Mena Farag

Mena Farag

@drmfarag.bsky.social

٣٤ ⋅ Neurologist ⋅ MBBS, MRCP, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0679-0117

1.7K followers1.6K following31 posts

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Mena Farag
@drmfarag.bsky.social

Amid this week’s huge milestone in #HD treatment, I’m excited to share part of my PhD thesis + our paper published today in @movedisorder.bsky.social on CSF #PENK predicting striatal atrophy decades before clinical motor diagnosis 🔗 movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.comCerebrospinal Fluid Proenkephalin Predicts Striatal Atrophy Decades before Clinical Motor Diagnosis in Huntington's DiseaseBackground Huntington's disease (HD) is characterized by early, selective, progressive vulnerability of striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Proenkephalin (PENK), a precursor of opioid peptides abu...
Mena Farag
@drmfarag.bsky.social

Recognising motor impersistence at the bedside - our contribution to the 'Neurological Sign' section of BMJ Practical Neurology has now been published online! @ucl-hd.bsky.social @uclqsion.bsky.social @uclbrainscience.bsky.social pn.bmj.com/content/earl...

pn.bmj.comRecognising motor impersistence at the bedsideMotor impersistence—the inability to sustain a voluntary motor action—is a subtle but clinically informative neurological sign. It is most commonly associated with right-hemisphere lesions involving t...
Mena Farag
@drmfarag.bsky.social

A big thank you to @drmichelaleocadi.bsky.social and @hdyofeed.bsky.social for organising such a meaningful event today! If you’re able, please consider donating to support this important cause. Every contribution makes a difference - hdyo.enthuse.com/pf/huntingto...

hdyo.enthuse.com🏃‍♀️ Run 4 HDYO Olivia (Liv) Martinez Scholarship Fund– 5K Charity Run/Walk at Battersea Park, July 4th 2026After the success of 2025, where we raised more than £3000 thanks to generous donations, come join us again for a 5K run or walk to raise awareness of Huntington’s Disease and support the amazing work
Mena Farag
@drmfarag.bsky.social

As evidence for the neurobiology of placebo and nocebo effects continues to grow, we argue that communication should not be viewed as a neutral background variable. The way treatments are explained and expectations are shaped can influence outcomes, with important implications for clinical trials.

Mena Farag reposted

Nature Reviews Neurology
@natrevneurol.nature.com

Discovery of disrupted sustained attention and altered functional connectivity in far‐from‐onset Huntington's disease gene‐expanded young adults alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.comDiscovery of disrupted sustained attention and altered functional connectivity in far‐from‐onset Huntington's disease gene‐expanded young adultsBACKGROUND Cognitive impairments are a hallmark of Huntington's disease (HD). METHODS Seventy-one participants (43 HD gene-expanded [HDGE], 28 healthy controls) from the HD-Young Adult Study at tw...
Mena Farag
@drmfarag.bsky.social

Above all, I want to thank the incredible #HD-YAS participants, whose commitment, generosity and time made this work possible. As my PhD journey ends, it’s been a privilege to contribute to research bringing us closer to preventive therapies for HD, and I’m truly humbled to receive this recognition.

Mena Farag reposted

JAMA Neurology
@jamaneurology.com

A secondary analysis of the TEMPO-2 RCT found no significant improvement in outcomes for minor ischemic stroke patients treated with intravenous tenecteplase, regardless of the presence of disabling deficits. ja.ma/3WT9IHi

Mena Farag
@drmfarag.bsky.social

For the first time, we show that baseline CSF PENK predicts longitudinal striatal atrophy and also outperforms NfL in distinguishing HD-ISS 0 vs 1, supporting CSF PENK as a striatum-specific biomarker to enrich early HD trials and inform future preventive trial design.

Mena Farag reposted

UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences
@uclbrainscience.bsky.social

🧵 BREAKING: Gene therapy shows promise in slowing Huntington’s disease progression. A major milestone in neurodegenerative disease research. @uclqsion.bsky.social @ucl-hd.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.ukHuntington's disease successfully treated for first timeOne of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.

Mena Farag reposted

UCL Discovery
@ucldiscovery.bsky.social

Open Access UCL Research: Bias in HD-ISS staging introduced by the FreeSurfer cross-sectional stream: Insights from the Huntington's Disease Young Adult Study (HD-YAS) discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10...

discovery.ucl.ac.uk Bias in HD-ISS staging introduced by the FreeSurfer cross-sectional stream: Insights from the Huntington's Disease Young Adult Study (HD-YAS) - UCL Discovery UCL Discovery is UCL's open access repository, showcasing and providing access to UCL research outputs from all UCL disciplines.

Mena Farag reposted

The Lancet
@thelancet.com

The oncogenic KRAS mutation has been the subject of intense investigation. In The Lancet, a new phase 3 trial reports on adagrasib versus docetaxel in KRASG12C-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer. This and more in our latest issue 👉 bit.ly/4mi7T1y

Mena Farag
@drmfarag.bsky.social

In 2015, just out of medical school, I’d never have imagined seeing my name in @thelancet.com! Our review on vesicular monoamine transport (#VMAT) inhibitors is published today. @uclqsion.bsky.social @uclbrainscience.bsky.social 🔗 Read the full article here: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

thelancet.comVesicular monoamine transport inhibitors: current uses and future directionsAdvancements over the past decade in understanding vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitors highlight their key role in the treatment of movement and neuropsychiatric disorders. VMAT2 is c...

Mena Farag reposted

Rachael Scahill
@rachiscahill.bsky.social

Important paper on accessible biomarkers from @hob-lab.bsky.social. Well done Annabelle Coleman @drl-bo.bsky.social and all.

UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre@ucl-hd.bsky.social

New paper from the @hob-lab.bsky.social just published in Journal of Neurology. A step toward more accessible biomarker testing 🩸 link.springer.com/article/10.1... @drl-bo.bsky.social @uclbrainscience.bsky.social @uclqsion.bsky.social

link.springer.comEvaluating finger-prick blood collection for remote quantification of neurofilament light in neurological diseases - Journal of NeurologyPromising blood-based biomarkers of neuropathology have emerged with potential for therapeutic development and disease monitoring. However, these tools will require specialist tertiary services for in...

Mena Farag reposted

Dr Lauren Byrne
@drl-bo.bsky.social

I am unbelievably proud to have my first senior author paper published today! It was a long slog through multiple review cycles but we got there! A big thank you to my lab members and all the collaborators and participants who contributed to this work! 🥲

House of Byrne Lab@hob-lab.bsky.social

We are delighted to present the first publication out of the lab, available online today, titled ‘Evaluating finger-prick blood collection for remote quantification of neurofilament light in neurological diseases’ link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.comEvaluating finger-prick blood collection for remote quantification of neurofilament light in neurological diseases - Journal of NeurologyPromising blood-based biomarkers of neuropathology have emerged with potential for therapeutic development and disease monitoring. However, these tools will require specialist tertiary services for in...

Mena Farag reposted

House of Byrne Lab
@hob-lab.bsky.social

We are delighted to present the first publication out of the lab, available online today, titled ‘Evaluating finger-prick blood collection for remote quantification of neurofilament light in neurological diseases’ link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.comEvaluating finger-prick blood collection for remote quantification of neurofilament light in neurological diseases - Journal of NeurologyPromising blood-based biomarkers of neuropathology have emerged with potential for therapeutic development and disease monitoring. However, these tools will require specialist tertiary services for in...

Mena Farag reposted

UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre
@ucl-hd.bsky.social

New paper from the @hob-lab.bsky.social just published in Journal of Neurology. A step toward more accessible biomarker testing 🩸 link.springer.com/article/10.1... @drl-bo.bsky.social @uclbrainscience.bsky.social @uclqsion.bsky.social

link.springer.comEvaluating finger-prick blood collection for remote quantification of neurofilament light in neurological diseases - Journal of NeurologyPromising blood-based biomarkers of neuropathology have emerged with potential for therapeutic development and disease monitoring. However, these tools will require specialist tertiary services for in...
Mena Farag
@drmfarag.bsky.social

Huge thanks to @drmichelaleocadi.bsky.social and #HDYO for organising this fantastic event! Donate now and please support young people impacted by Huntington's disease: hdyo.enthuse.com/pf/huntingto...

hdyo.enthuse.com🏃‍♀️ Run 4 HDYO Olivia (Liv) Martinez Scholarship Fund– 5K Charity Run/Walk at Battersea Park📅 Saturday, June 28th, 2025 | 🕘 8:30 AM | 📍 Battersea Park, London (Carriage Drive West) Come join us for a 5K run or walk to raise awareness of Huntington’s Disease and support the amazing work of

Mena Farag reposted

UCL News
@uclnews.bsky.social

A series of digital tests carried out via a smartphone app could enhance the detection of disease progression in #HuntingtonsDisease and improve the efficiency of clinical trials, finds research led by scientists at @uclqsion.bsky.social @ucl-hd.bsky.social and Roche including @profwild.bsky.social

ucl.ac.ukSmartphone tests could accelerate drug development for Huntington’s diseaseA series of digital tests, carried out via a smartphone app, could enhance the detection of disease progression in Huntington’s disease and improve the efficiency of clinical trials, finds research le...

Mena Farag reposted

Eduardo Argüelles-González
@eddargo.bsky.social

Neuroimaging Techniques in #Huntington's Disease: A Critical Review 🧠 #Neurology #movedisorder #MedEd movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.comNeuroimaging Techniques in Huntington's Disease: A Critical ReviewBackground Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive, neuropsychiatric and motor symptoms caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in the ...