University of Pittsburgh Neurology

Masks are now required in UPMC health facilities. Masks are important tools to stop the spread of respiratory viruses.

Along with masking, practice good hand hygiene and take preventive measures such as getting vaccinated.

To learn our current masking requirements at UPMC facilities, you can call 833-390-9489 at any time.

Thank you for doing your part to prevent the spread of illness.

To learn more about our current masking guidelines, you can also visit https://go.upmc.com/1523aBYOC.

Several faculty members in our epilepsy division were recently in attendance at the American Epilepsy Society 2023 annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. We had twenty accepted posters with faculty doing poster presentations, giving standing-room only presentations, being invited speakers/moderators in resident courses, professional development courses, special interest groups, platform sessions, ICWs, and symposiums.

Members of our department and the UPMC Stroke Institute recently attended the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN) 2023 annual meeting in Miami, Florida. This meeting is a premier international academic gathering that covers the full spectrum of cerebrovascular diseases & stroke. Several faculty members & trainees served as speakers in sessions & symposiums as well as having involvement in several posters.

On December 2, 2023, Paula R. Clemens, MD - professor of neurology - hosted a Becker Education and Engagement Day (BEED) at the University of Pittsburgh! BEED is an initiative developed by Becker muscular dystrophy advocates, clinical sites, advocacy groups and researchers aiming to unite the Becker community. The University of Pittsburgh was one of four locations in the United States on December 2 to host a BEED; event organizers classified their BEED as a success, stating that patients were exceptionally satisfied with the seven-hour event. https://bit.ly/46P44IJ

The agenda for this BEED included:

- Becker Muscular Dystrophy Overview
- Becker Muscular Dystrophy Care Considerations
- Cardiac and Respiratory Health
- Muscle Health, Physical Therapy and Exercise
- Becker Resource Toolkit
- Living with Becker Muscular Dystrophy
- Becker Clinical Trials Overview
- Meeting the Becker Community’s Needs
- Lunch Reception & Closing Reception

Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse - associate professor and consultant at the UPMC Sleep Medicine Center - is collaborating with the government relations office at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) to advocate for delayed school start times in Pennsylvania secondary schools. AASM has created an online campaign for House Bill HB1848, which advocates for this specific issue. More than three-quarters of high school students fail to obtain sufficient sleep on school nights, a concerning statistic highlighted by the CDC. Adolescents' natural delay phase circadian rhythms, coupled with early school start times, contribute to this issue, impacting their physical, cognitive, and emotional development.

Your support in advocating for this legislative change would be invaluable in addressing this pressing public health concern. Consider signing onto the American Academy Sleep Medicine (AASM) online campaign to support House Bill HB1848: https://www.votervoice.net/AASM/Campaigns/109543/Respond

Authors looked at the association between fetal exposure to antiseizure medications (ASMs) and the subsequent adaptive, behavior or emotional, and neurodevelopmental disorder outcomes in children at 2, 3, and 4.5 years of age.

The cohort study found that adaptive functioning did not differ between children of women with epilepsy and children of women without epilepsy; however, a significant decrease in functioning was seen with increasing third trimester ASM blood concentration. With sample sizes large enough for analysis, a secondary analysis revealed that this association was evident for levetiracetam and lamotrigine. https://bit.ly/3t4TwY9

Behavioral Outcomes and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Among Children of Women With Epilepsy This cohort study examines the association of fetal exposure to antiseizure medications with subsequent adaptive, behavioral or emotional, and neurodevelopmental disorder outcomes at 2, 3, and 4.5 years of age.

A news release by UPMC highlights the research done in a paper - "Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Microglial Activation in Patients with Alzheimer Disease" - that was recently published in JAMA Network Open. Tharick A. Pascoal, MD, PhD, is a senior author.

In this cross-sectional study that included 109 individuals, levels of microglial activation were associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms in individuals across the disease continuum. Irritability was the most closely associated with the presence of activated microglia. To read the publication, please click here: https://bit.ly/49UuEmB

To read the news release by UPMC, please click here: https://bit.ly/414FXob

Join us in wishing congratulations to Vijayalakshmi Rajasekaran - Director of the UPMC Presbyterian EEG Laboratory and Program Director of the Clinical Neurophysiology fellowship - on being promoted to associate professor in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurology! This is a well-deserved promotion and we're grateful for her dedication and leadership.

Tharick A. Pascoal, MD, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Pittsburgh, and members of his lab enjoyed participating in the 2023 Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's this past Saturday, October 14, in Pittsburgh, PA. This walk is a unique opportunity for Dr. Pascoal and his lab members to have thoughtful discussions with non-scientists and other stakeholders in the Alzheimer's community. This walk is held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide and is the world's largest fundraiser for Alzheimer's care, support, research and advocacy.

We are extremely grateful for Dr. Raul Nogueira's leadership, passion, and dedication as he serves as the director of the UPMC Stroke Institute. At the 2023 World Stroke Organization (WSO) Conference in Toronto, Canada, Dr. Nogueira was presented with the prestigious WSO Presidential Award for his global contributions to the field of . We are thrilled to congratulate Dr. Nogueira on this outstanding achievement! World Stroke Campaign

We're extremely proud to announce Alhamza R. Al-Bayati, MD, and Cynthia Kenmuir, MD, PhD, have been elected to join the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology (SVIN) Board of Directors! This is an amazing recognition of their impact on the fields of vascular and interventional neurology. We're grateful for their leadership, dedication, and commitment to our patients and academic excellence.

Our Virtual Support Group meetings are back!

Here is the registration link for Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZclc-6oqjgqGtCOT-n7KD1UzwhT11VfEf7J

This new review by Wesley Kerr, MD, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurology, talks about the considerations for using verbally reported and video-observed behavior to identify . It is aimed to be practically helpful for clinicians using ictal behavior alone to make a diagnosis, in addition to understanding limitations in certainty when considering seizures. https://bit.ly/3tqQIV2

The 5th Annual Parkinson's Disease Patient and Caregiver Symposium is Saturday, October 14! Registration for this free, educational event will close Friday, 10/6. To RSVP, please email [email protected] or call 412-692-4659.

Join Raul Nogueira, MD - director of the UPMC Stroke Institute - & the rest of the team as they cover topics applicable to nurses & APPs of all levels of care. Register now for the UPMC Stroke Institute Fall 2023 Virtual Nursing Symposium: https://cce.upmc.com/upmc-stroke-institute-fall-2023

Raul Nogueira, MD, Director of the UPMC Stroke Institute & Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurology, and Mohamed F. Doheim, MD, clinical research fellow within the UPMC Stroke Institute, are part of a recently published study titled "Higher Procedural Volumes are Associated with Faster Treatment Time, Better Functional Outcomes, and Lower Mortality in Patients Undergoing Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke".

Dr. Nogueira serves as first author on the study, which was published in the Annals of Neurology, the official journal of the American Neurological Association.

Investigators aimed to characterize the association of hospital procedural volumes with outcomes among acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients undergoing endovascular therapy (EVT). The study, which involved a cohort of over sixty thousand patients treated with within twenty-four hours at 626 hospitals showed that higher procedural volumes were associated with better workflow and clinical outcomes. Learn more about the study: https://bit.ly/3LE8eLV

Research from Tharick A. Pascoal, University of Pittsburgh associate professor of psychiatry and neurology, may hold the key to understanding disease progression. Learn more about the study that was recently published in Nature Medicine. https://bit.ly/3EQw5UZ

Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurology and consultant at the UPMC Sleep Medicine Center, says that natural age-related sleep changes can't be reversed, but we can double down on good practices. https://bit.ly/467r5XT

Combat the Sleep Problems That Hit in Middle Age Aging messes with our sleep sooner than we might expect.

Congratulations to Procirca CCN and all the members of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurology that presented or moderated a workshop at EEG and Epilepsy in Clinical Practice course! This 2.5-day course was full of engaging presentations and noteworthy discussion. We look forward to next year's course!

To view the complete list of presentations and workshops moderated by our faculty and staff in this course, please click here: https://bit.ly/3t5OOJi

We've now reached the halfway point in the EEG and Epilepsy Clinical Practice course! Several of our faculty members and APPs are presenting during this course, and yesterday was full of engaging speakers and discussion. We're looking forward to the lineup of speakers still to come for today and tomorrow morning. Procirca CCN

We are extremely excited for opportunities we can now offer our residents and fellows when it comes to their neuroscience training! Click the link below to learn more about how University of Pittsburgh Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Neuropathology will use this NIH NINDS R25 Research Education Grant.

University of Pittsburgh Neurology, Neurological Surgery and Neuropathology receive 5-year NIH NINDS R25 Research Education Grant to advance academic research careers in the neuroscience fields through new N3-PREP program. Page B. Pennell, Costas G. Hadjipanayis and Julia K. Kofler are primary investigators on the grant. Read more at https://bit.ly/48c8uLF

SAVE THE DATE! The Fall 2023 Virtual Nursing Symposium presented by the UPMC Stroke Institute will be Friday, October 20, 2023. Agenda and registration information to come.

The University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurology would like to welcome Jenny Linnoila to our faculty! Dr. Linnoila specializes in autoimmune neurology and has serious interests in teaching, education, and investigation. Read her full bio here: https://bit.ly/44JsORy

Our department had a successful showing at the 35th Annual International Epilepsy Congress, in Dublin, Ireland. This biennial congress is organized by the ILAE - International League Against Epilepsy and International Bureau for Epilepsy and is widely recognized as a landmark event for the world's preeminent epileptologists.

Page B. Pennell, Chair of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurology and Henry B. Higman Professor of Neurology, who was one of twelve recipients of the prestigious Ambassador for Epilepsy Award 2023. This award is given to recipients every two years by the ILAE and is intended as a recognition of outstanding international contributions towards activities advancing the cause of epilepsy, either internationally or with international impact. Out of the twelve awardees, Dr. Pennell is the only awardee from the United States.

Denise Li, a clinical neurophysiology fellow at UPMC, presented her poster "Antiseizure Medication regime in Planned versus Unplanned Pregnancies in Women with Epilepsy" as the first author.

Congratulations to Drs. Pennell and Li!

Excellent spotlight on associate professor Tharick A. Pascoal, MD, PhD, and the work his lab is doing on Alzheimer's disease biomarkers. Watch here: https://bit.ly/3EsXCLN

We are excited to announce the fellowship plans for our chief residents! Congratulations and good luck to each of them on their final year of residency!

Investigators at the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, and Biogen found that a brief temporally-remote exposure to rotenone causes delayed & progressive behavioral & neuropathological changes similar to Parkinson's disease. https://bit.ly/3OL49pT

Leana Doherty has been named a winner of UPMC's Excellence in Patient Experience Awards for being a top physician in the field of . Out of five thousand UPMC physicians, Dr. Doherty was one out of forty-eight to receive this honor. https://bit.ly/44nY74z