neuropathology blog
I discuss issues pertaining to the practice of neuropathology -- including nervous system tumors, neuroanatomy, neurodegenerative disease, muscle and nerve disorders, ophthalmologic pathology, neuro trivia, neuropathology gossip, job listings and anything else that might be of interest to a blue-collar neuropathologist.
Friday, December 6, 2019
Monday, November 18, 2019
First evidence of immune response targeting brain cells in autism
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Dr. Matt Anderson |
In a paper published in Annals of Neurology, Harvard neuropathologist Matthew Anderson, MD, PhD, and colleagues, report the presence of cellular features consistent with an immune response targeting specialized brain cells in more than two-thirds of autistic brains analyzed postmortem.
These cellular characteristics—not previously observed in autism—lend critical new insight into autism’s origins and could pave the way to improved diagnosis and treatment for people with this disorder.
Read more here.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Featured Neuropathologist: Eddie Lee, MD, PhD
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Edward B. Lee, MD, PhD |
1. Why did you decide to become a neuropathologist?
The three major topics that dominate Alzheimer’s disease
research are amyloid, tau, and neuroinflammation. The discovery of
genetic mutations that cause AD or related dementias, and more recent GWAS
studies support the idea that these three are perhaps the most important
factors that drive AD pathophysiology. However, it is sometimes forgotten
that these were first and foremost neuropathologic observations discovered by
studying human tissues using histology and/or biochemistry by George Glenner
and the McGeers. Genetics came later and was made possible by the
neuropathology. The same can be said regarding TDP-43. This taught
me that neuropathology can be a rock solid foundation for building a research
career. I have always been drawn to basic biomedical research but think
that clinical training provides a sort of “compass” by which you can guide your
research program. To this day, the foundation of my research is
neuropathology because it grounds me towards studying the disease itself.
2. Name a couple of important professional mentors.
Why were they important to you?
I did my PhD with Virginia Lee at University of
Pennsylvania. She has been doing research for decades together wither her
life partner, John Trojanowski. Together, I saw the two of them
seamlessly integrate neurodegenerative disease neuropathology with basic
science. In terms of neuropathology, I point to many with whom I have been
privileged to train, including Nicholas Gonatas, Bill Schlaepfer, John
Trojanowski, Zissimos Mourelatos, Lucy Rorke-Adams, Jeff Golden and Alex
Judkins.
3. What advice would you give to a pathology resident interested in doing a neuropathology fellowship?
3. What advice would you give to a pathology resident interested in doing a neuropathology fellowship?
Get to know what neuropathologists do. There is a wide
variation of career paths available for neuropathologist, and the most
important thing for you to figure out is what kind of neuropathologist you
might want to become. This is key because this should be what is guiding
your choice in neuropathology fellowship. So figure out what your ‘local’
neuropathologist does, and look nationally for what other neuropathologists are
doing.
For those who are interested in a more basic science track
neuropathology career, here is a historical perspective. Since the
beginning of academic medicine, there has been a tension between the
reductionist approach where medicine is a branch of science (supported by
people like Flexner and Welch) versus a more humanistic approach where medicine
is an art (supported by people like Peabody and Osler). For Peabody and Osler,
clinical observation and pathologic correlation was tantamount. In
contrast, the reductionists thought that “by the end of the [19th]
century, clinicopathologic correlation was reaching the limits of its
explanatory possibilities.” I will say that this sentiment is still very
much alive in many corners of biomedical research. I urge you to try to think
mechanistically as much as possible, to strive to understand not only pathology
but pathophysiology.
4. What city would you like a future American Association of Neuropathologists meeting to be held and why?
4. What city would you like a future American Association of Neuropathologists meeting to be held and why?
Interesting question for me as I am currently the Assistant
Secretary Treasurer for AANP and so I help identify and select the AANP meeting
sites. There is a lot that goes into the decision. We have done our
best to maintain a reasonable cost for attendees. There are many sites
that are excluded, often from more popular locations, because the cost for
attendees would be significantly higher not only for AANP but for people
booking rooms. We also look at whether anyone in the US can fly to the
site with at most one layover, whether there are sufficient restaurants close
by, etc. These factors greatly reduce the number of sites that are
possible. I helped pick Monterey, CA for the 2020 meeting for which I am
super psyched. A big question that it would be good to ask everyone is
where to have the 2024 meeting which will be the 100th AANP
meeting. We will be choosing the site in the next year or so. One
thought is to go expensive/luxurious (Hawaii anyone?) vs. traditional/historic
(Atlantic City, NJ which is where the original AANP meetings were
held).
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Forensic neuropathologist featured in AMA’s “Shadow Me” Specialty Series
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Michelle Jorden, MD |
Dr.Michelle Jorden, chief
medical examiner for the county of Santa Clara in California, was recently
featured in the American Medical Association's "Shadow
Me" Specialty Series.
Dr. Jorden has been employed in Santa Clara County since 2008. She obtained her medical degree from Northwestern, and did her anatomic and neuropathology training at Stanford. She did her fellowship in forensic pathology at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office in Chicago.
Friday, October 25, 2019
In Memorium: Carol Petito, MD (1942-2018)
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Carol Petito, MD |
Carol Petito, a significant and distinctive member of the international neuropathology community, passed away on December 15, 2018 of a cancer she had been battling for 8 years.
Carol was born January 8, 1942 in Long Island, NY, the oldest of Charles and Marita Kaiser’s 3 children. She graduated with a BS from Tufts University and received her MD from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1967, one of 10 women in a graduating class of 116. An internship at Bellevue Hospital was followed by residency in Pathology at The New York Hospital Cornell University Medical College and fellowships in neuropathology at Newcastle General Hospital in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England and with Ken Earle at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC.
After spending 1973–1992 on the faculty at The New York Hospital of Cornell University Medical College, becoming Professor in 1984, Carol moved to Miami in 1992 following her marriage to Michael Norenberg, a well-known and respected neuropathologist whom Carol had known for many years. She was a Professor of Pathology at Jackson Memorial Hospital of the University of Miami School of Medicine until her death.
A “triple threat,” Carol was equally and excellently competent at research, teaching and diagnosis. Her diagnostic abilities were especially remarkable considering that she lost an eye in a childhood accident but was never hindered by this. Her research productivity was augmented by the 26 grants she received at various times in her career. And her success as a teacher is well documented by her heavy schedule of medical and graduate student lectures, course directorships and several teaching awards. She was also Director of the University of Miami’s Pathology Residency Program for 10 years.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Brown announces new director of neuropathology
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Ivana Delalle, MD, PhD |
After earning her MD and PhD from Zagreb University in Croatia, Dr. Delalle joined the developmental neurobiology laboratory directed by Verne Caviness at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). She then completed her residency in anatomic pathology and fellowship in neuropathology at MGH, after which she joined the faculty at MGH. She subsequently moved on to Boston University. Dr. Delalle starts work at Brown on November 1, 2019.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Best Post of September, 2019: A new neuroscience educational channel debuts on YouTube
The next in our "Best of the Month" series is from Tuesday, September 24, 2019:
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Phedias Diamandis |
Friday, October 18, 2019
Best Post of August 2019: Dr. Fausto Rodriguez lectures on pineal tumors live on Pathcast
The next in our "Best of the Month" series is from Monday, August 26, 2019:
Topic: Tumors of the Pineal Region
Presented by Fausto Rodriguez, M.D.,
Associate Professor of Pathology, JHUSOM

This seminar can be accessed live
through the following links at 8 AM on Tuesdsay:
For any questions please contact the creators of PathCast, Dr. Rifat Mannan or Dr. Emelio Mardrigal at pathologycast@gmail.com
To learn more about this and other educational activities from the Department of Pathology visit: http://pathology.jhu.edu/department/training/clinicians.cfm
This hour-long PathCast seminar presented by Dr. Fausto Rodriguez will be broadcast live on both Facebook and YouTube.
Live chat will be available for you to discuss the presentation with Dr. Rodriguez during the seminar.
The PathCast will be archived after the live session at:
http://pathology.jhu.edu/department/training/clinicians.cfm
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