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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.

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.

Contact: Simon Davis 

Phone: 919-599-1927 

Email: Simon.Davis@duke.edu

A holistic approach toward analyzing brain images improves the effectiveness of brain stimulation, with far-reaching benefits for neural therapeutics. 

Members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to 14 new peer-reviewed articles published this July, improving our understanding of neuroscience, charting a course for research in a post-COVID-19 world, and offering opportunities for advancing patient care. Simon Gregory, PhD, and Yong Chen, PhD, respectively co-authored articles offering new therapeutic avenues for muscle repair and chronic pain treatment. Wuwei “Wayne” Feng, MD, MS, was part of a consortium examining the impact of COVID-19 on the NIH’s StrokeNet and offering a vision for resuming clinical trials.

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.

The Molecular Genomics Core of Simon Gregory, PhD, was among the first 45 international members selected for participation in 10x Genomics Visium Clinical Translational Research Network (CTRN). The first members were selected from 185 total applications and represent a diverse range of studies that are taking place around the world. Members are focused on research in oncology, immuno-oncology, neuroscience, infectious disease, inflammation and fibrosis, COVID-19, including Dr.

Ornit Chiba-Falek, PhD, and Simon Davis, PhD, both recently received new grants for multidisciplinary research to advance our understanding of Alzhiemer’s disease.

In May 2020, members of the Duke Neurology Department contributed to nine new peer-reviewed journal articles. At the clinical level, a new study protocol will test the safety of a promising drug for reducing the consequences neural inflammation, while another shares more than a decade of knowledge about improving patient engagement in ALS research. Other studies, meanwhile, answered questions about how our brains and minds function, such as a NeuroImage study that found older and younger adults used different regions of the brain when performing the same task.

Nicole Calakos, MD, PhD, and Al La Spada, MD, PhD, have been awarded distinguished professorships from Duke University. Duke University awarded distinguished professors to 28 faculty members this year, with 12 coming from the School of Medicine. Distinguished professorships are awarded to faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary scholarship in advancing science and improving human health. 

Within the lab of Ornit Chiba-Falek, PhD, Julia Gamache, PhD, is investigating the origins of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)--both the exact genes and cell types in the brain that lead to development of AD, as well as the specific ways that aging contributes to the process. For this week’s “Spotlight” interview, Gamache talks to us about how her research may lead to the development of new therapies to prevent or slow the condition.