In The News
A Neurologist Explains Why Delaying School Start Time is Important
Do teenagers know how to sleep? If you’re the parent of a teen, you might be laughing to yourself. That’s all they know how to do. In truth, teens (and their parents) might not know enough about how to sleep, when to sleep, and why. California recently became the first state to require most middle … Read More
Primary Care Could Hold the Key to Preventing Alzheimer's Disease
To delay or prevent the onset of memory loss, talk to your doctor. It can really be that simple. Among the diseases that Americans fear most, Alzheimer’s and dementia consistently rank at the top of the list. What people don’t always realize is that many causes of memory loss are treatable and preventable, and the … Read More
Hoag is Using Virtual Reality for Preoperative, Intraoperative Neurosurgery
Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, Calif., is using virtual reality to plan and practice neurosurgery procedures. Neurosurgeon Robert Louis, MD, used the Surgical Theater technology over 1,000 times in the four years since it was adapted by the hospital. Visit Becker’s Spine Review to view the original article.
Living with the Effects of Dementia/Alzheimer's
Mona Lee Nesseth’s 85-year-old mother, Martha Nesseth, grew up in San Juan Capistrano, where she attended school at Mission San Juan Capistrano and Costa Mesa. In the 1950s, she obtained her cosmetology degree and was recruited by a well-known Lido Island beauty salon before moving to Toluca Lake, where her clients were entertainment celebrities and … Read More
California Hospital Uses Virtual Reality for Preoperative Neurosurgery Planning
Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, Calif., is using virtual reality to plan and practice neurosurgery procedures, reports Fox La. Four things to know: 1. The Surgical Navigation Advanced Platform, developed by Surgical Theater, allows surgeons to navigate through the patient’s brain using VR. 2. Patients’ MRI and CT scans are uploaded to the surgical … Read More
Medical Advances: O.C. Hospital Uses Advanced Technology in the Operating Room
It looks more like a video game – doctors equipped with a virtual reality headset and controllers. But it’s a fairly new medical device. Dr Robert Louis is a neurosurgeon at Hoag in Newport Beach. “We take patient’s standard MRIs and CT scans then load them into the surgical theater system and it creates a … Read More
Teen Suicide Continues to Increase, but There is Hope in the Trenches
In a darkened high school auditorium, the tragedy and reality of teen suicide hits like a gut punch. A short, stark video shows the parents of 16-year-old Patrick Turner grasping one another’s hands for support, speaking about their son taking his life and giving voice to their teenager’s final plea in a letter discovered after … Read More
Spine Surgeon Leader to Know: Dr. Robert Louis of Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute
Robert Louis, MD, is a neurosurgeon and program director of the skull base and pituitary tumor program at Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, Calif. Dr. Louis’ expertise includes endoscopic and minimally invasive treatment of benign and malignant brain tumors, sellar and parasellar tumors, as well as skull base tumors. He … Read More
Social Media: A Social Disease Killing Our Kids?
Much has been written and said about the role of Facebook and social media in our society. Only recently has the increasingly dark side of what was once thought to be a monumental transformation of humanity come into public discourse. Initially, the potential threats to privacy and the normal political process of our democracy grabbed … Read More
Dr. Safahieh: Is “Gaming Disorder,” A Real Addiction and How Can I Tell if it's Affecting my Child?
Studies have shown that video games and other addictions, such as alcohol and nicotine, affect neural pathways in similar ways: They all lead to an increase in dopamine levels in specific pleasure centers of the brain. While drugs increase dopamine levels far more than video games, gaming can have a similar deleterious effect of “taking … Read More