Email this pageTwo New Studies Point to Advances in Stroke Care and Rehabilitation
An analysis 
by neurologists at the University of Rochester Medical Center shows that the decision to have a hemicraniectomy after a severe stroke usually pays off for patients, who generally report satisfaction with their quality of life after the procedure. The authors found that even in the face of significant stroke-related disability, as a whole, patients who had undergone the surgical procedure had an improvement in their quality of life compared to patients who did not have the procedure. A second study demonstrates that, by doing a set of vigorous visual exercises on a computer every day for several months, patients who had gone partially blind as a result of suffering a stroke were able to regain some vision.
Cardiovascular Proteins Pose a Double Whammy in Alzheimer’s
Two proteins that work in tandem in the brain’s blood vessels present a double whammy in Alzheimer’s disease. Not only do the proteins lessen blood flow in the brain, but they also reduce the rate at which the brain is able to remove amyloid beta. The finding, described in a paper in the journal Nature Cell Biology, puts two proteins known for their role in the cardiovascular system front and center in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The work is the result of a unique collaboration between researchers in the Department of Neurosurgery working with their counterparts in the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute. “Rochester is the type of institution where partnerships like these are easy to strike up,” said Joseph Miano, Ph.D., the leader of one of the two teams.
New Guidelines Help Physicians Diagnose Neuropathy
Neurologists collaborated with other physicians in a national effort that has resulted in new guidelines to help doctors diagnose peripheral neuropathy. The new parameters – the result of a collaboration between the American Academy of Neurology, the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation – “are designed to help patients by giving physicians the tools they need to arrive at a proper diagnosis efficiently,” said David Herrmann, MBBCh, who helped develop the guidelines.
Rochester Physician Tapped to Lead American Academy of Neurology
University of Rochester Medical Center neurologist Robert C. Griggs, M.D. has been elected president of the American Academy of Neurology, the world’s largest professional organization of neurologists.
