The Think Neuro podcast from Pacific Neuroscience Institute takes you into the clinic, operating room and laboratory with doctors and surgeons who are tackling the most challenging brain diseases and disorders. You’ll go deep into the brain and beyond, exploring the neurological processes and structures that control our health, hormones, behaviors, movements, moods, and emotions. You’ll learn about new therapies that are giving hope for sufferers of the most challenging diseases, and you’ll hear…
Walavan Sivakumar, MD, explains how Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is used at PNI to help patients with brain tumors through the neurosurgical process. ERAS unfolds in three phases, and Dr. Sivakumar details why the preoperative stage plays a key role in setting patients up for success.
Parkinson's disease begins with the quiet loss of the brain cells that make dopamine, and dopamine is what carries your movement, your mood and the drive that gets you through the day. As those cells disappear, so does everything they were holding up, which is why the disease eventually shows itself in so many different ways at once. For years the central question in Parkinson's research has been…
For a tiny organ, the pituitary gland carries outsized responsibilities in the human body. The size of a pea, the so-called “master gland” produces vital hormones that regulate many important bodily functions, including growth, stress, thirst, and even reproductive development. So it only follows that when things go awry with the pituitary gland, the body can suffer many other problems. Dr. Garni…
July is Healthy Vision Month, and the National Eye Institute—part of the National Institutes of Health—reminds us to take care of our eyes, by eating a healthy diet and exercising, and also by understanding the connection between our vision and other diseases. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is one of those diseases. Dr. Barbara Giesser, who specializes in treating patients with MS at Pacific…
Every medical treatment needs to start with a diagnosis, but sometimes that diagnosis proves elusive. Sometimes it may appear that a person has one thing needing treatment, and after that treatment doesn’t work, doctors have to consider other possibilities. Dr. Amit Kochhar at Pacific Neuroscience Institute sees patients with facial paralysis, which is often diagnosed as Bell’s Palsy or Ramsey…
If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you probably kept a close eye on the pollen count this spring—and you may have felt those all-too-familiar symptoms that affect one in five people: Congestion, sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose. That’s known as allergic rhinitis or, more commonly, hay fever. And that’s why now is a good time to revisit this Think Neuro podcast with Pacific Neuroscience…
When blood collects in the skull outside the brain and below the outermost layer of tissue surrounding the brain (dura), a subdural hematoma results. This may occur due to head trauma when it is called an acute subdural hematoma. Chronic subdural hematomas may occur due to aging and the increased fragility of blood vessels. The pooled blood may resolve on its own or may require surgical…
If you have back pain, you are not alone. According to Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute, nearly 65 million Americans report a recent episode of back pain, and 16 million adults — 8 percent of all adults — experience persistent or chronic back pain and are limited in everyday activities. Dr. Marcus Mazur at Pacific Neuroscience Institute sees people living with back pain and works to…
National Stroke Awareness Month is observed in May to promote public awareness about stroke symptoms and prevention. While 800,000 Americans have a stroke every year, many of these can be prevented. It’s particularly critical to recognize when a stroke is happening, because fast treatment can prevent the worst effects. In this Spotlight Replay, Dr. Sandra Narayanan, a neurointerventional surgeon…
May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month, which the National Brain Tumor Society calls “a time dedicated to supporting, empowering, and amplifying the voice of the brain tumor community.” The NBTS estimates that more than 1.3 million Americans are living with a brain tumor and, while 73 percent of these are benign, an estimate 18,350 Americans will die of a brain tumor this year. In this Spotlight…