Think Neuro

Unfortunately, a brain cancer called glioblastoma has a very poor prognosis but there is still a lot that can be done. Unlike other cancers that often develop as lumps with defined margins in the breast, say, glioblastomas not only present with a central mass but also send out microscopic tendrils into the brain, making them difficult to remove completely without damaging our most critical organ....

Dr. Barbara Giesser is the Multiple Sclerosis Neurologist at the Pacific Brain Health Center. Dr. Giesser’s approach to the diagnosis and management of persons with MS combines state-of-the-art diagnostics and a personalized medication plan for each patient with an emphasis on integrating lifestyle and wellness strategies into the neurologic treatment plan. For more information: https://www.pacifi...

Dr. Barkhoudarian is the Co-Director Pituitary Disorders Center, Neurosurgery; Director, Adult Hydrocephalus Center; Director, Facial Pain Center; Chief, Radiosurgery Program; Director, Saint Johns Cancer Institute / PNI Microdissection Anatomy Laboratory. He is a board-certified, fellowship-trained neurosurgeon with a focus on skull base and minimally invasive endoscopic surgery. Dr. Barkhoudaria...

Dr. Garni Barkhoudarian, Neurosurgeon at Pacific Neuroscience Institute and Assistant Professor of Neuroscience & Neurosurgery at the John Wayne Cancer Institute, discusses his perspectives of the future of brain tumor surgery in this brief video. For more information: pacificneuro.org | (310) 582-7640

One in ten Americans who are 65 and older suffer from Alzheimer’s dementia. It’s the 6th leading cause of death in the country, and it is a scourge worldwide. But little is known about what causes Alzheimer’s, and cures have been elusive. Dr. Verna Porter specializes in treating people with Alzheimer’s, and she remains optimistic. Until we have a remedy, she advises people to eat well and get plen...

Dr. Natalie Diaz is a board-certified neurologist with fellowship training in movement disorders. Her clinical practice focuses on the evaluation and management of patients with Parkinson’s disease, atypical parkinsonian disorders, Huntington’s disease, and other choreiform disorders, dystonia, and ataxia. She also has specialized training in the evaluation and programming of deep brain stimulatio...

Dr. Abbas Anwar, a native of Southern California, is a board-certified otolaryngologist – head and neck surgeon, at the Pacific Eye, Ear & Skull Base Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. He specializes in all aspects of general and pediatric ENT and has special interests in sinonasal diseases and infections, head and neck surgery, otologic disorders, and throat complaints. He is well trained...

There are no specific diets that have been shown to reduce the progression of PD. However, there is good reason to believe that a well-balanced, nutritious diet would be best. In those without other medical conditions, the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurogenerative Delay (MIND) diet may be of benefit in Parkinson’s as well since both are neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's dise...

Dr. George Teitelbaum is the director of the Pacific Stroke & Neurovascular Center. He has decades of experience treating aneurysms and cerebrovascular disease using neurointerventional procedures. For more information: https://www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org/about-us/our-team/ | (310) 582-7640

Dr. Jian Guan is a fellowship trained neurosurgeon with a special focus on complex spine surgery at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. Dedicated to the care of patients with spine and neck conditions, he practices at PNI-South Bay / Spine Institute at Little Company of Mary in Torrance, California. With over 75 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Guan has a particular clinical and research interest in wa...

Jean-Philippe Langevin, MD, is a board-certified and fellowship-trained neurosurgeon with a special interest in the surgical treatment of complex spine conditions and movement disorders. Selected as a multiple year recipient of the SuperDoctor Rising Stars Edition, he has extensive experience using advanced surgical techniques to treat his patients with compassion and care. He practices at PNI-Sou...

Addiction and depression are two of the most widespread conditions in all of medicine. After decades of research, doctors are still looking for alternatives for when medication and cognitive training don’t work, which is all too often. Dr. Dan Kelly, one of the founders of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, thinks there is a game-changer in our midst: psilocybin. Better known as the active ingred...

Dr. Daniel F. Kelly, neurosurgeon, director, and founder at Pacific Neuroscience Institute explains the concept of keyhole surgery for the treatment of brain, skull base, and pituitary tumors. For more information: pacificneuro.org | (310) 582-7640

Samuel Hou, MD, Ph. D., is a neuro-interventional surgeon (interventional neuroradiologist) at the Pacific Stroke and Neurovascular Center, serving the Providence Health System in Southern California. Dr. Hou’s surgical techniques specialize in the endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke, brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and arteriovenous fistulas of the brain and spine. He is...

Barbara S. Giesser, MD, FAAN, FANA, is an internationally recognized clinician and award-winning educator who has specialized in the care of persons with Multiple Sclerosis since 1982. Her approach to the diagnosis and management of persons with MS combines advanced diagnostics and a personalized medication plan for each patient with an emphasis on integrating lifestyle and wellness strategies int...

Ever heard of a disease called Trigeminal Neuralgia? It's called the "Suicide Disease" because it causes unbearable pain in the face and temples. It's often triggered by everyday things like brushing teeth, shaving, or putting on makeup. In many cases, the culprit is an out-of-place blood vessel that rubs against the trigeminal nerve in the side of the face. Other causes include tumors, infections...

Dr. Walavan Sivakumar is a fellowship-trained neurosurgeon with a focus on skull base and minimally invasive and endoscopic neurosurgery. Selected as a multiple-year recipient of the SuperDoctor Rising Stars Edition, Dr. Sivakumar has a particular interest and expertise in brain tumors, skull base tumors, pituitary/parasellar tumors, and intraventricular brain tumors, and he applies the keyhole co...

Dr. David M. Butler is board certified both by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology. Affiliated with Providence Saint John's Health Center throughout his career, Dr. Butler has been providing compassionate, expert care to his patients since 1988. In 2019, he transitioned over to Pacific Eye, Ear & Skull Base Center at Pacific Neur...

Dr. Carrillo is a board-certified neurologist and neuro-oncologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of primary and secondary brain tumors, including glioblastoma multiforme, primary CNS lymphoma, meningioma, and brain metastases, as well as the neurologic complications of cancer. In addition, Dr. Carrillo is involved in the enrollment of patients into several clinical trials. For more i...

Dystonia is a mysterious condition that causes muscles to contract involuntarily. It can strike many parts of the body, making the head turn, the eyelids close, or the hand twist. We don’t know what causes dystonia. It can arise after head trauma or a stroke, and it often appears in conjunction with Parkinson’s disease. There is no cure, but experts like Dr. Natalie Diaz, a neurologist at PNI, can...

Dr. Scott Kaiser is a rare breed, and he shouldn’t be. He’s a geriatrician. There are only 7,000 of them in the U.S., even though 10,000 Americans are turning 65 every day. Part of the reason: Gerontology typically doesn’t pay as well as other specialties, so it often attracts people who are purely committed to the practice, like Dr. Kaiser. He loves his work because there is so much he can do for...

Dr. William Buxton is Director, Neuromuscular & Neurodiagnostic Medicine, and Fall Prevention, Brain Health Center; Adult Neurology. He is a board certified in Adult Neurology with Subspecialty Certification in Clinical Neurophysiology through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with additional certification in Electrodiagnostic Medicine through the American Board of Electrodiagnostic M...

David A. Merrill, MD, Ph. D., is an adult and geriatric psychiatrist with double-board certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is the director of the Pacific Brain Health Center at Pacific Neuroscience Institute. Dr. Merrill has worked for several decades with patients suffering from the behavioral health sequelae of age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzhe...

In 1993, the rock band Bon Jovi recorded a song called I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead. We’ve learned a lot since then, namely, that sleep is just as important as food and water. Sleep is like a shower for the brain, according to PNI neurologist Dr. Natalie Diaz. It washes away toxic compounds, some of which may be associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. It also helps us preserve important m...

When patients ask him what he does in brain and pituitary surgeries, Dr. Chester Griffiths tells them that he “opens the curtains for the main event.” Dr. Griffiths is a head and neck surgeon, and it’s his job to get brain surgeons where they need to go. For the minimally invasive brain and pituitary surgery done at PNI, that means creating the pathway through the nose and sinuses and into the bas...