David J. Banayan
Rush University Medical Center, USA
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Neurol Neurophysiol
Neuroprotection is a burgeoning area of scientific research. Certain pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals have the potential to modify and enhance nerve cell response to toxic stimuli. This discovery has spawned intense interest in unlocking the cellular mechanisms that confer such resilience and recovery. Numerous biochemical pathways play a role in neuroprotection, such as: enhanced neutralization of molecular radicals; mitochondrial membrane integrity support; arresting generation of pro-inflammatory cell membrane metabolism products; activation of neurotrophic factors; modification of intracellular calcium homeostasis; inducing shifts in the resting endogenous balance of proapoptotic and anti-apoptotic factors within the cell; and others. This session introduces participants to fundamental and advanced concepts in neuroprotection through an examination of the downstream mechanisms of psychotropic agents and nutraceuticals. Recent advances in neuroprotection are also reviewed. The session will prepare clinicians to engage the literature on neuroprotection with an informed, critical eye. Proprietary animations developed by the author, bring to life difficult-to-understand abstract concepts, and provide a unique learning experience for participants. Comprehensive critical review of the biochemical sciences and biomedical literature through PubMed and EMBASE. While bench research and animal studies currently dominate the neuroprotection literature, as this nascent area of science evolves, it is hoped that it will culminate in the development of specific sub-cellular targets in humans. Human studies are costly, complicated, and require a large number of participants to show an effect, posing a potential barrier for real-world progress in neuroprotection.
David J Banayan MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Psychiatry & Medicine at Rush University Medical Center. He is the Director of the Transplant Psychiatry Program, and Associate Director of Clinical Education for the Psychiatry Consultation Service. He is an board certified in General Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine, and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. Following a Master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McMaster University, and Residency in Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, he completed a combined fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine and Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago. His publications span the areas of intensive care medicine, deliruim, adolescent suicide, first episode psychosis, and research ethics. His areas of current academic interest include quality improvement in transplant psychiatry, neuroprotection, and the complex interface between general medicine, psychiatry, ethics, and the law.
E-mail: djbanayan@hotmail.com
