Bleeding in the brain from a brain aneurysm remains a significant cause of death and disability. Aneurysms occur when a weak or thin spot on an artery in the brain that balloons or bulges out and fills with blood.

Arteries are the blood vessels carrying blood from the heart to different parts of the body and normally have thick, muscular walls, even inside the brain. These bulging aneurysms are weaker than the normal vessels, making them more likely to rupture and bleed.

If these aneurysms rupture, a severe, sudden-onset headache is usually the first symptom felt. Brain Aneurysm rupture survivors describe this headache as the worst headache of their life, or a headache as swift and severe as a thunderclap.

If you suffer a sudden, severe headache like this, time is of the essence. While treatment options are available to stabilize and improve your chances for recovery, it is crucial that you present to the emergency department as soon as possible.

Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs) are abnormal connections between your high-pressure arteries and low-pressure veins usually appearing as a tangle of many of these blood vessels. These tangles frequently develop in a developing fetus, or around the time of birth. In some cases, these malformations can be completely benign, and incidentally found while evaluating other problems. However, AVMs more commonly are found having caused bleeding in the brain, or compression of parts of the brain which resulted in weakness, numbness, vision loss, or the inability to speak.

Arterovenous Fistulas (AVFs) are similar to AVMs although usually involve a direct connection between arteries and a vein resulting in the same high pressure to low pressure shunt. These can be congenital (formed around birth), although often they either develop through life due to:

• Tobacco Abuse (Cigar, Cigarettes, Vaping, and Dip)
• High Blood Pressure
• Drug Abuse (including Cocaine, Heroin / Opiates, PCP)
• Severe Head Trauma

Audiology focuses on a patient’s hearing and balance problems. Our team at LCMC Health Neuroscience Institute will help you discover the root of your hearing loss and balance issues to develop a personalized care plan. No two patients are the same, and each deserves our full attention. Expect this type of care when you visit our medical facilities in New Orleans, LA. For more than 55 years, we have been helping our patients with modern treatments and up-to-date solutions when their ears begin to fail them. We go through continuous education to safeguard you from traditional practices which have been outdated or proven unsuccessful over the years.

The LCMC Health Neuroscience Institute is dedicated to helping those suffering from back pain and spine issues before they become debilitating. While many patients accept their back pain as a part of their life, there are treatments available that may help to minimize or eliminate your pain.

Over 80,000 adults in the US are diagnosed with a primary tumor of the brain or spinal cord each year, with approximately 25% of these tumors considered to be malignant (cancerous). In addition to primary brain tumors, over 100,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain or spinal cord metastasis (spread to the nervous system of a cancer that started elsewhere in the body).

Despite these high numbers, brain tumors are overall relatively rare. Because they are rare, and because they are generally not a hereditary condition and have no clear factors that predispose someone to developing a brain tumor, there is no recommended screening for them.

Being diagnosed with a brain tumor can be a fundamentally life changing event. As important as providing clinical expertise, our team is committed to providing compassionate, empathetic care and emotional support as patients and families navigate this difficult time. We believe that taking the time to answer every question is crucial to provide peace of mind, and that getting to know our patients and their families are fundamental to providing the best possible medical care.

Almost 800,000 people in the US have a stroke each year. This means about every 40 seconds, someone has a stroke, and every 4 minutes someone dies of stroke.

However, in the past decade major advances in medicine and surgery have substantially decreased the rates of death and permanent disability, bringing hope to those suffering from this disease.

Headaches are one of the most reported symptoms in all of medicine. Headaches are very non-specific, and can signify anything from a primary headache disorder, prodrome of a viral illness, sinus congestion related to weather changes, represent a sign of a serious life-threatening condition such as bleeding in the brain or a brain tumor, or be a symptom of a host of other medical, ophthalmologic, vascular, or neurologic disorders.

However, while headaches are a symptom of the above different medical conditions, they most frequently represent a medical condition in and of themselves. It is estimated that at some point in their lives, over half of the world’s population will be affected by an active headache disorder.

Audiology focuses on a patient’s hearing and balance problems. Our team at LCMC Health Neuroscience Institute will help you discover the root of your hearing loss and balance issues to develop a personalized care plan. No two patients are the same, and each deserves our full attention. Expect this type of care when you visit our medical facilities in New Orleans, LA. For more than 55 years, we have been helping our patients with modern treatments and up-to-date solutions when their ears begin to fail them. We go through continuous education to safeguard you from traditional practices which have been outdated or proven unsuccessful over the years.

Movement disorders describe abnormal movements you cannot control. Sometimes these conditions can result in too little movement, while other conditions can cause uncontrolled, or too much movement.

Some examples of movement disorders include:

• Tremors
• Tics
• Myoclonus
• Chorea/Athetosis
• Ballismus
• Dystonia
• Akathisia

There are many causes of movement disorders, but most involve an imbalance in the deeper structures in the brain, such as the basal ganglia. This area makes movements easier to perform, and more coordinated, smooth, and balanced.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the brain and spinal cord that affects 1 million Americans. MS affects young people more than old people and women more than men. Similar to other autoimmune diseases, MS occurs when your immune system attacks your nerve cells, particularly the “wires” connecting these cells.

What Are The Symptoms And Signs Of Multiple Sclerosis?

Because MS can affect so many parts of your nervous system, MS can cause many symptoms. Chief among these symptoms are

• Weakness and paralysis
• Numbness and tingling
• Vision loss
• Double vision
• Difficulty speaking
• Imbalance
• Trouble walking

Common syndromes that can be the first attack of MS include optic neuritis and transverse myelitis.

Patients with MS often suffer attacks (flares or relapses) with different symptoms. These attacks last days or weeks and can get better. Management of MS is focused on the prevention, treatment, and recovery from attacks.

Our Neurocritical care service is dedicated to the care of the sickest patients with diseases of the brain, spine, or nerves. Our specially trained, board-certified team serves to support the efforts of your neurosurgeon and neurologist, as well as the needs of you and your family as you recover.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects 1 million Americans. It is caused by a reduction in a specific chemical (dopamine) in certain parts of the brain. It can cause a resting tremor, slow movement, rigidity, and postural instability (poor balance and frequent falls). It can also affect memory, mood, and sleep. It typically affects older patients and slowly worsens.

Many medications treat the symptoms of PD, however, the right balance of medications for your condition can be hard to find and can change with time. However effective treatment for PD can improve your symptoms, independence, and quality of life for years to come.

There also are non-pharmacologic treatments for movement disorders. Physical and occupational therapy programs, including LSVT for PD, can benefit many patients. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is also commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor.

Acute, inpatient treatment by neuroscience specialists for a debilitating disease like stroke, head bleed, or traumatic brain injury is only half the battle. Studies have shown there is a crucial period after hospitalization where aggressive physical therapy and rehabilitation can make the difference between living with permanent deficits or recovering function. While not every patient can fully recover from a disabling injury, the goal of the West Jefferson Rehabilitation Center at the LCMC Health Neuroscience Institute is to give each person the best, state-of-the-art, evidence-based care to maximize their potential for improvement.

Despite being a universal necessity among living species, sleep is a part of life that is often taken for granted. As human beings, we can expect to spend, on average, one third of our lives asleep. The NIH estimates that between 50-70 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder, and that 1 in 3 Americans do not get the recommended amount of uninterrupted sleep needed to support their health.

In addition to the obvious impact on quality of life that poor sleep quality results in, studies have shown that it can also have a serious impact on a person’s health, and in some instances can contribute to conditions that can, actually, lead prematurely to death.

Around 1% of the population of the United States (around 3.5 Million) have been diagnosed with a seizure, which is a sudden, uncontrolled electrical discharge in the brain. This “short-circuit” of the brain is most commonly associated with convulsive, jerking movements in the body; however, other types of more subtle seizures can occur including:

• Staring off and being unresponsive to stimulus
• Lost consciousness, lost awareness
• Confusion and loss of knowledge of where one is
• Changes in your behavior, movements or feelings