Patient’s Own Immune Cells Contribute To Memory Loss After Surgery, Study Finds
More than 10 percent of surgery patients 60 years and older show some degree of mental impairment three months following surgery.
The Mercury News:
Temporary Memory Loss After Surgery May Be Tied To Brain's Immune Cells
A new study published Thursday in JCI Insight, an online companion publication to the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggests that brain inflammation and cognitive decline following surgery are triggered by the brain’s own specialized immune cells, called microglia. In the UCSF research, mice given an experimental oral drug that temporarily depletes microglia before an operation were much less likely to fail memory tests several days after surgery, suggesting a possible new approach to preventing the condition in humans. (Seipel, 4/6)
In other public health news —
KQED:
This Video Game Helped Some Kids Overcome Attention Problems
The UCSF study, spearheaded in 2014 by two Department of Neurology professors, brought Katherine and 62 other elementary school kids (38 with SPD and 25 with typical development patterns) into a lab where an EEG machine tracked their brain activity while they followed computer prompts designed to measure their ability to focus and multitask. (Scott, 4/6)
KQED:
These Colorful Dots Will Save Your Life
San Francisco began working with Pestec, a pest control company, to treat more than 23,000 storm drains in the city for mosquitoes. Its eight-member San Francisco Mosquito Abatement Courier Team (SF MAC Team) completes most treatment by hand, getting around on bike or foot. (Placzek, 4/6)