Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2014
The Sport Concussion Education Project. A brief report on an educational initiative: from concept to curriculum.
Current research on concussion is primarily focused on injury identification and treatment. Prevention initiatives are, however, important for reducing the incidence of brain injury. This report examines the development and implementation of an interactive electronic teaching program (an e-module) that is designed specifically for concussion education within an adolescent population. This learning tool and the accompanying consolidation rubric demonstrate that significant engagement occurs in addition to the knowledge gained among participants when it is used in a school curriculum setting.
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Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is difficult to treat. On the basis of results obtained by using Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) to treat trigeminal neuralgia, the authors have used GKS to treat glossopharyngeal neuralgia in a series of patients since 2007. Their objectives with this study were to demonstrate the usefulness and safety of GKS for treating glossopharyngeal neuralgia and to describe a simple treatment method. ⋯ GKS is useful and safe for treating glossopharyngeal neuralgia, even for patients who have previously undergone surgery. GKS should be considered as the initial therapy for glossopharyngeal neuralgia.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2014
Chronic gliosis and behavioral deficits in mice following repetitive mild traumatic brain injury.
With the recent increasing interest in outcomes after repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI; e.g., sports concussions), several models of rmTBI have been established. Characterizing these models in terms of behavioral and histopathological outcomes is vital to assess their clinical translatability. The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth behavioral and histopathological phenotype of a clinically relevant model of rmTBI. ⋯ The authors demonstrate that their rmTBI model results in a characteristic behavioral phenotype that correlates with the clinical syndrome of concussion and repetitive concussion. This model offers a platform from which to study therapeutic interventions for rmTBI.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2014
Gamma Knife radiosurgery for vestibular schwannoma: clinical results at long-term follow-up in a series of 379 patients.
Since the 1990 s, Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) has become the first-line treatment option for small- to medium-size vestibular schwannomas (VSs), especially in patients without mass effect-related symptoms and with functional hearing. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of GKRS, in terms of tumor control, hearing preservation, and complications, in a series of 379 consecutive patients treated for VS. ⋯ Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a safe and effective treatment for VS, achieving tumor control in 97.1% of cases and resulting in a very low morbidity rate. Younger GR Class I patients had a significantly higher probability of retaining functional hearing even at the 10-year follow-up; for this reason, the time between symptom onset, diagnosis, and treatment should be shortened to achieve better outcomes in functional hearing preservation.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Dec 2014
Platelet-mediated changes to neuronal glutamate receptor expression at sites of microthrombosis following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Glutamate is important in the pathogenesis of brain damage after cerebral ischemia and traumatic brain injury. Notably, brain extracellular and cerebrospinal fluid as well as blood glutamate concentrations increase after experimental and clinical trauma. While neurons are one potential source of glutamate, platelets also release glutamate as part of their recruitment and might mediate neuronal damage. This study investigates the hypothesis that platelet microthrombi release glutamate that mediates excitotoxic brain injury and neuron dysfunction after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). ⋯ The authors conclude that platelet-mediated microthrombosis contributes to neuronal glutamate receptor dysfunction and might mediate brain injury after SAH.