Neurosurgery Commons^™

The Role Of Hospitality In Neurosurgery, Yosef M Dastagirzada, Howard L Weiner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: "Business, like life, is all about how you make people feel. It's that simple and it's that hard" says Danny Meyer, the restauranteur and CEO of the Union Square Hospitality Group in New York. Similarly, Maya Angelou famously said that people will never forget how you made them feel, though they may forget what you said or did. In neurosurgery, we are doing two things at once: something very technical and something very human. The core thesis of this hospitality philosophy is that whereas the technical aspect of our job is critically important, it represents 49% of our success. …

Hemispherotomy For Drug-Resistant Epilepsy In A Low-Resource Setting: Surgical Outcomes And Quality Of Life In 23 Children Treated In A Hybrid Program In Panama, Emmajane G Rhodenhiser, David Bonda, Carmen Baez, Hannah K Weiss, Yosef Dastagirzada, Guzman Aranda, Laurent Bruggeman, Ameeta Grover, Shaun D Rodgers, Ruben Kuzniecky, Yvonne Zelenka-Kuzniecky, Howard L Weiner, Eveline Teresa Hidalgo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Hemispherotomy is an effective treatment for children with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). While hemispherotomy techniques and indications have evolved, access remains predominantly constrained to high-resource settings.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of children who underwent hemispherotomy from 2011 to 2023 by a hybrid team, including local Panamanian and US neurologists, neurosurgeons, and EEG technicians and analyzed surgical, epilepsy, and quality of life (QoL) parameters. Follow-up data were collected according to the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) guidelines for children with epilepsy.

Results: Twenty-three children underwent hemispherotomy. The median age at surgery was 10 years (range 2-20). The …

Combinatorial Effects Of Multi-Site Stimulation On Depression-Related Brain Regions: Clinical Data Analysis And Predictive Modeling, Atefeh Ghazavi, Koorosh Mirpour, Masoud Soroush, Eleonora Bartoli, Nisha Giridharan, Denise Oswalt, Nicole R Provenza, Anusha Allawala, Wayne Goodman, Sameer A Sheth, Nader Pouratian

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Despite growing evidence supporting deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment- resistant depression (TRD), how stimulation delivered across hemispheres or across multiple targets interact to shape large-scale network activity remains poorly characterized.

Objective: Using a unique opportunity to simultaneously stimulate the subcallosal cingulate (SCC) and ventral capsule/ventral striatum (VC/VS) in subjects with TRD while recording neural activity across putative prefrontal networks underlying depression via intracranial electrodes, we investigated whether bilateral or multi-target stimulation has additive, synergistic/super-additive, or antagonistic/sub-additive effects on power modulation across depression-related brain networks.

Methods: Four DBS leads, and ten stereo-electroencephalography (sEEG) leads were implanted in depression-related prefrontal …

Mapping The Structural Connections Between The Anterior Cingulate Cortex And The Insula/Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex.Mapping The Structural Connections Between The Anterior Cingulate Cortex And The Insula/Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex, Wei Tang, Javier Guaje, Shreyas Fadnavis, Sarah R Heilbronner, Eleftherios Garyfallidis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is functionally closely related with the insula and the ventral lateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC). The ACC and insula are the main hubs of the salience network, a set of functionally related brain regions involved in detecting salient stimuli and coordinating inter-network communication, while communication between ACC and vlPFC is closely linked to inhibitory control. However, despite strong indirect evidence from nonhuman primate (NHP) tract tracing, the structural connections between the ACC and the insula/vlPFC remain poorly understood in the human brain, in part because standard approaches fail to capture this projection. In this study, we …

Adaptive Neuromodulation Dialogues: Navigating Current Challenges And Emerging Innovations In Neuromodulation System Development, Frederik Lampert, Matthew R Baker, Michael A Jensen, Amir H Ayyoubi, Christian Bentler, Jessica L Bowersock, Rosana Esteller, Jeffrey A Herron, Graham W Johnson, Daryl R Kipke, Christopher K Kovach, Vaclav Kremen, Filip Mivalt, Joseph S Neimat, Theoden I Netoff, Enrico Opri, Alexander Rockhill, Joshua M Rosenow, Kristin K Sellers, Nathan P Staff, Chandra Prakash Swamy, Ashwin Viswanathan, Gerwin Schalk, Timothy Denison, Dora Hermes, Nuri F Ince, Peter Brunner, Gregory A Worrell, Kai J Miller

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Adaptive neuromodulation systems and implantable brain-computer interfaces have made notable strides in recent years, translating experimental prototypes into clinical applications and garnering substantial attention from the public. This surge in interest is accompanied by increased scrutiny related to the safety, efficacy, and ethical implications of these systems, all of which must be directly addressed as we introduce new neurotechnologies. In response, we have synthesized the insights resulting from discussions between groups of experts in the field and summarized them into five key domains essential to therapeutic device development: (1) analyzing current landscape of neuromodulation devices and translational platforms (2) identifying …

Improved Technical Outcomes With Converting Thrombectomy Techniques After Failed First Pass Recanalization, Hidetoshi Matsukawa, Charles Matouk, Kazutaka Uchida, Sami Al Kasab, Mohammad-Mahdi Sowlat, Sameh Samir Elawady, Ilko Maier, Pascal Jabbour, Joon-Tae Kim, Stacey Q Wolfe, Ansaar T Rai, Robert M Starke, Marios-Nikos Psychogios, Edgar A Samaniego, Adam S Arthur, Hugo Cuellar, Brain M Howard, Daniele G Romano, Omar Tanweer, Justin R Mascitelli, Isabel Fragata, Adam Polifka, Joshua W Osbun, Roberto Javier Crosa, Min S Park, Michael R Levitt, Waleed Brinjikji, Mark Moss, Richard Williamson, Pedro Navia, Peter Kan, Reade Andrew De Leacy, Shakeel A Chowdhry, Mohamad Ezzeldin, Alejandro M Spiotta, Shinichi Yoshimura, Ali M Alawieh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: A higher number of recanalization attempts reduces the efficacy of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion (LVO). We assessed the impact of switching EVT techniques after a failed first pass on procedural and clinical outcomes.

Methods: This multicenter international study, conducted between January 2013 and December 2022, included patients undergoing EVT for anterior circulation LVO (internal carotid artery or M1 segments) with failed first pass recanalization. Propensity score matching identified a 1:1 matched cohort of patients in whom EVT technique was changed after a failed first pass and those with the same technique …

Therapeutic Radiation Drives Leptomeningeal Dissemination Of Medulloblastoma Through An Innate Immune Process, Carolina Nör, Kaitlin Kharas, Alex Rasnitsyn, Maria C Vladoiu, Nam Woo Cho, Jacob S Young, Felipe Nör, Ncedile Mankahla, Joonas Haapasalo, Kristiina Nordfors, Sara Rapic, Patryk Skowron, Raúl A Suárez, Alexander T Bahcheli, Oliver Ocsenas, Xin Chen, Shahrzad Bahrampour, Ali Momin, Lakshmikirupa Sundaresan, Winnie Ong, Liam D Hendrikse, Namal Abeysundara, Kyle Juraschka, Michelle Ly, Jonelle G Pallota, Tajana Douglas, Ning Huang, Hao Wang, Esta Mak, Lei Qin, Jessica Liu, Lily Shen, Betty Luu, Alex Manno, Sachin A Kumar, Laura K Donovan, Vernon Fong, Cory Richman, Craig Daniels, Livia Garzia, Jeremy N Rich, Cynthia Hawkins, Xiaochong Wu, Ralph Dacosta, Jüri Reimand, Xi Huang, Vijay Ramaswamy, David R Raleigh, Michael D Taylor

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Leptomeningeal metastases are the most important source of morbidity and mortality for medulloblastoma patients. Radiation of the entire brain is highly effective in the treatment and/or prevention of medulloblastoma leptomeningeal metastases. Infants treated on clinical trials with focal tumor radiation recur metastatically, whereas infants treated with only chemotherapy relapse locally. In murine medulloblastoma model systems, provision of a single dose of radiation to the tumor drives leptomeningeal dissemination. An inflammatory response after radiation-induced tumor cell death recruits a variety of immune cells. Inflammation opens the local blood-brain barrier, allowing intravasation of medulloblastoma cells. Experimental induction of inflammation with lipopolysaccharide drives …

Repeat Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy For Residual Spasticity: Illustrative Case, Elizabeth Ledbetter, Aloysia L Schwabe, Heather Sgro, Sarah Slocum, Nisha Gadgil

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is typically a one-time surgical procedure supported by intense rehabilitation to improve ambulatory capability in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP).

Observations: The authors present the unique case of a teenager with spastic diplegic CP who had undergone L2-S1 SDR as a child and presented with residual focal spasticity in the right plantar flexors. He underwent revision SDR at the right L5 and S1 levels in addition to decompression of canal stenosis. Postoperatively, he had notable improvement in his gait with relief of preoperative right knee and foot pain, improved ease of ambulation, and improved …

High Beta Power In The Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Indexes Human Approach Behavior: A Case Study, Nicole R Provenza, Sameer V Rajesh, Gabriel Reyes, Kalman A Katlowitz, Lokesha S Pugalenthi, Raphael A Bechtold, Nabeel Diab, Sandesh Reddy, Anthony K Allam, Ajay D Gandhi, Katherine E Kabotyanski, Kasra A Mansourian, Jonathan H Bentley, Jordan R Altman, Saurabh Hinduja, Nisha Giridharan, Garrett P Banks, Mohammed Hasen, Ben Shofty, Sarah R Heilbronner, Jeffrey F Cohn, David A Borton, Eric A Storch, Jeffrey A Herron, Benjamin Y Hayden, Mary L Phillips, Wayne K Goodman, Sameer A Sheth

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral capsule and ventral striatum (VC/VS) is an effective therapy for treatment-resistant obsessive–compulsive disorder (trOCD). DBS initiation often produces acute improvements in mood and energy. These acute behavioral changes, which we refer to as “approach behaviors,” include increased social engagement and talkativeness. We investigated the relationship between stimulation amplitude, spectral power in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC), and speech rate in one male patient with trOCD implanted with bilateral VC/VS DBS leads and subdural electrodes adjacent to the orbitofrontal cortex and vlPFC. Several times over the first 24 weeks of therapy, we conducted experiments …

Cmr Findings In The Long-Term Outcomes After Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (Music) Study, Sean M Lang, Dongngan T Truong, Andrew J Powell, Valiantsina Kazlova, Jane W Newburger, Jordan D Awerbach, Edem Binka, Tamara T Bradford, Mark Cartoski, Andrew Cheng, Michael P Dilorenzo, Audrey Dionne, Adam L Dorfman, Matthew D Elias, Olukayode Garuba, Jennifer F Gerardin, Keren Hasbani, Pei-Ni Jone, Christopher Z Lam, Nilanjana Misra, Lerraughn M Morgan, Arni Nutting, Jyoti K Patel, Joshua D Robinson, Eleanor L Schuchardt, Kristen Sexson Tejtel, Gautam K Singh, Timothy C Slesnick, Felicia Trachtenberg, Michael D Taylor, Music Study Investigators

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children is characterized by high rates of acute cardiovascular involvement with rapid recovery of organ dysfunction. However, information regarding long-term sequelae is lacking. We sought to characterize the systolic function and myocardial tissue properties using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in a multicenter observational cohort of patients with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children.

Methods: In this observational cohort study, comprising 32 centers in North America, CMR studies were analyzed by a core laboratory to assess ventricular volumetric data, tissue characterization, and coronary involvement.

Results: A total of 263 CMRs from 255 patients with Multisystem Inflammatory …

Hemispherotomy For Drug-Resistant Epilepsy In Bilateral Sturge-Weber Syndrome: Illustrative Cases, Eveline Teresa Hidalgo, Eric A Grin, Yosef Dastagirzada, Nealen Laxpati, Judith Bluvstein, Julia R Schneider, Daniel Miles, Michal Tzadok, James Riviello, Howard L Weiner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a congenital neurocutaneous disorder characterized by angiomas of the face, choroid, and leptomeninges. Seizures in these children often present within the first 2 years of life. SWS is typically unilateral, but bilateral SWS occurs in approximately 15% of cases. Bilateral SWS is associated with earlier seizure onset and poorer cognitive, developmental, and functional outcomes. More than half of children with SWS develop drug-resistant epilepsy requiring surgical intervention. Hemispherotomy has been established as a successful treatment for unilateral SWS, but resective surgery has traditionally not been considered a treatment option for patients with bilateral disease.

Observations: …

Unveiling Spatial Heterogeneity In Medulloblastoma: A Multi-Omics Analysis Of Cellular State And Geographical Organization, Jiankang Li, Hailong Liu, Ziwei Wang, Jiao Zhang, Xuan Chen, Craig Daniels, Xiaochong Wu, Olivier Saulnier, Hiromichi Suzuki, Pasqualino De Antonellis, Alexandra Rasnitsyn, Winnie Ong, Evan Y Wang, Liam D Hendrikse, Yu Su, Yu Tian, Dongming Han, Ruohan Wang, Jialin Mo, Fei Liu, Kaiwen Deng, Dongyang Wang, Zhaoyang Feng, Yifei Jiang, Yanong Li, Yuting Ma, Zijia Liu, Meiyu Li, Peiyi Tian, Yanfeng Shi, Yong Jiang, Tao Yang, Shouwei Li, Jianfeng Liang, Jingchuan Wu, Ying Wang, Wanjing Zou, Yina Jiang, Lusheng Wang, Fang Chen, Xin Jin, Shuaicheng Li, Xiaoguang Qiu, Chunde Li, Ya Gao, Yujie Tang, Michael D Taylor, Tao Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Despite numerous studies on medulloblastoma (MB) cell heterogeneity, the spatial characteristics of cellular states remain unclear.

Methods: We analyze single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomes and chromatin accessibility from human MB spanning four subgroups, to identify malignant cell populations and describe the spatial evolutionary trajectories. The spatial copy number variations (CNVs) patterns and niches were analyzed to investigate the cellular interactions.

Results: Three main malignant cell populations were identified, including progenitor-like, cycling, and differentiated populations. Gene signatures of cell populations strongly correlate to clinical outcomes. These tumor cell populations are geographically organized as stem-like and mature regions, highlighting their spatially heterogeneous …

Assessment Of Dnase Activity By Ratiometric Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer, Candace L Minchew, Vladimir V Didenko

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The present protocol describes a simple and sensitive ratiometric Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay for the detection and quantitative assessment of DNase activity. Ratiometric FRET measurements make use of the ratio of donor and acceptor emission signals. The assay detects single-stranded DNA breaks using a staple-shaped, dual-tagged 38-mer FRET oligoprobe, employed as a real-time DNA cleavage sensor. The main application of the described approach is the quantitative assessment of the effects of reaction conditions, such as pH, temperature, and buffer composition, on DNase activity. Due to its ability to detect even minor and slow DNA cleavage, the assay is …

Development And Diversity Of Astrocytes, Michael R Williamson, Sanjana Murali, Benjamin Deneen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Proper development of the central nervous system (CNS) depends on astrocytes, which are the most abundant glial cells in the CNS. Here, we provide an overview of astrocyte ontogeny and morphogenesis, highlighting mechanisms that regulate astrocyte development. In addition, we describe the roles of astrocytes in regulating the development of other CNS cell types, with emphasis on neural circuits and vascular networks. We also discuss evidence for astrocyte diversity and its implications for CNS development. Finally, we pose open questions related to astrocyte development and its intersection with astrocyte diversity.

Advancing Novel Contrast Agents For Applications In Fluorescence-Guided Neurosurgery Using Fluorescence Cryotomography, Augustino Vittorio Scorzo

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Fluorescence guided surgery (FGS) is an emerging surgical technique that aims to help surgeons identify tissue types to assist in surgical decision making - ideally providing “cut-by-color” guidance. A primary application for this approach is the identification of tumor tissue to achieve more accurate and complete tumor removal while simultaneously minimizing damage to surrounding normal tissue. The cornerstone of tumor visualization for FGS is the administration of fluorescent contrast agents, or in some cases metabolic precursors, designed to accumulate specifically in tumor tissue, and a wide range of agents that use different targeting mechanisms are currently under investigation. Although these …

A Forward Genetic Screen Identifies Potassium Channel Essentiality In Shh Medulloblastoma Maintenance, Jerry J Fan, Anders W Erickson, Julia Carrillo-Garcia, Xin Wang, Patryk Skowron, Xian Wang, Xin Chen, Guanqiao Shan, Wenkun Dou, Shahrzad Bahrampour, Yi Xiong, Weifan Dong, Namal Abeysundara, Michelle A Francisco, Ronwell J Pusong, Wei Wang, Miranda Li, Elliot Ying, Raúl A Suárez, Hamza Farooq, Borja L Holgado, Xiaochong Wu, Craig Daniels, Adam J Dupuy, Juan Cadiñanos, Allan Bradley, Anindya Bagchi, Branden S Moriarity, David A Largaespada, A Sorana Morrissy, Vijay Ramaswamy, Stephen C Mack, Livia Garzia, Peter B Dirks, Xuejun Li, Siyi Wanggou, Sean Egan, Yu Sun, Michael D Taylor, Xi Huang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Distinguishing tumor maintenance genes from initiation, progression, and passenger genes is critical for developing effective therapies. We employed a functional genomic approach using the Lazy Piggy transposon to identify tumor maintenance genes in vivo, and applied this to SHH medulloblastoma (MB). Combining Lazy Piggy screening in mice and transcriptomic profiling of human MB, we identified the voltage-gated potassium channel KCNB2 as a candidate maintenance driver. KCNB2 governs cell volume of MB-propagating cells, with KCNB2 depletion causing osmotic swelling, decreased plasma membrane tension, and elevated endocytic internalization of EGFR, thereby mitigating proliferation of MB-propagating cells to ultimately impair MB growth. …

Glutamatergic Regulation Of Mirna-Containing Intraluminal Vesicle Trafficking And Extracellular Vesicle Secretion From Cortical Neurons, Marcela Bertolio, Qiyi Li, Francesca E Mowry, Kathryn E Reynolds, Rashed Alananzeh, Haichao Wei, Kyoeun Keum, Rachel Jarvis, Jiaqian Wu, Yongjie Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Neuronal extracellular vesicles (microvesicles and exosomes) are emerging secreted vesicular signals that play important roles in the CNS. Currently, little is known about how glutamatergic signalling affects the subcellular localisation of exosome precursor intraluminal vesicles (ILVs), microRNA (miR) packaging into ILVs and in vivo spreading of neuronal EVs. By selectively labelling ILVs and exosomes (but not plasma membrane-derived MVs) with GFP-tagged human CD63 (hCD63-GFP) in cortical neurons, we found that glutamate stimulation significantly redistributes subcellular localisation of hCD63-GFP+ ILVs, especially decreasing its co-localisation with multi-vesicular body (MVB) marker Rab7 while substantially promoting EV secretion. Interestingly, glutamate stimulation only modestly alters …

Development And Validation Of A Clinical Risk Model For Postoperative Outcome In Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma: A Report Of The Rano Resect Group, Philipp Karschnia, Jacob S Young, Gilbert C Youssef, Antonio Dono, Levin Häni, Tommaso Sciortino, Francesco Bruno, Stephanie T Juenger, Nico Teske, Jorg Dietrich, Michael Weller, Michael A Vogelbaum, Martin Van Den Bent, Juergen Beck, Niklas Thon, Jasper K W Gerritsen, Shawn Hervey-Jumper, Daniel P Cahill, Susan M Chang, Roberta Rudà, Lorenzo Bello, Oliver Schnell, Yoshua Esquenazi, Maximilian I Ruge, Stefan J Grau, Raymond Y Huang, Patrick Y Wen, Mitchel S Berger, Annette M Molinaro, Joerg-Christian Tonn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Following surgery, patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma frequently enter clinical trials. Nuanced risk assessment is warranted to reduce imbalances between study arms. Here, we aimed (I) to analyze the interactive effects of residual tumor with clinical and molecular factors on outcome and (II) to define a postoperative risk assessment tool.

Methods: The response assessment in neuro-oncology (RANO) resect group retrospectively compiled an international, seven-center training cohort of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. The combined associations of residual tumor with molecular or clinical factors and survival were analyzed, and recursive partitioning analysis was performed for risk modeling. The resulting model …

Multidisciplinary Care In Body Contouring: An Integrative Approach To Enhancing Outcomes, Jacob Dinis, Sofia C Perez Otero, Diego M Quirarte, Winston R Owens, Sebastian J Winocour

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Body contouring procedures have become increasingly common to meet the growing demand for aesthetic surgery, particularly in the context of bariatrics. Massive weight loss (MWL) patients are complex and often require extensive management of comorbidities, malnutrition status, physical debilitation, and psychological sequelae. Patient optimization prior to body contouring surgery in addition to strict postoperative maintenance are crucial to achieve favorable and sustainable outcomes. Surgical candidates should be screened thoroughly, and in the MWL patient population specifically, multidisciplinary care is needed for proper evaluation and support. Notable specialists that routinely contribute in MWL and body contouring patient care include plastic surgeons, …

Order And Timing Of Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization As A Perioperative Adjunct To Surgical Evacuation For Chronic Subdural Hematomas: A Multicenter Study, Georgios S Sioutas, Mohamed M Salem, Okkes Kuybu, Mira Salih, Jane Khalife, Kate Carroll, Edward A Duckworth, Dhrumil Vaishnav, Muhammed Amir Essibayi, Alex Nguyen Hoang, Cordell M Baker, Aldo A Mendez Ruiz, Zachary Abecassis, Walid K Salah, Juan F Ruiz Rodriguez, Iris Charcos, Gustavo M Cortez, Sandra Narayanan, Oz Haim, Omar Tanweer, Ricardo Hanel, Peter Kan, Daniel A Tonetti, Raul G Nogueira, Tudor G Jovin, David J Altschul, Michael J Lang, Visish M Srinivasan, Brian T Jankowitz, Ajith J Thomas, Michael R Levitt, Christopher S Ogilvy, Bradley A Gross, Jan-Karl Burkhardt, Ramesh Grandhi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background

Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is a common neurosurgical condition, and middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) has emerged as a minimally invasive adjunct to surgery, but optimal timing remains unclear.

Purpose

To investigate radiographic and clinical outcomes of patients with cSDH undergoing MMAE as an adjunct to surgical evacuation, focusing on order and timing of MMAE relative to surgery.

Materials and Methods

This multicenter, retrospective study included consecutive patients undergoing MMAE adjunct to surgery for cSDH at 10 U.S. centers from September 2018 to September 2023. Clinical and radiographic characteristics and outcomes were examined in MMAE before or after surgery. …

Spetzler-Martin Grade Iv Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations In Adult Patients: A Propensity-Score Matched Analysis Of Resection And Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Salem M Tos, Mahmoud Osama, Georgios Mantziaris, Bardia Hajikarimloo, Nimer Adeeb, Sandeep Kandregula, Hamza Adel Salim, Basel Musmar, Christopher S Ogilvy, Douglas Kondziolka, Adam A Dmytriw, Kareem El Naamani, Ahmed Abdelsalam, Deepak Kumbhare, Sanjeev Gummadi, Cagdas Ataoglu, Muhammed Amir Essibayi, Ufuk Erginoglu, Abdullah Keles, Sandeep Muram, Daniel Sconzo, Howard Riina, Arwin Rezai, Johannes Pöppe, Rajeev D Sen, Louis J Kim, Omar Alwakaa, Christoph J Griessenauer, Pascal Jabbour, Stavropoula I Tjoumakaris, Jan-Karl Burkhardt, Robert M Starke, Mustafa K Baskaya, Laligam N Sekhar, Michael R Levitt, David J Altschul, Neil Haranhalli, Malia Mcavoy, Abdallah Abushehab, Assala Aslan, Christian Swaid, Adib Abla, Christopher Stapleton, Matthew Koch, Visish M Srinivasan, Peng R Chen, Spiros Blackburn, Omar Choudhri, Bryan Pukenas, Darren Orbach, Edward Smith, Markus Möhlenbruch, Ali Alaraj, Ali Aziz-Sultan, Aman B Patel, Amey Savardekar, Hugo H Cuellar, Kathleen Dlouhy, Tarek El Ahmadieh, Michael Lawton, Adnan Siddiqui, Jacques Morcos, Bharat Guthikonda, Jason Sheehan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Spetzler-Martin Grade IV arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are challenging due to high risks associated with both treatment and natural progression. This study compares the outcomes of microsurgical resection and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in high-grade AVMs, analyzing obliteration rates, complications, and functional outcomes. A retrospective cohort of 96 patients treated with either microsurgical resection (33 patients) or SRS (63 patients) was analyzed. Propensity-score matching was employed to account for baseline variables such as AVM size (cm), preoperative embolization and rupture status. Primary endpoints included AVM obliteration, complication rates, and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores. After matching, 31 patients per group were analyzed. …

Accuracy Of Task-Based Electrocorticography Brain Mapping And Relationships With Postoperative Cognitive-Linguistic Changes Following Eloquent Glioma Resection, Kyle R. Noll, Israt Tasnim, Priscella Asman, Katherine Connelly, Chandra Swamy, Matthew Muir, Mathew Hall, Jeffrey Wefel, Sahil Bajaj, Giuseppe Pellizzer, Nuri F. Ince, Suji S. Prabhu

Cancer Survivorship Research Retreat

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 2025 Cancer Survivorship Research Retreat

Memorability Of Novel Words Correlates With Anterior Fusiform Activity During Reading, Oscar Woolnough, Nitin Tandon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Our memory for the words we already know is best predicted by their associated meanings. However, the factors that influence whether we will remember a new word after we see it for the first time are unclear. We record memory performance for 2100 novel pseudowords across 1804 participants during a continuous recognition task. Participants show significant agreement across individuals for which novel words were memorable or forgettable, suggesting an intrinsic memorability for individual pseudowords. Pseudowords that are similar to low-frequency known words, with sparse orthographic neighbourhoods and rarely occurring letter pairs, are more memorable. Further, using intracranial recordings in 36 …

Outcomes Of Arteriovenous Malformation Patients With Multiple Versus Single Feeders: A Multicenter Retrospective Study With Propensity-Score Matching, Basel Musmar, Nimer Adeeb, Hammam Abdalrazeq, Joanna M Roy, Stavropoula I Tjoumakaris, Hamza Adel Salim, Douglas Kondziolka, Jason Sheehan, Christopher S Ogilvy, Howard Riina, Sandeep Kandregula, Adam A Dmytriw, Kareem El Naamani, Ahmed Abdelsalam, Natasha Ironside, Deepak Kumbhare, Cagdas Ataoglu, Muhammed Amir Essibayi, Abdullah Keles, Sandeep Muram, Daniel Sconzo, Arwin Rezai, Omar Alwakaa, Salem M Tos, Ufuk Erginoglu, Johannes Pöppe, Rajeev D Sen, Christoph J Griessenauer, Jan-Karl Burkhardt, Robert M Starke, Mustafa K Baskaya, Laligam N Sekhar, Michael R Levitt, David J Altschul, Malia Mcavoy, Assala Aslan, Abdallah Abushehab, Christian Swaid, Adib A Abla, Saman Sizdahkhani, Sravanthi Koduri, Elias Atallah, Spyridon Karadimas, M Reid Gooch, Robert H Rosenwasser, Christopher Stapleton, Matthew Koch, Visish M Srinivasan, Peng R Chen, Spiros Blackburn, Joseph Cochran, Omar Choudhri, Bryan Pukenas, Darren Orbach, Edward Smith, Pascal J Mosimann, Ali Alaraj, Mohammad A Aziz-Sultan, Aman B Patel, Hugo H Cuellar, Michael Lawton, Bharat Guthikonda, Jacques Morcos, Pascal Jabbour

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: The impact of multiple feeding arteries on clinical outcomes of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is not well understood. This study aims to compare outcomes between AVMs with multiple versus single feeding arteries.

Patients and methods: Data from the Multicenter International Study for Treatment of Brain AVMs (MISTA) consortium were analyzed. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance cohorts. Subgroup analysis was conducted for ruptured and unruptured AVMs and different treatment options, and multivariable logistic regression was applied to assess the impact of feeding artery origin.

Results: Among 953 patients, 661(69.4%) had multiple feeding arteries, and 292 (30.6%) had …

All Three Supersystems-Nervous, Vascular, And Immune-Contribute To The Cortical Infarcts After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Jens P Dreier, Alexander Joerk, Hiroki Uchikawa, Viktor Horst, Coline L Lemale, Helena Radbruch, Devin W Mcbride, Peter Vajkoczy, Ulf C Schneider, Ran Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The recently published DISCHARGE-1 trial supports the observations of earlier autopsy and neuroimaging studies that almost 70% of all focal brain damage after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage are anemic infarcts of the cortex, often also affecting the white matter immediately below. The infarcts are not limited by the usual vascular territories. About two-fifths of the ischemic damage occurs within ~ 48 h; the remaining three-fifths are delayed (within ~ 3 weeks). Using neuromonitoring technology in combination with longitudinal neuroimaging, the entire sequence of both early and delayed cortical infarct development after subarachnoid hemorrhage has recently been recorded in patients. Characteristically, cortical …

Supplementary Motor Area In Speech Initiation: A Large-Scale Intracranial Eeg Evaluation Of Stereotyped Word Articulation, Latané Bullock, Kiefer J Forseth, Oscar Woolnough, Patrick S Rollo, Nitin Tandon

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Speech production engages a distributed network of cortical and subcortical brain regions. The supplementary motor area (SMA) has long been thought to be a key hub in coordinating across these regions to initiate voluntary movements, including speech. We analyzed direct intracranial recordings from 115 patients with epilepsy as they articulated a single word in a subset of trials from a picture-naming task. We aimed to characterize the temporal dynamics of SMA relative to other cortical regions. SMA and preSMA were among the first regions to activate after cue onset, peaked in activity before articulation onset, and were the earliest regions …

Minimally Invasive Non-Expansile Tubular Extradural Posterior Fossa Decompression (Minted Technique) For The Management Of Chiari I.5 Malformation: Historical Overview Of Surgical Techniques, Technical Note, Proof Of Concept, Illustrative Case And Case Series. Lesser Is Better, José Alberto Israel Romero Rangel, Manuel Eduardo Soto García, Sergio Soriano Solís, Carlos Raúl Rangel Morales, Gerson Reyes Rodríguez, José Antonio Soriano Sánchez

Archives of Neurosurgery

BACKGROUND: Chiari's Malformation surgical treatment has significantly changed since the "classical" technique description by Gardner (1950). It is probably the most commonly performed approach, even when multiple techniques are available because no substantial changes nor any clear surgical objectives have been made. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate a new cutting-edge surgical technique mastering the advantage of each surgical procedure ever described in the history of Chiari's Malformation establishing three critical points in surgical technique: clear patient-specific surgical goals, dynamic posterior fossa reconstruction, and extradural occipitoatlantal dense-adhesions release. METHODS: A comprehensive review of historically described approaches, proof of concept of surgical technique in …

High-Grade Avm. Educational Vignette And Clinical Cases, Marcos Devanir Silva Da Costa, Marcelo Augusto Acosta Goiri, Daniela Coelho, Juan Alberto Paz Archila, Talita Helena Martins Sarti, Feres Chaddad-Neto

Archives of Neurosurgery

The arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a vascular malformation characterized by fistulas between arteries and veins forming a nidus, without interposition of capillary vessels and of which early draining vein is identified at the digital angiography. Potential reports of its existence date from the second century AD. Spetzler and Martin (S-M) proposed a classification considering three features and Lawton then added new predictors. A maximum of 10 score can be achieved by applying the modified S-M grade system. This classification guides decision-making and the possible choice of the multimodal treatment (surgery, radiosurgery and embolization). We discuss historical, pathological, clinical and therapeutic …

Optimizing Decision-Making In A Cerebral Palsy Model Using Reinforcement Learning, Richard Ampah

Pitzer Senior Theses

This study presents an original interdisciplinary investigation into how reinforcement learning (RL) can model motor and cognitive defects and potentially improve motor and cognitive functions in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP), a non-progressive neurological disorder that impairs movement and adaptability. Integrating computational neuroscience and machine learning, the research applies policy gradient methods and Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) to simulate adaptive learning in agents with and without CP-related constraints.

The central aim is to compare the cumulative rewards of optimal policies, derived from value iteration, and human-like learning policies using the REINFORCE algorithm, both with and without the Bellman baseline. The …

Leveraging Clinical Standards To Improve The Translational Relevance Of Therapies For Experimental Spinal Cord Injury, Aaron L. Silverstein

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Efforts to improve treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) often use animals to develop effective therapeutics, intending to improve the survival and the quality of life of persons with SCI. Over half of all SCIs in the United States occur at the cervical level and often cause locomotor deficits and life-threatening breathing dysfunction. Thus, my dissertation is focused on this important patient population.

After beginning with a description of translational research and surveying SCI from a clinical standpoint, I turned to describe experimental models of cervical SCI and more detailed neuroimmunological findings relevant to my work. Then, I conducted a …