According to Emily Cooper, AuD, a clinical audiologist and audiology supervisor with OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute, researchers continue to learn more about the relationship between hearing loss and dementia.

"Over the last 10 years, there have been more and more studies linking hearing loss with dementia. There's a growing body of research showing that not only is there a link, but that untreated hearing loss is more of a risk for cognitive decline," Dr. Cooper says.

While researchers are still working to understand exactly why hearing loss and dementia appear to be connected, Dr. Cooper emphasizes that hearing loss alone does not cause dementia. Instead, untreated hearing loss may contribute to factors that increase the risk of cognitive decline over time.

One possible reason is the impact hearing loss can have on a person's social life. Individuals who struggle to hear often withdraw from conversations, social gatherings and activities they once enjoyed.

"Your brain needs to be active and used," Dr. Cooper stresses. "Hearing loss also takes a lot of brain power. Your brain is having to do a lot more processing to understand the world." Over time, that increased effort may contribute to cognitive decline.

Recognizing the signs of hearing loss

Hearing loss can develop gradually, making it difficult for people to recognize when their hearing has changed. Dr. Cooper says some common warning signs include:

• Turning up the television louder than usual
• Frequently asking others to repeat themselves
• Saying "what?" or "huh?" more often during conversations
• Having more difficulty hearing in noisy environments, such as restaurants or crowded events
• Experiencing ringing in the ears, known as tinnitus

Because these changes often happen slowly, family members are sometimes the first to notice them.

Dr. Cooper says loved ones can play an important role by encouraging hearing evaluations in a supportive way. Rather than focusing on the hearing loss itself, she recommends emphasizing quality of life and participation in important moments.

For example, family members might say they want their loved one to fully participate in family gatherings or clearly hear conversations during medical appointments.

Don't wait to get your hearing checked

Many people postpone hearing evaluations for years, assuming hearing loss is inevitable or waiting until their golden years.

"Getting treated early is going to be the most beneficial in preventing cognitive decline as it relates to hearing loss," Dr. Cooper says. "That means getting your hearing tested early, not waiting until you're 65 and on Medicare to do so. Even in your 40s and 50s, there's research that shows even mild hearing loss in your 40s and 50s can lead to cognitive decline later in life."

She encourages adults to establish baseline hearing assessments as they age, just as they monitor other aspects of their health.

A good first step is discussing hearing concerns with a primary care provider, who can then provide a referral to an audiologist for a comprehensive hearing evaluation.

A growing concern for an aging population

The importance of hearing health is becoming even more significant as the nation's population ages.

By 2030, all Baby Boomers will be over the age of 65 according to the United States Census Bureau. Dr. Cooper says this creates a larger risk for both hearing loss and dementia.

"We're looking at massive numbers of an aging population and people who could be at a risk for dementia and hearing loss," Dr. Cooper says. "As a field, we are looking at educating people to get their hearing tested early and getting treated early."

Research in Oxford Academic’s Age and Ageing journal suggests that individuals who receive treatment for hearing loss may have a lower risk of cognitive decline than those who leave hearing loss untreated.

Treatment options vary based on the severity of hearing loss and may include hearing aids or cochlear implants. While Medicare does not currently cover hearing aids, cochlear implants are covered by Medicare and many other insurance plans.

For Dr. Cooper, the message is straightforward: hearing loss should not be viewed as something people simply have to accept. Identifying hearing loss early and seeking treatment may help individuals stay engaged, connected and cognitively healthy as they age.

If you have concerns about your hearing, speak with your primary care provider who can help talk through options with you.

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Kren Harmon loves a good success story.

The licensed clinical social worker runs a neurological therapy group for older adults at OSF HealthCare in Alton, Illinois. Attendees might have short term memory loss due to a stroke, Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease. Those challenges can also bring mental health concerns. But there is hope. Small group sessions like the ones Harmon runs have been proven to help not only with the seniors’ day-to-day life but also their sense of feeling alone.

“I had a new woman in group who said she had memory loss and was embarrassed. Another woman who’s a veteran of the group didn’t miss a beat. She reached over, touched the woman’s hand and said, ‘Honey we all have that’.” Harmon recalls. “The woman burst into tears and realized she’s not the only one dealing with this.

“That’s why I come to work every day,” Harmon says, beaming.

The fears, and how providers can help

Harmon has heard plenty of health concerns from older adults, and they’re all valid. The senior has moved out of their home and is worried about losing independence. They’re worried their health needs will be a burden on family. They might even be scared of dying.

Enter small group therapy. First, Harmon says, it’s a consistent thing on the senior’s schedule where they can look forward to getting out of the house and seeing people. Harmon says studies have shown more socialization for older adults means less confusion. But more importantly, the group connects attendees with others in their situation so they know they’re not alone. Harmon describes the concept in two terms: commonality of experience and installation of hope.

“We all have these same issues, but there’s hope,” Harmon says, restating what is said in a group session. “We can learn coping skills and accept what’s going on. We can support each other.

“Individual psychotherapy is great, but in group they get the benefit of having each other to lean on,” Harmon adds. “They say ‘This worked for me. You might want to try this at home.’”

A typical session might be a mix of camaraderie, memory tasks (medical term: cognitive stimulation therapy) and specialized topics like handling grief.

“We cover current events. What’s the date? What’s the weather?” Harmon outlines. “We do check-ins. Tell me something new in your life. People like that. They talk about their new great grandbaby.”

Harmon encourages her patients to expand on what they learn in group. The medical term for this is acceptance and commitment therapy. Find a way to exercise that works with your limitations. Explore a new hobby, such as puzzles or reading. Watching television all day won’t cut it, Harmon says.

“You’re never too old to learn a new skill,” she reminds.

Getting involved

If an older adult in your life could benefit from group therapy, Harmon says going through a physician might be the way to go. She’s found that seniors sometimes don’t listen to friends and family. But if their neurologist – someone they know and trust – recommends something, it might carry more weight.

“Having the doctor refer, I’ve found, makes a difference with that generation. When someone in a white coat says it, it’s the best idea ever,” Harmon chuckles.

You can also read more about healthy thoughts and behaviors on the OSF HealthCare website.

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This comes roughly five years after he announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Within 25 years, the world can expect to see a 112% increase in the number of people living with Parkinson’s since 2021.

A new report in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) links population growth and longer predicted lifespans as two main causes for an expected 25 million patients with Parkinson’s across the globe by 2050.

What is Parkinson's disease? 

“Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder which causes a person to move less. It happens because the brain is not making enough dopamine, which is the neurotransmitter required for movement,” says Kavya Moravineni, a movement disorders neurologist with OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute (INI). “Our movement circuits in the brain use dopamine and cause voluntary movement.”

Dr. Moravineni wasn’t shocked to see the estimate in the BMJ. Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disease, which coincides with natural aging. So, as life expectancy increases, the incidence naturally increases. Additionally, Dr. Moravineni believes there has been increased awareness, and in turn, increased diagnoses of Parkinson's. People are seeking out medical attention earlier as they recognize the symptoms, especially if they have a family history of PD.

Symptoms of Parkinson’s

“Tremor is the most common one. That’s what brings attention to see that something is wrong here,” Dr. Moravineni says. “Patients can have stiffness in their limbs, primarily in their muscles, and they can have problems walking. The typical dragging feet or not moving their arms as much when they’re walking. Stooped posture is another one.”

However, patients can have other symptoms which they don’t initially attribute to something like Parkinson’s disease. This can be the loss of sense of smell, dizziness upon standing or longstanding history of constipation. Sometimes anxiety or acting out your dreams at night can be longstanding symptoms.

The first step, Dr. Moravineni says, is to get a diagnosis. Next would be to decide how to manage the disease. The medical team at OSF INI offers different medication options, as well as discussing different surgical options. One example is deep brain stimulation (DBS).

What is deep brain stimulation? 

"It's an implant that's going into your brain. The idea is that we're using electricity to help with symptoms," Dr. Moravineni says. "To put it simply, the leads that go into the brain will pass electricity into the tissue and neurons. This negates abnormal signaling causing symptoms, so it improves symptoms."

Why deep brain stimulation can replace medication:

"As the disease progresses, the need for medication dosage increases. With that comes side effects. In those situations where the patients are still responding to medications, but experiencing a lot of side effects, deep brain stimulation can help. It's replacing medication while still providing the same benefit," Dr. Moravineni says. 

It can be increased or decreased based on what the symptoms are doing. Younger patients are often "better" candidates for deep brain stimulation. Patients cannot be candidates if they have severe dementia or underlying psychiatric illness that has not been managed. Of if they don't have solid family support. Dr. Moravineni calls deep brain stimulation one of the "next steps" in the process. It is recommended patients have proof of responding well to medication. 

Supportive therapies (speech and/or physical therapy) are beneficial parts of the care journey. 

The Michael J. Fox Foundation says while the BMJ article does not fully articulate the growth of PD, it does shine a light on the need for a cure.

There's no great list of health tips out there that can prevent Parkinson's. However, Dr. Moravineni says a well-rounded exercise regimen can help slow down progression in Parkinson's patients.

Dr. Moravineni adds that there have been increasing amounts of evidence indicating a connection between neurologic diseases and gut microbiome. The Mediterranean diet focuses on healthy habits like drinking less alcohol, eating more plant-based foods and fewer red meats, encouraging a strong and diverse microbiome. In turn, this may help in prevention and/or reduce the severity of certain neurologic conditions.

OSF INI has two physicians, one nurse practitioner and therapists caring for patients in the Peoria area. This multi-disciplinary approach to care helps INI be the go-to destination for patients in the community. 

For more information, visit the OSF INI website.

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A pinched nerve can also be a culprit.

“The most common cause [of a pinched nerve] is arthritis. Over time, a disc [in your spine] dries out and starts to bulge. Arthritis builds up in the joints of the neck. That can start squeezing on the nerve,” Dr. Syed explains.

“Certain activities can increase the risk for all that,” he adds. “You do something that requires moving your neck a lot. You do a lot of strenuous work. That can cause things to happen a little bit faster. It can also happen if you’re sitting at a desk at an uncomfortable angle for prolonged periods.”

Pain from a pinched nerve can travel down your body and into your hand, for example.

Treatment

Regardless of the cause of your neck pain, Dr. Syed says a good physical therapy program – both in the doctor’s office and continued at home – can take care of many cases before surgery is discussed. He estimates only around 10% of his patients need surgery.

If it does get to surgery: “A lot depends on which nerves are pinched and where,” Dr. Syed says. “For some people, we go in from the back of the neck to free up the nerve. For some, we go in through the front of the neck. Some surgeries are fusion surgeries. Some are what we call motion sparing. Rather than taking the individual bones of the neck and turning them into one bone, we’re able to keep them free. That preserves [the person’s] motion.”

Prevention

Here's an alert to put in your phone for morning, midday and evening: stretch. Stretching often can keep your neck limber. Five to 10 repetitions of up/down and side to side motions can go a long way, Dr. Syed says.

Practicing good posture goes hand-in-hand with stretching. Sit up straight at your work desk, and take breaks to walk around. Dr. Syed says research is still in progress on how much a standing desk or sitting on a big bouncy ball helps. But he says if those decrease your pain, go for it.

“If you work at a very physically involved job, make sure you have good ergonomics [good workplace behaviors]. If something is a two-person lift, grab someone. Don’t try to lift heavy things by yourself,” Dr. Syed implores.

A diet high in protein, vitamins and calcium is another must-do. Calcium helps prevent osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones and makes them more prone to breaking.

And lastly, manage chronic illnesses, and drop the cigarettes.

“We know from a lot of studies that smoking damages bone metabolism. It accelerates arthritis. It’s bad for blood supply and nerves,” Dr. Syed warns.

Learn more

Read more about how to keep your body in top shape on the OSF HealthCare website.

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Tiffani Franada, DO, is a neurologist with OSF HealthCare who specializes in Multiple Sclerosis. Part of her passion is working with patients choosing brain-healthy diets and lifestyle, which prevents neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis.

The MIND diet

"The MIND diet is a combination of the Mediterranean diet, which is healthy fats, olive oils, fish, fruits and vegetables. And the DASH diet, which is a low-sodium diet,” Dr. Franada says. “It's particularly helpful for patients who live with hypertension (high blood pressure). The two of those combined seem to be very effective at preventing the development of Alzheimer's."

Patients on the Mediterranean diet often have lower levels of inflammatory markers in their spinal fluid. Higher levels are suggestive of Alzheimer's. Patients also perform better on cognitive testing, Dr. Franada adds.

Fiber-rich foods

"In regard to carbs, whole grains are probably best, and they have really good fiber in them. As well as things like legumes and beans which have good fiber levels, which make you feel full for longer," Dr. Franada says. 

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) lists many high-fiber foods here. Lentils, vegetable soups, whole-wheat bread and pasta make the list. As well as fruits and vegetables like apples, apricots, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

Berries and antioxidant production

"Blueberries are great, really berries of all kinds. They really help that antioxidant production," Dr. Franada says. "For vegetables, leafy greens are really helpful. They have a good amount of folic acid, which helps to reduce homocysteine (amino acid) in the brain. Homocysteine promotes inflammation and shrinkage in the brain, and we want to reduce that."

“Fats are not the enemy”

The word “fat” oftentimes has a negative connotation to it. Dr. Franada says there are healthy fats out there that offer benefits to brain health.

"Fats are not the enemy. Healthy fats are good for the brain. Your brain requires them, like fatty fish (salmon), which have good Omega-3s in them. If you don't eat fish, flax seed is a great alternative," Dr. Franada says. "Walnuts also have great, healthy fat in them. As well as olive oil, which has monounsaturated fatty acids which protects against inflammation in the brain." 

Lean meats, like chicken and turkey, can be good for brain health because there’s healthy amounts of protein and fiber in them, Dr. Franada says.

Don’t dismiss dark chocolate!

"Dark chocolate is great. Dark chocolate has good amounts of antioxidants. Of course, all things in moderation. But a dark chocolate square once a night, not a bad thing," Dr. Franada says. "Also, caffeine! Believe it or not, a cup of caffeine, like coffee or tea, can help with focus, attention and is helpful for the brain."

Dr. Franada recommends having your caffeinated drink of choice early in the morning, right when you wake up, instead of later in the day. Having it later in the day can give you a lot of energy, which leads to you not sleeping well at night. Sleep is also extremely important for brain health.

Foods to avoid

Ultra-processed foods have been trending lately, with health experts giving them more attention than usual because of their negative effects on people’s health. High sodium, added sugars and excessive amounts of bad fat headline are the reasons why we should avoid them, with these elements being linked to diabetes, obesity and cancer.

Obesity is typically part of a metabolic syndrome, where a person has elevated blood sugars, blood pressure and cholesterol. This puts patients at risk for stroke, sleep apnea, Alzheimer's and many other health issues. Those risk factors can put someone at risk for neurological disease. 

"Heavily processed foods are not great for the brain or the heart. Excess sugars, like added sugars, should be avoided as well. If you're going to have sugar, have something with natural sugar in it," Dr. Franada says. "Berries are much preferred to things with added sugars. Also, white bread and processed carbs should be avoided, too."

Effect on white brain matter

"There's some real-world data showing that the Mediterranean diet can prevent white matter changes on the brain, which are little white spots that develop on patients’ brains as they get older. It's also seen in patients with vascular risk factors," Dr. Franada says. "If you follow the Mediterranean diet pretty strictly, you can prevent getting those white spots. They also found people who adhere to that diet have better structural integrity. The left and right sides of the brain talk better to one another."

What about cheat days?

If you exercise five or six days a week and give yourself a “cheat day” where you splurge a bit, evaluate how the food feels in your body. Instead of packing on the calories and going bananas, Dr. Franada recommends reeling it in a bit and focusing on moderation.

"You'll probably start to recognize it doesn't feel so great," Dr. Franada says. "Maybe it's a chocolate dessert at night, or something smaller that you can do to still stay with your healthy diet, just in smaller quantities." 

Dr. Franada cautions against super rigid diets that make you "fall off the wagon" after a few weeks. "You have to find something that's sustainable for you," Dr. Franada adds. 

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It’s not Star Wars; it’s brain surgery.

Now, select brain tumor patients in the Peoria area have a minimally invasive, efficient way to receive a diagnosis and get their tumor removed.

NeuroBlate LITT (Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy)

"NeuroBlate is a means to treat tumors with thermal energy,” says Andrew Tsung, MD, the vice president of OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute. “It's a laser, which is how the energy is administered, through very small probes the size of a wire. It's done through a very small incision, about the size of the width of a dime. Through that incision we're able to insert the small wire directly to the target. Then we're able to ablate, or get rid of, that tumor and at the same time obtain a biopsy specimen to confirm what we're treating."

How does NeuroBlate work?

"It is thermal energy delivered through a laser beam. We can either fire at the end of a laser, as one would think of laser gun, or we can side fire it and rotate the wire," Dr. Tsung says. "So, it's shooting out from the side, kind of like a lighthouse. You spin the lighthouse around as you pull the probe back. You're able to create shapes as you withdraw from the target." 

Even very sick patients can undergo this treatment because of the technology’s minimally invasive nature.

"We insert it to a target. By taking temperature measurements through the MRI machine and calculations, we're able to control the radius, or the spread of that current through the tumor and stop it at the three-dimensional boundary between where the tumor ends and the brain starts,” Dr. Tsung says.

Eligible patients for NeuroBlate

NeuroBlate, offered at OSF HealthCare in Peoria, Illinois, through Monteris, a neurosurgical technology company, has been recognized as a viable treatment for brain tumors. Roughly a handful of patients have received the treatment at OSF, with more coming down the pipeline soon, Dr. Tsung says.

Potential patients for NeuroBlate could have brain tumors, Glioblastoma (cancerous brain tumor), high-grade glioma, low-grade glioma (growing tumors), or metastatic brain cancer, also known as secondary brain tumors. The size of the tumor matters. NeuroBlate is effective on tumors three centimeters or less. Epilepsy patients can also benefit from this treatment. 

NeuroBlate decreases recovery time drastically

"The patients oftentimes will not require any pain medication following brain surgery, which is quite astonishing,” Dr. Tsung says. “When you make such a small incision, there's minimal disruption to the tissues. The brain itself does not have any pain sensors. That prevents us from using any pain medication. The recovery is quite fast. In patient cases we've done so far, the first patient used no pain medications and was ready to go home by 8 a.m. the next morning." 

OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center is the only medical center in the Peoria region that offers NeuroBlate.

From the patient arriving to undergoing the surgery and then leaving, the whole process only took 16 hours. Most brain surgery patients are in the hospital for at least two nights and then recover with weight restrictions (in terms of lifting). All of this is avoided when using NeuroBlate. Setup takes three to five hours, but treatment time for he patient is three or less minutes. 

For more information on NeuroBlate and other neurological services, learn more about OSF INI on the OSF website.

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NeuroBlate in use (GRAPHIC WARNING)

NeuroBlate B-Roll

"It can present in a variety of ways like vision loss, double vision, weakness, or numbness on one side or both sides of the body,” says Tiffani Franada, DO, a neurologist with the OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute (INI) who specializes in the autoimmune disease.

"Typically (multiple sclerosis) presents in young patients between 20 and 50 years of age. It's more common in women than men," Dr. Franada says. These events are called attacks or relapses, and they last a few weeks and then they get better. Patients can go awhile without anything, and then they can get other attacks down the line."

The OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute has launched a clinical trial for patients with nonrelapsing secondary progressive MS (nrSPMS). Dr. Franada and her team are looking for further preventive treatments. The trial, sponsored by Sanofi, uses an antibody called frexalimab, to see if it delays the progression in those enrolled.

"It's a disease state with no current treatment options available,” Dr. Franada adds. "We are actively enrolling right now. The age range is between 18-60 years of age for patients with secondary progressive MS that's not active. This is different than the relapsing remitting phase, which is the most common. This comes after that phase.”

While some patients currently in the OSF INI clinic are candidates for the clinical trial, Dr. Franada and her team are looking to include patients outside the clinic as well.

People interested in the clinical trial can call OSF INI at (309) 624-4000 to learn more information.

Multiple Sclerosis treatment options

There are 20 disease-modifying therapies to prevent disease activity in MS, Dr. Franada says. “Some treatments are given by IV, some are given by mouth, and some are given as at-home injections. It just depends on what is right for that individual."

Dr. Franada says if someone has an MS attack, the team wants to know about it right away. Adding that treatment of MS is more effective when it’s started early.

"There are some acute treatments that can be given, typically in the hospital. But prevention is a mainstay of our treatment course for patients.”  

Prevention tips

"Getting good sleep at night (is important), about eight hours. Getting regular exercise, about 30 minutes 5 days per week. In fact, exercise helps increase levels of BDNF, which is one of the hormones in our body that helps with neurological repair, called remyelination," Dr. Franada says. "The problem in MS is stripping away the covering of the nerve, demyelination, so exercise helps the reparative process. We don't know what the best diet for MS is, but I usually encourage my patients to focus on a Mediterranean diet, which is heart healthy." 

Knowing family history is also important to assess your risk factor of getting the disease.

"The risk for developing MS is a combination of genetics and environment, it's not just one. If you have a family member who lives with an autoimmune disease, or MS, it does slightly increase your risk for developing the disease,” Dr. Franada says.

Hydration is paramount, as is stress reduction. “Exercise is a great way to manage stress.”

"Your brain sits in a pool of fluid, so we want to hydrate as much as possible," Dr. Franada says. 

If you know a family member has MS, there are things you can do to lessen your risk.

"That includes Vitamin D supplementation. If you're low in Vitamin D, it’s critical to supplement that to a normal level. Also, smoking cessation. If you're a smoker, we advise you to quit. But this is incredibly important for patients with MS, because smokers are more likely to develop the disease,” Dr. Franada says.

National recognition of the disease has gone up, Dr. Franada says, which drives more patients to the OSF Illinois Neurological Institute. 

While there is no cure for MS, there are treatment options available to help with day-to-day symptoms (fatigue, pain and cognitive issues).

For more information on OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute, visit the OSF HealthCare website.

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Actor Michael J. Fox might be the most well-known person with Parkinson’s disease but he’s far from alone. In fact, the Parkinson’s Foundation says 90,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year in the U.S. with diagnosed cases increasing 50% between 2012 and 2022.

The Foundation estimates 1 million people in the United States are living with the neurodegenerative disease, with men 1.5 times more likely to have Parkinson’s than women.

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, a time to bring added attention to the disorder which impacts balance and coordination, while also causing shaking and stiffness.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation recently announced a biomarker breakthrough from an international group of scientists which will help diagnose. The tool, called the α-synuclein seeding amplification assay (αSyn-SAA), can detect the disease in spinal fluid not only of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s, but also in individuals who have not yet been diagnosed or shown clinical symptoms of the disease, but are at a high risk of developing it.

Marc Katchen, MD is a neurologist with OSF HealthCare. He breaks down the signs to look out for when it comes to Parkinson’s.

“For people who are concerned that they have a shake in the hands, they really have to say ‘Am I moving slower? Am I having trouble getting up out of chairs? Can I not get out of my car very easily?’ It’s that slowness of movement to look out for,” Dr. Katchen says. “Usually the family will notice the person is walking slower or not swinging their hands as much. Another sign is if someone’s facial expressions have slowed down and they’re a little more poker faced than normal.”

Dr. Katchen says sometimes patients assume they have Parkinson’s because of hand tremors, but that’s not always the case. He adds symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can appear up to 10 years before you have tremors.

“Some of the non-specific findings we see are constipation, depression and anxiety which can precede the tremor and slowness of movement. The essential tremor is a tremor people have when they’re using their hands,” Dr. Katchen says. “It can be when they’re holding a cup of coffee, when they’re trying to screw in a small bolt and their hand won’t let them do that. That’s not Parkinson’s. With Parkinson’s disease, their tremor is at rest. You can almost hear it, and it goes away with activity.”

While there is no cure for Parkinson’s, Dr. Katchen says that shouldn’t make those diagnosed give up hope. He says exercise is a great way to increase overall quality of life.

“Get a program at home. Remember, therapy begins at home and it continues at home. There are programs like Rock Steady, which is a boxing program. There are also bicycling programs recently developed,” Dr. Katchen says. “All exercise works. It improves almost 30%, it’s almost like an added medication. It’s something we can give patients and their families that they can control. So you don’t have to rely on a physician to give you a pill.”

While the average age of diagnosis for Parkinson’s is 60 years old, Dr. Katchen says younger people can get it too.

“Michael J. Fox is probably the best known example. Many young people will go to many different providers before they get a diagnosis, because no one is thinking about it and they think they’re too young. You can certainly be in your twenties and thirties with a new onset.”

In 1997, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved Deep Brain Simulation (DBS) surgery to treat Parkinson’s tremor. Dr. Katchen says this was groundbreaking for that time. Since then, the FDA approved the DBS surgery to treat advanced Parkinson’s symptoms.

Learn more about the Parkinson’s services offered at OSF HealthCare.

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The pros and cons of social media are well documented. It allows you to connect with friends and pursue passions, but bullying and misinformation can be rampant.

But can frequent social media use lead to changes in brain development during the formative adolescent years? A recent study suggests so, but much more investigation is needed, says Karna Sherwood, MD, a neurologist at OSF HealthCare in Alton, Illinois.

The study tracked 169 sixth and seventh graders and found those who habitually checked social media were more sensitive to rewards and punishments. To view it a different way, kids who constantly refresh Facebook hoping the likes on their post will go up may be more impulsive to seek out real-life recognition.

“At a certain point, 10 likes or 20 likes are no longer gratifying enough,” Dr. Sherwood says. “And then you have to find another way to get even more likes or more appreciation.”

That “another way” could lead to risky behaviors such as substance abuse. But Dr. Sherwood says more study is needed to conclusively make the link. Just how much does our life in the digital realm affect our life away from the device?

“A follow up study would certainly investigate if [frequent social media use] has an effect on rates of anxiety and depression,” says Dr. Sherwood. “Could this affect addiction? And what interventions could be taken to nullify those behaviors?

“As a society, if we want to raise happy and healthy people in an age where we are getting better technologically, what steps do we need to take?”

Until then, Dr. Sherwood has some good advice no matter your age or number of Twitter followers.

“Until you get the rest of the information, it’s better to have some degree of regulation,” and restraint with social media, Dr. Sherwood says.

Learn more about how the brain works on the OSF HealthCare website.

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A January grocery trip for Charlotte Davis turned out to be life-altering.

The Shipman, Illinois, woman was loading food into the back of her van when she says the hydraulics failed, and the back door slammed into her head.

While she didn’t lose consciousness or have any visible signs of trauma, Davis doesn’t mince words: “It hurt really bad.”

Davis says she put up with worsening headaches, garbled speech and weakened memory as long as she could.

“I tried to drive one day. I hit a flower pot, drove through the ditch, missed my turn, forgot where I was going three times,” Davis says. “My eight year old granddaughter told her mom, ‘Please don't let Mawmaw drive anymore. She's scaring me.’”

When a CAT Scan found no brain bleed, Davis wound up at the OSF HealthCare rehabilitation office in Alton, Illinois. She was skeptical at first but now considers herself a prime example of why you shouldn’t just shake off a head injury – whether it’s in a football game or just around the house. Otherwise, serious issues like the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) may follow.  CTE is often seen in football players. In July 2022, officials announced the late NFL player Demaryius Thomas had CTE.

Physical therapist Kelly Bogowith cared for Davis at the Alton office.

“All concussions are a form of at least mild traumatic brain injury,” Bogowith says. “So it’s important to make sure that you get assessed and also ensure that you're not playing sports later that same day. A provider can give you education on how long you should be sitting out from sports and other physical activities, as well. And that might even include work.”

“Sometimes with concussions, we may not have symptoms for hours or even weeks afterwards. So it's important to get checked out by your physician, urgent care, emergency department, or athletic trainer, depending on your setting,” Bogowith adds. “But it's not something to shake off. And it can be especially important, too, to not have a second concussion because that can be very dangerous and even deadly.”

Every patient recovering from a head knock receives a specially-tailored plan, Bogowith says. The roadmap could include different types of therapy, like physical or speech language. It will always include at-home activities – stretches for physical therapy or puzzles for speech language therapy, for example. And the OSF HealthCare team encourages you to ask questions along the way.

Davis’ plan started with massages and stretches to relieve tension. She progressed to walking, then running on a treadmill.

“I beat that treadmill,” Davis says, beaming.

She beat the non-physical aspects, too. Davis’ memory and speech improved to the point that when she met with speech language pathologist Ashley Brim at the Alton location, it was a one-and-done.

“[Speech therapy] can range within working on targeting problem solving skills,” Brim explains. “So, either really basic problem solving all the way up to reading paragraphs of information. And trying to figure out information that, most of the time, people don't think about. We can just read it and figure it out. But when you have a concussion, and that is impacting you, it makes it 10 times more difficult.”

“We work on a lot of memory tasks,” Brim continues. “Exercises for working on memorizing word lists, figuring out different ways to help the patient memorize things better. So they associate the word to something else and then they use those associations to be able to remember what has been said to them and chain it all together.”

What people in Bogowith and Brim’s roles don’t want to see: people relying solely on pills to get through pain. That can lead to addiction and side effects. Therapy is somewhat the opposite, Brim notes. It gives the patient ownership of their recovery.

Davis agrees with that assessment and says her determination to see therapy through to the end has paid off in multiple ways. Most notably, she can handle playing with her eight grandkids.

“I want people to know that it's important,” Davis says. “I understand that it's a pain. It's not always convenient. There are always other things people want to do. But if your doctor says to do therapy, I 100% will tell you: go to therapy. You don't know how bad you need it until you actually go.”

For more information on types of rehabilitation, visit the OSF HealthCare website or talk to your primary care provider. OSF HealthCare also offers neurological services.

Interview Clips - Charlotte Davis

Interview Clips - Kelly Bogowith

Interview Clips - Ashley Brim

Previous Coverage

OSF Innovation preparing to test concussion diagnosis gaming app

Concussions Hit Student Athletes as Fall Sports Get Underway

Preventing concussion in young athletes 

Concussion: More than Just Getting Your Bell Rung

Myths about concussions increase the risk of harmful effects

Taking a Team Approach to Concussion Rehab

Heading Up Health Study on High School Heads

All too often, during a holiday visit, an out of town relative realizes an aging family member seems a little slower, has tremors, complains of stiffness or spasms, or has difficulty moving through familiar spaces. How does the family know if those changes are a natural result of the aging process, or something more concerning such as Parkinson’s, ALS, dementia, or another serious neurological condition?

OSF HealthCare neuromuscular specialist Chris Zallek, MD, along with a team of researchers, are building a platform that will use digitized neurological exam information and artificial intelligence technology to help medical providers detect and evaluate neurological conditions. The goal is to support the triage and care for patients regardless of their location – in a primary or urgent care office, emergency department, neurology clinic, and even at home.

Dr. Zallek is the lead investigator of the NeuroHealth Lab at Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center in Peoria, Illinois. Zallek and engineers Minh Do and George Heintz at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with support from a Jump ARCHES grant, are trying to provide tools to help compensate for the critical growing shortage of providers who specialize in neurological care. The gap in neurologists in the U.S. is projected to increase to 19% by 2025.

The solution is called a Digital Neurological Examination (DNE). Dr. Zallek explains the exam can be done with a smartphone or tablet and currently records four distinct exam movements clinicians might observe to help assess an individual’s coordination, strength, balance, and movement organization.

The exam includes the patient rapidly tapping their finger and thumb, rolling their arms around each other, touching the pointer fingers of their hands to each other, and standing up from a chair and walking back and forth.

The DNE extracts from the recorded exams the 2D/3D human-body poses and quantifies clinically relevant features. This can help the provider to identify and follow changes in exam findings over time and aid in the diagnosis and care for people experiencing neurological conditions.

The platform will help physicians triage and care for patients with neurological symptoms regardless of exam location. Zallek says that’ll be a game-changer because the average wait time to see a neurologist is a month, and in some places across the country, there are “neurology deserts” where people have to travel great distances to get a diagnosis and treatment.

“This will hopefully help with the triage of the patients. We want to see all patients but there are some patients that need to be seen sooner rather than later. If we have tools helping us to say okay, this person, we need to get them in a little more quickly, or at least meet with them via tele neurology, it is an opportunity to improve care.”

Dr. Zallek and the team recently published their pilot research about the DNE.

DNE was evaluated on a collected dataset of 21 volunteers with normal and simulated-impaired movements. The overall accuracy of DNE was demonstrated by evaluating the recorded movements using various machine learning models. The results show an accuracy for detecting differences between normal and simulated impairment beyond 90% for upper-limb tests and 80% for the stand-up and walk tests.

The next step is to continue the research recording 100 patients experiencing neurological conditions and demonstrating abnormal exam findings. New care paths will also need to be tested to learn how these digitized tools can best help clinical teams care for patients.

Dr. Zallek hopes the research will alert others engaged in similar efforts at other health systems and universities to consider a collaboration.

“It would be great if one of the outcomes from the publication was collaboration with other institutions that are working on similar problems with similar solutions. In the end, we're all trying to help care for patients better. And what we'd like to do is get tools out into the clinical workflows as soon as we can, when they're ready, to improve patient care and lower the cost of health care.” 

Video clips with Dr. Chris Zallak, lead investigator for the  NeuroHealth Lab, OSF Jump Simulation and Education Center

B-roll for new digitized neuro exam

This collaboration will better serve patients in the community by bringing exceptional medical and surgical specialties closer to home. The affiliation combines a commitment to exceptional care and an expanded, comprehensive network of expert specialty and subspecialty physicians for patients in the area.

The latest collaboration will see Ameera Nauman, MD, a pediatrician at OSF Saint Anthony’s, move into the SSM Health network while continuing to see patients at the OSF Medical Group office in Godfrey. The Godfrey office offers primary care for adults as well as pediatric care. Dr. Nauman will have access to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, a world-class facility in St. Louis, for emergency and specialty care, such as advanced pediatric diagnostic testing, surgical services and sports care.

“I’m excited to be part of this collaboration that will allow my patients greater access to timely and exceptional care from pediatric specialists who are at the top of their field,” said Dr. Nauman. “Parents can know all of their child’s medical needs are in the hands of well-equipped, premier health professionals.”

“Hospital and health care providers can no longer operate in silos and must be willing to embrace meaningful collaboration that will result in availability of high quality, sustainable health care across their communities,” said Jerry Rumph, president of OSF Saint Anthony’s. “Dr. Nauman will be supported by pediatric specialists in areas including cardiology, oncology, neurology and gastroenterology. This team will have access to the NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit] and a Level I [One] Pediatric Trauma Center at Cardinal Glennon Hospital, where providers are equipped to handle the most complicated and complex cases.”

Jeremy Fotheringham, region president of SSM Health St. Louis and Academics, said, “This collaboration will allow us to better meet the needs of this community while providing value and convenience to our patients. By working together, we further our Mission and Vision to ensure all people have access to the high-quality, personalized care they need.”

OSF Saint Anthony’s and SSM Health are excited about the new affiliation and are currently developing additional opportunities to bring more medical specialties to the greater Riverbend community to enhance and improve the health and wellness of residents. In April, the health systems announced enhanced heart care close to home through the addition of Sridhar Kumar, MD, a cardiologist at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, who became chief of Cardiology Services at OSF Saint Anthony’s.

B-Roll