Adult Services, Neuroscience

Normal cognitive aging or dementia? Know the signs and when to refer

Distinguishing normal aging from early dementia can be difficult, but there are clues that can help. Neurologist Gregory E. Cooper, M.D., Ph.D., chief of adult neurology and director of the Norton Neuroscience Institute Memory Center, answers the most commonly asked questions. What are the differences between normal cognitive aging, mild cognitive impairment and dementia?According to…

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Neuroscience

Emergency medical services observational experience for stroke care

Norton Healthcare is offering a professional, structured observation program for flight nurses, paramedics, EMTs and first responders to enhance their knowledge of stroke and learn about state-of-the-art treatment and interventions. Recognizing the key role of EMTs and paramedics in stroke care is a priority because they are the first people who interact with the stroke…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

Bevacizumab shown to reduce radiation necrosis in clinical trial

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Clinical challenge Radiation necrosis of the brain causes debilitating headaches, recurrent seizures, focal neurological deficits and subcortical neurocognitive slowing. Radiation necrosis occurs in about a fifth of patients who receive stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Radiation therapy is increasingly used as a noninvasive treatment for benign diseases such as arteriovenous malformation…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

Surgical intervention is an effective treatment for stroke

A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted, either when a blood vessel is blocked (an ischemic stroke) or when a blood vessel bursts (hemorrhagic stroke). The brain uses constant blood flow to provide necessary oxygen and food supply. Without this flow, the brain cells begin to die. Once brain cells die,…

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Adult Services, Case Study, Neuroscience, Spine

Spinal tumor case study: Mass blocked 90% of canal

The patient A 27-year-old female presented with five months of progressive quadriparesis and paresthesias affecting both upper and lower extremities. She initially presented to her primary care provider five months prior, while eight months pregnant, with weakness, numbness and tingling in her right upper extremity. The symptoms initially were thought to be a result of…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

New surgeons allow multidisciplinary head and neck tumor care from diagnosis through follow-up

With the addition of a pair of surgeons, Norton Cancer Institute Head and Neck Tumor Program is now a fully integrated multidisciplinary team caring for patients from diagnosis through treatment to follow-up. Paul A. Tennant, M.D., and Mia Jusufbegovic, M.D., are the program’s first head and neck oncology surgeons. Previously, we worked from patient to…

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Adult Services, Case Study, Neuroscience

Mechanical thrombectomy for middle cerebral artery stroke leads to discharge 2 days later with NIH Stroke Scale score of 0

Incident details:   Date: 4/26/2022 Patient: Male Age: 66 Arrival to emergency department:11 a.m. Tom L. Yao, M.D., endovascular neurosurgeon, Norton Neuroscience Institute   Nadeem A. Talpur, M.D. stroke neurologist, Norton Neuroscience Institute   Richard Carlisle, M.D., emergency medicine physician, Norton Brownsboro Hospital Presenting complaint Confusion, comprehension deficit, slurred and garbled speech Emergency medical services…

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Neuroscience

Dementia care for communities of color

Dementia is an umbrella term that includes a range of symptoms associated with cognitive decline. Perhaps one of the best known and most common types — Alzheimer’s dementia — represents 60% to 80% of all dementia. It’s characterized by memory loss and, from a biological perspective, amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary (tau protein) tangles and neurodegeneration, which…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

The window of stroke care

Time saved is brain saved when it comes to stroke care. “Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S,” said Shervin R. Dashti, M.D., Ph.D., endovascular neurosurgeon and spine surgeon at Norton Neuroscience Institute. “Three-quarters of a million strokes per year, many million stroke survivors, and it’s one of the leading…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

Imaging could lead to further expansion of tPA window

Additional data could lead to stronger guidelines extending the tPA window for ischemic strokes beyond the current 4½ hour limit in coming years, according to a Norton Neuroscience Institute stroke specialist. A common scenario faced in stroke centers is a patient who awoke with a deficit but doesn’t know when they had a stroke. The…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

Phase 3 trial examines whether donanemab can prevent Alzheimer’s

Patients who are cognitively normal but have a family history or other concern about developing Alzheimer’s may be eligible to participate in a study looking at whether an investigational drug can slow or prevent the disease. Norton Neuroscience Institute is one of 230 centers around the country participating in the phase 3 trial of a…

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Adult Services, Neuroscience

When are headache symptoms a red flag for a more serious condition?

When are headache symptoms consistent with migraine or red flags of a condition warranting urgent or emergency medical attention? Migraine occurs in a recurring pattern and can be diagnosed clinically, without MRI or other tests, according to Brian M. Plato, D.O., neurologist and director of headache medicine at Norton Neuroscience Institute. Because migraine occurs in…

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