Clinical Neuroscience
Mission: Numerous individuals within
the University of Maryland School of Medicine, including many
members of the Program in Neuroscience, are internationally recognized
for their outstanding contributions to clinical medicine and
clinical research. Of particular importance, many clinical neuroscientists
pursue laboratory investigations that bridge the basic and clinical
sciences, offering on the one hand cutting edge advances directly
relevant to patient care while simultaneously utilizing the most
advanced techniques that the basic sciences have to offer.
Prominent clinicians affiliated with
the Program in Neuroscience have primary appointments in a variety
of clinical departments, including Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry,
Opthalmology, Pathology and Anesthesiology. Many of these individuals
participate in the Neuroscience Research Focus Groups, which are
highly effective at bringing together clinical and basic scientists
from diverse departments, and in facilitating translation of knowledge
from preclinical studies into improved treatments for neurologic
and psychiatric disorders.Stroke and neurotrauma are particularly
well-represented by the University of Maryland Stroke Center, the
Maryland Brain Attack Center, the National Study Center for Trauma
and Emergency Medical Systems, and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma
Center. Clinical research within these centers covers the entire
spectrum of activities from pre-hospital diagnostics and care to
acute, in-hospital pharmacological and surgical interventions, to
long-term rehabilitation. Active areas of clinical investigation
involve determining best treatments for thrombotic stoke, cerebral
hemorrhage and carotid stenosis utilizing the most modern treatments,
including intra-arterial thrombolyic therapy, carotid stent placement
vs. endarterectomy, and non-invasive Gamma Knife treatment for arteriovenous
malformations. Complementary preclinical research carried out in
the Anesthesiology and Neurosurgery Departments focuses on cellular
and molecular mechanisms regulating vascular, astroglial and neuronal
function in stroke and trauma.
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Functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) is used to reveal left hemisphere brain
regions with significant increases in activity during
auditory language processing (areas shown in red).
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Considerable clinical research is also
directed toward the treatment of chronic neurodegenerative
diseases such as Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, and multiple
sclerosis. These activities are organized within the Alzheimers
and Parkinsons Disease Programs, the Maryland Center for Multiple
Sclerosis, and the Center for Research on Aging. Clinical activities
include ongoing trials for pharmacological treatment of the various
disorders, as well as surgical trials implanting deep brain stimulators
for management of Parkinsons patients.
Clinical neuroscientists use the latest technology,
including non-invasive Gamma Knife Radiuosurgery, to treat patients
with a variety of neurological conditions.
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Preclinical research efforts relevant
to understanding these degenerative diseases are the focus of ongoing
research efforts in the Pathology, Neurology, Pharmacology and Physiology
Departments.
Other outstanding clinical neuroscience
programs include those within the Maryland Psychiatric Research
Center, widely recognized as one of the most highly regarded schizophrenia
research centers in the world. Apart from clinical activities aimed
at better understanding and treating these conditions, efforts
are underway to assess the role of surgically implanted vagal nerve
stimulators for treating a variety of clinical disorders. The Maryland
Epilepsy Center has contributed much to the development of novel
anti-epileptic drugs, to sophisticated mapping of abnormal electrical
activity utilizing advanced computational methods, and surgical
procedures for the treatment of patients unresponsive to medical
therapies. These clinical efforts are further augmented by availability
of human tissues resected during epilepsy surgery that are utilized
by researchers in the Pharmacology Department to advance understanding
of human neuronal function. The Pain Research Focus area is complimented
by the University of Maryland Pain Center, committed to improving
the lives of people with chronic pain utilizing not only conventional
medical therapies but also non-traditional methods such as acupuncture.
The thousands of patients whose suffering
is relieved and whose lives are improved by the efforts of the
health care professionals within these departments, centers and
programs are a testament to the importance of sustaining research
by world leaders, like the University of Maryland, in the field
of clinical neuroscience.
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