Author Archives: Gabriel Piña, MD

Central neurofibromatosis, or neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), is a multisystem genetic disorder associated with bilateral vestibular schwannomas, spinal cord schwannomas, meningiomas, gliomas, and juvenile cataracts, with a paucity of cutaneous features. Schwannomas, most frequently grow on the nerves that bring hearing and balance information into the brain. Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is inherited as an […]

Major depressive disorder affects approximately 10% of the general population in the United Kingdom, impairs patients’ lives, and is costly to society. Selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors are first-line treatments for major depressive disorder; however, these drugs take several weeks to work and, in some patients, do not induce a response. Escitalopram, a selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor, is […]

Many brain diseases, such as epilepsy, are caused by excessive activity of a small number of brain cells. These conditions often don’t respond well to drug treatment, mainly because drugs affect the whole brain. Whilst genetic therapies could be a promising way to treat these conditions, current methods do not distinguish between overactive and normal […]

Dementia is considered a major neurocognitive disorder, in which a deficit in cognitive functioning is acquired rather than developmental. Dementia is most common in elderly individuals, with advancing age being the strongest risk factor. There are many types of this condition such as Alzheimer Dementia (AD) and Vascular Dementia (VD) , among others of all-cause […]

Pre-pregnancy obesity is associated with an increased risk of infection and aberrant inflammatory responses in the offspring, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In particular, very little is known about the effect of a Western-style diet on fetal hematopoiesis — the formation of blood cellular components,  in animal models that resemble human development. During […]