Think Neuro

One in ten Americans who are 65 and older suffer from Alzheimer’s dementia. It’s the 6th leading cause of death in the country, and it is a scourge worldwide. But little is known about what causes Alzheimer’s, and cures have been elusive. Dr. Verna Porter specializes in treating people with Alzheimer’s, and she remains optimistic. Until we have a remedy, she advises people to eat well and get plenty of sleep. Patients with Alzheimer’s often have abnormal levels of a gummy plaque called amyloid protein crowded around the neurons of the brain. No one knows for sure what causes it to accumulate. What we know for sure is that sleep clears toxins from the brain, amyloid protein among them. Yet, so few of us get enough of it. Eating a diet that’s low in sugar, and intermittent fasting, also may clear toxins. Even when we do invent a cure for Alzheimer’s, prevention will still be the best medicine, Dr. Porter says. Listen now for more on the mysterious origins of Alzheimer’s and what you can do to live with it if it strikes you or a relative.

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Dr. Natalie Diaz is a board-certified neurologist with fellowship training in movement disorders. Her clinical practice focuses on the evaluation and management of patients with Parkinson’s disease, atypical parkinsonian disorders, Huntington’s disease, and other choreiform disorders, dystonia, and ataxia. She also has specialized training in the evaluation and programming of deep brain stimulation as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia as well as the therapeutic administration of botulinum toxin injections for non-cosmetic indications such as focal dystonia, hemifacial spasm, and limb spasticity. Her research focuses on industry-sponsored clinical trials in Parkinson’s disease and other collaborative clinical projects in the field of neurodegenerative disorders.

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

Dr. Abbas Anwar, a native of Southern California, is a board-certified otolaryngologist – head and neck surgeon, at the Pacific Eye, Ear & Skull Base Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. He specializes in all aspects of general and pediatric ENT and has special interests in sinonasal diseases and infections, head and neck surgery, otologic disorders, and throat complaints. He is well trained in the latest leading-edge innovations in otolaryngology including balloon sinuplasty, CT guided sinus surgery, and microlaryngeal laser surgery.

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

There are no specific diets that have been shown to reduce the progression of PD. However, there is good reason to believe that a well-balanced, nutritious diet would be best. In those without other medical conditions, the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurogenerative Delay (MIND) diet may be of benefit in Parkinson’s as well since both are neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

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Dr. George Teitelbaum is the director of the Pacific Stroke & Neurovascular Center. He has decades of experience treating aneurysms and cerebrovascular disease using neurointerventional procedures.

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

Dr. Jian Guan is a fellowship trained neurosurgeon with a special focus on complex spine surgery at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. Dedicated to the care of patients with spine and neck conditions, he practices at PNI-South Bay / Spine Institute at Little Company of Mary in Torrance, California. With over 75 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Guan has a particular clinical and research interest in ways of maximizing benefit to patients following neurosurgical procedures.

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

Jean-Philippe Langevin, MD, is a board-certified and fellowship-trained neurosurgeon with a special interest in the surgical treatment of complex spine conditions and movement disorders. Selected as a multiple year recipient of the SuperDoctor Rising Stars Edition, he has extensive experience using advanced surgical techniques to treat his patients with compassion and care. He practices at PNI-South Bay / Spine Institute at Little Company of Mary in Torrance, California.

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pacificneuro.org | (310) 582-7640

Addiction and depression are two of the most widespread conditions in all of medicine. After decades of research, doctors are still looking for alternatives for when medication and cognitive training don’t work, which is all too often. Dr. Dan Kelly, one of the founders of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, thinks there is a game-changer in our midst: psilocybin. Better known as the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, psilocybin has demonstrated staggering results for people trying to kick alcoholism, relieve depression and PTSD, and master the existential dread that comes at the end of life. Addiction medicine specialist Dr. Keith Heinzerling runs PNI’s new Treatment & Research in Psychedelics program (TRIP). Starting in December 2020, consented and eligible patients will be given psilocybin for Alcohol Use Disorder in a controlled, clinical trials setting, and integrate the experience through talk therapy sessions afterward. National Geographic film-maker and psychedelic expert Louie Schwartzberg consults with TRIP at PNI, to offer patients the option of viewing his time-lapse cinematography during their treatment to augment the experience. Schwartzberg introduced many people to the new thinking about psilocybin in his acclaimed 2019 film Fantastic Fungi. Think Neuro sat down with Heinzerling and Schwartzberg to talk about the promise of psychedelic treatments and how they are likely to change the lives of people struggling with intractable addiction, depression, and PTSD.

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PacificTRIP.org

Dr. Daniel F. Kelly, neurosurgeon, director, and founder at Pacific Neuroscience Institute explains the concept of keyhole surgery for the treatment of brain, skull base, and pituitary tumors.

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pacificneuro.org | (310) 582-7640

Samuel Hou, MD, Ph.D., is a neuro-interventional surgeon (interventional neuroradiologist) at the Pacific Stroke and Neurovascular Center, serving the Providence Health System in Southern California. Dr. Hou’s surgical techniques specialize in the endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke, brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and arteriovenous fistulas of the brain and spine. He is board certified from the American Board of Radiology with a specific sub-specialization in diagnostic neuroradiology.

As both a clinician and scientist devoted to the well being of his patients, Dr. Hou’s interests are focused on how to advance and optimize patient care and management in the treatment of complex neurovascular diseases through techniques that are minimally invasive.

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