NeoRestoration Foundation

06/23/2026

Ready to shape the future of women in neurosurgery? The WINS Resident Committee E-Board is accepting applications.
This is an opportunity to drive programming, amplify voices, and lead change for the next generation of neurosurgeons.

Applications close July 3, 2026, at midnight

06/23/2026

Interested in joining the WINS MSC? Applications close tonight, June 10th, 2026, 11:59 EST. We look forward to working with you!

06/23/2026

Glucosamine, a popular joint-pain supplement, may worsen outcomes in people with mild cognitive impairment, and a newly identified metabolic pathway involving excessive protein glycosylation could help explain why, new research suggests.

In a large electronic health record analysis, glucosamine use was associated with a 25% higher likelihood of progression from MCI to dementia over 5 years. Experiments in human brain tissue and mouse models suggested that excessive protein glycosylation may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease progression and that glucosamine supplementation could exacerbate the process by fueling glycan production.

Although preliminary, researchers said the findings point to glycan metabolism as a possible therapeutic target and raise questions about the safety of glucosamine use among patients with established dementia. Tap the link in our bio to read more about the research.

06/23/2026

The discovery of hidden awareness, also known as covert consciousness, in seemingly unresponsive patients is raising difficult questions in brain injury care.

First identified in a 2006 study, covert consciousness is detected with advanced neurotechnologies like task-based functional MRI or electroencephalography. In these tests, patients are asked to imagine performing a specific activity, like opening and closing their hand.

“For 25% of patients who cannot physically do that at the bedside, we can see that they are purposefully modulating their brain activity trying to perform the task,” said Brian Edlow, a critical care neurologist and an HMS associate professor of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

At Mayo Clinic, neuroscientists are seeking to understand — and ultimately restore — brain function through advanced computational tools, neuromodulation technologies, and multidisciplinary collaboration.⁣
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These new efforts are led by Gelareh Zadeh, M.D., Ph.D., a neurosurgeon and scientist. Dr. Zadeh specializes in neuro-oncology and has clinical expertise in treating brain tumors such as gliomas and meningiomas.⁣

06/23/2026

Columbia was proud to host the 21st Annual Neurosurgery Charity Softball Tournament on June 6 in Central Park, bringing the neurosurgery community together for a great cause.

Proceeds benefited the NREF K12 Scholars Program for brain tumor research through the , the philanthropic arm of the .

Congratulations to all who played — including our Columbia team for making it to the playoffs — and thank you to the volunteers, organizers, and everyone who helped make the day such a success.

A huge congratulations to on another win! 🥎

And of course… a special shoutout to everyone who kept the energy going at the after party the MSocial hotel in Times Square.

06/23/2026

"A lot of the concerns that we have are the products of our own imagination. They are self-inflicted." Prof. Dr. Fady Charbel on the mental burden surgeons carry — and his surprising coping mechanism.

06/19/2026

Dr. Paul Park recently became the first surgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine to use a 3D-printed "banana cage" — a curved spinal implant named for its shape, which allows it to be inserted and rotated into position at the front of the disc space during a TLIF (transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion).

The cage's curved design and forward placement help restore disc height and support spinal alignment, all through a minimally invasive approach.

This milestone builds on our spine team's growing experience with 3D-printed implant technology. Dr. Ibrahim Hussain previously performed the first TLIF at Cornell using a 3D-printed bullet-style cage. Two different designs, one shared goal: giving each patient the right fit for their anatomy.

Learn more about Dr. Park: https://neurosurgery.weill.cornell.edu/about-us/news-updates/faculty-spotlight-paul-park-md-mms

06/19/2026

For months, Aude Watrelot, a university professor from Ames, Iowa, had been losing her vision little by little. After extensive testing, an MRI revealed the reason her world had been going dark: a large, previously undetected tumor at the base of her skull, near the pituitary gland.⁣
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At 27 weeks pregnant, she arrived at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, nearly blind. A multidisciplinary team worked together to guide urgent, complex surgical care for this first-time expectant mother.⁣
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06/19/2026

06/19/2026

"I think about five years down the line, we're going to have FDA-approved CARs for glioblastoma."

When Dr. Carl June shared this prediction in 2024, it wasn't just optimism—it was backed by a massive clinical breakthrough happening right here at Penn Medicine.

By modifying a patient's own immune cells to track down two distinct targets instead of one, our team successfully shrank brain tumors in early trials for a disease that has historically resisted every conventional therapy.

The same drive that led to the development of the first cell therapies at Penn Medicine is what keeps us pushing for answers today.