Following is a tip sheet of story ideas from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. To arrange interviews, please contact the individual listed.
Been There? Done That? If You Are Sure, Thank Your ‘Memory Cells’
The witness on the stand says he saw the accused at the scene of the crime. Is he sure? How sure? The jury’s verdict could hinge on that level of certainty. Many decisions we make every day are influenced by our memories and the confidence we have in them. But very little is known about how we decide whether we can trust a memory or not. A new Cedars-Sinai study provides some of the answers. Researchers have identified a unique set of neurons in the medial temporal lobe, an area of the brain where memories and memory-based decisions are processed.
CONTACT: Sandy Van, 808-526-1708; Email: [email protected]
Pioneering Diabetes Researcher Honored for Mentoring Next Generation of Scientists
Richard Bergman, PhD, a renowned diabetes and obesity researcher, is being recognized by the American Diabetes Association for his distinguished record of mentoring a new generation of scientists. Bergman, director of the Cedars-Sinai Diabetes & Obesity Research Institute, has received the Albert Renold Award from the American Diabetes Association for his outstanding contributions to training emerging diabetes researchers and for facilitating scientific investigation in the specialized field.
CONTACT: Laura Coverson, 310-423-5215; Email: [email protected]
YouTube Video: From Her Living Room, Colorado Mother of Three Consults Cedars-Sinai Neurosurgeon, Schedules Surgery for Tumor Considered ‘Inoperable’
Doctors in Denver told Katie Lewis, 32, that a tumor growing in the space beneath her brain could not be removed – it was too close to the vital carotid artery supplying blood to her brain. Radiation to shrink the tumor was her best option, they said, but the double vision and other symptoms affecting the mother of three young children would remain with her for life. That was before Michael Alexander, MD, a neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai, saw her. From the comfort of her living room in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Lewis consulted Alexander, thanks to teleconsultation technology that enables Cedars-Sinai neurologists and neurosurgeons to conduct one-to-one visits with patients virtually anywhere in the world. YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njshj6q75GA&feature=youtu.be
CONTACT: Sandy Van, 808-526-1708; Email: [email protected]
Cedars-Sinai’s Neurology Residency Program to Graduate Inaugural Class
Cedars-Sinai’s inaugural class of neurology residents is set to graduate June 14. The three graduates began their neurology residency training in July 2012, and all have been accepted into prestigious fellowship programs at three nationally recognized medical centers – Stanford University, UCLA and Cedars-Sinai.
CONTACT: Sandy Van, 808-526-1708; Email: [email protected]
Nanotechnology Identifies Brain Tumor Types Through MRI “Virtual Biopsy” in Animal Studies
Biomedical researchers at Cedars-Sinai have invented a tiny drug-delivery system that can identify cancer cell types in the brain through “virtual biopsies” and then attack the molecular structure of the disease. If laboratory research with mice is borne out in human studies, the results could be used to deliver nano-scale drugs that can distinguish and fight tumor cells in the brain without resorting to surgery.
CONTACT: Sandy Van, 808-526-1708; Email: [email protected]