The OHSU Department of Neurology is one of the nation’s leading neurologic research and training programs and provides the most comprehensive care of neurologic illnesses in the Pacific Northwest. We have subspecialty centers that offer specialized care for patients with a range of neurologic diseases including Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, neuromuscular diseases, epilepsy and brain tumors.
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Centers and programs

A message about diversity, equity and inclusion

My goal for our department is to foster a community that seeks diversity and is accepting and inclusive of all. I personally will try to meet all URiM faculty, staff, and trainees and make sure they feel welcome and supported. It is important to me that each of us in the department commits to learning how to recognize and condemn all behaviors consistent with racism in any form. We have a vigorous Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and I will continue to make it a priority to help move the goals of our committee forward, including the recruitment of diverse faculty and trainees and becoming anti-racist in our work.

- Helmi Lutsep, M.D., Interim Chair, Department of Neurology

OHSU Neurology in the news

2023 stories

OHSU 2023 accomplishments: The year in review

Emma Chase and Vijayshree Yadav, M.D., Low-fat diet cuts fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis (HealthDay, Dec. 15), Physicians Weekly, Neurology Advisor, OHSU News

Regenerative brain cell therapy: One woman’s journey to seizure freedom (Cure Epilepsy podcast) and OHSU News (May 18)

Andrew Natonson, M.D., More than half of commercial payers are denying coverage for lecanemab (Neurology Today, Dec. 7)

Emma Chase and Vijayshree Yadav, M.D., Low-fat diet cuts fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis (HealthDay, Dec. 15), Physicians Weekly, Neurology Advisor, OHSU News

Andrew Natonson, M.D., More than half of commercial payers are denying coverage for lecanemab (Neurology Today, Dec. 7)

Amala Soumyanath, Ph.D., What is ashwagandha? Doctors debate controversial ‘glizzy pills’ herbal supplement risks, benefits (The New York Post, Oct. 25) and How accurate are the claims about ashwagandha’s benefits? (Medical News Today)

Dennis Bourdette, M.D., Getting COVID raises odds for Guillain-Barre syndrome, vaccination lowers risk (U.S. News & World Report, Oct. 18)

Lisa Mann, R.N., The Great Salt Lick: 15 years of Whit Deschner’s creative philanthropy (OHSU Foundation, Oct. 11)

Kim Burchiel, M.D., and David Spencer, M.D., Doctors test experimental treatment to combat seizures in epilepsy patients (NBC News, Sept. 25), OHSU News

Lauren Talman, M.D., Neurologist discusses Parkinson’s treatment options (Hermiston Herald, Sept. 21)

Jonathan Elliott, Ph.D., and Miranda Lim, M.D., Ph.D., Lack of sex differences and high frequency of neurobiological abnormalities identified in REM sleep behavior disorder (NeurologyLive, Sept. 20)

Fay Horak, Ph.D., P.T., Here’s how exercise improves mobility of people with Parkinson’s disease (KATU, Sept. 15)

Great Salt Luck Auction returns to eastern Oregon (The Oregonian, Sept. 12)

Delaram Safarpour, M.D., and Martina Mancini, Ph.D., Koneksa launches academic collaboration program for Parkinson’s disease (Business Wire, Aug. 14) and Oregon lab 1st to test 2 levodopa formulations using Koneksa’s toolkit (Parkinson’s News Today, Aug. 18)

Joseph Quinn, M.D., As Alzheimer’s drugs hit the market, the race for early detection blood tests heats up (STAT, July 25)

Aimee Pierce, M.D., New Alzheimer’s drugs are coming. Here’s what you need to know (Science News, July 17)

Amala Soumyanath, Ph.D., For some, this anti-anxiety herb is a godsend. For others, it’s a nightmare. What gives? (Salon, July 15) 

Walt Dawson, D.Phil., Viewpoint: Brain health diplomacy is a framework for the global challenge of brain health equity (OHSU News, July 11)

Lisa Silbert, M.D., Cognitive decline appears to speed up in the years following a heart attack (Neurology Today, July 6)

Lisa Silbert, M.D., Cognitive decline accelerates after heart attack, study finds (CNN, May 30)

Amala Soumyanath, Ph.D., Here’s what experts say about using ashwagandha as a stress treatment (HuffPost, May 26)

Jeffrey Kaye, M.D., How will modern tech help us age in place? (Discover, May 26)

Allison Lindauer, Ph.D., N.P., Brain changes are in the national spotlight, stigma and inaccuracy included (KUOW, May 18)

Fay Horak, Ph.D., P.T., Parkinson’s disease clinical trial tests exercise regimen to improve movement (OHSU News, May 16)

Peter Spencer, Ph.D., They’re trying to cure nodding syndrome. First they need to zero in on the cause (NPR via Undark, May 2)

Aimee Pierce, M.D., Vancouver man’s Alzheimer’s experience offers hope, inspiration (The Columbian, March 2)

Brain fog isn’t a formal medical diagnosis, but it can be debilitating. Here’s what you need to know (Livestrong.com, Feb. 26)

Helmi Lutsep, M.D., Zaps to the spinal cord improved patients’ paralysis after stroke (The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 20)

Lindsey Wooliscroft, M.D., OHSU clinical trial tests exercise for multiple sclerosis treatment (OHSU News, Feb. 20)

Caroline Tse, M.D., Doctors in the gray Northwest say getting some Vitamin D is a good idea (The Columbian, Feb. 7)

Letisha Wyatt, Ph.D., Neuroscientists grapple with new data management rules (The Simons Foundation, Jan. 30)

Kristy Knight, M.S., C-C.C.-A.Based on OHSU research, FDA approves drug that reduces hearing loss in pediatric cancer patients (OPB Think Out Loud, Jan. 27) and Edward Neuwelt, M.D., and Leslie Muldoon, Ph.D.Driven by OHSU research, FDA approves new drug to prevent hearing loss in children with cancer (OHSU News, Jan. 17)

Even simple motions make ripples across brain, study finds (University of Oregon, Jan. 27)

Aimee Pierce, M.D.At OHSU, researchers test a promising Alzheimer’s drug – and search for a cause (OPB, Jan. 24), OHSU at frontlines of new drug trial aimed at preventing Alzheimer’s disease (KGW, Jan. 18), and OHSU News, Jan 26

2022 stories

OHSU 2022 accomplishments: The year in review (OHSU News, Dec. 28)

Vijayshree Yadav, M.D., Helius Medical Technologies adds third center of excellence (Physical Therapy Products, Nov. 9)

Selda Yildiz, Ph.D., How to know if breathwork is right for you (Mashable, Nov. 6)

David Spencer, M.D., and Kim Burchiel, M.D., Oregon Health & Science University performs brain surgery in clinical trial for epilepsy (The Columbian, Nov. 6), OHSU News

Great Salt Lick Auction turns livestock’s leftovers into beloved Baker City event (The Oregonian, Oct. 2)

Lauren Talman, M.D., The Portland Team Hope Walk seeks to raise hope and awareness for Huntington’s Disease (KOIN, Sept. 22)

Ed Neuwelt, Ph.D., Fennec Pharmaceuticals announces FDA approval of Pedmark (sodium thiosulfate injection) (Globe Newswire, Sept. 21)

Jet lag explained: Causes, symptoms, and treatments (Health Digest, Sept. 21)

Wearable sensors may identify MS patients at greater risk of falls (Multiple Sclerosis News Today, Sept. 19)

Jeff Kaye, M.D., Daily multivitamins improved the brain function of seniors in a trial – but plenty of questions remain (STAT News, Sept. 14)

Ilker Yaylali, M.D., Ph.D., and Paul Motika, M.D., OHSU researchers and Analog Devices collaborate on a wearable device for seizure detection (OHSU Research News, Sept. 9)

Hiroko Dodge, Ph.D., Meysam Asgari, Ph.D., Kexin Yu and Patrick PruittA chat every other day keeps dementia at bay? (Alz Forum, Aug. 31), Video calls improved cognition in older people at risk of Alzheimer’s (The New Scientist, Aug. 17), Video conversations may keep aging brains from declining (Bloomberg, Aug. 10), Virtual chats linked to improved memory, well-being in older adults (Medscape, Aug. 3), OHSU News

Layton Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, The beneficial surprises of caregiver research (OHSU On the Brain, Aug. 16)

MS ResearchNational MS Society invests $19 million to launch 40 new multiple sclerosis research projects to drive pathways to cures (EurekAlert, Aug. 4)

Fay Horak, Ph.D.Exercises to improve balance can reduce falls and boost confidence (Brain & Life, August/September edition)

Dan Hartung, Pharm.D., and Rebecca Spain, M.D., State’s new prescription drug affordability board gets to work (The Lund Report, June 23)

Miranda Lim, M.D., Ph.D.The science of sleep: Pacific Northwest researchers explore secrets of a good night’s sleep (OPB, June 1), OHSU News and SLEEP 2022 to focus on treatment advances, timely topics (AJMC, June 1)

Martina Mancini, Ph.D.Podcast: Freezing, moving and cueing – understanding gait and Parkinson’s disease (Parkinson’s Life, May 26)

Vivek Unni, M.D., Ph.D.Melanoma Research Alliance announces $13 million in grants to advance melanoma prevention, detection and treatment (Business Wire, May 19)

Jay Nutt, M.D., and John Hammerstad, M.D.Mary’s Woods residents honored for helping start OHSU Parkinson’s Center (Lake Oswego Review, May 13)

Marian Dale, M.D.Physician-scientist Marian Dale is talking the walk (OHSU News, May 5)

Prokopios Antonellis, Ph.D.When timed right, robotic device reduces walkers’ metabolic rate (AAAS, March 18), Surprising way to make walking easier (Science Daily, March 31) and OHSU Research News (March 16)

Digital Medicine Society rallies global healthcare leaders to collaborate on digital measurement for Alzheimer’s disease (PR Newswire, March 14)

Helmi Lutsep, M.D.Lower income linked to higher odds of clogged neck arteries (American Heart Association News, Feb. 9)

New Study: Assumptions about race affect quality of care for minority dementia patients (Daly Nurse, Feb. 3)

Joseph Quinn, M.D.FDA grants breakthrough designation for Lewy body detection test (Healio Neurology, Jan. 25)

Dennis Bourdette, M.D.Real-world data used to compare MS treatments. Here’s what they found (Neurology Today, Jan. 6)

2021 stories

Daniel Hartung, Pharm.D., M.P.H., Dennis Bourdette, M.D., and co-authors, Massive cost, meager benefit (OHSU News, Dec. 13), Portland Business Journal, Reuters Health

Walt Dawson, D.Phil, Who will take care of our aging population? (MedPage Today, Dec. 10), Compassion exhaustion and elder care (Aging Well podcast, Dec. 24), and Build brains better: A proposal for a White House Brain Capital Council to accelerate post-COVID recovery and resilience (Brookings Institution, Dec. 22)

Chris Kroenke, Ph.D., and Xiaojie Wang, Ph.D., New research shows how brain wrinkles might influence brain function (OHSU Research News, Dec. 2)

Miranda Lim, M.D., Ph.D., OHSU scientist collaborates on new device to enhance sleep (OHSU News, Oct. 27) and GeekWire

Sará King, Ph.D., 15 influential yogis you need to know (Yoga Journal, Oct. 26)

Portland Walk to End Alzheimerr’s funds research in finding a cure (KATU, Oct. 15)

Walt Dawson, D.Phil., Congress needs to fix our broken Social Security system – now (Next Avenue, Sept. 28), Report: Pandemic will cause Social Security funding shortage (Public News Service, Sept. 8)

Ed Neuwelt, M.D., and Kristin Knight, M.S., CCC-A, Tough choices: Chemo that can save kids with cancer can also damage hearing (HealthDay, Sept. 28)

Kim Hutchison, M.D., OHSU sleep specialist: Naps can improve wakefulness, effectiveness and cheerfulness (The Columbian, Aug. 31)

Asha Singh, M.D., Sleep apnea sufferers scramble after Philips recall of critical machine (The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 15) and 11 things that make sleep apnea worse (U.S. News & World Report, Aug. 23)

Raina Croff, Ph.D., Gentrification, displacement, and aging in place in a Black community with Dr. Raina Croff (The Gerontologist Podcast)

Tom Scanlan, Ph.D., and Skylar Ferrara, Ph.D., Discovery raises possibility of new medication for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s (OHSU News, Aug. 9), Drug Target Review, EuroNews

Lauren Talman, M.D., Competitive rowing helps Portland Paralympian manage Parkinson’s Disease (KGW, Aug. 6)

Walt Dawson, D.Phil., Pandemic amplifies urgent need for long-term care reform (Medscape, Aug. 5) and Alleviating the huge economic burden of caregiving on families (Global Brain Health Institute)

Jeffrey Kaye, M.D., OHSU is part of national institute to advance artificial intelligence (OHSU News, Aug. 4), Bill Thies Award for Distinguished Service (Alzheimer’s Association)

Bonnie Nagel, Ph.D., Back to school this year includes physical, emotional prep (KOIN, Aug. 3)

Miranda Lim, M.D., Ph.D., The quest for rest: Sleep could be the key to fighting Alzheimer’s – and a huge business opportunity (Fortune, July 31)

Parkinson’s Foundation emphasizes patient role in clinical research (Parkinson’s News Today, July 21)

Marian Dale, M.D., M.C.R., OHSU among 25 centers treating debilitating movement disorder (OHSU News, July 1)

Dharma Colgan, Ph.D., Meditation: Doing little, achieving a lot (The Columbian, June 15)

Kelly Monk, Ph.D., Chris Stauffer, M.D., Peter Spencer, Ph.D., Juliette Preston, M.D., Jacqueline Bernard, M.D., and Andrew Natonson, M.D., Brain Awareness Season (lectures recorded and posted from May 5, May 12 and May 19)

Edward Neuwelt, M.D., Leslie Muldoon, Ph.D., Cymon Kersch, M.D., Ph.D., and Michael Pagel, NIH-OHSU study: Short-term brain inflammation may help treat neurological tumors, disease (OHSU Research News, May 18)

Walt Dawson, D.Phil., COVID-19 and long-term care reform (The Hill, May 4)

Ramon Barajas Jr., M.D., Imaging tumors, improving outcomes (OHSU News, May 4)

Jonathan Elliott, Ph.D., ‘Light therapy’ could help brain-injured veterans struggling with PTSD (HealthDay, April 28)

Walt Dawson, D.Phil., Pumping irony: a long-term rehab project (Experience Life, April 20), OHSU News

Lynne Shinto, N.D., Brain fog or cognitive decline? What you need to know (Growing Bolder)

Kelly Monk, Ph.D., Chris Staffer, M.D., Peter Spencer, Ph.D., Juliette Preston, M.D., Jacqueline Bernard, M.D., and Andrew Natonson, M.D., M.S., OHSU resumes Brain Awareness Season lecture series (OHSU News, April 16)

Jacob Raber, Ph.D., Physical activity slows cognitive decline in APOE e4 carriers with Parkinson’s disease (Healio Neurology, April 13)

Cinda Hugos, M.S., P.T., Electronic pill bottle improves DMT adherence, subcutaneous cladribine personalized dosing well-tolerated, MS fatigue unchanged long-term (Neurology Live, March 6)

Jacob Raber, Ph.D., Changes in the gut microbiome potentially linked to Alzheimer’s (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), OHSU News

Ishu Arpan, P.T., Ph.D., Instrumented postural sway test differentiates fallers from non-fallers in MS (Neurology Live, Feb. 26)

Walt Dawson, D.Phil., Universal coverage of long-term care for older Americans may stabilize provider revenues (Healthcare Finance, Feb. 19) and OHSU News

Lia Ernst, M.D., With careful management, pregnancy does not worsen seizures in women with epilepsy, new study shows (Neurology Today, Feb. 4)

Helmi Lutsep, M.D., Stroke care dwindles worldwide during pandemic, study finds (OHSU News, Feb. 3)

Randy Woltjer, M.D., Bile acids may play previously unknown role in Parkinson’s (Neuroscience News, Feb. 2)

Scott Wong, Ph.D., and Dennis Bourdette, M.D., Research suggests development of antiviral therapies to treat multiple sclerosis (Science News, Jan. 22), Science Magazine, OHSU News

Dennis Bourdette, M.D., Priya Chaudhary, Ph.D., Tom Scanlan, Ph.D., and Ben Emery, Ph.D., Study suggests compound protects myelin, nerve fibers (OHSU News, Jan. 13)

Walt Dawson, D.Phil., Long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain could mean a wave of dementia cases (Covering Health blog of the Association of Health Care Journalists, Jan. 11)

Miranda Lim, M.D., Ph.D., OHSU doctor says we’re starved for sleep but hope isn’t lost (The Columbian, Jan. 11