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Women pioneers in basal ganglia surgery

Hariz, Gun-Marie ; Rehncrona, Stig LU ; Blomstedt, Patric ; Limousin, Patricia ; Hamberg, Katarina and Hariz, Marwan (2014) In Parkinsonism & Related Disorders 20(2). p.137-141
Abstract
Background: Stereotactic functional neurosurgery on basal ganglia has a long history and the pioneers are mostly men. We aimed at finding out if there were women who have contributed pioneering work in this field. Methods: The literature was searched to identify women who have been first to publish innovative papers related to human basal ganglia surgery. Results: Six women fulfilling our criteria were found: Marion Smith, a British neuropathologist, made unique observations on stereotactic lesions of basal ganglia and thalamus on autopsied brains, and the lesions' relation to the reported clinical outcome. Natalia Bechtereva, a Russian neurophysiologist, pioneered the technique of therapeutic chronic deep brain stimulation to treat... (More)
Background: Stereotactic functional neurosurgery on basal ganglia has a long history and the pioneers are mostly men. We aimed at finding out if there were women who have contributed pioneering work in this field. Methods: The literature was searched to identify women who have been first to publish innovative papers related to human basal ganglia surgery. Results: Six women fulfilling our criteria were found: Marion Smith, a British neuropathologist, made unique observations on stereotactic lesions of basal ganglia and thalamus on autopsied brains, and the lesions' relation to the reported clinical outcome. Natalia Bechtereva, a Russian neurophysiologist, pioneered the technique of therapeutic chronic deep brain stimulation to treat various brain disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD). Denise Albe-Fessard, a French neurophysiologist, pioneered the technique of microelectrode recording (MER) in stereotactic functional neurosurgery. Gunvor Kullberg, a Swedish neurosurgeon, contributed in early CT imaging as well as early functional imaging of stereotactic lesions in PD and psychiatric patients. Hilda Molina, a Cuban neurosurgeon, established the Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica (CIREN) and pioneered there MER-guided transplant surgery in PD patients. Veerle Vandewalle, a Belgian neurosurgeon, pioneered in 1999 deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Tourette Syndrome. Conclusion: Although men constitute the great majority of neurosurgeons, neurologists and other neuro-specialists who have made groundbreaking contributions in basal ganglia surgery, there are women who have made equally important and unique contributions to the field. The principal two techniques used today in functional stereotactic neurosurgery, MER and DBS, have once upon a time been pioneered by women. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Basal ganglia, Functional stereotactic neurosurgery, Deep brain, stimulation, Microelectrode recording, Thalamotomy, History
in
Parkinsonism & Related Disorders
volume
20
issue
2
pages
137 - 141
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000331685500001
  • scopus:84893710258
  • pmid:24262870
ISSN
1873-5126
DOI
10.1016/j.parkreldis.2013.11.002
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
aebfcc60-7c58-4372-aea5-2c2c16c56a8d (old id 4364205)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:29:22
date last changed
2022-03-12 06:19:12
@article{aebfcc60-7c58-4372-aea5-2c2c16c56a8d,
  abstract     = {{Background: Stereotactic functional neurosurgery on basal ganglia has a long history and the pioneers are mostly men. We aimed at finding out if there were women who have contributed pioneering work in this field. Methods: The literature was searched to identify women who have been first to publish innovative papers related to human basal ganglia surgery. Results: Six women fulfilling our criteria were found: Marion Smith, a British neuropathologist, made unique observations on stereotactic lesions of basal ganglia and thalamus on autopsied brains, and the lesions' relation to the reported clinical outcome. Natalia Bechtereva, a Russian neurophysiologist, pioneered the technique of therapeutic chronic deep brain stimulation to treat various brain disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD). Denise Albe-Fessard, a French neurophysiologist, pioneered the technique of microelectrode recording (MER) in stereotactic functional neurosurgery. Gunvor Kullberg, a Swedish neurosurgeon, contributed in early CT imaging as well as early functional imaging of stereotactic lesions in PD and psychiatric patients. Hilda Molina, a Cuban neurosurgeon, established the Centro Internacional de Restauracion Neurologica (CIREN) and pioneered there MER-guided transplant surgery in PD patients. Veerle Vandewalle, a Belgian neurosurgeon, pioneered in 1999 deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Tourette Syndrome. Conclusion: Although men constitute the great majority of neurosurgeons, neurologists and other neuro-specialists who have made groundbreaking contributions in basal ganglia surgery, there are women who have made equally important and unique contributions to the field. The principal two techniques used today in functional stereotactic neurosurgery, MER and DBS, have once upon a time been pioneered by women. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Hariz, Gun-Marie and Rehncrona, Stig and Blomstedt, Patric and Limousin, Patricia and Hamberg, Katarina and Hariz, Marwan}},
  issn         = {{1873-5126}},
  keywords     = {{Basal ganglia; Functional stereotactic neurosurgery; Deep brain; stimulation; Microelectrode recording; Thalamotomy; History}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{137--141}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Parkinsonism & Related Disorders}},
  title        = {{Women pioneers in basal ganglia surgery}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.parkreldis.2013.11.002}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.parkreldis.2013.11.002}},
  volume       = {{20}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}