., Zhang, Y.2026-10-26
🧠 neurology

Beyond reduced alpha power: a weaker temporal link between alpha and other brain rhythms in Alzheimer's disease

This study demonstrates that Alzheimer's disease is characterized not only by reduced alpha power but also by a distinct, partly nonredundant weakening of the temporal link between alpha rhythms and other brain activities, suggesting that quantifying this dynamic interaction offers complementary diagnostic value beyond traditional spectral markers.

Wei, J., Zhou, C.2026-10-26