At Cedars-Sinai, our every endeavor aims to evolve and improve our understanding of neurological disease and disability. We are proud to share some program highlights from 2023 — each with a surprising and unique patient story. You can view the full annual report and some highlights can be found below.
We look forward to what this year brings and establishing new partnerships that will propel our discipline even further forward. We would be happy to connect with you here on Doximity and in person at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Neurology and American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
Best wishes,
Keith L. Black, MD
Chair, Department of Neurosurgery
Ruth and Lawrence Harvey Chair in Neuroscience
Professor of Neurosurgery
Nancy L. Sicotte, MD, FAAN
Chair, Department of Neurology
Women's Guild Distinguished Chair in Neurology
Professor of Neurology
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Brain Tumors
From diagnosis through treatment, Cedars-Sinai neurosurgeons are developing less invasive protocols that improve outcomes for the most complex brain tumors. A multidisciplinary team of experts performs precision dignosis using advanced imaging techniques and innovative compounds. The resulting tailored treatment strategy prioritizes patient survival and quality of life. Studies show that these minimally invasive approaches for certain tumors produce results similar to open surgery but with significantly fewer complications.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak
Cedars-Sinai established the world's first dedicated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak program in 2000, and it continues to break new ground in the field. Cedars-Sinai's multidisciplinary team offers advanced imaging techniques and novel surgical and nonsurgical therapies for all forms of CSF leak, including CSF-venous fistula, a type first identified at Cedars-Sinai. In 2023, Cedars-Sinai gathered 150 specialists, patients and advocates to educate them about the latest developments in this underdiagnosed and undertreated condition.
Movement Disorders and Focused Ultrasound
Cedars-Sinai's Movement Disorders Program provides the highest-level care to patients at every stage of Parkinson's disease, dystonia, essential tremor and other movement disorders. The medical center houses one of the only 62 treatment centers nationwide offering MRI-guided focused ultrasound, a minimally invasive procedure for essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson's. Cedars-Sinai is spearheading a National Institutes of Health-funded trial exploring the subtle markers of Parkinson's prior to diagnosis to map the trajectory of the disease.
Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders
In collaboration with the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, the Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer's and Memory Disorders seeks to elucidate the connection between heart disease and dementia. Investigators are exploring the link between fluctuating blood pressure levels and subsequent dementia, evaluating whether hypertension-focused interventions can reduce cognitive decline among Black men and deciphering whether microvascular injury among women manifests in the brain.
Stroke and Neurovascular
Cedars-Sinai's Comprehensive Stroke Center serves the most complex and severely ill patients, yet it consistently achieves one of the lowest stroke mortality rates in the country. Our investigators aim to expand equitable treatment options while pioneering the latest revascularization technology to treat intracranial atherosclerotic disease, a leading cause of stroke with notoriously poor prognosis.
