News

Shraddha Patel, MD, came to neurology gradually as a medical student, treating both acute neurological crises in her hospital’s emergency department as well as chronic conditions in the outpatient setting. Now, she’s completing her specialty training at Duke as one of our newest vascular neurology fellows. In this week’s “Spotlight” interview, Patel talks to us about her experiences as a fellow so far, her career plans for a future in stroke or hospital neurology, and her hopes for traveling and reuniting with family once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.

This July, new research from the Duke Neurology Department answered questions about the subcellular origins of itching, how COVID-19 is affecting people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, what factors influence people eligible for epilepsy surgery to move forward with the procedure and topics. The paragraphs below summarize the 11 articles appearing in peer-reviewed publications from our faculty, staff, and trainees. Check them out and find links to the original publications below.

Neuromuscular Disease

An eight-hour shift can be exhausting on its own, but for Kimberly Holzmacher, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, her workday is only getting started. As one of our newest advanced practice providers (APPs), Holzmacher typically starts work on our Stroke Service before 5 a.m. and often works until 8 p.m. or later. For this week’s “Spotlight” interview, Holzmacher talks about why she’s been drawn to helping patients with stroke since nursing school, how this work compares to working in the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, and the joys and difficulties of her job.

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

At North Carolina State University, Xiaoning Jiang, PhD, leads the Micro/Nano Engineering Lab (MNEL), which performs research on smart materials, smart structures, micro- and nano-fabrications, micro- and nano-devices, and their applications in biomedical, mechanical and aerospace engineering. Jiang also recently joined the Duke Neurology Department, where he’ll be applying his expertise in advanced ultrasound transducers to improve biomedical imaging, therapy, and drug delivery for stroke.

Members of the Duke Neurology Department did their part for Stroke Awareness Month, contributing to eight new peer-reviewed studies published this May. But our other divisions didn’t hold back either, with thirteen other articles advancing our understanding of neuro-oncology, multiple sclerosis, headache, and other subjects.

Read about each of the studies published from members of the Duke Neurology Department below, and find links to the original journal articles as well.

Stroke

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.

A recent study led by Duke vascular neurologist Brian Mac Grory, MB, BCh, BAO, examined treatment for central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO or “eye stroke”)—a rare type of stroke characterized by the sudden onset of painless, usually permanent vision loss in one eye.

Mac Grory notes that while most strokes present with weakness, facial droop or difficulty speaking, eye strokes are hard to recognize and treat in a timely manner because the only symptom may be sudden blindness in one eye.

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has moved its annual meeting to a virtual setting this year, but its offerings of the latest education and scientific programming continue. This year, members of the Duke Neurology Department collaborated with their colleagues at Duke and with other academic institutions to advance our understanding of neuro-oncology, myasthenia gravis, ALS, and other fields and disciplines. 

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.