Neurosurgery
From Sci-Fi to Surgery: Exploring Neuro-Enhancement Technologies
By Larissa Werneck For centuries, the idea of enhancing human cognition has captivated scientists and thinkers alike. Early experiments in brain augmentation, such as Roberts Bartholow’s 1874 electrical brain stimulation, laid the foundation for further exploration (Patra et al., 2019). Today, rapid technological advancements and increasing scientific curiosity have led to a surge in neuro-enhancement research (Clark et al., 2014). These innovations are revolutionizing healthcare, particularly in surgery, where they are used therapeutically (Giordano, 2012) and to enhance surgical performance (Patel et al., 2020). As research in this area expands, neuro-enhancement technologies hold the potential to revolutionize surgical practice, pushing the limits of precision, stamina, and ethics. How will this rapidly evolving field reshape the future of surgery? Neuro-enhancement technologies are various tools aimed at optimizing cognitive and neurological functions, either by enhancing existing abilities or compensating for deficits (Giordano, 2012). Examples of these technologies include brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), neurofeedback...
Trauma: The Hidden Dimensions of a Universal Struggle and Strategies for Overcoming It
By Barbara Buccilli MD Trauma is an omnipresent force in our lives, manifesting in various forms and degrees of severity. We encounter it in our patients, our neighbors, sometimes within our own families, and we can also experience it first hand. As a medical professional, I am acutely aware of the diverse nature of trauma, raging from physical injuries to the psychological wounds inflicted by life’s hardships. Neurosurgical trauma is a field characterized by its fast pace, high stakes, and the necessity for precise decision-making under pressure. When I’m working with one of the most delicate organs in the body, in which every nucleus and every fiber has its precise and often irreplaceable function, my actions can have an immediate and tangible impact on a patient's survival and quality of life. Trauma to the brain and nervous system is multifaceted, and despite advances in medical science, we often lack definitive...
Heels of Steel, Hands of a Healer, Heart of a Mother
By Dr. Smruti K Patel 7:30 am. 15 blade. Incision. Bovie. Bipolar. Number one Penfield. Drill. Irrigation. Suction. Bipolar. 11 blade. 7 suction. Bipolar. The words, the commands, they are automatic. The muscle memory of opening, turning a craniotomy, hemostasis, irrigation, closing - it is all automatic. From start to finish, before every surgery, I am prepared. I have played this out in my mind. What I need, what I want, what the anatomy is supposed to look like, what I’m supposed to do if something untoward happens, what all the possibilities are. These are what neurosurgeons’ dreams are made of. These are what our nightmares are made of. Some may say it is unhealthy. I say - for some of us, the night before surgery is the when I can close my eyes and see what I need my hands to do tomorrow. 3:30 am - I hear the...
New technologies in neurosurgery
By: Barbara Buccilli, MD Of all the things I learned in medical school, the one lesson that will always stay with me throughout my career is that medicine is continually evolving, and as doctors, we must evolve with it. While we receive our medical school degrees, we should never leave medical school completely behind, as medicine will outpace us if we do. This profession is for individuals who have an insatiable hunger for learning, much like a shark's constant need to swim. We should continuously pursue new technologies until they become the standard of care, and even then, we should remain open to newer technologies replacing them. Over the past year, I have developed a fascination with magnetic brain stimulation, the integration of virtual reality and robotics in stroke recovery, and brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies. How far can we push these new techniques, and how far can they push us?...
Awake Surgery
By Dr. Barbara Buccilli My initial exposure to neurosurgery was through awake surgery. I began my internship in the department, and I immediately joined an ongoing research project on awake surgeries for arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). This may seem unusual, but when considering my fascination with this type of surgery and my overall obsession with the nervous system, it becomes less surprising. These factors drew me closer to the field and motivated me to pursue that internship. The significance of awake procedures in neurosurgery extends beyond the remarkable experience of having our hands on a patient's brain while they engage in activities like reciting Shakespeare, answering questions, or singing a tune. Brain tumors, AVMs, and other lesions can often be located within or near eloquent areas of the brain, necessitating a delicate balance between efficient removal of affected tissue and preservation of function. Asleep-awake-asleep procedures have transformed these operations from a...
The Rising Force of Female Neurosurgeons
by Alex Miner Two years ago, on my first day of medical school, I was touring the hospital with a group of classmates when our tour guide asked us if we knew which specialties we were interested in yet. I had just finished four years of neuro-oncology research after college and had fallen in love with neuroscience and neurosurgery about a decade before that; for a brand-new medical student, I had an unusually clear picture of what I hoped my future as a surgeon-scientist would look like. I had been asked this question before, and had received enough incredulous reactions about how the training for neurosurgery was too long, too hard, or too unsuited to starting a family, that I had learned to modulate my response. Instilling some amount of ambivalence into my answer seemed to make people more comfortable, less intimidated, and less likely to question my decision. However,...