News & Media
Neuro News February 2011
The Neuro News is a monthly electronic newsletter highlighting activities at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital. If you have any comments, please send them to Communications. To subscribe and receive e-mail notification when a new issue becomes available, click here.
February 2011
Director's Corner: Alarms…Copepod…Uguisubari…Gout
In his 2004 Penfield lecture, Daniel Dennett presented an old New Yorker cover from 1969 (see figure below) by Saul Steinberg, in which you are privy to the drifting thoughts of a shadowy museum-goer. What was intriguing about this cover was the thinness of the mental thread by which each new thought was suspended, and how one thought led to the next. So, Braque triggered Baroque…Barrack…Bark…Poodle…Suzanne R…68th Street…and so on. If we allow ourselves to daydream, inexorably, our brains create new associations for us that often can be fascinating.
New Yorker
Recently I watched as an alarm company technician wrapped up installation of a combination low temperature, fire, intruder alert alarm in a farmhouse in Maine. Given the Downeast coastal location, the low temperature alarm was the critical one; electricity failure in cold weather would eventually allow the water pipes to freeze. The other alarms were thrown in as part of a package. Interesting though, that activation of any of them would give the same rapid beeping sound. Annoying, loud, and singularly unappealing.
Something about the rhythm of that particular alarm triggered in me a daydream, the memory of a visit to Dan Hartline’s summer lab at the Mt. Desert Island Biological Labs. On that July day, a student had just impaled a single water motion sensing neuron in a 1mm copepod, a crucial organism of the ocean food chain. The copepod was suspended inside a seawater bath on an air table that itself was isolated from the wooden floor of the lab. But, as I stepped into the lab, fully 20 feet away from the copepod, I heard through the laboratory loudspeaker a rapid, ”BRRRRrrrrrrrrrr!” that was the amplified “sound” of the firing of the neuron in response to my walking into the lab, causing the floor to vibrate ever so slightly, which moved the seawater, and even though the copepod was incredibly well-shielded, my footstep fired that nerve cell.
Unconsciously, I let my thoughts continue to drift. The copepod led to another memory thread…this time of my first visit to Japan. While in Kyoto, I toured Ninomaru Palace, a brilliant piece of architecture for many reasons, but most notably for its uguisubari, or nightingale flooring. This exquisite piece of engineering was an ancient alarm system, in which an iron nail positioned under the floor scratches against a metal plate when the floor is walked upon. No matter how softly you try to step, the floor squeaks. The resemblance to a nightingale is pushing it, if you ask me, but the floor does have a distinct “chirp” to it. Follow this link to listen for yourself.
My mind continued to wander. I thought about the copepod, and the nightingale floor, and then mused in general about the sensitivity of nerve cells. As an occasional sufferer from gout, I understand the nature of heightened joint pain. Gout was first recognized as a chronic ailment more than 4000 years ago, and curiously, has afflicted many well-known individuals in positions of world influence and power since then (I do not mean me of course, but rather John Hancock, Franklin, Jefferson, Newton, Jonathan Swift, several Kings of England, King Phillip II of Spain, Disraeli, Karl Marx, Galileo, da Vinci, Cromwell and Martin Luther). Sensory neurons can be tooled up to deliver an alarmingly painful sensory experience from a gouty joint that lasts for days or weeks. No one can improve upon the description of gout offered up by the physician and epidemiologist Thomas Sydenham, the 17th century "English Hippocrates,” himself a sufferer.
“…This pain is like that of a dislocation, and yet the parts feel as if cold water were poured over them. Then follows chills and shiver and a little fever. The pain becomes more intense, and the intensity of the chills and shivers increase. Now the pain is a violent stretching and tearing of the ligaments, and now it is a gnawing pain and now a pressure and tightening. So exquisite and lively meanwhile is the feeling of the part affected, that it cannot bear the weight of bedclothes nor the jar of a person walking in the room…”
Sydenham could feel in his joints his wife walking across the floor below.
And then I was abruptly jolted into the present, back in Maine, as the technician fired up the jarring burglar alarm, and with an immensely satisfied grin commented, “Now, that should scare an intruder off!”
Please send any comments about the Director's Corner to David Colman
Recent News
Supporting patient care
Private and corporate donors and foundations make it possible for The Neuro
to deliver the highest standards of patient care. Since the start of our
Thinking Ahead Campaign in 2007, more than $4.4 million has been raised for
essential clinical needs at The Neuro, and the staff and patients are and
will be forever grateful for this remarkable generosity. Philanthropic
gifts for clinical needs range in size and purpose but each and every one
has a meaningful impact. With donated funds, we have purchased a CT scanner
with advanced capabilities that dramatically shorten the time it takes to
acquire critical images of the brain and spine. We have also purchased
other important equipment such as patient beds, blood pressure monitors, a
portable ultrasound machine, equipment for physical and occupational
therapy, an O Arm for integrating neuroimaging with neuronavigation tools,
and a Jackson Table that facilitates precise surgical treatment of the
spinal cord. Donors support our innovative programs, such as My Toolbox, a
self-management program for patients with chronic illness, and TCAB, a
team-based approach to restructuring work so that nurses can spend more
time with patients. Community support for The Neuro’s clinical mission is
essential and allows us to plan and deliver outstanding clinical care.
These gifts have contributed to the success of The Neuro’s Thinking Ahead
Campaign and help us to build the future of neurological care.
Neuro faculty and staff give too
Neuro faculty and staff have demonstrated their commitment to The Neuro by
giving more than $500,000 to the research and clinical mission since 2006 –
one of the most successful employee campaigns in the province. This year’s
Campaign Co-chairs Dr. Alyson Fournier and Dr. Francois Dubeau, gathered
with The Neuro family for cake and coffee recently to celebrate their
investment in the future and their commitment to discovery and delivery of
neuroscience care. 
Photo by Neuro Media Services
The Neuro welcomes new Board members
Jacynthe Côté and Jean-Guy Desjardins, two well-known and highly respected
members of the Canadian business community, have joined The Neuro’s
Advisory Board.
Ms. Jacynthe Côté is Chief Executive, Rio Tinto Alcan. She joined Alcan in 1988 and has significant operational and international experience in the aluminium industry. She was chief executive officer, Primary Metal, Rio Tinto Alcan, where she was responsible for all primary metal facilities and power generation installation worldwide. Her previous roles in Alcan include president and chief executive officer, Bauxite & Alumina business group and senior management roles in business planning, human resources and environment, health and safety. Ms. Côté has served on the boards of the École des hautes études commerciales, the Quebec Council of Manufacturers, and the International Aluminium Institute. She has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Laval University in Quebec.
Mr. Jean-Guy Desjardins is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer at Fiera Sceptre Inc. Active in the community, Mr. Desjardins is a Member of a number of associations and boards of directors including Co-President, Major Donors Division of Centraide of Greater Montreal, Director of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and the École des hautes études commerciales. He is an active participant at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Canadian Centre for Architecture. He has served as Director of MEGA Brands Inc. (formerly, Mega Bloks Inc.), Gaz Metro Inc., BELLUS Health Inc., Laurentian Bank of Canada, and the Bank of Canada. Mr. Desjardins holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Collège Mont-Saint-Louis and an MBA from the École des hautes études commerciales, Université de Montréal.
We wish to recognize Meredith Webster and Najeeb Khalid for their tireless commitment and years of service to The Neuro. Their Board mandates were fulfilled in December 2010.
Upcoming Events
The Neuro’s Space Mission, March 14
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk will launch Brain Awareness
Week at The Neuro on March 14 with a keynote talk about his career in
space. More than 150 elementary school children will be on hand when Dr.
Thirsk returns the Penfield dissector, a surgical instrument designed and
used by Wilder Penfield, that he carried into space. Trained as an
engineer, Dr. Thirsk completed his medical training at McGill and was
finishing medical residency training when he was tapped for the Canadian
astronaut program. As a member of the Expedition 20/21 crew, Thirsk was the
first Canadian on a long duration mission. He launched on a Soyuz rocket
from Kazakhstan in May 2009, lived and worked on the International Space
Station, and returned to Earth in December 2009. The Honourable Marc
Garneau, MP for Westmount–Ville-Marie, will join us in welcoming his
colleague from the astronaut corps at 12:30 pm in the Jeanne Timmins
Amphitheatre. All are welcome to attend.
Franco Di Giovanni Foundation Social for brain tumour research,
March 19
For the seventh year, the Neuro’s Brain Tumour Research Centre will benefit
from funds raised by the Franco Di Giovanni Foundation. The Foundation
Dinner Dance Social (press
release) will be Saturday, March 19 at the Prima Luna Reception Hall,
7301 Henri-Bourassa East. Guests will enjoy an open bar, seven course meal
with wine, door prizes and an auction of sports memorabilia. Tickets are
$100 per person and may be purchased from
Lina Di Giovanni at 514-494-6831
or Mike Talevi at 514- 648-2764.
More than $200,000 has been raised by the Foundation for brain tumour
research at the Neuro, and their goal is to reach $250,000 this year. This
year funds will be collected again at English Montreal Schools via dress
down days, bake sales, raffles or other events.
Talent call, April 8
Looking ahead, we are happily anticipating spring and The Neuro’s annual
Spring Fling. Show date is April 20 but we are now scouting for talent.
Interested individuals and groups should contact Anthony Bruce at
514-398-1907 by April 8 to reserve their spot on the program. Neuro Idol,
anyone?
In the News
The work of scientists and clinicians at The Neuro is frequently in the news so you can stay up to date by following our media coverage.
Angela Genge and Alain Ptito were interviewed by The Gazette about the dangers of head trauma.
Alain Ptito was interviewed for a CTV special report ‘Skulls and Crosschecks’ about concussion in children, as well as an online video about concussion for The Gazette.
Radio-Canada Telejournal aired a report on the 3D Giant Screen movie in development all about the brain– a collaboration with The Neuro and The NFB.
Robert Zatorre interviewed for La Presse about music and the brain.
William Feindel interviewed about Wilder Penfield for CJSW 90.9 FM.
Sathy Rajasekharan interviewed on Radio-Canada International about the recent India-Canada Trade Mission 2011.
Marilyn Jones-Gotman interviewed by Agence Science Presse about participants in scientific studies that investigate mechanism relating to love.
Continuing national and international coverage on the
study of how listening to pleasurable music releases dopamine
in the brain.
The National Post, CBC Radio Quirks and Quarks, The National (UAE), The Columbia Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer (US), Psychology Today, Deutschlandfunk Radio (Germany)
Congratulations to ...
Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Turki, neurosurgical resident, who won 3rd prize for his presentation at the Trauma Day during the 16th Annual Rocke Robertson Visiting Professorship on February 2, 2011. Dr. Al-Turki presented work done in collaboration with fellow residents Dr. Mohamed Basamh and Dr. Ahmed Al-Jishi.Condolences to ...
The family and friends of A. Jefferson Penfield, MD, who passed away on February 5, 2011 at the age of 83. Like his father Wilder Graves Penfield, Jeff Penfield was a graduate of Princeton University and Johns Hopkins Medical School. He practiced Ob/Gyn for more than thirty years. Jeff Penfield along with many other family members, attended The Neuro’s 75th Anniversary to celebrate the legacy of our founder. His moving tribute, Memories of Wilder Penfield as a Father is available online. Jeff Penfield is survived by his wife Katharine, three children, seven grandchildren and his sister Priscilla Penfield Chester. As a tribute to his father and to benefit cancer research at Dana Farber, Jeff Penfield’s son will be cycling in the Pan Mass Challenge.
Director - David R. Colman, PhD
Senior Management - Martine Alfonso; Mark Angle, MD; Phil Barker, PhD; Rob
Dunn, PhD; Lucia Fabijan; Tom Gevas; Elizabeth Kofron, PhD; Catherine Rowe;
Donatella Tampieri, MD
Neuro News: Elizabeth Kofron, PhD & Sandra McPherson, PhD
Please send any items for the Neuro News to Sandra McPherson or Beth Kofron.
