Think Neuro

Dr. Chester Griffiths, MD, FACS, is board certified in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He has an extensive 25 years of experience in endoscopic endonasal sinus surgery for skull base tumors and pituitary tumors, sinonasal cancers including mucosal melanomas, and in the treatment of facial and nasal trauma, cosmetic deformities, sinus infections, and disorders of smell and taste. His practice also includes treatment of sleep apnea, snoring, difficulty breathing, disorders of the larynx, thyroid tumors, and other head and neck cancers with an emphasis on viral HPV related cancers.

For more information:

https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/about-us/our-team/ | (310) 582-7640

Barbara S. Giesser, MD, FAAN, FANA, is an internationally recognized clinician and award-winning educator who has specialized in the care of persons with Multiple Sclerosis since 1982. Her approach to the diagnosis and management of persons with MS combines advanced diagnostics and a personalized medication plan for each patient with an emphasis on integrating lifestyle and wellness strategies into the neurologic treatment plan.

For more information:

pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org | (310) 582-7640

Treating cancer involves more than treating the body. The disease takes a toll on the mind, too, no matter what organ system it affects. Cancer and treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy come with mental costs as well. Depression, anxiety, cognitive symptoms, and insomnia are common after cancer treatment. There is also a syndrome that patients call “chemo brain” and doctors call “frontal lobe dysfunction.” It’s not an official diagnosis, but patients who suffer from it say they are more irritable, they can’t tolerate loud noises or crowded spaces. Dr. Shanthi Gowrinathan has seen all of these things. She’s the Director of Psycho-Oncology at PNI, and she specializes in the mental health of cancer patients. She uses a combination of talk therapy and medication to help people recover their mental and spiritual bearings while coping with the disease. She is excited about PNI’s new Treatment & Research in Psychedelics (TRIP) program because studies have shown great potential for substances like psilocybin in treating depression. Research in the area is key to finding more options for rebooting the brain after cancer.

For more information:

pacificneuro.org | (310) 582-7640

Dr. Melita Petrossian is a fellowship-trained neurologist and movement disorders specialist and is the Director of the Pacific Movement Disorders Center located at Providence Saint John’s Health Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance. Dr. Petrossian’s clinical interests and expertise are in movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, tremors including essential tremors, dystonia, gait disorders, ataxia, myoclonus, blepharospasm, hemifacial spasm, Meige syndrome, spasticity, tics, and Tourette’s syndrome.

She also specializes in Parkinson’s-related conditions such as Dementia with Lewy Bodies, progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple system atrophy, corticobasal degeneration, primary freezing of gait, and Parkinson’s Disease Dementia.

For more information:

https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/about-us/our-team/ | (310) 582-7640

Naveed Wagle, MD, has specialized training and research experience in the treatment of cancer of the central and peripheral nervous system. Dr. Wagle treats patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors as well as neurologic complications of cancer at Providence Saint John’s Health Center. As an expert resource to Pacific Neuroscience Institute and the community, Dr. Wagle brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in neuro-oncology clinical trials design and implementation.

For more information:

https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/about-us/our-team/ | (310) 582-7640

Dr. Amit Kochhar talks about the treatment of Facial Paralysis. Facial paralysis is devastating to one’s identity. Patients with facial paralysis experience physical, social, and emotional changes. At PNI, our specialists treat all types of facial paralysis and related conditions. Every face is unique and our team takes a compassionate, patient-centric approach to designing a unique treatment for each individual.

For more information:

pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org | (310) 582-7640

Unfortunately, a brain cancer called glioblastoma has a very poor prognosis but there is still a lot that can be done.

Unlike other cancers that often develop as lumps with defined margins in the breast, say, glioblastomas not only present with a central mass but also send out microscopic tendrils into the brain, making them difficult to remove completely without damaging our most critical organ. There are powerful cancer drugs available but it can be challenging to get a full dose past the blood-brain barrier to attack glioblastoma.

Dr. Santosh Kesari, MD, Ph.D., is more optimistic now about treating glioblastoma than he has been at any time in his career. Neurosurgeons have better technologies allowing them to better remove what they can, and neuro-oncologists like Dr. Kesari have promising new therapies available like immunotherapies and targeted treatment protocols.

Listen to our conversation with Dr. Kesari to find out what treatments make him believe that big breakthroughs are on the horizon for treating this difficult disease.

For more information:

pacificneuro.org | (310) 582-7640

Dr. Barbara Giesser is the Multiple Sclerosis Neurologist at the Pacific Brain Health Center. Dr. Giesser’s approach to the diagnosis and management of persons with MS combines state-of-the-art diagnostics and a personalized medication plan for each patient with an emphasis on integrating lifestyle and wellness strategies into the neurologic treatment plan.

For more information:

https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/people/barbara-giesser/| (310) 582-7640

Dr. Barkhoudarian is the Co-Director Pituitary Disorders Center, Neurosurgery; Director, Adult Hydrocephalus Center; Director, Facial Pain Center; Chief, Radiosurgery Program; Director, Saint Johns Cancer Institute / PNI Microdissection Anatomy Laboratory. He is a board-certified, fellowship-trained neurosurgeon with a focus on skull base and minimally invasive endoscopic surgery. Dr. Barkhoudarian has particular interest and expertise in pituitary and parasellar tumors, brain tumors, skull-base tumors (including meningiomas, craniopharyngiomas, chordomas and schwannomas), intra-ventricular brain tumors, colloid cysts, trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, and other vascular compression syndromes.

For more information:

https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/people/garni-barkhoudarian/ | (310) 582-7640

Dr. Garni Barkhoudarian, Neurosurgeon at Pacific Neuroscience Institute and Assistant Professor of Neuroscience & Neurosurgery at the John Wayne Cancer Institute, discusses his perspectives of the future of brain tumor surgery in this brief video.

For more information:

pacificneuro.org | (310) 582-7640