Spotlights on Mass General Neurology Research
Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on Vulnerable Communities
Nationwide lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on already-vulnerable populations such as older adults from minority communities. A Mass General research team led by Zeina Chemali, MD, MPH, Medical Director of the McCance Center for Brain Health, sampled literature and government health records to compare the epidemiological situation before and during the pandemic, with a special focus on these communities. Their data show that the pandemic poses not only a health crisis but also a major socioeconomic problem that should be tackled through population-based strategies at the policy level. Download the poster (PDF).Diagnosis and Management of Functional Dystonia
David Perez, MD, MSc, Nutan Sharma, MD, PhD and Christopher Stephen, MBBS, MBCHB, have worked with multiple other collaborators to produce two notable publications on the diagnosis and management of functional dystonia. Functional dystonia: A case-control study and risk prediction algorithm, and Functional Dystonia: Differentiation From Primary Dystonia and Multidisciplinary Treatments drew contributions from additional investigators. Click here for an expanded diagram from the second paper.TeleNeurology for Determination of Death by Neurological Criteria
In early 2021, Marcelo Matiello and collaborators published two articles, in Telemedicine and E-Health and Neurology, covering the use of telehealth consultations to determine death by neurological criteria. Introducing the article, Neurology reviewers said that "Matiello et al. should be applauded for providing a vital service to the consulting hospitals, their patients, and the Neurology readership." Their next project is a comparison of in-person and telemedicine neurological services to analyze and reduce disparities in the care of patients with diverse demographics and socio-economic backgrounds.CTTI Master Protocol Development Webinar, October 13, 2020
Marianne Chase, the Senior Director for Clinical Trial Operations at Mass General's Neurological Clinical Research Institute, joined representatives from the FDA, Janssen R&D and Edgewise Therapeutics to discuss the design of master protocol clinical trials, which allow researchers to answer multiple scientific questions within a single trial. Watch the recording.Turning Points: From Healthy Cells and Systems to Neurological Disease States
These 2020 virtual symposiums organized by Alyssa Russ, BS and Ksenia Kastanenka, PhD covered a broad range of studies at the molecular, cellular, circuit/systems, and behavioral levels, with the hope of uniting basic and translational neuroscience expertise under the general neuroscience umbrella. We placed special emphasis on multidisciplinary work and innovative approaches. All meetings took place via Zoom. Learn more and watch recordings.Are Infections Causing Alzheimer’s Disease?
View a fascinating Tedx Cambridge talk by Robert Moir, PhD, Assistant Professor, about a groundbreaking discovery that suggests infection may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease and is helping point the way towards urgently needed new treatment strategies. Learn more.Alzheimer’s and epilepsy: Intimate connection
“The parallels between epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease are quite striking,” said Andrew J. Cole, professor of neurology at Harvard University and head of the epilepsy group at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn more.
Science Daily quotes study co-author MGH investigator Leigh Hochberg
Clinical trial participants with paralysis chatted with family and friends, shopped online and used other tablet computer applications, all by just thinking about pointing and clicking a mouse. Learn more.
Phase 2 Trial of Ibudilast in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
A study conducted by Merit Cudkowicz, MD, Eric C. Klawiter, MD and the NeuroNEXT team shows promise for treating progressive multiple sclerosis. Learn more.
Earlier Spotlights
How an outsider in Alzheimer’s research bucked the prevailing theory
STAT news profiles MGH investigator Robert Moir (pictured right), and quotes MGH co-investigator Rudolph Tanzi (pictured left). Learn more
How does exercise keep your brain young?
Science Magazine covers promising study led by MGH investigators Se Hoon Choi, PhD (pictured left) and Rudolph Tanzi, PhD (pictured right). Learn more
Could There be a Link Between Herpes Virus and Alzheimer’s Disease?
A new research study lead by MGH investigators Rudolph Tanzi, PhD (pictured left), and Robert Moir, PhD (pictured right) suggests there may be. Learn more
NIH renews NeuroNEXT for neurological clinical research
We are proud to be the Clinical Coordination Center for NeuroNext, under the leadership of our Neurology Department Chief Dr. Merit Cudkowicz and Marianne Chase. Learn more.
2018 Bio-IT World Best Practices Award Winners: Personalized & Translational Medicine
Congratulations to Alex Sherman, MD, and our very own NeuroBANK team at the NCRI for receiving the award for personalized and translational medicine!
Learn more
Philanthropy Fuels Movement Disorder Breakthrough
Mass General Hospital Giving features a research breakthrough in understanding the cause of X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP).
Learn more
Innovations in ALS Clinical Trials at Mass General
Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, Chief of Neurology at Mass General Hospital discusses innovations in ALS clinical trials since she started in the field in 1994. Learn more.
CBS Boston Features MGH Stem Cell Study
New Stem Cell Treatment Could Help People Suffering From ALS featured on CBS Boston. Learn more.
Feedback loop between the lab and the clinic drives research into neurofibromatosis
Scott Plotkin, MD, PhD, and Vijaya Ramesh, PhD, are using their respective expertise in clinical and fundamental science to investigate new treatments for neurofibromatosis and two related disorders. Learn more.
Genetic Insights, New Research Models Help to Drive New Rare Disease Research
Mass General investigators such as Florian Eichler, MD, are demonstrating how a collaborative research approach that includes patients, clinicians, scientists and members of industry could dramatically improve the treatments available for rare disease patients. Learn more
Best of 2017
Congratulations to Brian Edlow, MD, Associate Director of our Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery – his paper, “Early Detection of Consciousness in Patients with Acute Severe TBI,” was named one of the “Best of 2017” by Brain-A Journal of Neurology
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