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Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD) is a psychiatric condition which involves a person experiencing physical symptoms, often chronic pain, which results in major distress and/or problem functioning. The symptoms may or may not be traceable to an organic cause. It is to be strictly distinguished from malingering. SSD sufferers are in no way faking their symptoms and the distress and pain they experience is real and often very profound. I was first instructed on behalf of a client, who later went on to be diagnosed with SSD, in February 2017. My client, Kerry, had initially instructed another firm of solicitors before I took over the case.

For several years, Medical Detection Dogs, based in Milton Keynes, has been harnessing the canine ability to detect disease in its earliest stages. As well as aiding diagnosis of a number of cancers and identifying malaria and pseudomonas, common bacteria that can cause infections, the dogs have also been trained to detect Parkinson’s – as we reported in 2018 here. And now trials to test whether the dogs can detect COVID-19 in humans, even before symptoms appear, are getting underway.

It has been widely acknowledged for many years that the arts can play an integral role in aiding brain injury recovery and in managing neurological conditions. Now brain injury survivor Byron Konizi is aiming to enhance their impact through a new concept called the 'Moodmemo', which is being pioneered by the London charity he founded, UDAV. Byron explains: “The ‘Moodmemo’ is essentially a memory of a mood that somebody has captured and recorded or materialised in an art form of some kind – be it music, film, poetry or art." Social distancing-permitting, Moodmemos will be utilised at UDAV's centre in Hackney to support its members, including those with brain injuries and conditions, in overcoming day-to-day challenges.

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, have clinically validated and tested the AI on large sets of CT scans, and found that it was successfully able to detect, segment, quantify and differentiate different types of brain lesions. The results could be useful in large-scale research studies, for developing more personalised treatments for head injuries and, with further validation, could be useful in certain clinical scenarios, such as those where radiological expertise is at a premium. Head injury is a huge public health burden around the world and affects up to 60 million people each year.

The Disabilities Trust has created “Neurorehabilitation Intervention Packs” to address some of the cognitive, behavioural, emotional and psychological symptoms of brain injury. These in-cell intervention strategies can help to reduce the impact of isolation by providing activity and distraction. There are nine individual packs for problems such as anxiety, depression, memory, anger, impulsivity and fatigue. They will be distributed with HMP Cardiff and made available nationally to all prisons and other criminal justice settings. Each document contains a summary of the difficulty faced after brain injury and then interventions that the user can try to implement to reduce this.

The report, produced by the University of Cincinnati (UC), is timely as more data emerges that patients with COVID-19, even young, otherwise healthy patients, are experiencing strokes. The authors emphasise that diagnosis with COVID-19 should not prevent patients from receiving this time-sensitive treatment. Author on the report, Dr. Aaron Grossman, says: "Endovascular treatment for stroke involves the use of small catheters inserted from the groin or the arm into the blood vessels of the brain to remove a clot and restore blood flow to the brain. "Opening a brain artery can reverse the effects of the stroke, and for some patients, leads to a quicker recovery time. In this current climate, the treatment presents challenges that doctors never previously needed to consider."

Sarah Elsayed, pharma analyst at GlobalData, says: “While GlobalData expects that the market for new Parkinson’s disease (PD) products aimed at treating motor fluctuations holds great potential, it will be hard for most companies to meet their drug’s commercial launch expectations under these circumstances. “GlobalData forecasts that if the drug launches in late 2020, it will have a slow uptake in its first year, but is then expected to grow, reaching its peak global sales of US$303m in 2025. “Neurocrine’s decision to delay Ongentys’ launch is the appropriate move to alleviate COVID-19 consequences on its new drug’s uptake for a number of reasons.

Many people with Parkinson’s disease eventually develop debilitating movements called dyskinesia, a side effect of their much-needed dopamine replacement medication. The mechanism underlying this unwanted symptom has been unknown, until now. But an international collaboration led by US-based Scripps Research has found a key cause, and with it, potentially, a new route to providing relief. Dopamine replacement therapy makes Parkinson’s symptoms much better at first, but eventually treatment gives way to uncontrollable, jerky body movements.

The Parkinson Voice Project, a nonprofit speech therapy clinic headquartered in Texas, has moved to protect people living with Parkinson's everywhere from speech loss and life-threatening swallowing complications. It has been running Facebook LIVE "SPEAK OUT! Home Practice Sessions", Monday to Friday and awareness is spreading, with thousands of people getting involved. Ninety per cent of individuals with Parkinson's are likely to experience speech difficulty. If left untreated, the speech muscles become weaker, and the disease starts to affect the ability to swallow.

The individual was crossing the road when the driver failed to stop or spot them, sending the pedestrian careering forward before the vehicle accidentally ran over the person again as the driver attempted to stop. Winn Solicitors acted for the claimant and helped to co-oridnate their medical treatment. The client spent approximately six months in hospital after suffering a number of injuries. A physiotherapist, neuropsychologist and support workers were all arranged. Due to the severity of the brain injury sustained, a Court of Protection Deputy was also brought in to help the client manage their property and financial affairs.