Clinical News - Neurosciences

Articles about current trends in neurology and neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic.

Parkinson Disease: Pathways to Prevention

Mayo Clinic researchers are changing concepts about the molecular basis for Parkinson disease and generating new ways of identifying those at risk before the disease strikes. "We're developing methods that not only predict but also prevent the disease," says Neurologist Demetrius (Jim) Maraganore, M.D.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery: A Noninvasive Treatment Option

Stereotactic radiosurgery is the single-session, focused delivery of radiation to an image-defined intracranial target. Radiosurgery is an excellent noninvasive option for a number of conditions. This article describes Mayo's expanding capabilities to increase accuracy and precision in radiation delivery, improve patient comfort, and reduce treatment time.

Inpatient Video-EEG Epilepsy Monitoring:
Key Diagnostic Tool for Unconfirmed Seizure Diagnosis

For epilepsy patients with an unconfirmed seizure diagnosis, inpatient video-EEG monitoring is the best diagnostic tool available. Continuous behavioral and EEG monitoring over time in a controlled environment helps localize seizure focus, determine seizure type, and quantify the number of seizures. Equally important, video-EEG monitoring can differentiate seizures from psychologically based seizure-like episodes and from physiologic events that may be confused with epilepsy.

Management Options for Primary Hyperhidrosis

Although, hyperhidrosis has only recently been recognized as a serious medical condition, Mayo Clinic has a long history of treating primary hyperhidrosis. Management includes surgical and nonsurgical options as well as objective measures of severity and anatomic distribution and, for severe cases, an improved surgical approach not found at other institutions.

Surgical Management of Acromegaly

Acromegaly can distort physical appearance and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, lung disease, colon cancer and loss of vision. The disease is almost always caused by a growth-hormone-producing pituitary adenoma. Acromegaly is complex, overlaps many subspecialties and requires a team approach to treatment.

Parkinson Study Findings

Relatives of patients who have Parkinson disease face increased risk of cognitive impairment or dementia.