Think Neuro

July is Healthy Vision Month, and the National Eye Institute—part of the National Institutes of Health—reminds us to take care of our eyes, by eating a healthy diet and exercising, and also by understanding the connection between our vision and other diseases. Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is one of those diseases. Dr. Barbara Giesser, who specializes in treating patients with MS at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, says tha...

Every medical treatment needs to start with a diagnosis, but sometimes that diagnosis proves elusive. Sometimes it may appear that a person has one thing needing treatment, and after that treatment doesn’t work, doctors have to consider other possibilities. Dr. Amit Kochhar at Pacific Neuroscience Institute sees patients with facial paralysis, which is often diagnosed as Bell’s Palsy or Ramsey Hunt Syndrome—but so...

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you probably kept a close eye on the pollen count this spring—and you may have felt those all-too-familiar symptoms that affect one in five people: Congestion, sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose. That’s known as allergic rhinitis or, more commonly, hay fever. And that’s why now is a good time to revisit this Think Neuro podcast with Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Dr. M...

When blood collects in the skull outside the brain and below the outermost layer of tissue surrounding the brain (dura), a subdural hematoma results. This may occur due to head trauma when it is called an acute subdural hematoma. Chronic subdural hematomas may occur due to aging and the increased fragility of blood vessels. The pooled blood may resolve on its own or may require surgical intervention as development of a subdural hem...

If you have back pain, you are not alone. According to Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute, nearly 65 million Americans report a recent episode of back pain, and 16 million adults — 8 percent of all adults — experience persistent or chronic back pain and are limited in everyday activities. Dr. Marcus Mazur at Pacific Neuroscience Institute sees people living with back pain and works to find a solution,...

National Stroke Awareness Month is observed in May to promote public awareness about stroke symptoms and prevention. While 800,000 Americans have a stroke every year, many of these can be prevented. It’s particularly critical to recognize when a stroke is happening, because fast treatment can prevent the worst effects. In this Spotlight Replay, Dr. Sandra Narayanan, a neurointerventional surgeon at Pacific Neuroscience Instit...

May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month, which the National Brain Tumor Society calls “a time dedicated to supporting, empowering, and amplifying the voice of the brain tumor community.” The NBTS estimates that more than 1.3 million Americans are living with a brain tumor and, while 73 percent of these are benign, an estimate 18,350 Americans will die of a brain tumor this year. In this Spotlight Replay, we revisit a convers...

Dr. Nouzhan Sehati, is a board-certified neurosurgeon who specializes the treatment of a wide variety of brain, spine and spinal cord disorders at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. His expertise is in surgical and nonsurgical management of degenerative, traumatic and neoplastic (tumor) diseases of the brain and spine with a focus on minimally invasive techniques.⁠
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Dr. Sehati believes in clinical excellence and comprehensi...

In general, aneurysms are only detected after they have burst although they may sometimes be detected during the course of other tests. Operating on the arteries of the brain may feel scary but there have been tremendous advances in the way that aneurysms are surgically treated. The interventional neuroradiologist has several options for treating the aneurysm from the inside of the blood vessel based on the patient’s status. ...

Parkinson’s disease is a neurologic movement disorder. It affects the brain and causes difficulty with movement, with the most common motor symptoms being tremors, stiffness or rigidity of muscles, and slowness of movement. According to the American Parkinson Disease Association, it is the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease in the world, and the second most common after Alzheimer’s disease, with an estimated 1 mi...

Two slender muscles carry out some of the most important—and taken-for-granted—tasks in our lives. These muscles make up what we have come to call our “voice box,” and they not only produce the sounds that we make—they also close on cue to protect our lungs as we swallow. In this Spotlight Replay, we revisit a conversation with Dr. Omid Mehdizadeh, who treats voice and swallow disorders, in which he he...

Survey after survey is telling us that Americans are increasingly feeling lonely. It’s a trend that’s been growing for years and, while it was exacerbated during the pandemic when we were instructed to socially isolate, it continues even as society has reopened. In this Spotlight Replay, we revisit a panel discussion in which three doctors at Pacific Neuroscience Institute tell how they help people deal with different c...

Fellowship trained, Noa Tal, MD, is a devoted endocrinologist committed to delivering exceptional care and striving for excellence in her field. With a diverse background encompassing medicine, research, teaching, and wellness, she endeavors to make significant contributions to healthcare. At the Pituitary Disorders Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute®, Dr. Tal cares for patients with endocrine issues as a result of pituitary ...

When someone is diagnosed with a brain tumor, their world can shift overnight, bringing challenges that reach far beyond the medical diagnosis. A tumor is, first and foremost and most obviously, a health challenge. Like any serious illness, however, it also taxes people mentally and psychologically. Patients and their families have to navigate a complex medical system, take in new and challenging information, and make large, potent...

The doctors at Pacific Neuroscience Institute believe strongly in educating other neurosurgeons in the latest techniques for minimally invasive surgery. PNI’s Pacific Rim Master Class in Endoscopic Endonasal and Keyhole Surgery is right around the corner, coming up at the end of March. In this Spotlight Replay, we return to the episode in which Dr. Garni Barkhoudarian talks about his commitment to pay forward his own neurosur...

March is Essential Tremor Awareness Month. Essential tremor is one of the most common movement disorders, affecting millions of people around the world. In this Spotlight Replay, we return to the episode in which Dr. Melita Petrossian discusses the diagnosis and treatment of Essential Tremors, and explains how these tremors differ from those seen in people with Parkinson’s Disease. Keeping hope alive, the International Essent...

Spinal deformity refers to abnormal curvatures of the spine, such as scoliosis, lordosis, and kyphosis. These conditions can arise from genetic defects, injuries, diseases like osteoporosis or arthritis, neuromuscular disorders, or poor posture. Symptoms range from visible misalignment to pain, weakness, loss of sensation, and in severe cases, paralysis or organ compression. Treatment options vary from observation, bracing, medicat...

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself needing head and neck cancer surgery and your surgeon has an unexpected assistant: a robot. But it won’t be R2D2 or C3P0 from Star Wars. Instead, the modern medical robot is a high-tech tool that surgeons use to perform sensitive tasks in hard-to-reach places. In this episode, Dr. Vivian Wu, a head and neck surgeon at Pacific Neuroscience Institute, takes us into the new world of ...

Dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) is a rare vascular condition where abnormal connections (fistulas) form between branches of arteries and veins in the dura mater, the brain's covering. The dural arteries deliver high-pressure, oxygen-rich blood to the brain, while the dural veins return deoxygenated, low-pressure blood to the heart. DAVF causes high-pressure arterial blood to flow into veins or sinuses meant for low-pressure bloo...