Katlyn Dupree's Blog

For my second Neuro Note I watched a TED Talk titled, Parkinson's, depression, and the switch that might turn them off. Andres Lozano, a Neuro Surgeon, explains in his TED Talk how it could be possible to use deep brain stimulation to excite the areas of the brain affected in neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, depression, and dystonia. This TED Talk made me really excited for the future of this procedure. I can see deep brain stimulation helping many people in the future. I recommend this TED Talk to anyone who is even a little interested in neuroscience, because it was really interesting. Dr. Lozano used a few examples of this study throughout his presentation. The first example he uses is of a woman who has Parkinson's disease. This lady had uncontrollable tremors that made it almost impossible for her to touch her nose and then touch the doctor's finger. The deep brain stimulation was then applied to her motor functioning cortex and immedia...

I really enjoyed reading Inside the Obriens  by Lisa Genova. I have heard of HD before, but I never really knew how awful this disease really is until learning about it in Neuro aspects. This book is a great representation of HD, and the repercussions this awful disease has on a family dynamic. This book really hit close to home for me because my dad is a Memphis police officer, and Joe Obrien, who is the father diagnosed with HD, is a Boston police officer. I think this helped me empathize with the family a little more than I would have otherwise. Reflecting on my thoughts of the book the thing that struck me the most was the progression of Katie's and Joe's relationship. Katie always felt less than her sister Meghan, so I think it was important for her to develop this special relationship with her dad during this tough time. Towards the end of the book Joe started doing yoga with Katie, and this time together meant so much to both of them. My greatest take away from this book...