Minds and brains: angels, humans, and brutes

1982 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-315
Author(s):  
Mortimer J. Adler
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Conceptual Thought ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Fine Print

✓ In his 1982 Cushing oration, a distinguished philosopher, author, and discerning critic presents a distillate of his phenomenally wide range of personal experience and his familiarity with the great books and teachers of the present and the past. He explores the differences and relationships between human beings, brute animals, and machines. Knowledge of the brain and nervous system contribute to the explanation of all aspects of animal behavior, intelligence, and mentality, but cannot completely explain human conceptual thought.

Immune surveillance and tumors of the nervous system

1978 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Morantz ◽  
William Shain ◽  
Humberto Cravioto
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Immune System ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Immune Surveillance ◽  
Tumor Formation ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Content Type ◽  
System Tumor ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The theory of immune surveillance postulates that one function of the immune system is to eliminate small numbers of malignant cells that arise spontaneously within the organism. Although there has been a great deal of both clinical and experimental evidence in favor of this theory as it applies to general oncology, the question of whether or not such a surveillance system would be effective for tumors arising within the nervous system has never been studied. The young of pregnant rats which had been exposed to the neurocarcinogen ethylnitrosourea (ENU) were divided into control, immunosuppressed, and immunoenhanced groups. These lifetime alterations of the immune system had no effect on the course of nervous system tumor formation. We believe that the most likely explanation for our results is that the “immunological privilege” of the brain prevents the usual interaction of the neoplasm and the immune system from occurring.

Capillary hemangioma of the central nervous system

2004 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masamitsu Abe ◽  
Kazuo Tabuchi ◽  
Shin Tanaka ◽  
Akira Hodozuka ◽  
Katsuzo Kunishio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Capillary Hemangioma ◽  
Benign Tumors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perifocal Edema ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Capillary hemangiomas are benign tumors or tumorlike lesions that originate from blood vessels and have rarely been reported to develop in the brain or spinal cord. The authors summarize the clinical and histological features of capillary hemangiomas of the central nervous system (CNS). Methods. The clinical features, imaging characteristics, and outcomes in 10 patients with CNS capillary hemangiomas were reviewed. Histological studies included immunostaining with CD31, α-smooth muscle actin, vascular endothelial growth factor, and Ki-67 antigen. Three patients with lesions in the brain presented with symptoms of increased intracranial pressure or seizures. Seven patients with lesions in the spinal cord presented with progressive sensorimotor disturbances of the lower limbs. Computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated well-defined, enhancing lesions associated with marked perifocal edema. Angiography demonstrated hypervascular lesions, which have not recurred after resection. In two cases, multiple satellite lesions resolved after the systemic administration of steroid drugs or interferon-α. Histologically, all lesions were consistent with findings of capillary hemangioma of the skin or soft tissues. The CNS lesions differed significantly from other vascular neoplasms, such as hemangioendotheliomas, hemangiopericytomas, and hemangioblastomas. Conclusions. Capillary hemangiomas of the CNS are benign lesions that can be surgically removed and cured without adjuvant therapy.

Research and training in the neurosurgical sciences

1982 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 733-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Langfitt
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Research Training ◽  
New Developments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Active Interest ◽  
And Training ◽  
Functional Neurology ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The author surveys the past and looks to the future in presenting the goals of research and research training in neurosurgery. He describes several categories of research which appear to be open and attractive, and the types of program organization designed to achieve the desired goals. Acquisition of new knowledge about the nervous system, leading to improvement in diagnosis and management of patients, will probably remain within the surgical domain, but nonsurgical intervention will continue to demand and attract the active interest of neurosurgeons. The past and present contributions of neurosurgeons to basic neurophysiology and functional neurology dictate the ongoing need for the neurosurgeon to participate in the evolution of new developments in fundamental neurosciences and their clinical application.

Primary demyelinating disease simulating glioma of the corpus callosum

1981 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 620-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth G. Rieth ◽  
Giovanni Di Chiro ◽  
Laurence D. Cromwell ◽  
Paul E. McKeever ◽  
Paul L. Kornblith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Corpus Callosum ◽  
Demyelinating Disease ◽  
Mass Effect ◽  
Periventricular White Matter ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Fine Print

✓ Computerized tomography (CT) has made it easier to distinguish tumoral from nontumoral diseases of the central nervous system. In the presence of mass effect, however, this distinction may be difficult or impossible to make. Primary demyelinating disease may occasionally present as a focal cerebral mass. The authors report three cases of primary demyelinating disease of the brain involving the corpus callosum and periventricular white matter and associated with mass effect, which proved difficult to differentiate from infiltrating “butterfly” gliomas.

Surface properties, more than size, limiting convective distribution of virus-sized particles and viruses in the central nervous system

2005 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Y. Chen ◽  
Alan Hoffer ◽  
Paul F. Morrison ◽  
John F. Hamilton ◽  
Jeffrey Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Extracellular Space ◽  
Invasive Technique ◽  
Major Barrier ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Achieving distribution of gene-carrying vectors is a major barrier to the clinical application of gene therapy. Because of the blood—brain barrier, the distribution of genetic vectors to the central nervous system (CNS) is even more challenging than delivery to other tissues. Direct intraparenchymal microinfusion, a minimally invasive technique, uses bulk flow (convection) to distribute suspensions of macromolecules widely through the extracellular space (convection-enhanced delivery [CED]). Although acute injection into solid tissue is often used for delivery of oligonucleotides, viruses, and liposomes, and there is preliminary evidence that certain of these large particles can spread through the interstitial space of the brain by the use of convection, the use of CED for distribution of viruses in the brain has not been systematically examined. That is the goal of this study. Methods. Investigators used a rodent model to examine the influence of size, osmolarity of buffering solutions, and surface coating on the volumetric distribution of virus-sized nanoparticles and viruses (adeno-associated viruses and adenoviruses) in the gray matter of the brain. The results demonstrate that channels in the extracellular space of gray matter in the brain are large enough to accommodate virus-sized particles and that the surface characteristics are critical determinants for distribution of viruses in the brain by convection. Conclusions. These results indicate that convective distribution can be used to distribute therapeutic viral vectors in the CNS.

Metastasis via ventriculoperitoneal shunt in patients with medulloblastoma

1976 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 562-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold J. Hoffman ◽  
E. Bruce Hendrick ◽  
Robin P. Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Posterior Fossa ◽  
Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt ◽  
Recurrent Tumor ◽  
Millipore Filter ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
System A ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The authors have routinely inserted a ventriculoperitoneal shunt in all patients with a posterior fossa tumor and hydrocephalus some 7–10 days prior to craniotomy. Forty-one patients with medulloblastoma were treated in this fashion and of these, four metastasized through the shunt and died of systemic metastases without evidence of recurrent tumor in their central nervous system. A millipore filter which can be incorporated in the shunt has been used by the authors during the past 18 months in an effort to prevent metastatic spread through the shunt.

Nasal glioma and encephalocele: two separate entities

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 516-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammod Younus ◽  
Peter E. Coode
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Malignant Tumor ◽  
Malignant Potential ◽  
Developmental Abnormality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nasal Glioma ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Fine Print

✓ The term “nasal glioma” is a confusing misnomer as it implies a neoplastic condition with malignant potential, which it is not. Nasal glioma is a rare developmental abnormality and should be differentiated from glioma, which is a malignant tumor of the brain, and from a primary encephalocele, which is herniation of the cranial contents through a bone defect in the skull, through which it retains an intact connection with the central nervous system. Two cases of nasal glioma, one with and one without intracranial connections, are described and the literature is reviewed.

Paradoxical progression of tuberculous lesions during chemotherapy of central nervous system tuberculosis

1995 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Prakash Rao ◽  
B. Rajendra Nadh ◽  
A. Hemaratnan ◽  
T. V. Srinivas ◽  
P. Kantha Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Drug Regimen ◽  
Shunt Insertion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Initial Drug ◽  
Fine Print ◽  
Peculiar Phenomenon

✓ The peculiar phenomenon of paradoxical progression during the treatment of central nervous system tuberculosis is discussed. A few cases with this phenomenon were reported in the past, and the authors have treated four such cases. During the treatment for tuberculous meningitis, the four patients developed new lesions, mainly in the form of tuberculomas, which progressed for some time and later regressed. In all these cases the initial drug regimen was not changed, except for the addition of steroids for a short period at the time of deterioration. All four patients underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion during the course of treatment. The authors discuss the significance of the changes in the lesions and management of such cases, and review the literature.

Radiosurgery for patients with recurrent small cell lung carcinoma metastatic to the brain: outcomes and prognostic factors

2005 ◽  
Vol 102 (Special_Supplement) ◽  
pp. 247-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Sheehan ◽  
Douglas Kondziolka ◽  
John Flickinger ◽  
L. Dade Lunsford
Keyword(s):  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Brain Metastases ◽  
Lung Carcinoma ◽  
Small Cell Lung Carcinoma ◽  
Small Cell ◽  
Small Cell Lung ◽  
Cell Lung Carcinoma ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Lung carcinoma is the leading cause of death from cancer. More than 50% of those with small cell lung cancer develop a brain metastasis. Corticosteroid agents, radiotherapy, and resection have been the mainstays of treatment. Nonetheless, median survival for patients with small cell lung carcinoma metastasis is approximately 4 to 5 months after cranial irradiation. In this study the authors examine the efficacy of gamma knife surgery for treating recurrent small cell lung carcinoma metastases to the brain following tumor growth in patients who have previously undergone radiation therapy, and they evaluate factors affecting survival. Methods. A retrospective review of 27 patients (47 recurrent small cell lung cancer brain metastases) undergoing radiosurgery was performed. Clinical and radiographic data obtained during a 14-year treatment period were collected. Multivariate analysis was utilized to determine significant prognostic factors influencing survival. The overall median survival was 18 months after the diagnosis of brain metastases. In multivariate analysis, factors significantly affecting survival included: 1) tumor volume (p = 0.0042); 2) preoperative Karnofsky Performance Scale score (p = 0.0035); and 3) time between initial lung cancer diagnosis and development of brain metastasis (p = 0.0127). Postradiosurgical imaging of the brain metastases revealed that 62% decreased, 19% remained stable, and 19% eventually increased in size. One patient later underwent a craniotomy and tumor resection for a tumor refractory to radiosurgery and radiation therapy. In three patients new brain metastases were demonstrating on follow-up imaging. Conclusions. Stereotactic radiosurgery for recurrent small cell lung carcinoma metastases provided effective local tumor control in the majority of patients. Early detection of brain metastases, aggressive treatment of systemic disease, and a therapeutic strategy including radiosurgery can extend survival.

scholarly journals Bio-Inspired Modality Fusion for Active Speaker Detection

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 3397
Author(s):  
Gustavo Assunção ◽  
Nuno Gonçalves ◽  
Paulo Menezes
Keyword(s):  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Validation Process ◽  
Detection Approach ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Speaker Detection ◽  
The One ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Fusion Ability

Human beings have developed fantastic abilities to integrate information from various sensory sources exploring their inherent complementarity. Perceptual capabilities are therefore heightened, enabling, for instance, the well-known "cocktail party" and McGurk effects, i.e., speech disambiguation from a panoply of sound signals. This fusion ability is also key in refining the perception of sound source location, as in distinguishing whose voice is being heard in a group conversation. Furthermore, neuroscience has successfully identified the superior colliculus region in the brain as the one responsible for this modality fusion, with a handful of biological models having been proposed to approach its underlying neurophysiological process. Deriving inspiration from one of these models, this paper presents a methodology for effectively fusing correlated auditory and visual information for active speaker detection. Such an ability can have a wide range of applications, from teleconferencing systems to social robotics. The detection approach initially routes auditory and visual information through two specialized neural network structures. The resulting embeddings are fused via a novel layer based on the superior colliculus, whose topological structure emulates spatial neuron cross-mapping of unimodal perceptual fields. The validation process employed two publicly available datasets, with achieved results confirming and greatly surpassing initial expectations.

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