News

When Ohio State University launched its neuroscience program just over a decade ago, Jonathan Morena, DO, was one of its first and most enthusiastic enrollees. Shortly afterwards, an experience as a camp counselor in a local MDA clinic convinced him to specialize in neuromuscular disorders. Now, Morena is the newest addition to our division of neuromuscular disorders. 

Conducting clinical research is a complicated, time-consuming process, requiring careful monitoring of patients’ blood work, cognitive measures, and other data points over time, recording and analyzing that data, and then synthesizing it to look for long-term trends over time. Hailey Zampa, a clinical research coordinator in our Morreene Road Clinic, is a part of that effort for several potential treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

A promising new therapy for brain tumors detailed in the New England Journal of Medicine and a  validation of a popular stroke treatment for patients taking vitamin K antagonists published in JAMA are just two highlights of the 15 peer-reviewed journal articles authored by members of the Duke Neurology Department this June. 

This May, members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to 12 new peer-reviewed journal articles. Highlights of this research include the first study to examine trauma-associated sleep disorder among U.S. veterans, the development of a highly sensitive microscopic technique to identify the regions in the brain where seizures begin, and a small but innovative trial showing early promise for a potential alternative therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Rick Bedlack’s interest in neurology stretches back to his childhood, when he wondered why rolling down a hill made him dizzy. His mother encouraged his curiosity with trips to the library where he could learn more about these and other connections between the brain and the rest of the body. That curiosity took Bedlack to medical school and then Duke, where he saw his first patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the “most amazing, most terrible disease” Bedlack had ever seen.

What do analyses of stroke rehabilitation techniques, new therapeutic targets for jaw pain, and guidelines to help sleep apnea patients cope with runny noses have in common? They’re all subjects of articles published by members of the Duke Neurology Department this April. Read the summaries below to learn more about the nine peer-reviewed journal articles members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to over the past 30 days, and find links to the original research below.

Members of the Duke Neurology Department shared their advances and insights in neurology education, health disparities, movement disorders, and other areas at the American Academy of Neurology’s (AAN) 75th annual meeting in Boston this week. This year, our faculty, staff, and trainees contributed more to the AAN than in any previous year, contributing to 20 posters and abstracts and six classes or sessions.

This March, new research from members of the Duke Neurology Department advanced our missions of patient care, translational and clinical research, and neurology training, contributing to 16 new peer-reviewed journal articles.

 The shortest month of the year was still an active one for research in the Duke Neurology Department. Our faculty, trainees, and staff members contributed to 10 new peer-reviewed journal articles this February.

Members of the Duke Neurology Department got the new year off to a fast start this January, contributing to 10 new peer-reviewed journal articles. Rick Bedlack, MD, PhD, was the senior author of three new publications investigating potential new therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).