Think Neuro

Hearing loss is common as we age, but its effects reach far beyond the ears. Research increasingly links untreated hearing loss to a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia, while treating hearing loss with hearing aids or cochlear implants may help protect memory and quality of life. At PNI’s Ear, Hearing & Balance program, our audiologists and ENT specialists work together to evaluate your hearing and recommend the right next step, whether that’s hearing aids, cochlear implants, or another treatment path.

Hearing loss is one of the leading causes of overall disability worldwide, affecting approximately 466 million adults and children. In this video, Rebecca Lewis, AuD, the Audiology Director of the Adult & Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, answers common questions about cochlear implants.

For more information:
https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/patient-care/treatments/cochlear-implants/

The pituitary gland may be tiny, but it plays a significant role in a woman’s health. When functioning properly, this master gland regulates essential hormones that influence many of bodily functions, from menstrual cycles to metabolism. Therefore, when pituitary gland disorders arise, they can disrupt reproductive health, energy levels, and overall quality of life. In this article, we’ll explore the role of the pituitary gland in women’s health, common disorders, symptoms to watch for, and how these conditions can be diagnosed and treated.

It sounds almost too good to be true: A simple solution to a major health issue, that’s safe, effective and covered by insurance—yet most of the people who would benefit from this procedure don’t even know about it. We’re talking about cochlear implants—a well-established procedure that can restore hearing loss. Dr. Courtney Voelker has made it her life’s work to spread the word about this remarkable surgery. One of her patients, Sharon, also wants people to know how her cochlear implant completely changed her life, restoring her ability to hear everything from her pet birds to her yoga teacher to actors on stage in theatrical performances. Dr. Voelker and Sharon share those stories with us today.

With four Comprehensive Stroke Centers at Providence hospitals in the greater Los Angeles region, Pacific Neuroscience Institutes specialists have expert teams to treat stroke patients. Working with EMS, neurointerventional teams are standing by to provide immediate, advanced treatment. Using the latest in leading-edge imaging and minimally invasive clot-retrieval and clot busting techniques, we are able to treat strokes right away, maximizing the chance of recovery.

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) can cause symptoms of dementia, but these are reversible.

NPH is a neurological condition that occurs when cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up in the brain’s ventricles, causing them to enlarge. It most commonly affects older adults and can lead to a unique set of symptoms, including difficulty walking, problems with bladder control, and cognitive decline. Because its symptoms often overlap with those of other neurological conditions, NPH can be challenging to diagnose but is often treatable once identified.

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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord. MS is managed by disease modifying therapies (DMTs), symptom management medications, and lifestyle interventions.

Lifestyle interventions focus on six pillars of brain health: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, social connection and avoidance of harmful substances. Learn more.

pacificms.org

The world of brain surgery has changed dramatically over the past generation. Surgeons are able to remove many tumors and other problems from the brain, often using new approaches that have much shorter recovery times and much better long-term outcomes. Many of these surgeries are much less invasive than old methods that saw the need to cut into a patient’s skull. Dr. Daniel Kelly and the team at Pacific Neuroscience Institute have pioneered many of these new approaches, and they’ve published peer-reviewed papers on their work in an effort to spread the word through the field. Dr. Kelly, the CEO and co-founder of PNI, joins us today to talk about some of these papers and what he and the team have found.

For more information, visit: pacificneuro.org

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 whether any of that can be given back, and stem cells offer one of the more hopeful answers, since they can be turned into the very dopamine neurons the brain can no longer make on its own.