Neurologist

Brain Matters: Stories of a Neurologist and His Patients by Bruce H. Dobkin MD (Crown: $17.95) There is an endless debate among science writers over whether it is better to be a writer who learns science or a scientist who learns to write. In general, scientists tend to write for other scientists, and they have difficulty conveying their material to the interested lay public. So for the most part, it is better to be a writer first. But the very best science writers are scientists.

Concussion research has yet to turn up therapies that can diminish the consequences of a mild traumatic brain injury or shorten the duration of its symptoms, the nation's leading group of neurologists concluded on Monday. But in athletics, there is one step that can avert lengthening symptoms or exacerbating damage from a blow to the head, the American Academy of Neurology wrote: Take the athlete out of the game or off the practice field when a concussion is suspected, and delay his or her return to play until the all-clear has been issued by a trainer or physician skilled in diagnosing and treating brain injury.

A UC San Francisco neurologist working to crack the mysteries of early-onset dementia and a Marin County poet known for her spare, often witty verses are among the 22 winners of this year's MacArthur Foundation "genius" grants. Each winner will receive $500,000 over the next five years to use however they choose. Established in 1981, the prestigious prizes recognize originality and the potential for important future work in a wide array of sciences, arts and social activism. Among this year's other MacArthur recipients are a New Jersey silversmith who restores medieval treasures, a Massachusetts psychologist working to lower suicide rates and a North Carolina researcher who has made key advances in the diagnosis and treatment of sports-related concussions.

NEW YORK - Oliver Sacks never meant to be part of the story. Indeed, much of his new book, "Hallucinations," (Alfred A. Knopf: 326 pp., $26.95), which mixes case studies, analysis and personal observation, had already been written when, in March 2011, the 79-year-old author and neurologist tripped over a box of books in his lower Manhattan apartment and broke his hip. While in the hospital, he was visited by a friend who got him talking about the...

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' condition essentially remained unchanged overnight Sunday, doctors at University Medical Center in Tucson said in a Monday news conference. "No change is good, and we have no change," said Dr. Michael Lemole, chief of neurosurgery at the medical center and one of the neurosurgeons who cared for Giffords after she was shot Saturday. "She is still following basic commands, and her CAT scans are showing no progression of swelling. Every day that goes by, we are slightly more optimistic.

Three days after suffering a broken nose and a concussion, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will play tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Getting the OK to play was hardly an easy process. Bryant had to sucessfully complete numerous tests to prove he had no conscussion-related symptoms, including neurological, bicycle, Axon and treadmill tests as well as a game of two-on-two. But neurologist Vern Williams said Bryant "passed them all with flying colors. " Williams observed Bryant four times after a hard foul from Miami guard Dwyane Wade gave Bryant a broken nose and a concussion, including a visit less than an hour before the 7:30 p.m. tip time.

In the world of neurologist Oliver Sacks, there is a retired sailor whose memory lasts no more than a minute. A conversation between identical twins consists solely of prime numbers. A woman "loses" her body. A 93-year-old man walks tilted to one side yet thinks he is as upright as a flag pole. And a talented professor of music believes that a rose is not a rose but a "convoluted red form with a linear green attachment."

One year ago this month, the California State Athletic Commission began requiring yearly neurological exams of all professional boxers in California. At last, many thought, here was progressive reform in boxing. No longer would boxers who stayed around too long and taken too many punches be allowed to box in California. Possibly, even younger boxers who were found to be at risk of the so-called punch-drunk syndrome would be refused licenses. It hasn't quite worked out that way.

Vertigo. For most people, the word summons images of Jimmy Stewart dangling from high places in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller by the same name. It means something else, however, to hundreds of thousands of people who experience the strange, dizzying affliction. The most common cause of vertigo, known as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, usually can be treated with one visit to the doctor.

Kelly Osbourne has been released from the hospital after a five-day stay following a seizure the E! fashionista had on the set of her show "Fashion Police. " "Kelly Osbourne has returned home and has been given a clean bill of health by her doctor," her rep told E! News. The 28-year-old experienced a 30-second seizure while filming her E! roundtable show Thursday and collapsed on the set. She was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and was admitted for several days as a precautionary measure so doctors could pinpoint what may have caused the episode.

The golf course is in pristine condition, there's nary a breeze, and you're about to sink a birdie on the 18th green. But just as the putter is about to meet the ball, your wrist jerks involuntarily - sending your round white nemesis 3 inches too far to the left. Known as "the yips," this infuriating twitch has caused many a golfer to increase what would otherwise have been a perfectly respectable handicap. To the untrained eye, it looks like a clear-cut case of nerves kicking in at a crucial moment.

Three days after suffering a broken nose and a concussion, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will play tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Getting the OK to play was hardly an easy process. Bryant had to sucessfully complete numerous tests to prove he had no conscussion-related symptoms, including neurological, bicycle, Axon and treadmill tests as well as a game of two-on-two. But neurologist Vern Williams said Bryant "passed them all with flying colors. " Williams observed Bryant four times after a hard foul from Miami guard Dwyane Wade gave Bryant a broken nose and a concussion, including a visit less than an hour before the 7:30 p.m. tip time.

Kobe Bryant played against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. Exactly how did it happen? He suffered a concussion Sunday in the All-Star game but his symptoms two days later were related to neck trauma, not a concussion, said Bryant's neurologist, Vern Williams . Williams held a brief news conference before Wednesday's tip-off to clarify his findings and detail Bryant's sometimes unsteady path after taking a hard foul from...

The confirmed high rates of domestic abuse -- or interpersonal violence -- led two major physicians' groups this week to call for routine screening of patients for signs of abuse. On Monday, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released a statement urging its members to screen women "at periodic intervals" for intimate partner violence. Pregnant women should be screened during prenatal visits, they said. About 25% of U.S. women have been physically or sexually assaulted by a current or former partner, the ACOG report notes.

As scientists confirm that football and other high-impact sports can leave lasting brain damage, companies are marketing "anti-concussion" equipment to coaches, parents and children that, neurologists say, probably does not work. "I wish there was such a product on the market," Jeffrey Kutcher, chairman of the American Academy of Neurology's sports section, said at a Senate hearing Wednesday. "The simple truth is that no current helmet, mouth guard, headband or other piece of equipment can significantly prevent concussions from occurring.

A UC San Francisco neurologist working to crack the mysteries of early-onset dementia and a Marin County poet known for her spare, often witty verses are among the 22 winners of this year's MacArthur Foundation "genius" grants. Each winner will receive $500,000 over the next five years to use however they choose. Established in 1981, the prestigious prizes recognize originality and the potential for important future work in a wide array of sciences, arts and social activism. Among this year's other MacArthur recipients are a New Jersey silversmith who restores medieval treasures, a Massachusetts psychologist working to lower suicide rates and a North Carolina researcher who has made key advances in the diagnosis and treatment of sports-related concussions.

My neighbor's child, Daniel, was only 5 when she noticed that he blinked a lot. Reassured by numerous family members and friends (some of whom were physicians) that it would go away on its own, she tried to ignore it. Such tics are, in fact, common. Almost 20% of children develop one before age 10.

It's been a rough week. A few days ago, at UCLA's Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, 6-year-old Jani toppled a food cart and was confined to her room. She slammed her head against the floor, opening a bloody cut that sent her into hysterics. Later, she kicked the hospital therapy dog. Jani normally likes animals. But most of her animal friends -- cats, rats, dogs and birds -- are phantoms that only she can see. January Schofield has schizophrenia. Potent psychiatric drugs -- in doses that would stagger most adults -- seem to skip off her. She is among the rarest of the rare: a child seemingly born mentally ill. She suffers from delusions, hallucinations and paroxysms of rage so severe that not even her parents feel safe.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' condition essentially remained unchanged overnight Sunday, doctors at University Medical Center in Tucson said in a Monday news conference. "No change is good, and we have no change," said Dr. Michael Lemole, chief of neurosurgery at the medical center and one of the neurosurgeons who cared for Giffords after she was shot Saturday. "She is still following basic commands, and her CAT scans are showing no progression of swelling. Every day that goes by, we are slightly more optimistic.

In a bid to set a new standard for amateur sports leagues' treatment of brain injury, the American Academy of Neurology recommended Monday that any athlete suspected of suffering a concussion be removed from play immediately and be seen by a physician specially trained in the evaluation and treatment of brain trauma. Athletes should not return to play, the group added, until they have been cleared by a specialist. The nation's largest professional association of neurologists also recommended that a certified athletic trainer be present at all sporting events ?