HEADlines-spring-summer2023

HEADlines

TIMELY NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSURGERY

Spring 2023 - Summer 2023

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF NEUROSURGERY:

What’s new in the Neurosurgery Department?

There are many exciting things happening in our department. New faculty. New research staff. New graduates. New publications. In an attempt to make things easier to find and read, we have divided this newsletter into our various Programs of Excellence, with news about each from their Program Directors. Our general, department-wide news is at the beginning of this edition.

Of special note in this edition is the return of our annual Tanzania trip, after a hiatus of over three years, due to COVID. In addition, our annual “Neurosurgery in the Rockies” conference was a huge success and we are grateful to Dr. Ryan Ormond for organizing it and involving so many physicians and vendors, and to Krystin Martinez for her exceptional management of the event. We also would like to give special mention to two of our international courses held this past fall. Both were extremely well received. Congratulations to Dr. Samy Youssef for his 7th Annual International Microscopic and Endoscopic Approaches to Skull Base Handson Symposium, and to Dr. Steve Ojemann for his Annual ASSFN Stereotactic and Functional Hands-on Neurosurgery

Workshop. We are very appreciative to these two faculty members who have brought international recognition to the Department of Neurosurgery at CU with their continued instruction, planning and reputation. Several weeks ago we completed our first “Brain Tumor Research Seminar” for patients and had a fantastic turnout. It was good to see so many of our current and former patients! On the stroke front, exciting things are happening with our mobile stroke unit, including some groundbreaking research. Read on! We are proud of the many accomplishments of our faculty and are excited to be able to share these with you. We hope you have had a great spring and we wish you well as the summer unfolds!

We hope you have had a great spring and we wish you well as the summer unfolds!

Kevin O. Lillehei, MD Chair, Department of Neurosurgery Department of Neurosurgery

NEUROSURGERY IN THE ROCKIES A BIG SUCCESS!

Our 36th annual conference, “Neurosurgery in the Rockies,” was held in March at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Vail, Colorado. After many years, we outgrew our space in Beaver Creek and moved to Vail. The conference continues to be an intimate gathering hosted by the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, but this year we cohosted it with the Colorado Neurosurgical Society. The conference provides an environment in which neurosurgeons can exchange ideas, meet new friends, and enjoy the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains. This year, the first two days were subspecialty focused in the area of Neurosurgical Spine surgery and the final two days included general neurosurgery topics relevant to private practice and academic neurosurgery. The Honored Guest (among many other featured speakers) was Michael YungShun Wang, MD, FACS from the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. Dr. Wang is a Professor of Neurological Surgery and Chief of Service and Medical Director of the Minimally Invasive Spine Program. He spoke on issues pertaining to robotics in spine surgery and difficulties for spine surgeons in clinic settings.

Educational sessions were held in the early morning and late afternoon. When not in session, the surgeons and vendors enjoyed the slopes!

Michael YungShun Wang, MD, FACS Honored Guest Speaker

Dr. Kevin Lillehei, Chair of the CU Neurosurgery Department kicked off the conference with a presentation on the history of Neurosurgery in Colorado.

NEUROSURGEONS RETURN FROM TANZANIA

2nd Neuro-Oncology International Conference Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

The Department of Neurosurgery has had a longstanding mission to help develop neurosurgical care in Tanzania. This mission started over 15 years ago with Dr. Kevin Lillehei’s initial involvement in a group called Madaktari Africa (Madaktari meaning doctor in Swahili). The premise of this group was not just to come in and perform surgery, but to teach and educate those individuals in the country, so they have the tools to perform these interventions themselves. Through this organization, we have had the opportunity to visit many surgical centers, large and small, throughout Tanzania, offering our expertise, both educationally and surgically, along with helping provide much needed equipment.

Starting about 5 years ago, we began a partnership with Muhimbili Orthopedic Institute (MOI), in Dar Es Salaam, a center which employs 5 of the 7 neurosurgeons in the country. Over time this relationship has blossomed, with the development of shared educational programs, physician exchanges, and help with the formation of a formal Neurosurgery residency program at MOI. In 2020, prior to the COVID epidemic, we held our first Neuro-Oncology International Conference at MOI, with Neurosurgeons from the entire southeast portion of Africa in attendance. After a hiatus of 3 years, we were able to return and help sponsor our 2nd Neuro-Oncology International Conference. The meeting, a joint effort

by the neurosurgical community at MOI, and the University of Colorado, occurred February 20th through the 24th, and was a huge success. The educational program developed by Dr. Ryan Ormond (Colorado) and Dr. Nicephorus Rutabasibwa (MOI) covered topics ranging from pediatric Neuro-Oncology, to skull base surgery, to sessions on quality of life. Breakout sessions included several live operative cases, demonstrating techniques in both microscopic and endoscopic pituitary surgery, use of intraoperative ultrasound as a adjunct to spine and cranial tumor surgery, and techniques for endoscopic 3rd ventriculostomy. Along with the faculty at MOI, the University of Colorado brought along 9 members of our NeuroOncology team, representing both Children’s hospital and the University of Colorado Hospital. As the sophistication of neurosurgical care at MOI continues to improve, we have ambitious plans for the future, which include the development of collaborative programs in neuro-critical care and interventional stroke management. Needless to say, the visit was a huge success. As a proper ending to the time spent in Dar Es Salaam, the members of the Colorado team were treated to a safari in the Masai Mara game preserve, outside of Nairobi, Kenya. The safari was unbelievable. We look forward to our visit next year with an ever-broadening educational curriculum.

Pictures by Tim Ung, MD, ChiefResident, Neurosurgery, and conference participant.

Schizophrenia “green-lighted” for Functional Neurosurgical Technique

A study published in Frontiers in Surgery finds that people with schizophrenia (SZ) and schizoaffective disorder (SAD) have overall lower surgical risk than people with Parkinson’s disease, which is reassuring when considering potential surgical interventions such as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of SZ and SAD. DBS, a procedure that implants electrodes in the deeper structures of the brain connected to generators in the chest, is rare in treating SZ and SAD; with only 13 published cases to date. While most of these patients saw resolution of psychotic symptoms, one experienced hemorrhage and infection post-operation. Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus sought to gauge the ethics of DBS in patients who have not responded to other treatment by comparing surgical risk to disorders such as Parkinson’s in which DBS is commonly used as treatment.

“Our goal was to assess potential surgical risk in light of potential effectiveness of DBS for SZ and SAD patients to be fully transparent with patients seeking the highest levels of treatment,” said Judith Gault, PhD, associate research professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and corresponding author. “Twenty percent of SZ and SAD patients are treatment-refractory. It’s our responsibility to ensure these novel and advanced therapeutics are available to populations who feel they have run out of options, as it is our duty to ensure clinicians, patients and caregivers make informed ethical decisions when considering DBS as a new experimental treatment option.”

Judith Gault, PhD Associate Research Professor, Department of Neurosurgery

Link to full story: https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/patients-with-schizophrenia-have-favorable-surgical-risk-opening-the-door-forethical-consideration-of-neurosurgical-interventions-like-deep-brain-stimulation

Lotta Granholm-Bentley, PhD Speaks at International Conference

Congratulations to Dr. Lotta Granholm-Bentley who represented CU as the keynote speaker at the annual “Let Us Dream” International Conference. This conference, started in 2017, looks at a myriad of community improvement programs aiming at a better tomorrow. Focusing on the findings of researchers with real-work experiences, this conference promotes world wide community service and learning among students.

Dr. Lotta Granholm-Bentley

Cristin Welle, PhD makes national news!

Congratulations to our Vice Chair of Research, Dr. Cristin Welle. Dr. Welle has done groundbreaking research in the area of Vagus Nerve Stimulation and other cutting edge neural engineering research, and was recently quoted in the New York Times, along with Elon Musk! She spoke about “Neuralink” – a brain-computer interface (BCI) device heavily supported by Musk. “Safety will be the F.D.A.’s primary concern in considering whether the device could be tested in humans,” said Cristin Welle, an associate professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Colorado, who (when working at the FDA in 2016), helped draft the initial F.D.A. guidance on the safety of brain-computer implants before leaving the agency in 2016. Dr. Welle said regulators will focus on whether the BCI device would damage the brain or present unreasonable risks to patients. She said device durability would also be considered, given the potential for brain fluids to eat through insulation coating the hundreds of hairlike electrodes on the Neuralink device. So far, Neuralink has tested the device on sheep, pigs and primates, according to records filed with the Agriculture Department.

In this still image from a Neuralink presentation video on YouTube, Elon Musk described how a monkey (lower left) used a wirely transmitter to “type” characters on a keyboard.

Check out the full YouTube presentation here:

Dr. Cristin Welle

SKULL BASE NEUROSURGERY PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE NEWS

Highlights—new book strives for global outreach for excellence in skull base surgery education, clinical care and research

Since publication in June 2022, Contemporary Skull Base Surgery: A Comprehensive Guide to Functional Preservation, editor A. Samy Youssef, MD, PhD, (Director of CU Skull Base Surgery Program and Vice Chair of Education in Neurosurgery) continues to get feedback from skull base surgeons worldwide on its value in bridging the divide between the cranial and endoscopic camps. He says, “By inviting 96 authors from 10 countries to contribute chapters, this book has been featured at skull base courses and meetings around the world. These contributors have helped it become the surgeon’s go-to reference on how to treat the pathologies in this complex region.” CU Neurosurgery authors included Angela Downes, MD, Zachary Folzenlogen, MD, Timothy Ung, MD, and former fellows.

Meeting highlights

At the 22nd annual meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) in San Francisco, Dr. Youssef again hosted the SANS (SelfAssessment Neurosurgery Exams) challenge where top resident teams competed their way through rounds of questions covering a range of neurosurgical topics. First and Second place SANS winners are awarded trophies and cash prizes. Dr. Youssef says, “The SANS challenge gives residents a friendly competition and the chance to network with their peers who’ll become this generation’s lifelong friends and colleagues. SANS courses are essential in career-long learning as a neurosurgeon.”

A. Samy Youssef, MD, PhD

Left: Dr. Youssef’s book signing for 200 copies was sponsored by Mizuho.

Right: Contemporary Skull Base Surgery included 20 chapters contributed by 24 authors from CU Departments of Neurosurgery and Otolaryngology. Previous page, bottom: Scenes from the CNS 2022.

Courses

The 7th annual “Microscopic and Endoscopic Approaches to the Skull Base” 3-day, hands-on course was held at the Center for Surgical Innovation at the CU School of Medicine in November 2022. Designed and directed by Dr. Youssef, the course included 24 guest faculty (renowned skull base surgeons from the United States, Europe and Mexico) who mentor 24 resident attendees in neurosurgery and otolaryngology from 22 institutions in the United States. John J. Reilly Jr., MD, dean of the CU School of Medicine, warmly welcomed the faculty and trainees in his opening address that included the historical highlights of the Anschutz Medical Campus.

The course was featured by Chris Casey, Director of Digital Storytelling, https://vimeo.com/794649088, and at the CU Anschutz Today newsroom post: https://news.cuanschutz.edu/newsstories/center-for-surgical-innovation-hosts-renowned-skull-base-course

THANK YOU AND FAREWELL SKULL BASE FELLOW 2022-23

Elizabeth Hogan, MD, joined the Department after completing her neurosurgical residency in 2022 at George Washington University in Washington DC. Dr. Hogan was selected from among 20 other applicants to join the CU Skull Base Surgery Fellowship program where she also serves as an instructor training medical students and residents.

Elizabeth says, “During my CU fellowship program, I’ve joined a great team--a collaborative effort between specialists who treat patients with skull base tumors and provide their care at one location. Additionally, the CSI lab is where my colleagues and I continue to practice surgical techniques and hone our skills.”

FEATURED PUBLICATIONS IN SKULL BASE NEUROSURGERY PROGRAM

Martinez-Perez R, Kunigelis KE, Ward RC, Ung TH, Arnone GD, Cass SP, Gubbels SP, Youssef AS. Hydroxyapatite cement cranioplasty for reconstruction of translabyrinthine approach: aesthetic results, long-term satisfaction, quality of life, and complications. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2022 Mar;164(3):669-677. doi: 10.1007/s00701-021-05024-6. Epub 2021 Oct 13. PMID: 34642820.

Labib MA, Zhao X, Houlihan LM, Abramov I, Inoue M, Martinez-Perez R, Catapano JS, Lawton MT, Preul MC, Youssef AS. A two-stage combined anterolateral and endoscopic endonasal approach to the petroclival region: an anatomical study and clinical application. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2022 Jul;164(7):1899-1910. doi: 10.1007/s00701-022-05201-1. Epub 2022 Apr 13. PMID: 35416540.

Youssef AS, Schroeder HWS. Indication for a skull base approach in microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2022 Dec;164(12):3247-3248. doi: 10.1007/s00701-022-05398-1. Epub 2022 Oct 24. PMID: 36279011.

See complete list on PubMed

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Youssef+AS+and+2022

STEREOTACTIC & FUNCTIONAL NEUROSURGERY PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE NEWS

Under the direction of Dr. Steve Ojemann, the 9th Annual American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (ASSFN) Hands-on Medical Training Course was held November 11-22, 2022 on CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Another huge success, 16 residents from across the US attended, with speakers and instructors from across the country. Congratulations to Dr. Ojemann and all those who are a vital part of our functional neurosurgery team!

Right: Among many other highlights, new teaching technology was a big hit at the conference!

Partial Course Faculty from across the country

BRAIN COMPUTER INTERFACE LAB NEWS

Continuing our work to become the fifth national brain-computer interface (BCI) lab in the country, we have recently received IRB approval for implanting BCI in humans! We are now working towards getting Neuropixels in humans. These have 980 recording channels on a needle shank that is thinner than a human hair. These probes will provide a path for studying human-specific cognitive processes and their dysfunction at unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution

THANK YOU AND FAREWELL

Dr. Jacob Bernstein has been our Fellow in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. He joined us last summer from Riverside University Health System and we wish him well with his future endeavors.

Dr. Daniel Kramer Director, CU Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Program

RECENTLY FEATURED PUBLICATIONS IN STEREOTACTIC & FUNCTIONAL NEUROSURGERY

Tien RN, Tekriwal A, Calame DJ, Platt JP, Baker S, Seeberger LC, Kern DS, Person AL, Ojemann SG, Thompson JA, Kramer DR. Deep learning based markerless motion tracking as a clinical tool for movement disorders: Utility, feasibility and early experience. Frontiers Signal Processing. 2022 Sept 29. Vol 2

Chee K, Razmara A, Geller AS, Harris WB, Restrepo D, Thompson JA, Kramer DR. The role of the piriform cortex in temporal lobe epilepsy: A current literature review. Front Neurol. 2022 Nov 21;13:1042887. doi: 10.3389/ fneur.2022.1042887. PMID: 36479052; PMCID: PMC9720270.

Tekriwal A, Baker S, Christensen E, Petersen-Jones H, Tien RN, Ojemann SG, Kern DS, Kramer DR, Felsen G, Thompson JA. Quantifying neuro-motor correlations during awake deep brain stimulation surgery using markerless tracking. Sci Rep. 2022 Oct 27;12(1):18120. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-21860-7. PMID: 36302865; PMCID: PMC9613670.

Baker S, Tekriwal A, Felsen G, Christensen E, Hirt L, Ojemann SG, Kramer DR, Kern DS, Thompson JA. Automatic extraction of upper-limb kinematic activity using deep learning-based markerless tracking during deep brain stimulation implantation for Parkinson’s disease: A proof of concept study. PLoS One. 2022 Oct 20;17(10):e0275490. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275490. PMID: 36264986; PMCID: PMC9584454.

McDermott D, Darwin ML, Fetrow K, Coulter I, Biesecker K, Thompson JA. Cannabis use patterns in drugresistant and pharmacoresponsive epilepsy: Single tertiary referral center survey investigation. PLoS One. 2023 Jan 27;18(1):e0281040. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281040. PMID: 36706124; PMCID: PMC9882703.

Hirt L, Kern DS, Ojemann S, Grassia F, Kramer D, Thompson JA. Use of Three-Dimensional Printed Brain Models During Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery Consultation for Patient Health Literacy: A Randomized Controlled Investigation. World Neurosurg. 2022 Jun;162:e526-e533. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2022.03.049. Epub 2022 Mar 17. PMID: 35306197.

ENDOVASCULAR & MOBILE STROKE PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE NEWS

New and exciting research is being done by our stroke researchers! The manuscript, entitled “Rapid Activation of Neuroinflammation in Stroke: Plasma and Extracellular Vesicles Obtained on a Mobile Stroke Unit” has been accepted for publication in Stroke.  The authors on this manuscript include Michael Graner, PhD; Robert Neumann, MD, PhD, Aurélie Ledreux, MS, PhD and principal investigator, Robert Kowalski, MD, MS.

The Neurosurgery department’s work on mobile stroke biomarkers was presented on Feb. 8, 2022 at the International Stroke Conference in Dallas.  That presentation was entitled: “Ultra-early Activation of Neuroinflammatory Cascade Following Acute Stroke: Plasma and Extracellular Vesicle Biomarkers from a Mobile Stroke Unit.”

Dr. Kowalski is now in advanced discussions with a biotech firm in Boston (Bluejay Diagnostics) to begin a study of real-time, point-of-care measurement of IL-6 taken from the mobile stroke unit (while the stroke is actively underway).  Bluejay has developed a device that gives an IL-6 level in 20 minutes from a drop (~150 microliters) of whole blood.  This will provide data for the tool that the team has developed to use IL-6 levels to estimate the time of stroke onset when this is not known.  The Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston and San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco are collaborators on this study.

CU Innovations has applied for a patent for this newly developed technology and is in discussions with Bluejay.  The tool is conceptually called the “Colorado Stroke Onset Index.” It is an algorithm that can estimate the time when a stroke occurs based on a single blood draw.  There are approximately 800,000 new strokes in the U.S. each year (12 million worldwide) and in about 25% of these, or approximately 200,000 in the U.S., the time of stroke onset is unknown, possibly because it occurred during sleep, the patient is found in a comatose state, etc. The primary medical treatment for acute ischemic stroke, tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) must be administered within 4.5 hours of stroke onset.  So, unfortunately, those patients with an unknown time of stroke onset frequently are unable to be treated with tPA.

Our stroke onset index is designed to address this need.  Worldwide, the number of patients with stroke of unknown onset is about 3 million per year

Many of our mobile stroke biomarkers study investigators are members of the Pre-hospital Stroke Treatment Organization (PRESTO).  The newsletter of the organization “Mobile Stroke Unit News” is based here at the University of Colorado, Department of Neurosurgery.  Robert Kowalski is its Editor in Chief.  The most recent issue was just published in December.

RECENTLY FEATURED PUBLICATIONS IN NEURO ENDOVASULAR SURGERY

Baker CM, Hunsaker JC, Folzenlogen ZA, Pride GL, Case DE, Welch BG, White JA, Roark CD, White AC, Seinfeld J, Muse J, Grandhi R, Taussky P. Technical Nuances and Outcomes of Telescoping Pipeline Flow Diverters: A Multicenter Study. Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2023 Jan 16. doi: 10.1227/ons.0000000000000552. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36719956.

Ritchey Z, Bernard TJ, Fenton LZ, Maloney JA, Mirsky DM, Neuberger I, Sriram I, Seinfeld J, Stence NV. Stroke Recurrence in Children with Vertebral Artery Dissecting Aneurysm. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2022 Jun;43(6):913-918. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A7518. Epub 2022 May 12. PMID: 35550284; PMCID: PMC9172955.

Morel BC, Wittenberg B, Hoffman JE, Case DE, Folzenlogen Z, Roark C, Seinfeld J. Untangling the Modern Treatment Paradigm for Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous. Malformations. Journal of Personalized Medicine. 2022; 12(6):904.

BRAIN TUMOR & NEURO ONCOLOGY PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE NEWS

Brain Tumor Research Breakfast A Success!!

Many thanks to all who participated in our first (and we hope annual) patient centered breakfast and seminar about brain tumor research. Specifically, the talks focused on data obtained from our “Nervous System Biorepository,” also known as our “brain tumor tissue bank.” We could not do the work we do without patients and family members making the (sometimes) tough decision to donate tissue.

Over 60 patients and family members attended and heard brief lectures from some of our most impressive leaders in the field of brain tumor research. New information is being discovered daily, some of which will eventually change the prognosis for many patients. Many thanks to all who took time out of their busy weekend to speak and to attend!

FAREWELL & THANK YOU

Kevin Morrow, MD – our Neurosurgical Oncology Fellow came to us from Medical School at LSU, Shreveport, and completed his residency at LSU Health, New Orleans. We have had a great year and wish him well as he moves on this summer.

An impressive line up of speakers for our brain tumor research seminar

RECENTLY FEATURED PUBLICATIONS IN NEURO ONCOLOGY

Kortz MW, Lillehei KO. Insular Cortex. 2022 May 8. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan–. PMID: 34033368.

Stortz E, Turin C, Lillehei K, Catel C, Damek D, Wierman, M. ODP333 Mucosal-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma: a Rare Condition in the Differential Diagnosis of a Parasellar Mass, Journal of the Endocrine Society, Volume 6, Issue Supplement_1, November-December 2022, Page A501, https://doi.org/10.1210/jendso/bvac150.1042

Varn FS, Johnson KC, Martinek J, Huse JT, Nasrallah MP, Wesseling P, Cooper LAD, Malta TM, Wade TE, Sabedot TS, Brat D, Gould PV, Wöehrer A, Aldape K, Ismail A, Sivajothi SK, Barthel FP, Kim H, Kocakavuk E, Ahmed N, White K, Datta I, Moon HE, Pollock S, Goldfarb C, Lee GH, Garofano L, Anderson KJ, Nehar-Belaid D, Barnholtz-Sloan JS, Bakas S, Byrne AT, D’Angelo F, Gan HK, Khasraw M, Migliozzi S, Ormond DR, Paek SH, Van Meir EG, Walenkamp AME, Watts C, Weiss T, Weller M, Palucka K, Stead LF, Poisson LM, Noushmehr H, Iavarone A, Verhaak RGW; GLASS Consortium. Glioma progression is shaped by genetic evolution and microenvironment interactions. Cell. 2022 Jun 9;185(12):2184-2199.e16. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.04.038. Epub 2022 May 31. PMID: 35649412; PMCID: PMC9189056.

Au TH, Willis C, Reblin M, Peters KB, Nghiemphu PL, Taylor JW, Colman H, Cohen AL, Ormond DR, Neil EC, Chakravarti A, Willmarth N, Balajonda BC, Menon J, Ma J, Bauer H, Iacob E, Nelson RS, Tan MS, Singh P, Marshall A, Korytowsky B, Stenehjem D, Brixner D. Caregiver survey in GBM focused on cognitive dysfunction:  Development and results from a multicenter stud. Future Oncology. In press.

Kleinschmidt-DeMasters BK, Ormond DR. Leptomeningeal and Extraneural Metastases in Adult High-Grade Gliomas. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2023 Jan 13;. doi: 10.1093/jnen/nlac126. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 36637258.

Ung T, Ormond DR. Endoscopic approaches for biopsy of a pineal region tumor. CNS Nexus. https://www.cns. org/nexus-author-detail?formId=726f54c9-ad21-4ba6-a4c3-54c991382190&uvId=9e1bc9ca-2e24-433c-90b91f69a404ddcf&userId=d4f8588b-8180-4e83-a2b4-28b9c906d5c3.

Travers S, Ormond DR. Telovelar approach for resection of a fourth ventricular ependymoma. CNS Nexus, August 2022. https://www.cns.org/nexus/case/detail/23738905-6c07-4a94-a496-bd25fde0e37d

Travers, S, Lillehei KO, Ormond DR. Endoscopic transnasal resection of large clival chordoma. CNS Nexus, August 2022. https://www.cns.org/nexus/case/detail/19bb37f1-dcb8-4920-b9ed-9175b7c45326

Zhou W, Lovasz D, Zizzo Z, He Q, Coughlan C, Kowalski RG, Kennedy PGE, Graner A, Lillehei KO, Ormond DR, Youssef AS, Graner MW, Yu X. Phenotype and neuronal cytotoxic function of glioblastoma extracellular vesicles. Biomedicines. 2022;10(11):2718; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10112718.

Tatman PD, Wroblewski TH, Fringuello AR, Scherer SS, Foreman WB, Damek DM, Youssef AS, Lillehei KO, Jenson R, Graner MW, Ormond DR. High-throughput screening of epigenetic inhibitors in meningiomas identifies HDAC, G9a, and Jumonji-domain inhibition as potential therapies. J Neurol Surg B Skull Base. DOI: 10.1055/a-1885-1257.

Ormond DR, Paek SH, Van Meir EG, Walenkamp AME, Watts C, Weiss T, Weller M, Palucka K, Stead LF, Poisson LM, Noushmehr H, Iavarone A, Verhaak RGW; GLASS Consortium. Glioma progression is shaped by genetic evolution and microenvironment interactions. Cell. 2022 Jun 9;185(12):2184-2199.e16. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.04.038. Epub 2022 May 31.PMID: 35649412

Germano IM, Johnson DR, Patrick HH, Goodman AL, Ziu M, Ormond DR, Olson JJ. Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines on the Management of Progressive Glioblastoma in Adults: Update of the 2014 Guidelines. Neurosurgery. 2022 May 1;90(5):e112-e115. doi: 10.1227/ neu.0000000000001903.

Belanger K, Ung TH, Damek D, Lillehei KO, Ormond DR. Concomitant Temozolomide Plus Radiotherapy for HighGrade and Recurrent Meningioma: A Retrospective Chart Review. BMC Cancer. 2022 Apr 7;22(1):367. doi: 10.1186/ s12885-022-09340-7. PubMed PMID: 35392834; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8988385.

Tatman PD, Wroblewski TH, Fringuello AR, Scherer SR, Foreman WB, Damek DM, Lillehei KO, Jensen RL, Youssef AS, Ormond DR, Graner MW. Targeting DNA Methyl Transferases with Decitabine in Cultured Meningiomas. World Neurosurg. 2022 Mar 3:S1878-8750(22)00255-8. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2022.02.108. Online ahead of print.

Germano IM, Ziu M, Wen P, Ormond DR, Olson JJ. Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines Update on the Role of Cytotoxic Chemotherapy and Other Cytotoxic Therapies in the Management of Progressive Glioblastoma in Adults. Journal of Neuro-Oncology. J Neurooncol. 2022 Feb 23;. doi: 10.1007/s11060-021-03900-w. [Epub ahead of print] Review. PubMed PMID: 35195819.

Au TH, Willis C, Reblin M, Peters KB, Nghiemphu PL, Taylor JW, Colman H, Cohen AL, Ormond DR, Chakravarti A, Willmarth N, Menon J, Ma J, Bauer H, Watanabe AH, Ulrich CM, Singh P, Marshall A, Korytowsky B, Stenehjem D, Brixner D. Correction to: Caregiver burden by treatment and clinical characteristics of patients with glioblastoma. Support Care Cancer. 2022 Feb;30(2):1377-1378. doi: 10.1007/s00520-021-06691-y. PubMed PMID: 34792647.

One of the many conditions with which neurosurgical spine providers are often called to treat involve Cerebral Spinal Fluid leaks. One such patient is Elaine Restauri, recently featured in the monthly published CU newsletter. As the CU story states, Elaine is a mother of three who lost her husband when her youngest daughter was only six months old, she raised her family in the Pittsburgh area, making a life for herself as a graphic artist. In 2009, Elaine relocated to Colorado to be with her three daughters. She is an independent and happy woman who loved gardening and painting with watercolors and acrylics.

Her problems began in 2012. After returning to Denver from an international flight, her head began to hurt in a way she could never have ever imagined. She initially assumed she was dehydrated, jet lagged or had a sinus infection. After six weeks of horrific head pain, she sought medical help and was given an initial diagnosis of meningitis before physicians suspected a rare CSF spinal canal leak and used a procedure using her own blood to patch it. This worked temporarily, but she had to seek treatment again in 2019.

By the summer of 2021, her symptoms were so awful that she spent many of her days in bed. She experienced nausea, vomiting and vertigo in addition to head pain. At that point she was referred to our “CSF Dynamics Clinic,” undergoing definitive spinal surgery by Neurosurgeon, Dr. Peter Lennarson. This resulted in a dramatic cure. To hear more about this story click here:

LINK to STORY: https://www.uchealth.org/today/new-anschutz-medical-campus-clinic-treatment-spontaneous-csf-leaks/

Dr. Peter Lennarson Receives Special Recognition

Physicians often receive awards, accolades and kind notes of gratitude from their patients, but recently, Dr. Peter Lennarson received a very special patient letter. “What does one say or do for the man that saved your life? I don’t think there are powerful enough words in the English language to express the amount of gratitude and appreciation we have for you…”

“You saved my life on the 9 year anniversary of my injury!... Please let the people in your life know that you saved mine!...”

…”We are sure you probably don’t take enough credit for the absolutely amazing surgeon you are. Even though you might say you were just doing your job, you made a difference to us!”

“We can only imagine that, because you are such an awesome neurosurgeon, you get many “thank you’s,” but THANK YOU for not just taking the time to make me well … but to make me WHOLE.” Michelle & Jim R.

Elaine Restaur

Dr. Peter Lennarson

Chatain GP, Kortz MW, Serva S, Shrestha K, Hosokawa P, Ung TH, Finn M. Long-term Neurologic Outcome After Spinal Ependymoma Resection With Multimodal Intraoperative Electrophysiological Recording: Cohort Study and Review of the Literature. Neurospine. 2022 Mar;19(1):118-132. doi: 10.14245/ns.2143200.600. Epub 2022 Mar 31. PMID: 35378586; PMCID: PMC8987544.

Chatain GP, Shrestha K, Kortz MW, Serva S, Hosokawa P, Ward RC, Sethi A, Finn M. Impact of Surgical Timing on Neurological Outcomes for Spinal Arachnoid Cyst: A Single Institution Series. Neurospine. 2022 Jun;19(2):453-462. doi: 10.14245/ns.2244130.065. Epub 2022 Jun 23. PMID: 35793936; PMCID: PMC9260545.

Chatain GP, Chee Keanu, Finn M. Review of transoral odontoidectomy. Where do we stand? Technical note and a singlecenter experience. Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery 2022 Sep; 29(101549

Yang JH, Tuano KR, Finn M, Weyant M, Chong TW, Mathes DW. Successful repair of chronic esophageal perforation

RECENTLY FEATURED NEUROSURGICAL SPINE PUBLICATIONS: NEURO CRITICAL CARE PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE NEWS

In the recent strategic planning for our department, it was clear that a more robust Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) program was needed at the University of Colorado. Although the clinical expertise is here, TBI care suffers from being fragmented, needing significant improvement in care coordination and patient flow. Under the direction of Kevin Lillehei, MD (Neurosurgery), Dr. Delia Bakeman (Neurology) and Dr. Michael Greher (Neuropsychology), a task force has been formed to develop a comprehensive and “state-of-the-art” TBI program.

According to the CDC, TBI is a major cause of death and disability. There were over 64,000 TBI-related deaths in the United States in 2020. That’s about 176 TBI-related deaths every day.

TBIs affect the lives of people of all ages. Anyone can experience a TBI, but data suggest that some groups are at greater risk of dying from a TBI or experiencing long-term health problems after the injury. These include racial and ethnic minorities, service members and veterans, people experiencing homelessness, people who are in correctional or detention facilities, survivors of domestic violence and even people living in rural areas.

Although there are three categories of TBI (major, moderate and mild), we will first be focusing on major injuries (those that result in stays in our Neuro ICU). We will work to ensure these patients have faster access to outpatient services and are flowing more effectively across levels of care and accessing all resources available. Those with moderate and mild TBI’s will also be targeted for better multi-disciplinary communication and connection.

Although there are numerous departments involved, including Neurology, Physical Medicine & Rehab, Trauma and others, the Neurosurgery Department faculty included in this initiative are listed below.

RECENTLY FEATURED PUBLICATIONS IN NEURO CRITICAL CARE

Kowalski RG, Ledreux A, Violette JE, Neumann RT, Ornelas D, Yu X, Griffiths SG, Lewis S, Nash P, Monte AA, Coughlan

CM, Deighan C, Grotta JC, Jones WJ, Graner MW. Rapid activation of neuroinflammation in stroke: Plasma and extracellular vesicles obtained on a mobile stroke unit. Stroke. 2023 Feb 02 https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.122.041422

Snider SB, Kowalski RG, Hammond FM, Izzy S, Shih SL, Rovito C, Edlow BL, Zafonte RD, Giacino JT, Bodien YG. Comparison of Common Outcome Measures for Assessing Independence in Patients Diagnosed with Disorders of Consciousness: A Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study. J Neurotrauma. 2022 Sep;39(17-18):1222-1230. doi: 10.1089/neu.2022.0076.

Epub 2022 Jun 20. PMID: 35531895; PMCID: PMC9422782.

Kevin Lillehei, MD Chair, Department of Neurosurgery

Lotta Granholm-Bentley, DDS, PhD Professor & TBI Researcher Department of Neurosurgery

Robert Neumann, MD Associate Professor & Director of Neuro Critical Care Department of Neurosurgery

Michael Greher, PhD Associate Professor & Director of Neuropsychology Training Department of NeurosurgeryNeurosurgery

NEUROPSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE NEWS

First Bi-lungual neuropsychology program begins in Colorado

Spanish is recognized as the second most commonly spoken language in the U.S. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people of Hispanic origin are the nation’s largest ethnic population. Colorado is 22.3% Hispanic. Most of Hispanics and Latinos of Colorado live in Western Colorado. The majority of Hispanics in the state are under the age of 18 (35% of Hispanics), while the rest of the Hispanic population is mainly made up of the 18-34 and 35-54 age groups (28% and 25% respectively).

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) says that as a community, Hispanics are less likely to seek mental health treatment or neuropsychological testing due to language barriers, lack of information, and misunderstanding about mental health. Yet, without testing, diagnostics, and treatment, certain mental health conditions can worsen and even become disabling or fatal.

Michelle Miranda, PhD Assistant Professor

Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department of Neurosurgery

Neuropsychology is the specialized field that includes neurological and psychological testing of various parts of the brain, particularly useful when brain surgery may be a treatment option.

Despite numerous calls throughout the years for an increase in ethnic, cultural, and racial diversity within the field of psychology, it remains an elusive reality for Hispanic neuropsychology practitioners in the United States (U.S.).

Findings confirm that Hispanic neuropsychologists in the U.S. are culturally diverse, present with varied levels of bilingualism, have been faced with discrimination during training and in their workplace, and compare favorably with non-Hispanic neuropsychologists in terms of education and clinical training. Source: IOSPress.com

The Neurosurgery Department at CU is particularly proud to begin this new program in Colorado, under the direction of Dr. Michelle Miranda.

RECENTLY FEATURED PUBLICATIONS IN NEUROPSYCHOLOGY:

Buard I, Lopez-Esquibel N, Carey FJ, Brown MS, Medina LD, Kronberg E, Martin CS, Rogers S, Holden SK, Greher MR, Kluger BM. Does Prefrontal Glutamate Index Cognitive Changes in Parkinson’s Disease? Front Hum Neurosci. 2022 Apr 12;16:809905. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.809905. PMID: 35496064; PMCID: PMC9039312.

Holden SK, Domen C, Sillau S, Liu Y, Leehey MA. Higher risk, higher reward? Self-reported effects of real-world cannabis use in Parkinson’s Disease. Movement Disorders. 2022 Jan 17. 22 https://doi.org/10.1002/mdc3.13414

PEDIATRIC NEUROSURGERY PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE NEWS

WELCOME TO NEW FACULTY

The Pediatric Neurosurgery Department is proud to welcome Derek Samples to our Colorado Springs and Denver locations. He is a graduate of Trinity University and completed medical school and residency at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonia and UT Southwestern Medical School. He completed his fellowship at CUAnschutz in pediatric neurosurgery and was quickly “scooped up” by this team. His research interests and some of his many publications include work in Isolated Cervical Spinous Process Fractures, Serum Tau Levels as a Biomarker for Traumatic Brain Injury and the Utilization of Human Neurons for Pre-clinical Testing of Novel Stroke Therapies.

WELCOME TO INCOMING FACULTY

The Pediatric Neurosurgery Department is also excited to welcome two new Advanced Practice Providers (APP’s) the spring. Mitchell Tiedke is coming to us from Colorado Brain and Spine and Jennifer Coffman is coming from another department at Children’s Hospital.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Elana McTavish, PA-C has accepted the role of lead APP for the Children’s team.

Mohammed Alshareef, MD, current fellow, will be joining our faculty in February of 2024.

Derek Samples, MD

Mitchell Tiedke

Jennifer Coffman

FAREWELL

Dr. Brent O’Neill will be leaving us this summer and has accepted a position at Penn State University. We are sorry to see him go, as he is beloved by patients and colleagues across the region. Good luck, Dr. O’Neill!

Dr. O’neill

RECENTLY FEATURED PEDIATRIC NEUROSURGERY PUBLICATIONS

Steinbok P, Cheong A, Dix DB, Bhatia S, Handler MH, Limbrick DD Jr, Niazi T, Price AV, Ragheb J, Souweidane M, Tamber MS, Sandberg DI. Nonoperative Management of Childhood Calvarial Langerhans-Cell Histiocytosis. N Engl J Med. 2022 Jun 30;386(26):2532-2534. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2203820. PMID: 35767446.

Malik N, Samples DC, Finneran MM, Graber S, Dorris K, Norris G, Foreman NK, Hankinson TC, Handler MH. Pediatric pineal region masses: a single-center experience over 25 years. Childs Nerv Syst. 2022 Jul 14. doi: 10.1007/s00381-02205593-6. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35831712.

Vaughn AE, Louiselle AE, Tong S, Niemiec SM, Ahmad S, Zaretsky M, Galan HL, Behrendt N, Wilkinson CC, O’Neill B, Handler M, Derderian SC, Mirsky DM, Liechty KW. Early outcomes of a myofascial repair technique for fetal myelomeningocele. J Pediatr Surg. 2023 Jan;58(1):20-26. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2022.09.030. Epub 2022 Sep 26. PMID: 36289034.

Norris G, Widener M, Amani V, Donson A, Schissel D, Bruno C, Mettetal A, Ramirez D, Gustafson D, Hankinson T, Handler M, Macy M, Foreman N, Dorris K, EPEN-11. Phase 0/I Study of GM-CSF and Intrathecal Trastuzumab In Children With Recurrent Posterior Fossa Ependymoma, Neuro-Oncology, Volume 24, Issue Supplement_1, June 2022, Page i40, https://doi.org/10.1093/neuonc/noac079.148

Hersh DS, Martin JE, Bristol RE, Browd SR, Grant G, Gupta N, Hankinson TC, Jackson EM, Kestle JRW, Krieger MD, Kulkarni AV, Madura CJ, Pindrik J, Pollack IF, Raskin JS, Riva-Cambrin J, Rozzelle CJ, Smith JL, Wellons JC. Hydrocephalus surveillance following CSF diversion: a modified Delphi study. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2022 Jun 17:1-11. doi: 10.3171/2022.5.PEDS22116. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35901763.

Alexiades NG, Shao B, Ahn ES, Blount JP, Brockmeyer DL, Hankinson TC, Nesvick CL, Sandberg DI, Heuer GG, Saiman L, Feldstein NA, Anderson RCE. High prevalence of gram-negative and multiorganism surgical site infections after pediatric complex tethered spinal cord surgery: a multicenter study. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2022 Jul 22:1-7. doi: 10.3171/2022.6.PEDS2238. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35901675.

Hawkins JC, Ryan MV, Graber S, Neuberger I, Slade J, Young M, Maloney J, Wilkinson CC.  Use of the posterior auricular artery for indirect bypass in moyamoya: a pediatric case series. Pediatr Neurosurg. 2023 Feb 21. doi: 10.1159/000529735. Online ahead of print. https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/529735

Wilkinson CC, Belanger K, Elbadry R, Hoffman J, Ryan M, Stence NV, Graber SJ, Ridder T, Batista L, French BM. Fusion of lateral calvarial sutures on volume-rendered CT reconstructions in patients with knowcraniosynos tosis. J Craniofac Surg. 2023 Mar 20. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0000000000009278. Online ahead of print. https://ovidsp.dc2.ovid. com/ovid-b/ovidwebcgi?WebLinkFrameset=1&S=IMGGFPHIAGEBMNAKIPLJGFAFMEMDAA00&returnUrl=ovidwebcgi%3fMain%2bSearch%2b Page%3d1%26S%3dIMGGFPHIAGEBMNAKIPLJGFAFMEMDAA00& romjumpstart=0&directlink=https%3a%2f%2fovidspdc2.ovid.com%2fovft pdfs%2fFPEBIPAFGFAKAG00%2ffs047%2fovft%2flive%2fgv024%2f00001665%2f00001665-900000000-91253.pdf&filename=Fusion+of+Late ral+Calvarial+Sutures+on+Volume-Rendere+Computed+Tomography+Reconstructions+in+Patients+With+Known+Craniosynostosis.&linkfrom= Ssh.31.32.36.42%7c11&pdf_key=FPEBIPAFGFAKAG00&pdf_index=/fs047/ovft/livegv024/00001665/00001665-900000000-91253&D=ovft&lin k_set=S.sh.31.32.36.42|11|sl_10|tocsiblings|S.sh.31.32.36.42.48|0

Rocque BG, Jensen H, Reeder RW, Kulkarni AV, Pollack IF, Wellons JC, Naftel RP, Jackson EM, Whitehead WE, Pindrik JA, Limbrick DD, McDonald PJ, Tamber MS, Hankinson TC, Hauptman JS, Krieger MD, Chu J, Simon TD, Riva-Cambrin J, Kestle JRW, Rozzelle CJ; Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy in previously shunt-treated patients. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2022 Jul 29:1-9. doi: 10.3171/2022.6.PEDS22177. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35907200; PMCID: PMC9884313.

Fu R, Norris GA, Willard N, Griesinger AM, Riemondy KA, Amani V, Grimaldo E, Harris F, Hankinson TC, Mitra S, Ritzmann TA, Grundy RR, Foreman NK, Donson AM. Spatial transcriptomic analysis delineates epithelial and mesenchymal subpopulations and transition stages in childhood ependymoma. Neuro Oncol. 2022 Oct 10:noac219. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noac219. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36215273.

Dastagirzada YM, Alexiades NG, Kurland DB, Anderson SN, Brockmeyer DL, Bumpass DB, Chatterjee S, Groves ML, Hankinson TC, Harter D, Hedequist D, Jea A, Leonard JR, Martin JE, Oetgen ME, Pahys J, Rozzelle C, Strahle JM, Thompson D, Yaszay B, Anderson RCE. Developing consensus for the management of pediatric cervical spine disorders and stabilization: a modified Delphi study. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2022 Oct 28;31(1):32-42. doi: 10.3171/2022.9.PEDS22319. PMID: 36308472.

Samples DC, Staulcup S, Hovis G, Gustin P, Meier M, Mirsky D, Hankinson TC. Refining the role of cervical spine immobilization and stabilization in pediatric non-accidental trauma, a retrospective series of 1008 patients. Childs Nerv Syst. 2022 Nov 15. doi: 10.1007/s00381-022-05751-w. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36380050.

Dastagirzada YM, Kurland DB, Hankinson TC, Anderson RC. Craniovertebral Junction Instability in the Setting of Chiari Malformation. Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2023 Jan;34(1):131-142. doi: 10.1016/j.nec.2022.09.006. PMID: 36424053.

Samples DC, Mulcahy Levy JM, Hankinson TC. Neurosurgery for Optic Pathway Glioma: Optimizing Multidisciplinary Management. Front Surg. 2022 May 4;9:884250. doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2022.884250. PMID: 35599811; PMCID: PMC9114802.

Hoffman LM, Jaimes C, Mankad K, Mirsky DM, Tamrazi B, Tinkle CL, Kline C, Ramasubramanian A, Malbari F, Mangum R, Lindsay H, Horne V, Daniels DJ, Keole S, Grosshans DR, Young Poussaint T, Packer R, Cavalheiro S, Bison B, Hankinson TC, Müller HL, Bartels U, Warren KE, Chintagumpala M. Response assessment in pediatric craniopharyngioma: recommendations from the Response Assessment in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology (RAPNO) working group. Neuro Oncol. 2022 Sep 17:noac221. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noac221. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36124689.

Apps JR, Muller HL, Hankinson TC, Yock TI, Martinez-Barbera JP. Contemporary Biological Insights and Clinical Management of Craniopharyngioma. Endocr Rev. 2022 Dec 27:bnac035. doi: 10.1210/endrev/bnac035. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36574377.

MEDICAL EDUCATION & RESIDENT PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE NEWS

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRADUATING RESIDENTS!

Tim Ung, MD, will be joining the faculty at the University of Colorado as an Assistant Professor. He will be specializing in neurosurgical oncology and stereotactic radiosurgery. During his residency, he also completed a fellowship in neurosurgical oncology and stereotactic radiosurgery at Stanford University.

Akal Sethi, MD has accepted a position in San Diego California. Good Luck, Dr. Sethi!

Both residents will be celebrated at our monthly “TED for your HEAD” in mid May, and again at a special reception and dinner at Cherry Hills Country Club on June 16th.

WELCOME TO THESE NEW FIRST YEAR RESIDENTS!

Jack Butterfield (from University of Minnesota)

Eric Montgomery (from University of Texas Southwestern)

Matt Svalina (from University of Colorado)

CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE MEDICAL STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO NEUROSURGICAL RESIDENCIES!

Caitlin Ritz will be going to  Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia

Matt Svalina will be staying at CU School of Medicine

Derrick Murcia will be going to UT Southwestern Medical School in Texas

Carly Farr will be going to Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland

NEUROSURGERY RESEARCH PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE NEWS WELCOME!

Dr. Ramirez-Gordillo was hired in collaboration with the department of Cell and Developmental Biology. He is fully funded by an NIH K01 Faculty Development Award. Dr. Daniel Ramirez-Gordillo is an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He earned his Ph.D. in biology/neurobiology from New Mexico State University. His research interest is in diseases and disorders that affect the central nervous system.  He is currently working on two projects that aim to understand the circuitry between the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. One project aims to understand the role of CaMKIIα in learning and memory formation. Specifically, how decreased expression of CaMKIα affects phase amplitude coupling, theta reference power, and coherence. The second project aims to study the function of long-range interneurons in regulating neuronal oscillations and how activation of long-range interneurons affects learning and memory. He also serves as a mentor in the Building Research Achievement in Neuroscience (BRAiN) program, a National Institute of Health grant, where he trains undergraduate students to perform research in Neuroscience. He enjoys teaching elementary, middle, and high school students about careers in science. He has presented his research at conferences in the US, Latin America, and Europe.  Dr. Ramirez-Gordillo believes in giving back to his community.  He has been actively participating in student panels that talk to students about the importance of getting an education, and he has helped organize events to expose students to science.

We are thrilled to welcome Francisco Javier Quinones.  Francisco is a Research Services Professional in Dr. Ramirez-Gordillo’s lab.

Francisco Javier Quinones

He was born in Greeley, Colorado, and raised in the Aurora/Metro area. Previous to accepting a position in the Neurosurgery Department, he worked in the animal vivarium as an animal care technician, where he gained a ton of knowledge about animal husbandry. Working with OLAR, he was privileged to work with various species including mice, rats, pigs, cats, chinchillas, and many different animals. After seven years of working with animals, he decided it was time to take on a different challenge and moved on to a leadership position in the Cage Wash Department in OLAR which helped him gain immense respect for what happens in the background of animal research. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, camping, and overall, just being outdoors

WELCOME!

We are excited to introduce and welcome Allyson “Ally” Calderon. Ally will be working at Children’s Hospital as a Neurosurgery Clinical Research Coordinator.

Ally

Calderon

Ally joins our team with over eight years of program coordination and three years of program operations management experience. She graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2012 with a BA in Psychology. In 2022, after receiving formal training at Front Range Community College, she earned her NHA Phlebotomy Technician Certification. She uses this certification to serve the community by volunteering as a phlebotomist for local health fairs. She is excited to enter the medical research space to help support ongoing and new research efforts in Pediatric Neurosurgery.

Anne Vielle

We are excited to Welcome Anne Vielle to our department. Anne is a Senior Research Professional in Dr. Ledreux and Dr. Granholm-Bentley’s lab. She is originally from France, and graduated in molecular and cellular biology in Montpellier. She has 20 years of experience in genetics, biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology. She worked for many years on human orphan diseases, in France and then Italy, where her research focused on the in vitro and in vivo studies of drugs to improve the life conditions of people with premature and dramatic aging disorders, such as progeria. She moved to the US in 2016 and started to work in the Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics department at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. Since 2018, she has been with the Ocular Stem Cell and Regeneration Program at the Department of Ophthalmology where she studies the neural retina of people with Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease using retinal organoids disease models. We are pleased she is joining the Dr. Ledreux lab to study neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in aging diseases.

MORE RESEARCH PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS FROM ALL PROGRAM AREAS

Zhou W, Craft J, Ojemann A, Bergen L, Graner A, Gonzales A, He Q, Kopper T, Smith M, Graner MW, Yu X. Glioblastoma Extracellular Vesicle-Specific Peptides Inhibit EV-Induced Neuronal Cytotoxicity. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jun 28;23(13):7200. doi: 10.3390/ijms23137200. PMID: 35806205; PMCID: PMC9266738.

Kennedy PGE, Graner MW, Fringuello A, Zhou W, Pointon T, Alquatli K, Bisel S, Langford D, Yu X. Higher Levels of IgG3 Antibodies in Serum, But Not in CSF, Distinguish Multiple Sclerosis From Other Neurological Disorders. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2022 Dec;17(3-4):526-537. doi: 10.1007/s11481-021-10048-x. Epub 2022 Jan 6. PMID: 34989971.

Nicastri CM, McFeeley BM, Simon SS, Ledreux A, Håkansson K, Granholm AC, Mohammed AH, Daffner KR. BDNF mediates improvement in cognitive performance after computerized cognitive training in healthy older adults. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2022 Aug 30;8(1):e12337. doi: 10.1002/trc2.12337. PMID: 36089933; PMCID: PMC9428279.

Chee K, Razmara A, Geller AS, Harris WB, Restrepo D, Thompson JA, Kramer DR. The role of the piriform cortex in temporal lobe epilepsy: A current literature review. Front Neurol. 2022 Nov 21;13:1042887. doi: 10.3389/ fneur.2022.1042887. PMID: 36479052; PMCID: PMC9720270.

Tekriwal A, Baker S, Christensen E, Petersen-Jones H, Tien RN, Ojemann SG, Kern DS, Kramer DR, Felsen G, Thompson JA. Quantifying neuro-motor correlations during awake deep brain stimulation surgery using markerless tracking. Sci Rep. 2022 Oct 27;12(1):18120. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-21860-7. PMID: 36302865; PMCID: PMC9613670.

Ahmed J, Fitch TC, Donnelly CM, Joseph JA, Ball TD, Bassil MM, Son A, Zhang C, Ledreux A, Horowitz S, Qin Y, Paredes D, Kumar S. Foldamers reveal and validate therapeutic targets associated with toxic α-synuclein self-assembly. Nat Commun. 2022 Apr 27;13(1):2273. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29724-4. PMID: 35477706; PMCID: PMC9046208.

Ramirez-Gordillo D, Bayer KU, Restrepo D. Hippocampal-prefrontal theta coupling develops as mice become proficient in associative odorant discrimination learning. eNeuro. 2022 Sep 20;9(5):ENEURO.0259-22.2022. doi: 10.1523/ ENEURO.0259-22.2022. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36127136; PMCID: PMC9536857.

McCullough CM, Ramirez-Gordillo D, Hall M, Futia GL, Moran AK, Gibson EA, Restrepo D. GRINtrode: a neural implant for simultaneous two-photon imaging and extracellular electrophysiology in freely moving animals. Neurophotonics. 2022 Oct;9(4):045009. doi: 10.1117/1.NPh.9.4.045009. Epub 2022 Dec 1. PMID: 36466189; PMCID: PMC9713693.

O. D. Supekar, A. Sias, S. R. Hansen, G. Martinez, G. C. Peet, X. Peng, V. M. Bright, E. G. Hughes, D. Restrepo, D. P. Shepherd, C. G. Welle, J. T. Gopinath, and E. A. Gibson, “SIMscope3D: A structured illumination miniature microscope for high resolution brain imaging,” in Biophotonics Congress: Biomedical Optics 2022 (Translational, Microscopy, OCT,

OTS, BRAIN), Technical Digest Series (Optica Publishing Group, 2022), paper BS4C.3.

Supekar OD, Sias A, Hansen SR, Martinez G, Peet GC, Peng X, Bright VM, Hughes EG, Restrepo D, Shepherd DP, Welle CG, Gopinath JT, Gibson EA. Miniature structured illumination microscope for in vivo 3D imaging of brain structures with optical sectioning. Biomed Opt Express. 2022 Mar 29;13(4):2530-2541. doi: 10.1364/BOE.449533. PMID: 35519247; PMCID: PMC9045919.

Bowles S, Hickman J, Peng X, Williamson WR, Huang R, Washington K, Donegan D, Welle CG. Vagus nerve stimulation drives selective circuit modulation through cholinergic reinforcement. Neuron. 2022 Sep 7;110(17):2867-2885.e7. doi: 10.1016/j. neuron.2022.06.017. Epub 2022 Jul 19. PMID: 35858623.

Kennedy PGE, George W, Yu X. The Possible Role of Neural Cell Apoptosis in Multiple Sclerosis. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jul 8;23(14):7584. doi: 10.3390/ijms23147584. PMID: 35886931; PMCID: PMC9316123.

Hamlett ED, Flores-Aguilar L, Handen B, Potier MC, Granholm AC, Sherman S, Puig V, Santoro JD, Carmona-Iragui M, Rebillat AS, Head E, Strydom A, Busciglio J: Innovating Therapies for Down Syndrome: An International Virtual Conference of the T21 Research Society. Mol Syndromol 2022. doi: 10.1159/000526021

Borko Tl, Barrera B, Mizenko C, Ledreux A, Kammeyer R, Ritchie A, Selva S, Sillau S, Engebretson E, Seale R, Valdez B, Bennett JL, Vollmer TL, Nair K, Piquet A. Examining the differences in biomarkers of neuronal and glial injury between autoimmune neurologic disease patients and healthy controls. Neurology. 2022 Dec 05. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/01. wnl.0000903096.36040.1d