Neurocritical Care News

The Duke Neurology Department continued to grow and expand its missions of providing excellent clinical care, conducting research to improve our understanding of neurological conditions and how to treat them, and training the next generation of neurologists throughout 2021.

Members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to 14 new peer-reviewed journal articles written this November. Highlights include an analysis of fragmentation within the delivery of neurological health care, an examination of racial disparities in the use of telehealth, and a discussion of the best ways to use social medicine to share news on epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology. Read the paragraphs below for short summaries of each of these 14 articles, as well as links to the original entries themselves.

Memory Disorders

Cina Sasannejad, MD, first became interested in neuroscience as an undergraduate student, when he observed how the field brought together elements of biology, chemistry, psychology, and culture to provide an understanding of the workings of the brain. Now he’s one of our neurointensivists in Duke Central Tower, where he manages the brain and organ system of some of our most critically ill patients.

Members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to seventeen peer-reviewed research studies published this August. Members of the lab of Nicole Calakos, MD, PhD, discovered that a medication created to treat patients with HIV may help people with dystonia. New translational research provided the most accurate atlas of the mouse model to date and answered questions about late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

New publications written by members of the Duke Neurology Department published this June advanced our understanding of the origins of Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and spinal injuries, as well as offering new insights on how to better diagnose and treat these and other conditions. Our faculty contributed to recent articles in Lancet Neurology, Stroke, and other high-impact journals. Read more about each of these stories, and find links to the original articles themselves, in the paragraphs below.
 

Neuromuscular Disease

Members of the Duke Neurology Department advanced the fields of clinical, translational, and basic neuroscience this April with 14 new peer-reviewed studies. Nicole Calakos, MD, PhD, was the senior author of a new study in Science that  expands our understanding of the integrated stress response in the brain and how it influences learning and memory.

Members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to 21 new studies in peer-reviewed journals this March, advancing our ability to understand, treat, and prevent diseases and conditions from across the field of neurology. Brian Mac Grory, MB BCh, MRCP, and other members of our stroke and vascular neurology helped answer questions about the best way to treat patients who have a stroke in their sleep.

Six years ago, David Lerner, MD, was just a few months shy of completing his neurology residency at Duke. Now, a clinician educator at the Lahey Hospital and Tufts University School of Medicine, he’ll soon be attending the graduation of a new class of residents he’s worked with since their intern year. In his “Alumni Spotlight” interview, Lerner talks to us about his loves of the whirlwind rush of working on Lahey’s Neuro ICU and medical education.

Caitlin Clark, MD, was halfway through her anesthesiology residency when she realized that she missed the problem solving and interactions with patients, families and providers from her time in internal medicine. Now, she’s one of our neurocritical care fellows, she’s managing patients and teaching residents and students in our Neuro Intensive Care Unit (Neuro ICU).

Members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to 13 new peer-reviewed journal articles in January 2021. Daniel Laskowitz, MD, MHS, co-authored two studies examining the complications of traumatic brain injury. A team including Andrew Spector, MD, wrote a “road map” for how neurology departments can create effective diversity officers. Our faculty, trainees, and research staff also examined possible treatment candidates for ALS, identified new risk factors for stroke, and genetically engineered cartilage to produce its own anti-inflammatory drug.