To achieve as much mobility as possible without compromising the body’s structural integrity, the cervical spine relies on a careful balance between flexibility and stability. In order to achieve this balance, an incredible amount of spinal structures must work together as a team to ensure the body is functional and protected. A stable spine is necessary to not only protect the spine, but also preserve nervous system functions, such as walking (Izzo et al., 2013). Furthermore, spinal instability may be detrimental to a sufferer’s quality of life. Back issues risen from spinal instability may cause functional difficulties in daily life in addition to possible severe chronic pain.

Minimally invasive surgical techniques for spinal surgery are on the rise. The endoscope, a tool used to observe and operate internally has been increasingly featured in many minimally invasive techniques, and the market for endoscopy is projected to grow to a 44 billion threshold by 2025. Other minimally invasive techniques, like microdiscectomies and other microscopic surgeries, are becoming prominent as surgeons wish to do less damage to their patients’ tissue.

Epilepsy is defined as a disorder of the brain characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures. In this paper, a seizure refers to a sudden burst of electrical activity within the brain impairing an individual for up to 3 minutes or more. A diagnosis of epilepsy is dependent upon the reoccurrence of severe seizures over a 10-year time period. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of active epilepsy in the United States was 1.2% in 2015. Research has revealed that up to 60% of people living with epilepsy (PWE) had associated depression, and a seizure frequency of >1 per month produced a 2.5 times increased risk of depression.

Lhermitte’s Sign, also known as the “barber chair” phenomenon, refers to an electric sensation that travels down the spine from the neck to the limbs. First described in 1917 by patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), Lhermitte’s Sign did not gain formal recognition until French neurologist Jean Lhermitte published a detailed report on the phenomenon a few years later (Lim et al., 2010).

Three of the most life-altering words to hear from a physician are inoperable, malignant, and tumor. One of the most common, but insidious, malignant brain tumor diagnoses is Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) (American Cancer Society, 2019). With an average survival rate of less than 15 months from diagnosis, GBM is particularly intractable to treatment and quickly spreads to surrounding neuroepithelial tissue, impeding blood supply, which renders chemotherapy even less effective.

Adderall. It’s a drug that has become so familiar since it hit the market in 1977 that most people recognize the name immediately. But why would our culture foster such knowledge of a prescription drug used to treat Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?

When we look up to see the sky crossed by a white trace, we can follow the white vine of water-vapor to its seeding source, the burning engine of a jet. What if we could similarly trace the thread-like connections of the brain? Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a technique for imaging the brain that allows us to describe the structures of the brain’s connections by contouring the diffusion, or directional movement, of water.