Delicious/pennmedicinenews/neurosurgery

Young Athletes Growing Mindful of Concussion Danger

2012-02-29T13:22:18-08:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the debate and discussion over concussions and their consequences have moved beyond the spotlight of professional sports. According to neurologists, that's a good thing. In college, high school, and youth leagues, awareness is growing. "This is one of those slow awakenings of, 'There's a real problem, there's a real danger,' " said Doug Smith, director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair and professor of Neurosurgery. Awareness of concussions and their lasting impact has grown among the general public in the last five years, he said. While Little League parents often worried about damaging a child's elbow from throwing too many curveballs, Smith said, "it's time to worry the same way about your head."

A Smack Upside the Head

2012-02-29T13:22:19-08:00

Men's Health delves into the topic of concussions, noting that, while we fret over the brains of veterans, pro athletes, and wannabe pros, the vast majority of concussion victims are ordinary citizens. The worry is widening, amid undeniable evidence that there's nothing mild about a "mild" TBI. Studies suggest that even a single impact to the head may light a fuse to dementia or Alzheimer's disease. "The number one genetic risk factor for traumatic brain injury is having a Y chromosome," says Douglas Smith, M.D., director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair and professor of Neurosurgery. Among adult participants in sports and recreation, men account for 70 percent of TBIs, according to the CDC. "Even with a helmet, you are still at extreme risk of having a traumatic brain injury in any type of sport," says Dr. Smith. The bottom line for him? "Wear a helmet, and be careful." Communications placement

Brain Cells Of Mice Controlled With Wireless Router In New Research

2012-02-29T13:22:21-08:00

A startup has created "a wireless router for the brain" that allows researchers to control brain cells in mice and other small lab animals. A Huffington Post article talks about this new device which lets scientists easily turn brain cells on and off in living mice that are wearing the router. Researchers watch how the mice respond to find which brain cells are connected with different behaviors. Talking about the difficult process using current methods, "you almost can't do any behavioral experiment in a meaningful way," University of Pennsylvania neurosurgeon Casey Halpern told Technology Review. The implant is in beta testing with researchers, including Halpern, who studies how turning off certain brain cells affect the way mice eat.

Kids' brain injuries can cause lingering problems for years, study finds

2012-02-29T13:22:23-08:00

While conventional wisdom is that children have a great capacity to overcome damage from a severe traumatic brain injury, or TBI, because their brains are still developing and plastic, a new study shows that many may actually end up with some lasting deficits. MSNBC.com reports on a study which followed 56 children for 10 years after theyd sustained a TBI between the ages of 2 and 7. Kids do recover better than adults, says Douglas Smith, MD, director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair and professor of Neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. And the younger [kids] tend to do better than the older ones. Thats because the younger you are the more plastic your brain is. That makes it easier for the brain to rewire. Communications placement

Penn Med Study Looks at Ingredient in Muscle Milk's Ability to Treat Concussions

2012-02-29T13:22:23-08:00

The Daily Pennsylvanian reports that branched-chain amino acids a common nutrient found in small doses in weight training supplements such as Muscle Milk and protein powder will be looked at as a possible way to treat concussions, or at least speed up the healing process, in a study conducted by Penn Medicines Peter LeRoux, MD, FACS, associate professor of Neurosurgery. Earlier this month, LeRoux received a Dana Foundation grant worth $250,000 to conduct research on sports concussion treatments. Following the work of Akiva S. Cohen, PhD, associate professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Pediatrics, in animal models, LeRoux said that, if his study is successful, it would yield the first pharmacological treatment for concussions for humans. Jill Baren, MD, chair and professor of Emergency Medicine, said that concussion treatment isnt standardized and different physicians have different suggestions. We have a significant need to address this, she said. CP

Recovering Woman Recalls Horrifying Crash

2012-02-29T13:22:25-08:00

Yesenia Washburn, 24, survived being stranded in the woods for 15 hours after a car wreck. Now in a wheelchair, she says she is determined to one day walk again.

Fear of stroke prompts a rare diagnosis

2012-02-29T13:22:28-08:00

Eric Zager, MD, professor of Neurosurgery, is interviewed by the Delaware News Journal discussing treatment for Moyamoya, a rare neurovascular condition in which the carotid arteries thicken and narrow, restricting and blocking blood flow to the brain.

Researchers say Hockey Concussions Underreported

2012-02-29T13:22:30-08:00

As with football, the hitting of opponents - both legally and otherwise - is seen as being part of the game in ice hockey. So it comes as no surprise that players suffer concussions, as Flyers Claude Giroux, Chris Pronger, and Brayden Schenn have this season, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. In some respects, hockey players may be at greater risk than athletes in other sports, said Douglas H. Smith, MD, professor of Neurosurgery and director of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Brain Injury and Repair. Concussions occur when the head comes to a sudden stop and the brain keeps moving inside it - a phenomenon that is all too prevalent in a fast-moving game with a hard playing surface surrounded by rigid walls. "You have a skimpy helmet and a bunch of hard surfaces," Smith said. "It's not a good combination. And you're on ice." CP

Flyers' Pronger Out for Season with Post-concussion Syndrome

2012-02-29T13:22:30-08:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Philadelphia Flyers will have to do without their captain and top defensive player, Chris Pronger, for the rest of the season and the playoffs because of post-concussion syndrome. Pronger, who was not available to comment, does not remember getting hit in the head after his brief return to the lineup. But, Douglas Smith, MD, professor of Neurosurgery and director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania, said Monday that "any kind of hit" to another part of the body could have triggered the problem because the head may have already been injured. "Another hit can send spasms" to the head, he said. In addition to Pronger, Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn are sidelined by concussions. In the NHL, a total of 23 players are out with concussions or concussion symptoms. CP

Health: Man's Best Friend Helping With Brain Cancer Vaccine Research

2012-02-29T13:22:33-08:00

CBS 3 features a new cancer vaccine helping both dogs and humans with brain tumors. The vaccine is made of cancer cells that stimulate the immune system to fight the tumor, and perhaps even stop it from recurring. Penn Neurosurgery and the Abramson Cancer Center are now enrolling newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma for vaccine trials. Communications placement

Neurosurgery provides relief for Mt. Pocono man

2012-02-29T13:22:35-08:00

After undergoing neurosurgery at age 77 to eliminate the major symptoms of Parkinson's disease, Penn Neurosurgery patient Robert Passalacqua of Mount Pocono, says his quality of life has improved tenfold. "When I found out there was an operation that could help me, I wasn't sure that I would qualify for the surgery," Passalacqua told the Pocono Record. "Typically the criteria for the surgery is severe motor complications that interfere with daily living," said Kate McGill, a nurse practitioner in Neurosurgery at the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center. In March, Gordon H. Baltuch, MD, PhD, professor of Neurosurgery and director of the Center for Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery, performed a six-hour procedure to implant a device for Deep Brain Stimulation. "I just want everyone that has Parkinson's disease to know what a difference this can make in your life, and if they can, they should have the operation," he said. Communications placement

$102 million Perelman Center extension to be completed in 2014

2012-02-29T13:22:38-08:00

The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that a $102 million extension to the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine will be built at the current Penn Tower site. Construction is scheduled to begin winter 2012 and is slated for completion by the winter or spring of 2014. The expansion will remedy some of HUPs aging facility issues and allow for more private hospital rooms. Outpatient services from Penn Tower will relocate to the Perelman Center. Included as part of the project is the construction of a replacement parking garage. Ultimately, the original Penn Tower will be demolished to make room for a new inpatient tower. The project will support 224,000 gross square feet for adjacent ambulatory and diagnostic space and 520,000 gross square feet for patient care, research or faculty offices. The project is also intended to facilitate interdisciplinary care by placing the Neurology, Neurosurgery and Neuropsychiatry departments in the same place.

Bob Shryock: My list of docs goes on and on

2012-02-29T13:22:38-08:00

A columnist with the Gloucester County Times writes, "If I managed to get all of my physicians and therapists together for a pickup basketball game, I could field two full squads and subs. At last count, I have approximately 10 doctors and three therapists, enough for my own MASH unit, with most body parts covered. I had the battery changed in my neurostimulator in a two-hour outpatient surgical procedure eight days ago at Pennsylvania Hospital. I chatted with the skilled neurosurgeon (Dr. Gordon Baltuch) who performed the DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) surgery for my Parkinsons in 2003, but his youthful supporting cast implanted the new battery. Every six months I see my Parkinsons Center neurologist, Dr. Stacy Horn, and the guy who zaps me to control and adjust my stimulator, Dr. Jurg Jaggi. With Baltuch, Jaggi forms my all-brain team. My podiatrist, Dr. Lewis, focuses on my big toe. As you can see, Im a mess, from head (Baltuch) to toe (Lewis). So aint it great, getting old?"

Fattah Draws Attention to Neuroscience Funding

2012-02-29T13:22:38-08:00

In what he hopes will be a step toward increasing funding for research into brain disorders, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) said this week that he had helped win bipartisan support for a more coordinated approach to federal funding of neuroscience, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.Neuroscience is a diverse and fragmented field that includes pediatric brain development, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and Alzheimer's disease. Just delaying the onset of Alzheimer's as the nation's population is increasingly elderly could save "trillions," Fattah said. Glen Gaulton, PhD,executive vice dean and chief scientific officer at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, said the new approach could be important if it "is done cohesively and comprehensively." He said neuroscience spans many different divisions of the NIH, which is also working on better coordination. Translating Fattah's structural change into more funding will require "advocacy at multiple levels," Gaulton said. CP

The NFL's Ongoing Headache

2012-02-29T13:22:56-08:00

If Michael Vick's vision isnt too fuzzy, and the fog engulfing his consciousness not too dense, the concussed Eagles quarterback might want to thank Joseph Mason Reeves, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. An undersized tackle on Navys 1893 team, Reeves unpleasant duty was to plow headfirst into the flying wedges opposing offenses ran with a deadly efficiency. He was knocked out so frequently that late in that 1893 season a Naval Academy physician warned him the next could result in death or instant insanity. The future admiral sought out an Annapolis cobbler and asked him to create a head-protector out of moleskin. Virtually every NFL player, at some point in his career, has been knocked unconscious during a game or practice. Its not that youve just lost cognitive skills, said Douglas H. Smith, a professor of Neurosurgery at Penn's Center for Brian Injury and Repair, but youve also increased the chances of having a worse problem later in life.