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UTHealth Neurosciences In the News

July 2023

  • Paul E. Schulz, MD, talked to Bloomberg News about the rollout of Leqembi, which has been shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. A PDF version of the article is available here. The story ran in 64 news outlets, including The Spokesman-Review. Delma Montoya-Monge, MD, spoke to Univision Houston Channel 45 about the same topic.
  • David Hunter, MD, was interviewed by Forbes Health and Medical News Today about whether reading, puzzles, and similar activities can stave off dementia.
  • A study led by Youngran Kim, PhD; Muhammad Tariq, MD; and Sunil Sheth, MD, which found that women are less likely than men to be routed to comprehensive stroke centers for large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke, was covered in 29 media outlets, including HealthDay and U.S. News & World Report. Read more in UTHealth Houston News.
  • A study led by Meredith McCarty, PhD candidate; Elliot Murphy, PhD; and Nitin Tandon, MD, which determined that different areas of the brain are activated depending on the structural complexity of music and language, was covered in 17 media outlets, including SciTech Daily and Technology Networks. Read more in UTHealth Houston News.
  • Paul E. Schulz, MD, talked to FOX 26 News about the Alzheimer’s treatment drug Leqembi, which recently received full FDA approval.
  • Ashley Amsbaugh, MD, talked to FOX 26 News about a study showing that opioids are overrated when it comes to treating back pain.
  • Paul E. Schulz, MD, was quoted in a Medical News Today article about how fluctuating cholesterol and triglyceride levels may affect dementia risk.
  • Novel research on neural stem/progenitor cells in adult spinal cord published in Cell Reports

June 2023

  • Sunil Sheth, MD, was interviewed by FOX 26 News about a patient who wandered throughout her office one night after suffering a brain aneurysm. The story appeared in the 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. newscasts and also ran online. The patient, Dionicia Elizarraras, also spoke to FOX 26 anchor Melissa Wilson about her experience on the “Lunch for the Soul” web series.
  • Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award: Erin Furr Stimming, MD
  • Sriwastava wins A.B. Baker Award
  • Paul E. Schulz, MD, appeared on Doug Pike’s Fifty+ show on KPRC Radio to talk about how multivitamins may help slow cognitive decline in older adults (19:28 mark).
  • Louise McCullough, MD, PhD, was interviewed for a National Institute on Aging article about her funded research on the gut microbiome and Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Sam Dahr, MD, was interviewed by Medscape about a study that showed steroid implants were the best treatment for macular edema that often occurs in patients with eye inflammation.
  • David Sandberg, MD, talked to the Houston Chronicle about a successful surgery he performed on an 11-year-old girl’s tethered spine. 
  • Shariq Khawja, MD, spoke to FOX 26 News about how cancer spreads to the brain in light of Shannon Doherty’s recent diagnosis of brain cancer, which spread from her breast cancer.
  • Sunil Sheth, MD, was interviewed by FOX 26 News about brain aneurysms in light of a pregnant influencer’s fight for her life.
  • Social media highlight, LinkedIn: Nadya Dhanani, MD, and Daniel Kim, MD, improved the quality of life for a patient who was suffering from sciatic nerve pain.
  • Paul E. Schulz, MD, was interviewed by Medical News Today about the link between sleep apnea, brain volume, amyloid-beta deposits, and memory.
  • Paul E. Schulz, MD, talked to the Washington Post about signs and risk factors for dementia, in light of former first lady Rosalynn Carter’s diagnosis.
  • Sunil Sheth, MD, was interviewed by Medical News Today about a promising new treatment strategy for stroke-related brain bleeds.
  • A study led by Erin Furr Stimming, MD, on behalf of the Huntington Study Group, which found that valbenazine eased chorea in Huntington’s disease patients, was covered in Healio and Huntington’s Disease News.

May 2023

  • Nitin Tandon, MD, was interviewed by Science Friday about his research, which revealed that two brain networks are activated when a person reads a sentence.
  • Paul E. Schulz, MD, was quoted in a Washington Post article about how multivitamins may help slow memory loss in older adults. The article was picked up by 10 other media outlets.
  • Jay-Jiguang Zhu, MD, PhD, was quoted in a Medical News Today story about a new combination treatment for glioblastoma.
  • Kimberly Monday, MD, was quoted in a Houston Chronicle article about a $2.5 billion bond approval to upgrade LBJ Hospital.
  • Mya Schiess, MD, spoke to FOX 26 News about Parkinson’s disease patient Bobby Sherman, who is back to an active lifestyle after participating in a stem cell study at UTHealth Houston.
  • LinkedIn: Joseph Cochran, MD, neurosurgeon with McGovern Medical School and UTHealth Houston Neurosciences, was awarded the Patient Choice Award from the Joe Niekro Foundation at the Houston Knuckle Ball in Bloom Gala. Cochran was nominated by his grateful patient, Meredith Staggers, after he successfully treated her brain aneurysm.
  • Tiffany Chang, MD, talked to KPRC-TV Channel 2 about a new portable, low-field brain MRI that scans patients on ECMO. The story aired during the 6 a.m. and noon newscasts.
  • An international study led by Erin Furr Stimming, MD, on behalf of the Huntington Study Group, which found that the drug valbenazine significantly reduces chorea symptoms in patients with Huntington’s disease, was covered in 212 media outlets, including News Medical and Technology Networks. Read the story in UTHealth Houston News.
  • Joseph Cochran, MD, and his patient, Jean Thompson, appeared on FOX 26 News to discuss Thompson’s ruptured brain aneurysm, subsequent stroke, and successful surgery. The story also ran online. 
  • Sudha Tallavajhula, MD, was on Houston Public Media’s Houston Matters show to discuss sleep and sleep disorders.
  • J. William Lindsey, MD, talked to Medical News Today about how the Epstein-Barr virus may spur the progression of multiple sclerosis. The story was picked up by The Science Times.
  • Anjail Sharrief, MD, MPH, talked to KPRC-TV Channel 2 about improving stroke outcomes, while her patient, Tony Alexander, was interviewed about his stroke experience and medical journey.
  • Mya Schiess, MD, spoke to Medical News Today about new artificial intelligence that can detect Parkinson’s disease up to 15 years early with 96% accuracy.
  • Timothy McCulley, MD, appeared on Doug Pike’s Fifty+ show on KPRC Radio to talk about how diabetes affects vision (10:45 mark). 
  • Mary Kay Koenig, MD, spoke to Biospace about therapies for rare mitochondrial diseases.
  • A review led by Anjail Sharrief, MD, MPH, which outlined the barriers and benefits of telehealth for stroke survivors, was covered in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.
  • Manish Shah, MD, was interviewed by the Houston Chronicle about a surgery he performed on twin boys with cerebral palsy.
  • Instagram: Nadya Dhanani, MD, successfully treated a patient who had been experiencing chronic back and neck pain with sacroiliac joint injections and radiofrequency ablations.
  • Gretchen Von Allmen, MD, was mentioned in a Waco Tribune-Herald story about VNS Therapy, a medical device designed to prevent seizures when they start, and stop them if they do.

April 2023

  • LinkedIn: Congratulations to Joseph Cochran, MD, who was awarded the Patient Choice Award from the Joe Niekro Foundation.
  • Mark Burish, MD, PhD, talked to Health about his study, which found that cluster headaches and migraines are strongly linked to the body’s circadian system.
  • Claudio Soto, PhD, was interviewed by Medical News Today about his research, which found that the presence of a misfolded alpha-synuclein protein can be used for the early detection of Parkinson’s disease. The study was covered by 220 other news outlets, including the San Antonio Post and the Dallas Sun. Read more in UTHealth Houston News.
  • Mark Burish, MD, PhD, spoke to the Houston Chronicle about a recent study he co-led with Seung-Hee Yoo, PhD, that found cluster headaches and migraines are strongly linked to the body’s circadian clock. The story also ran in the San Antonio Express-News and Happiest Health.
  • Natalia Pessoa Rocha, MSc, PhD, talked to Medical News Today about the mechanisms behind protein aggregations in Huntington’s disease and ALS.
  • The 20th anniversary of the Run for the Rose event, which honors the life and legacy of the late Marnie Rose, MD, and raises funds for brain cancer research at UTHealth Houston and other institutions, was spotlighted in the Jewish Herald-Voice.
  • A presentation by Suur Biliciler, MD, who discussed therapeutic approaches in myositis based on antibodies at the 2023 Muscular Dystrophy Association Clinical & Scientific Conference, was covered in NeurologyLive. 
  • Elsa Rodarte, MD, spoke to Univision Houston Channel 45 about signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The story aired at 5 and 10 p.m. and also ran online.
  • A review paper authored by Anjail Sharrief, MD, MPH, which described various resources for supporting stroke survivors who struggle to receive care through telehealth, was covered in mHealth Intelligence and Neuro Rehab Times. Read the story in UTHealth Houston News.
  • Paul E. Schulz, MD, spoke to FOX 26 News about signs of dementia, including personality changes.

March 2023

  • Mark Burish, MD, PhD, was interviewed by NBC News and Healthline about a new study he co-led with Seung-Hee Yoo, PhD, which found that cluster headaches and migraines are strongly linked to the body’s circadian system. Their research was also covered in more than 70 media outlets, including News Medical and Yahoo! News. Read the story in UTHealth Houston News.
  • An event hosted by UTHealth Houston and SightSavers America, in which 11 children with low vision received electronic video magnifiers at no cost through the clinic of Bhavani Iyer, OD, was covered by KPRC-TV Channel 2 and FOX 26 News. The FOX story also ran online.
  • Samden Lhatoo, MD, and Shirin Jamal Omidi, MD, talked to FOX 26 News about a car dealership owner who is being treated at their autoimmune epilepsy clinic. The story also appeared online and the patient’s family was interviewed for FOX anchor Melissa Wilson’s “Lunch for the Soul” web series.
  • Ryan Kitagawa, MD, and Stacy Hall, DO, were interviewed by the Houston Chronicle about a cheerleader they helped overcome serious injuries after a car accident.
  • Biswajit Kar, MD, talked to KHOU-TV Channel 11 about a college student whose heart stopped three times before he and Nitin Tandon, MD, saved her life. The story aired during the 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. newscasts and ran online.
  • Paul E. Schulz, MD, was on Doug Pike’s Fifty+ show on KPRC Radio to discuss the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi (10:09 mark), while Aanand Naik, MD, talked about what the new availability of the drug means for patients (19:18 mark).
  • News Medical Life Sciences reported on $15 million in NIH grants awarded to Nitin Tandon, MD; John Seymour, PhD; and Sandipan Pati, MD, to study different parts of the brain in order to advance knowledge of dyslexia, speech, and epilepsy. Read the story in UTHealth Houston News.
  • Erin Furr Stimming, MD, was quoted in a Medical News Today story about whether stool samples could be used for the early detection of Parkinson’s disease.

February 2023

  • J. William Lindsey, MD, talked to Medical News Today about a study that investigated the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on mouse models of multiple sclerosis. 
  • Paul E. Schulz, MD, was interviewed by USA Today and FOX 26 News about actor Bruce Willis’ recent frontotemporal dementia diagnosis. The FOX story ran during the 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. newscasts, and Schulz’s comments to USA Today were picked up by 47 media outlets, including the Washington Post and Yahoo! News.
  • J. William Lindsey, MD, answered questions from Health about the progression of multiple sclerosis.
  • Kristin Brown, MD, and Absalon Gutierrez, MD, were interviewed by Livestrong about causes and treatments for “pins and needles” in the feet or toes.
  • Sudha Tallavajhula, MD, talked to Allure about safer alternatives to “mouth-taping,” a new TikTok sleep hack.
  • Research from Summer Ott, PsyD, and Paul E. Schulz, MD, which found that caregivers trust social media information more than physicians about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, ran in Medical Xpress, Science Magazine. Read the story in UTHealth Houston News.
  • Bharti Manwani, MD, PhD, talked to Medical News Today about a study showing that women with higher lifetime estrogen exposure have a lower risk of stroke.
  • Timothy McCulley, MD, talked to FOX 26 News about the recent recall of Ezricare Artificial Tears and what it means for people who used the eye drops.
  • Mary Kay Koenig, MD, spoke to KPRC-TV Channel 2 about the dangers of a new TikTok challenge that involves taking Clonazepam and trying to stay awake. 
  • Mark Dannenbaum, MD, was interviewed by FOX 26 News about how he treated a patient who survived the same traumatic brain injury that killed actor Bob Saget. The story also ran online.
  • Louise McCullough, MD, PhD, was on Doug Pike’s Fifty+ show on KPRC Radio to discuss how she is studying age-related changes in the gut microbiome in an effort to slow or prevent neurodegenerative diseases (19:07 mark).

UTHealth Houston Scientists Develop Brain Imaging Device for Infants

Dr. Manish Shah holding baby with CTOTDr. Manish Shah, one of our pediatric neurosurgeons, has worked with researchers Eva Sevick and Banghe Zhu of UTHealth’s Center for Molecular Imaging, to develop a new imaging system called Cap-based Transcranial Optical Tomography, or CTOT.

CTOT is a ground breaking creation – the wired hat uses infrared light to capture what happens deep within the child’s brain when they try to walk or move. The device utilizes the same technology as night-vision goggles worn by soldiers during the Gulf War to make several measurements across the head and use that data to map the oxygenation status. This allows doctors to predict which patients are good candidates for surgeries to lessen the effects of epilepsy and cerebral palsy, Shah said. 

According to their study, the device is able to image the whole brain’s activity within three seconds of data-acquisition time. That data is used to create a tomographic image, which shows oxygenated and deoxygenated blood volumes. Those images mimic what can typically be captured using an MRI, but without requiring the child to be put under anesthesia, which has major risks for young children.

To learn more about this innovative technology and how it has the potential to improve treatment options for children born prematurely, read the full Houston Chronicle article.