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.

Classification of Recurrence Status After Surgical Treatment of Chronic Subdural Hemorrhage - A Machine Learning Approach

Despite employing rigorous machine learning methods on a large cohort of chronic subdural hematoma patients, this study concludes that routinely available clinical and radiographic variables lack sufficient predictive power to enable clinically actionable risk stratification for surgical recurrence, thereby supporting the maintenance of uniform or symptom-driven surveillance protocols rather than risk-based approaches.

Hamou, H., Kernbach, J., Ridwan, H., Fay-Rodrian, K., Clusmann, H., Hoellig, A., Veldeman, M.2026-03-27🧠 neurology

Developmental tuning of prefrontal network fluctuations marks functional maturation in infancy

This study utilizes fNIRS to demonstrate that the functional maturation of the infant prefrontal cortex (ages 1–8 months) is characterized by state-dependent developmental tuning of network fluctuation dynamics, where auditory stimulation and age differentially modulate the intensity and frequency distribution of functional connectivity fluctuations during sleep and stimulation.

Li, K., Zhang, Y., Li, Y.2026-03-27🧠 neurology

Plasmalogens and their Associations with Brain Function and Structure in Older Community Dwelling African Americans

In a cross-sectional study of older African Americans without dementia, higher plasmalogen biosynthesis values were suggestively associated with better global cognitive function and lower levels of white matter hyperintensities, though these findings require validation in larger, longitudinal cohorts.

Weaver, A., Shah, R. C., Du, L., Barnes, L. L., Senanayake, V., Goodenowe, D.2026-03-27🧠 neurology

MRI-Perivascular Spaces in Chronic and Episodic Migraine Disorder

This retrospective study of 90 participants reveals that, contrary to the initial hypothesis linking migraine frequency to increased perivascular space (PVS) burden, migraineurs actually exhibited significantly lower PVS volumes and cluster counts compared to healthy controls, with the most pronounced reductions observed in individuals with aura, suggesting that aura rather than the disorder itself drives these glymphatic system alterations.

Pham, W., Rim, D., Jarema, A., Chen, Z., Khlif, M. S., Meylakh, N., Stark, R. J., Brodtmann, A., Macefield, V. G., Henderson, L. A.2026-03-26🧠 neurology

Pathology and genetics in a global cohort of Parkinsonian Disorders

This multicenter retrospective study of 3,353 brain donors across 11 global brain banks reveals that misdiagnosis rates for parkinsonian disorders range from 10% to 20%, with significant associations found between specific genetic variants (GBA1, LRRK2), ancestry (South Asian and Ashkenazi Jewish), and distinct pathological burdens, underscoring the critical need for biologically informed diagnostic tools and genetically stratified approaches in future therapeutic trials.

Wu, L. Y., du Toit, T., Georgiades, T., Stafford, E. J., Levine, K., Fang, Z. H., Jasaityte, S., Gil Martinez, A.-L., Cullinane, P., De Pablo Fernandez, E., Blauwendraat, C., Singleton, A. B., Scholz (…)2026-03-26🧠 neurology

Altered Saccades, Pupil, and Blink Responses in Functional Motor Disorder: Insight into Neurobiological Mechanisms

This study demonstrates that patients with Functional Motor Disorder exhibit distinct oculomotor abnormalities, including increased saccade errors, altered blink patterns, and reduced pupil dilation velocity, which are linked to symptom severity and support neurobiological models involving altered predictive and attentional processing in the frontal cortex and basal ganglia.

Sutorova, K., Riek, H. C., Pitigoi, I. C., Brien, D. C., Krupkova, B., Novakova, L., Sieger, T., Munoz, D. P., Serranova, T.2026-03-26🧠 neurology

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Infusion-Site Skin Nodules in Parkinson Disease Patients Receiving Foslevodopa/Foscarbidopa Subcutaneous Infusion

This study demonstrates that a higher baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) serves as a predictive biomarker for the development and persistence of infusion-site skin nodules in Parkinson's disease patients receiving foslevodopa/foscarbidopa subcutaneous infusion, while multidisciplinary surveillance effectively mitigates treatment discontinuation despite these adverse events.

Contaldi, E., Magistrelli, L., Piazza, S., Caniglia, A., Mainardi, E. A., Giametta, P., Pezzoli, G., Isaias, I. U., Lazzeri, G.2026-03-26🧠 neurology

Therapeutic Efficacy and Safety of Deep Brain Stimulation for Multiple Sclerosis Related-Tremor: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 studies involving 131 patients indicates that Deep Brain Stimulation provides a significant reduction in tremor severity for individuals with medication-refractory Multiple Sclerosis, although the evidence is limited by small sample sizes and heterogeneity, with manageable risks including a 7% postoperative infection rate.

Fahim, F., Farajzadeh, M., Hosseini Marvast, S. M., Faramin Lashkarian, M., Khalili Dehkord, A., Sangtarashha, P., Qahremani, R., Khodadadi, H., Pourabdollah, M., Mahdian, T., Parsakian, S., Toghyani (…)2026-03-25🧠 neurology

Naming Performance in Bilinguals with Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment

This study reveals that while active Catalan-Spanish bilinguals generally exhibit faster naming latencies than passive bilinguals, those with Mild Cognitive Impairment demonstrate a distinct pattern of increased cross-language intrusions and anomia, whereas passive bilinguals with MCI and Alzheimer's Disease show more semantic errors, highlighting the complex influence of second language use on lexical retrieval in clinical populations.

Sainz-Pardo, M., Hernandez, M., Suades, A., Juncadella, M., Ortiz-Gil, J., Ugas, L., Sala, I., Lleo, A., Calabria, M.2026-03-25🧠 neurology