Neurosurgery
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The piriform cortex (PC) is part of the primary olfactory network in humans. Recent findings suggest that it plays a role in pathophysiology of epilepsy. Therefore, studying its connectivity can further our understanding of seizure propagation in epilepsy. We aimed to explore the structural connectivity of PC using high-quality human connectome project data coupled with segmentation of PC on anatomic MRI. ⋯ The PC has the strongest connectivity with the insula bilaterally. Specifically, the posterior long gyri of insula have the strongest connectivity. This finding may provide additional insight for localizing and treating temporo-insular epilepsy.
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In a period when the budding field of neurosurgery was believed to have little promise, Dr Alfred Washington Adson founded and led the first neurosurgical department at Mayo Clinic. He was not without reservations-surgical intervention for neurological conditions was rarely pursued because of poor outcomes and high complication rates, and Dr Adson acknowledged his early concerns about the future of neurosurgery in his memoirs. However, his education, mentorship, his training, and his first neurosurgical cases helped to shape the impact he ultimately had on the field and his legacy as a neurosurgeon. ⋯ The five neurosurgical cases overseen by Dr Adson in the next year illuminated the opportunity for neurosurgery to drastically improve the lives of patients. Dr Adson, given the option of continuing as either a general surgeon or a neurosurgeon, ultimately chose to pursue neurosurgery. This article seeks to provide a historical perspective on the neurosurgeon Dr Alfred Washington Adson using primary and secondary accounts from the Mayo archives, highlighting his contributions to the early understanding of intracranial pathology and how his early experiences as a trainee developed into a personal passion for self-improvement, education, and advocacy for health care in America.