Think Neuro

In movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia, normal function can be restored to the circuitry of the brain, resulting in significant improvement in function and quality of life. The goal of deep brain stimulation surgery is to modulate the activity of a specific brain region.

In DBS, thin electrodes are placed in the disruptive areas of the brain and small electrical pulses normalize or eliminate the irregular signals. DBS is the non-permanent suppression of overactivity in the autopilot structure of the brain called the basal ganglia.

Like a pacemaker for the brain, the battery (pulse generator) is implanted under the skin of the chest, and leads (wires) are tunneled under the skin via the deep part of the brain through a quarter-sized opening in the skull. The system is fully implanted under the skin, so there are no external wires or devices. The stimulator is fully programmable and therefore adjustable over time, as the disease changes. Patients can use a simple hand-held device to turn the DBS on or off, and adjust various other parameters if needed.

You're probably hearing a lot more about the "human microbiome" these days. It's the collection of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that lives alongside us, inside and out. Some of these organisms are beneficial, and some are harmful. There is growing evidence that bad actors in our digestive tract may produce toxins that travel along the vagus nerve to the brain, where they clump and cause Parkinson's disease. Listen to this PNI Minute to understand this unexpected connection between gut health and the brain.

Dr. Akanksha Sharma is a neuro-oncologist and palliative medicine specialist at the Pacific Brain Tumor Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA. To provide extra resources to brain cancer patients suffering from brain tumors such as glioblastoma and their care partners. Dr. Akanksha Sharma is a neuro-oncologist and palliative medicine specialist at the Pacific Brain Tumor Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, CA. To provide extra resources to brain cancer patients suffering from brain tumors such as glioblastoma and their care partners, Dr. Sharma opened a Supportive Care Clinic in 2020. The clinic offers services to deal with symptoms, quality of life, care partner burden and distress, and help alleviate suffering.

PacificBrainTumor.org | 310-829-8265

Listen in as Dr. Santosh Kesari joins the Your Healthy Dose podcast with Kym Douglas.

We’re at the dawn of a new era in medical care, where the ability to predict, detect, and treat disease will be based on each individual’s genetics and the interaction of the genome with many lifestyle, environmental, and other factors. Join us for “Personalized Medicine” and hear podcast host Kym Douglas explore the possibilities with Dr. Santosh Kesari.

Stress can significantly impact the brain and body. Cortisol production in the brain increases. It is a stress hormone regulated by the hypothalamus which is responsible for our fight or flight response. This is your brain's response to danger. Chronic stress can lead to structural changes in the hippocampus, which is also our memory center. So those that experience chronic stress are more likely to experience changes in their memory abilities.

Learn how to manage stress using techniques like meditation, deep breathing and forest bathing, so that when you're stressed, you'll be more able to engage in these practices. If you're experiencing stress related to your daily life, cognitive changes or cognitive changes in a loved one, please reach out to the Brain Wellness & Lifestyle program.

Bell’s palsy is a paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of the face. The facial nerves control muscle activity so when damaged it can cause the face to droop.

Fortunately, for the majority of patients, normal to near-normal facial nerve function can be restored within 1-2 months with medications alone, especially in those who can still partly move their facial muscles.

Bell’s palsy-related facial paralysis is sudden, often occurring overnight. The diagnosis of Bell’s palsy is typically made after a thorough evaluation of the entire body that may include a laboratory workup and possibly neuroimaging (MRI). As Bell’s palsy is a diagnosis of exclusion, other causes of facial weakness such as stroke, brain tumor, trauma, etc., should be ruled out. When treated within 72 hours of onset, symptoms usually improve within a few weeks.

Michelle Holmes, OD, is a full-scope optometrist at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute®. She sees patients at both the Eye, Ear and Skull Base Center as well as at the Brain Health Center. She is board certified and TLG licensed to treat and manage ocular disease. She prides herself in practicing evidence-based medicine with a genuine enthusiasm for human connection.

Strange though it may seem, our vocal cords are among our most vital organs. Not only do they allow us to communicate, but they make it possible to swallow without letting food or fluids into our lungs, a dangerous phenomenon that can cause pneumonia. It’s a complex action, requiring the work of 48 different muscles. Dr. Omid Mehdizadeh is an otolaryngologist—a surgeon who specializes in the head and neck. His specialty is laryngology—complex voice and swallowing disorders. Many patients come to him when they age, or after they have a stroke, both of which can impair the vocal cords. Dr. Mehdizadeh has lots of techniques to help them, some of which you wouldn’t suspect. As vocal cords age, they lose some of their mass, making it harder for them to close. In those cases, Dr. Mehdizadeh often turns to the same stuff that plastic surgeons use to plump up lips: a filler called Juvederm, or one like it. He injects the cords, giving them new life. In that sense, Dr. Mehdizadeh is a plastic surgeon for the vocal cords. Listen to this episode to learn more about this crucial organ, how to keep it healthy as you age, and what can be done to repair it, if necessary.

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus is one of a few reversible causes of dementia. Dr. Garni Barkhoudarian, director of the Pacific Adult Hydrocephalus Center, briefly describes the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of this condition.

Cervical dystonia (sometimes called neck dystonia) is the abnormal position of the muscles of the neck, causing a twisted, turned, flexed or extended neck position. Abnormal signals coming from the deep parts of the brain cause this condition and therefore it is not muscular in nature and will not resolve with muscle massage or stretching.

The mainstay of treatment of cervical dystonia is with injection of botulinum toxin, such as Botox or Xeomin. Botulinum toxin injections work by causing a disruption between the nerve and the muscle, thereby weakening the muscle that it is injected into. For cervical dystonia, because the muscles that are pulling or twisting the neck to one side are overactive, Botox works to calm those specific muscles down and allows for a more natural and neutral head position.