Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord. MS is managed by disease modifying therapies (DMTs), symptom management medications, and lifestyle interventions.

Lifestyle interventions focus on six pillars of brain health: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, social connection and avoidance of harmful substances. Learn more.

pacificms.org

The world of brain surgery has changed dramatically over the past generation. Surgeons are able to remove many tumors and other problems from the brain, often using new approaches that have much shorter recovery times and much better long-term outcomes. Many of these surgeries are much less invasive than old methods that saw the need to cut into a patient’s skull. Dr. Daniel Kelly and the team at Pacific Neuroscience Institute have pioneered many of these new approaches, and they’ve published peer-reviewed papers on their work in an effort to spread the word through the field. Dr. Kelly, the CEO and co-founder of PNI, joins us today to talk about some of these papers and what he and the team have found.

For more information, visit: pacificneuro.org

Walavan Sivakumar, MD, explains how Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is used at PNI to help patients with brain tumors through the neurosurgical process. ERAS unfolds in three phases, and Dr. Sivakumar details why the preoperative stage plays a key role in setting patients up for success.⁠

Parkinson's disease begins with the quiet loss of the brain cells that make dopamine, and dopamine is what carries your movement, your mood and the drive that gets you through the day. As those cells disappear, so does everything they were holding up, which is why the disease eventually shows itself in so many different ways at once. For years the central question in Parkinson's research has been whether any of that can be given back, and stem cells offer one of the more hopeful answers, since they can be turned into the very dopamine neurons the brain can no longer make on its own.

For a tiny organ, the pituitary gland carries outsized responsibilities in the human body. The size of a pea, the so-called “master gland” produces vital hormones that regulate many important bodily functions, including growth, stress, thirst, and even reproductive development. So it only follows that when things go awry with the pituitary gland, the body can suffer many other problems. Dr. Garni Barkhoudarian is a director of the Pacific Pituitary Disorders Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute and he joins us today to discuss the positive parts—and the pitfalls—of the pituitary gland.

Christine, one of Dr. Barkhoudarian’s patients, also joins us to share her story of the long and arduous road to get her pituitary tumor diagnosed—and the happy ending she experienced when Dr. Barkhoudarian finally removed the tumor.

For more information, visit:
PacificNeuro.org

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 that often times, a sudden loss of vision is the first indication that a person might have MS. Dr. Howard Krauss, one of the founders of Pacific Neuroscience Institute and a neuro ophthalmologist, notes that 40 percent of the brain’s activity is related to vision—so it makes sense that a disease of the brain like MS would have such a big impact on vision. We’re revisiting this conversation between these two doctors who have partnered in ways that can detect MS very early in the process, and to monitor the optic nerve to see how well MS treatments are working. Let’s listen in!

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 sometimes turns out to be a cancerous tumor on a facial nerve. Doctors try to figure that out as quickly as possible, so they can remove the tumor and begin the work of restoring the patient’s appearance. In today’s episode, Dr. Kochhar describes these various symptoms and explains how he reaches the right diagnosis and treatment for his patients.

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. Michael Yong, an otolaryngologist with focused training in neuro-rhinology who specializes in treating these seasonal allergies. We’ll learn about what causes allergies and what the different treatment options are. Let’s listen in!

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 hematoma can be a life-threatening condition. Symptoms of subdural hematoma can include headache, confusion, change in behavior, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, lethargy or excessive drowsiness, weakness, apathy, and seizures. Subdural hematomas are generally diagnosed by CT scan or MRI imaging.

Ashkan Mowla, MD, FAHA, FAAN, is neuro-interventional surgeon at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute® (PNI). He specializes in minimally invasive endovascular procedures to treat conditions and diseases of the brain and spine, including stroke, brain aneurysm, brain and spine arteriovenous malformation and fistula and carotid and intracranial disease.

Accepting new patients: 424-212-5361

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, whether that’s through surgery or through some of the many other available options, including medication, physical therapy, chiropractors and, interestingly, exercises in a swimming pool. In today’s episode, Dr. Mazur discusses all the options, when surgery can help, and things you can do to prevent back pain from affecting you in the first place.

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 Institute who treats people who’ve had strokes, tells us how a healthy lifestyle can help most people avoid a stroke. And she gives an important update to the F.A.S.T. acronym for helping recognize when someone has had a stroke—it’s now BE FAST. Let’s listen in and learn what BE FAST stands for—and keep a stroke from knocking us down!