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Neurology and the brain

619 articles · Since 2005

Articles, page 3

Conditions and diseases

How drug marketing shapes what your doctor prescribes

In April 2025, Gilead Sciences paid $202 million to settle allegations that it paid kickbacks to doctors through speaker fees and lavish dinners in return for more written prescriptions for their drugs. This is the illegal version that made the…

In April 2025, Gilead Sciences paid $202 million to settle allegations that it paid kickbacks to doctors through speaker fees and lavish dinners in return for more written prescriptions for their drugs. This is the illegal version that made the news headlines.

And the legal version? It may be sitting in your medicine cabinet.

A recent survey found that nearly 1 in 3 Americans aren’t filling their prescriptions simply due …

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How drug marketing shapes what your doctor prescribes

Physician voices

A physician’s three lessons on gratitude in medicine

A rabbi asks his students a question: "Where does God dwell?" One student answered, "Heaven." Another answered, "We are only human; we cannot possibly know where God dwells." "No," the rabbi replied. "God dwells wherever we choose to let God…

A rabbi asks his students a question: “Where does God dwell?” One student answered, “Heaven.” Another answered, “We are only human; we cannot possibly know where God dwells.” “No,” the rabbi replied. “God dwells wherever we choose to let God in.” Might not the same question be asked about gratitude? Where does gratitude dwell? And the answer may be the same. Gratitude dwells wherever we choose to let gratitude into …

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A physician’s three lessons on gratitude in medicine

Conditions and diseases

A gene therapy is rewriting Huntington’s disease

As someone who has spent decades peering into skulls and pondering the fragile machinery inside, I have seen firsthand how our gray matter can falter under the weight of time, genetics, and disease. In my world as a neurosurgeon, the…

As someone who has spent decades peering into skulls and pondering the fragile machinery inside, I have seen firsthand how our gray matter can falter under the weight of time, genetics, and disease. In my world as a neurosurgeon, the brain is the ultimate paradox: a brilliant, three-pound masterpiece capable of infinite consciousness, yet completely vulnerable to the slightest microscopic flaw.

There is perhaps no greater testament to this vulnerability than …

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A gene therapy is rewriting Huntington’s disease

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Physician voices

Falls, syncope, and the orthostatic hypotension we miss

Last week a patient came in after his third ER visit in four months. Dizziness, near-syncope, and two falls. He has Parkinson's disease and has been on carbidopa-levodopa for six years. His blood pressure in my office was 128/82 sitting.…

Last week a patient came in after his third ER visit in four months. Dizziness, near-syncope, and two falls. He has Parkinson’s disease and has been on carbidopa-levodopa for six years. His blood pressure in my office was 128/82 sitting. Completely normal.

That number told me almost nothing.

What I needed was his blood pressure lying down and again after standing for three minutes. I needed the reading he took at home …

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Falls, syncope, and the orthostatic hypotension we miss

Conditions and diseases

Why the case against APOE4 testing no longer holds

I remember the moment clearly. A hot July day, standing at my mailbox, opening an envelope from a genetic testing company. I expected reassurance. Instead, I saw a result sitting in the bright red end of the risk continuum. As…

I remember the moment clearly. A hot July day, standing at my mailbox, opening an envelope from a genetic testing company. I expected reassurance. Instead, I saw a result sitting in the bright red end of the risk continuum. As far from “OK” as it could get.

Years earlier, my son had mentioned that his 23andMe test showed he carried a gene that might lead to Alzheimer’s “when he was old.” …

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Why the case against APOE4 testing no longer holds

Conditions and diseases

Early Alzheimer’s diagnosis now decides who gets treated

When Bill Ritter, a longtime anchor for WABC-TV New York's ABC7 Eyewitness News, recently announced that he had been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease, he shared that he is receiving treatments that are keeping the disease's progression at bay. Unfortunately,…

When Bill Ritter, a longtime anchor for WABC-TV New York’s ABC7 Eyewitness News, recently announced that he had been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, he shared that he is receiving treatments that are keeping the disease’s progression at bay. Unfortunately, many patients never receive the same opportunity for treatment because they are diagnosed too late.

With Alzheimer’s disease, delayed diagnosis can determine whether patients qualify for new treatments, clinical trials, and …

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Early Alzheimer’s diagnosis now decides who gets treated

Physician voices

Anchoring bias killed my father inside a stroke center

"Eighty-six-year-old man dies of a stroke." It is the kind of sentence medicine writes cleanly, almost mercifully, as though a life can be folded into a diagnosis and quietly filed away. I have read sentences like that in charts, discharge…

“Eighty-six-year-old man dies of a stroke.”

It is the kind of sentence medicine writes cleanly, almost mercifully, as though a life can be folded into a diagnosis and quietly filed away. I have read sentences like that in charts, discharge summaries, death certificates. But this time, the man was my father.

His name was Herbert Nelson. Herb. Herbie. Brother Nelson. Elder Nelson. Mr. Nelson. Daddy.

He did not die alone in some forgotten …

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Anchoring bias killed my father inside a stroke center

Conditions and diseases

The delayed brain injury symptoms I almost ignored

To this day, I still don't remember the car accident that changed my life. It was Thursday, August 8, 2024, a day like any other. I had gone to my local gym for an afternoon conditioning class. I finished hot…

To this day, I still don’t remember the car accident that changed my life. It was Thursday, August 8, 2024, a day like any other. I had gone to my local gym for an afternoon conditioning class. I finished hot and sweaty, grabbed my things, and walked toward the door. That’s the last thing I remember.

The next thing I’m aware of, I’m in a hospital bed, mid-conversation with a doctor. …

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The delayed brain injury symptoms I almost ignored

Conditions and diseases

Conservative care for back pain is not “wait and see”

One of the most common things I hear from patients is, "I was told to give it more time." As a neurosurgeon who has spent more than 30 years treating spine conditions, I've seen how often that advice is both…

One of the most common things I hear from patients is, “I was told to give it more time.” As a neurosurgeon who has spent more than 30 years treating spine conditions, I’ve seen how often that advice is both appropriate and, at times, misleading.

In many cases, it is the right approach. Most back pain improves. The body has a remarkable ability to heal, and conservative care remains the appropriate …

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Conservative care for back pain is not “wait and see”

Conditions and diseases

How patient advocacy in the hospital can prevent a stroke

As someone who spent years advocating for my medically complex son, I'm often asked how to do it. What advocacy looks like. How to push back. The truth is, advocacy itself isn't that complicated. At its core, it's standing up…

As someone who spent years advocating for my medically complex son, I’m often asked how to do it. What advocacy looks like. How to push back. The truth is, advocacy itself isn’t that complicated. At its core, it’s standing up for what you know is right, and refusing to accept an unacceptable status quo. I believe the hard part is taking up space. Challenging people and systems that aren’t used …

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How patient advocacy in the hospital can prevent a stroke

Conditions and diseases

Early Alzheimer’s detection is now a treatment decision

For decades, an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis has been viewed as simply a confirmation of a disease, not an opportunity for treatment. Typically, patients or family members would notice subtle changes in memory. Once these symptoms reached the point where concern…

For decades, an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis has been viewed as simply a confirmation of a disease, not an opportunity for treatment. Typically, patients or family members would notice subtle changes in memory. Once these symptoms reached the point where concern was raised to a physician, and referrals were made, often leading to months of waiting to see a neurologist, opportunities for even symptomatic treatment were significantly smaller. This diagnosis-to-treatment gap …

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Early Alzheimer’s detection is now a treatment decision

Conditions and diseases

School nursing for medically complex kids is not guaranteed

We didn't know that school districts have the power to ignore medical decisions made by doctors for medically complex children. We found out when we switched districts, assuming our son's complex care would follow him the way it always had.…

We didn’t know that school districts have the power to ignore medical decisions made by doctors for medically complex children. We found out when we switched districts, assuming our son’s complex care would follow him the way it always had. It hadn’t been an issue before. His home care nurses went to school with him, and his needs were consistently supported. Our new district was one of the strongest and …

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School nursing for medically complex kids is not guaranteed

Conditions and diseases

Why neurodivergent friendship is challenging but possible

An excerpt from Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults: A Guide for the Anxious, Uniquely Wired, and Easily Distracted. Your neurology, your experiences, your strengths, and your weaknesses affect how you see the world. Understanding your brain helps you understand your…

An excerpt from Friendship Skills for Neurodivergent Adults: A Guide for the Anxious, Uniquely Wired, and Easily Distracted.

Your neurology, your experiences, your strengths, and your weaknesses affect how you see the world. Understanding your brain helps you understand your life, your mindset, and the science behind your behavior, so that is exactly where we will begin. By understanding your neurotype, you can better understand your brain and create neurodivergent-friendly …

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Why neurodivergent friendship is challenging but possible

Conditions and diseases

Why mental health care in Nigeria needs a new approach

It started with a headache. At least, that is what she told the nurse. A middle-aged woman sat quietly in the outpatient clinic, her hands folded tightly in her lap. She had visited the hospital three times in two months…

It started with a headache. At least, that is what she told the nurse. A middle-aged woman sat quietly in the outpatient clinic, her hands folded tightly in her lap. She had visited the hospital three times in two months complaining of headaches, fatigue, and body pains. Her blood pressure was normal. Her blood tests were unremarkable. Her physical examination revealed nothing alarming. Yet something was clearly wrong. After a …

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Why mental health care in Nigeria needs a new approach

Conditions and diseases

A physician’s journey with a hidden CSF leak and delayed diagnosis

In 2023, I was in a serious motor vehicle collision. The injury that followed, a vertebral artery dissection, required real recovery. I did the work and thought I had come out the other side. I was looking forward to celebrating…

In 2023, I was in a serious motor vehicle collision. The injury that followed, a vertebral artery dissection, required real recovery. I did the work and thought I had come out the other side. I was looking forward to celebrating my three-year anniversary since the accident. I was feeling grateful. I was not expecting what came next.

The bike

I love spinning. The bike was the first thing I reclaimed after the …

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A physician’s journey with a hidden CSF leak and delayed diagnosis

Conditions and diseases

How pain management solves a refractory headache

As a pain management specialist, I see patients every week who feel like they have tried nearly everything. They come to me after months, or even years, of battling chronic or refractory headaches. Their primary care doctor and neurologist have…

As a pain management specialist, I see patients every week who feel like they have tried nearly everything. They come to me after months, or even years, of battling chronic or refractory headaches. Their primary care doctor and neurologist have already walked them through the usual first-line options, yet the pain keeps coming back relentlessly. It steals their focus, disrupts their sleep, and robs them of the simple joys in …

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How pain management solves a refractory headache

Physician voices

The art of medicine and clinical reasoning: a lesson at the bedside

An excerpt from The Temple Road: A Doctor’s Journey by permission of Texas Tech University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Throughout my years in…

An excerpt from The Temple Road: A Doctor’s Journey by permission of Texas Tech University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Throughout my years in medical training, I had heard the maxim, “Medicine is an art.” And yet this notion seemed abstract to me; after all, I had been steeped in science.

Then I came under the …

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The art of medicine and clinical reasoning: a lesson at the bedside

Conditions and diseases

When the doctor is also the patient’s mom: Navigating severe autism

Today I received a call from my son's school informing me that he had been suspended for injuring his teacher and hurting another staff member. The week prior, I had received multiple calls requesting that I pick him up early…

Today I received a call from my son’s school informing me that he had been suspended for injuring his teacher and hurting another staff member. The week prior, I had received multiple calls requesting that I pick him up early due to escalating behaviors.

My story is not unique. Across the country, parents of children with autism navigate aggressive outbursts, elopement, self-harm, and school suspensions. We juggle IEP meetings, medication adjustments, …

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When the doctor is also the patient’s mom: Navigating severe autism

Conditions and diseases

Coprolalia and Tourette syndrome: Understanding involuntary vocal tics

When actor John Davidson, who has Tourette's syndrome, reportedly uttered a racial slur during the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) ceremony, the public reaction was swift and emotionally charged. For many people, the involuntary outburst reflected true…

When actor John Davidson, who has Tourette’s syndrome, reportedly uttered a racial slur during the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) ceremony, the public reaction was swift and emotionally charged. For many people, the involuntary outburst reflected true feelings or a subconscious racial bias. However, that is not the case with certain forms of Tourette’s.

Coprolalia, the involuntary expression of socially inappropriate or taboo words, is among the most …

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Coprolalia and Tourette syndrome: Understanding involuntary vocal tics

Conditions and diseases

Understanding methylation, BDNF, and the ApoE Alzheimer’s gene

An excerpt from The Invincible Brain: The Clinically Proven Plan to Age-Proof Your Brain and Stay Sharp for Life by Majid Fotuhi. Copyright © 2026 by Majid Fotuhi. From Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission. Your…

An excerpt from The Invincible Brain: The Clinically Proven Plan to Age-Proof Your Brain and Stay Sharp for Life by Majid Fotuhi. Copyright © 2026 by Majid Fotuhi. From Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.

Your brain is constantly changing. While the primary structures remain the same, you can grow and shrink your cortex and hippocampus according to what you do. But what about genetics? You …

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Understanding methylation, BDNF, and the ApoE Alzheimer’s gene

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