Neurocritical Care News

This November, research from members of the Duke Department of Neurology examined how different types of seizures feel to the person experiencing them, discovered genes associated with longevity and health cognition, analyzed how the COVID-19 outbreak impacted stroke care, and more. Our faculty, trainees, and staff contributed to 15 studies published in the past 30 days. Read about each of them, and find links to the original articles below. 

Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology

Members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to 14 new peer-reviewed studies this October, advancing our understanding of or ability to treat Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and other conditions. Laurie Sanders, PhD, and Claudia Gonzalez Hunt, PhD, advanced our understanding of the links between mitochondrial DNA damage and Parkinson’s disease, providing a potential avenue for future therapies.

An interdisciplinary team from the Duke Departments of Neurology, Orthopedic Surgery, and Neurosurgery has received the Duke Institute for Brain Science’s (DIBS) $75,000 2020 Research Incubator Award to improve recovery after spinal cord injuries. These awards fund high-risk/high-return collaborative neuroscience research that crosses disciplinary boundaries, and is likely to draw external funding.

Duke neurologists and electrical engineers are teaming up in an ambitious effort to develop a better way to monitor brain health for all patients in the ICU. Dubbed “Neurologic Injury Monitoring and Real-time Output Display,” the method will use machine learning and continuous electroencephalogram (EEG) data along with other clinical information to assist providers with assessment of brain injury and brain health.

A Duke Health analysis of treatments for patients with traumatic brain injuries shows that race, geographic region, and payment status were significantly associated with the decision to withdraw life support.

Specifically, the study found that African American patients were less likely than their white counterparts to undergo having life support withdrawn, while patients on Medicare and those who live in the Midwest and Northeast were more likely to have treatment withdrawn.

This September, members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to 26 new studies, advancing our knowledge of neuroscience at the subcellular, national, and global levels. Ornit Chiba-Falek, PhD, and Laurie Sanders, PhD, lead studies that answered questions about the genetic origins of Parkinson’s disease and its connection to some forms of breast cancer.

As an undergraduate student, Cherylee Chang, MD, wanted to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. Fortunately for our Department, a third-year rotation in neurology convinced her of the field’s potential with challenges to engage deductive reasoning. Now, as our new Chief of our Division of Neurocritical Care, she’s working to bring our team of clinicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, and others to our new neurocritical care unit in Duke Central Tower.

With 18 new peer-reviewed articles from members of our faculty, August 2020 was a record-breaking month for the Duke Neurology Department. Clinical research highlights published in the past 31 days include an analysis of patients presenting with vertigo in Emergency Departments, an essay on the human cost of COVID-19 and how we can help people connect during difficult times, and a study finding new benefits for therapies for myasthenia gravis.

New research from the Duke Neurology Department advanced our understanding of neurological diseases and patient care at the basic science, translational, and clinical levels. Among other topics, our faculty, trainees, and staff found evidence for virtual reality’s potential in neurorehabilitation, tested a wearable device that can help better identify seizures, and reviewed how our understanding of the hippocampus has evolved over the past generation.

This week’s “spotlight” interview shines on Safa Kaleem, a rising fourth-year medical student at the Duke University School of Medicine, as well as a recent graduate of the School’s Clinical Research Training Program. Kaleem talks to us about her master’s project, where she helped validate quantitative EEG, a tool that offers great promise in improving diagnosis and treatment for patients with nonconvulsive seizures.