The CNS-ICNA supported Pediatric Neurology virtual course spanning over the next 4 months, mainly for Asia region is being hosted by Lahore, Pakistan. The upcoming Neuromuscular workshop is on Sep 25, 2021. Saturday 5-8 PM PKT.
EMG/ NCS /EP Hands-on workshop on Electromyogram (EMG), Nerve conduction studies (NCS), and Evoked Potentials (EP). Participants will learn about practical approaches to these neurophysiological testing, including discussion about Technical aspects, indications, interpretations, and limitations. This workshop will be suited for Neurologists, Child neurologists, neurophysiologists, nurses, and technicians.
Download Flyer161.31 KB23/09/2021, 08:25
Registration link: https://duke.zoom.us/j/96844684717
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Kennedy Krieger Institute celebrates Dr. Michael V. Johnston’s career, as they announce the new Michael V. Johnston Center for Developmental Neuroscience at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Johnston is a role model for many physicians and scientists across the globe and an international icon in developmental neuroscience. The ICNA community extends their hearty congratulations to Dr Johnston on this occasion.
Education
Dr. Johnston attended Franklin and Marshall College before going on to medical school at the University of Pittsburgh, from which he graduated cum laude in 1971. His post-doctoral training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital included work in pediatrics, neurology, pharmacology and pediatric neurology. After teaching positions and research work at the University of Michigan Medical School and University of Michigan Hospitals, Dr. Johnston returned to Baltimore in 1988. Today he is the senior vice president and chief medical officer at Kennedy Krieger Institute, as well as director of both Kennedy Krieger Institute's Division of Neurology and Developmental Medicine and the institute's neuroscience laboratory. Dr. Johnston is an attending physician at both Johns Hopkins Hospital and Kennedy Krieger Children's Hospital.
Research
Dr. Johnston and his group, including Drs. Mary Blue, Mary Ann Wilson and Alec Hoon, perform clinical and basic laboratory research focused on developing therapies to reduce brain injury in infants and children as well as to promote recovery by enhancing brain plasticity. His laboratory was one of the first to describe the mechanisms through which the neurotransmitter glutamate triggers brain injury from lack of oxygen, trauma and other insults. If administered early enough, drugs that block the effects of glutamate on one of its receptors called the NMDA receptor can totally prevent brain injury in infants.
His group also recognized that the major role that glutamate plays in injury during development is related to the important role it plays in normal development. During development, glutamate released from nerve terminals helps to refine the synaptic connections that link neurons into circuits. These mechanisms are enhanced during development to shape circuits in response to environmental stimuli and formation of memories, a process called "neuronal plasticity." When the brain is injured, these circuits can be damaged by too much glutamate, much like a computer's chips can be damaged by a power surge during a thunderstorm.
Because injury and plasticity are two sides of the same processes in brain development, Dr. Johnston's research has grown beyond mechanisms of injury into processes that control brain plasticity. For example, he studies how the cerebral cortex is reassigned in response to injury, which is the major mechanism for recovery of function from stroke and other disorders. Even learning and long-term memory are based on these same mechanisms, since it depends on neurons exciting each other with glutamate and changes in synaptic connections. Numerous disorders associated with intellectual disabilities are caused by genetic flaws in these systems, and Dr. Johnston recently completed a project focused on a defect in a neuronal signaling process involved in a form of X-linked intellectual disability.
Dr. Johnston's initial pursuit of ways to reduce brain injury in infants and children with medications has led to a broader understanding of processes involved in plasticity and recovery from injury. The immature brain's glutamate signaling system, which is enhanced compared to the adult in order to shape its complex neuronal circuitry, proves to be its "Achilles' Heel" when it is injured. Accordingly, Dr. Johnston's research has proved to be relevant to a broad range of neurodevelopmental disabilities including cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, genetic metabolic disorders, and epilepsy as well as brain injury from lack of oxygen and trauma.
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The ICNA extends their hearty congratulations to Dr Pratibha Singhi, Secretary General & President-Elect on her being awarded the 14th Dr K.C Chaudhury Oration Award 2021.
Dr Pratibha Singhi is Director Pediatric Neurology and Neurodevelopment, Medanta, Gurgaon and Former Head & Chief Pediatric Neurology, and Neurodevelopment Department of Pediatrics, PGIMER, Chandigarh, She was also Chief Consultant Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled children, Chandigarh. She has worked as Consultant Pediatric Neurologist–at The Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK in 2005 and 2008. Her main Research interests are in neurodevelopmental disorders, CNS infections and epilepsy.
She has published over 460 research papers, 3 books and is on the Editorial Board of several National and International journals. She has delivered over 450 invited talks in National and International conferences. She has received several gold medals, research awards and orations including President of India medal and life time achievement oration of the AOCN. She has received several international fellowships and has been a Visiting Professor to many Universities in India, USA, Spain, UK, Sweden. She is the current Secretary General of the International Child Neurology Association and National Delegate of the Asian Oceanian Association of Child Neurology .
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Tiina Talvik was born in April 21 in 1938 into a family of teachers. She graduated from The University of Tartu in 1962 and started her career as pediatrician and pediatric neurologist at Tartu Children`s Hospital. From the very first moments of her medical career she was enthusiastic, not only for her research but also for taking care of her patients. After working for a few years, she started to appreciate the importance of genetics and started a medico-genetical service in Estonia. This made her a pioneer of the field at the time. She started working as a geneticist in 1968 and was Head of the Laboratory of Medical Genetics of the Tartu Clinical Hospital, one of founders of the medico-genetical service in Estonia. She worked in the field of medical genetics until 1974, when she was invited to the Dept of Neurology and Neurosurgery of the Tartu University. She was an associate professor in the department since 1990 and created pediatric neurology as an independent specialty. This period of her life involved research, teaching and developing the specialty in Estonia. For 30 years she guided her students in the research of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, oxidative stress and asphyxia.
Professor Tiina Talvik’s influence reached across borders. She played a role in bringing together all pediatric neurologists in the Baltic States with the creation of the Baltic Child Neurology Association. The association still holds congresses every two years.
From 2000 to 2003 she was the head of The Children’s Clinic of Tartu University Hospital and the head of the department of Pediatrics of Tartu University. She really motivated her younger colleagues to be interested in research and so 17 doctoral theses were done under her supervision. She was also the coauthor for over 200 scientific articles. During these years Children`s Clinic became very innovative and dedicated to publishing scientific research.
From 2003 professor Tiina Talvik inspired young researchers as professor emeritus.
Due to her active research and social activities she has been acknowledged several times: a Research Award in Medicine from The Republic of Estonia, a medal from Tartu University and Tartu City, the Order of the Estonian Red Cross class I medal, award of The Republic of Estonia for long term research work, Life Work as a Geneticist Award, Award of The University of Tartu. Professor Tiina Talvik was nominated an honorary citizen of Tartu and a cavalier of the Honorary Citizen of the City of Tartu and holder of the Grand Star of Tartu decoration.
Professor Talvik was also the Honorary President of the Estonian Society of Pediatric Neurology, being the teacher of all pediatric neurologists in Estonia. She was also an honorary member of The Estonian Pediatric Society and The Estonian Association of Neurologists and Neurosurgeons.
In addition to pediatric neurology and genetics, she was also highly passionate about the rights of patients and their loved ones. She stayed very active in the committee of Medical Ethics of Tartu University Hospital.
Professor Tiina Talvik was very strong-willed in standing for the rights of disabled people. She was the leading lecturer in the first teaching courses in rehabilitation and started science-based rehabilitation in Estonia.
During the past years she was actively involved in The Estonian Agrenska Foundation and was the head of the organisation since 2003 with the aim to improve the life of families with disabled children.
She was a remarkable doctor, a talented teacher, a loyal friend, a loving wife, mother and grandmother. Her infectious laughter will be missed.
Source: EPNS
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This narrative review from JAMA Neurology summarize available information regarding coronaviruses in the nervous system, identify the potential tissue targets and routes of entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the central nervous system, and describe the range of clinical neurological complications that have been reported thus far in COVID-19 and their potential pathogenesis.
Emerging data suggest that ACE2 receptors are expressed in multiple regions of the human and mouse brain, including the motor cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, ventricles, substantia nigra, olfactory bulb, middle temporal gyrus, ventrolateral medulla, nucleus of tractus solitarius, and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (A) and on several key cell types that make up the central nervous system, including neurons, microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes (B).35-37 C, ACE2 receptors on a medullary neuron binding to the SPIKE protein on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). [Ref: Zubair AS, et al. JAMA Neurol. 2020;77(8):1018–1027]
A, Coronavirus (CoV) has been shown to spread via the transcribrial route from the olfactory epithelium along the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb within the central nervous system. B, CoV has been shown to spread retrograde via transsynaptic transfer using an endocytosis or exocytosis mechanism and a fast axonal transport (FAT) mechanism of vesicle transport to move virus along microtubules back to neuronal cell bodies.
A, Infected vascular endothelial cells have been shown to spread severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to glial cells in the central nervous system. B, Known as the Trojan horse mechanism, infected leukocytes can cross the blood-brain barrier to infect the central nervous system. CoV indicates coronavirus
Reference:
Zubair AS, McAlpine LS, Gardin T, Farhadian S, Kuruvilla DE, Spudich S. Neuropathogenesis and Neurologic Manifestations of the Coronaviruses in the Age of Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Review. JAMA Neurol. 2020;77(8):1018–1027. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.2065
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2766766
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