METHODIST
NEUROLOGICAL INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
COMBINE ‘BRAIN POWER’
Event Focuses on Neuroscience Collaboration Ranging
from Embryonic Brain Development to Spinal Cord Injury Therapy
HOUSTON, Nov. 22, 2005 – The human brain is often considered
to be the last frontier in modern medicine. Now, academia and medicine
are joining forces to find out how to understand and cure many of
the disorders affecting the brain and nervous system.
The Methodist Neurological Institute (NI) and the University of
Houston are determined to be leaders in basic, translational, and
clinical neuroscience research. The two institutions will hold a
two-day Neuroscience Colloquium, Nov. 28-29, to discuss possible
collaborations on research projects that could one day lead to treatments
for neurological diseases and disorders, such as Alzheimer’s,
Parkinson’s, brain aneurysms and more.
“Medical science is in the midst of an explosion of knowledge
about the brain,” said Dr. Stanley Appel, co-chair of the
conference’s planning committee, co-founder of the Methodist
NI and chair of neurology at The Methodist Hospital. “By combining
medicine and academics, we can explore the brain on two fronts:
discovering deeper levels of molecular functioning and exploring
and monitoring the higher levels of cognitive function – the
study of our minds, of what makes us uniquely human.”
Methodist NI physicians in neurology, neurosurgery and neuroradiology
will join UH professors in psychology, biology, biochemistry, computer
science, engineering, pharmacy, optometry and health and human performance
to present neuroscience research during the conference held at The
Hilton University of Houston Hotel and Conference Center, 4800 Calhoun,
on the UH campus.
“The partnership between UH and Methodist has the potential
to lead to important discoveries in molecular medicine, especially
in the area of neuroscience,” said Stuart Dryer, co-chair
of the conference’s planning committee and chair of the department
of biology and biochemistry at UH. “We hope that this colloquium
is the first of many such events. As a result of planning for this
meeting, Dr. Appel and I have discovered that we have many research
interests in common, and we are already discussing some joint projects.”
Methodist NI research presentations will include new therapies
for spinal cord injury; movement disorders and deep brain stimulation;
technological challenges in neurosurgery; trends in neuro-imaging;
innovations in endovascular therapy; inflammation in neurodegenerative
diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s
disease; and the neurobiology of music.
UH researchers will present several new techniques for brain and
neuron imaging; molecular studies on embryonic brain development;
mechanisms of nerve cell signaling; studies on how brain function
changes as a result of experience; brain mechanisms controlling
vision and language; and engineering approaches to understanding
normal brain function. Five of the six colleges on campus involved
in neuroscience research – natural sciences and mathematics,
engineering, pharmacy, optometry and education – will be presenting
at this first colloquium between Methodist NI and the university.
“Many medical schools have scientists engaged in basic biological
research,” Dryer said. “This partnership is somewhat
special because of the added value of bringing engineers, physicists,
mathematicians and other university academicians into close partnership
with clinical scientists at a major research hospital.”
The Methodist Neurological Institute houses the practice and research
activities of the Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology
of The Methodist Hospital. The close collaboration between these
departments offers patients the most advanced treatment options
currently available. The mission of the NI is to advance the discovery
of the origins, mechanisms and treatment of neurological disease
and to provide comprehensive care for patients with disorders and
injuries of the brain and spinal cord.
The Methodist Hospital is one of the nation’s largest private,
non-profit general hospitals. Methodist is primarily affiliated
with Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian. The
hospital also is affiliated with the University of Houston.
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information on the TMH/UH Neuroscience Colloquium, go
to http://www.tlc2.uh.edu/TMH-UH/.
For more on the Methodist Neurological Institute, visit www.methodistneuroinstitute.com,
or call 713-790-3333.
For more information about UH, visit the university’s Newsroom
at www.uh.edu/newsroom,
or call
713-743-8190.
For more information about UH visit the universitys
Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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