Future Magazine

2024 issue

When ‘time is brain’

In the world of stroke care, every minute counts. Lee Birnbaum, MD, professor in the departments of neurology and neurosurgery in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, sheds light on the latest developments in emergency treatments, post-stroke therapies and community education aimed at enhancing patient outcomes.
Woman holds her temples with a grimacing face with swirls around her head

Breaking the grip of migraines

Throbbing. Stabbing. Fiery. Electric. Like being in a vice. There are many ways that migraine sufferers describe their pain, but no matter the word to describe it, having migraines is a debilitating condition that often causes significant disruption to a person’s quality of life.
A woman's face is partially blocked by a fluffy cloud.

Finding a break in the clouds

For some people struggling with their mental health, available treatments can be ineffective, effective for only a short time or cause insufferable side effects. About 30% of people with depression are treatment resistant, meaning they have tried two or more medications or therapies and are still experiencing significant symptoms.
An ear is int eh middle of a pink and blue spiral.

Taming tinnitus

It can manifest as a low- or high-pitched tone — a squeal, buzz, roar, chirp or click seemingly coming from one or both ears or in the head. It can dissipate within seconds or be continually present; barely discernable or as loud as a freight train.

Preventing opioid relapse

Drug overdoses happen every day, every hour. Yet, few Food and Drug Administration-approved medications are available for opioid use disorder. Methocinnamox, a novel compound for opioid use disorder treatment, advances toward clinical trials.

Understanding and addressing addiction

For a health condition as complex as substance use disorder, there are no simple solutions. But the possibilities for addressing the vexing health crisis stemming from substance use and addiction substantially increase when an intentional strategic model for a system of care is applied to create a scaffold of interlinking functional practices.

The search to prevent Alzheimer’s

Investigators are testing a new drug for its potential to slow and prevent the disease By Jessica Binkley Lain Alzheimer’s disease continues to challenge medical science with its complex and devastating effects on cognition and memory. In a significant stride forward, the Food and Drug Administration recently approved lecanemab as a promising new compound found […]
Photo graphic of brain neurons.

A big step forward for movement disorders

About 1 million people in the U.S. are currently living with Parkinson’s, and that number is expected to increase significantly in the next 20 years due to an aging population. At a state level, Texas has the third largest number of patients living with Parkinson’s disease. The high rates of the disease in the state can be attributed to several factors.
Graphic of a digram of the location of a pacemaker and its connection to the brain.

The evolution of epilepsy care

Epilepsy, a neurological condition characterized by recurrent seizures, affects approximately 3 million people in the United States — about 1% of the nation’s population — and is considered one of the most prevalent neurological disorders.
Graphic of a rainbow brain and its neurons.

Mapping brain health

While most people focus on what they see during brain imaging, Peter Fox, MD, director of the Research Imaging Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, will tell you that the real value is in the mathematics and quantitative assessments behind those pictures.
A rendering of the new Center for Brain Health.

The Center for Brain Health

Opening in 2025, the Center for Brain Health at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will be home to the institution’s many brain health initiatives to serve the growing need for neurological care in the region.
Francisco Cigarroa, MD Acting Dean, Long School of Medicine

A holistic approach to brain health

The brain is the body’s central command. It controls every facet of our lives — from our cognitive abilities and physical movements to our sense of self and how we perceive the world around us. Just as “house” and “home” are distinct yet interdependent concepts, the brain and the mind are similarly intertwined.
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