Music and the Brain and Alzheimer’s

From now until the ASET Annual Conference Begins on August 18^th.  I will highlight some of the topics we will be discussing in my blog.  I think you will find this year’s ASET annual conference in Pittsburgh to be one of the best ever, and one of the most inspirational.  If you have not received your conference brochure yet, they are in the mail and you should receive one soon.  If you are not on our mailing list, you may view the full brochure at this link: ASET 2016 Conference Brochure

I am “over-the-top” excited about our Keynote Address this year.  The topic is “Music and Memory”. 

 This topic is based on the documentary movie from 2014 called “Alive Inside” about the positive effect of music on Alzheimer’s patients.  The movie is readily available via the internet, and providers like Netflix.  I highly recommend this uplifting film!  The creator of the film,   Dan Cohen, began the project to bring custom recorded music to Alzheimer’s patients, and began a program to donate iPods for patients.  The music that is most meaningful for the individual is the most effective, so family members are consulted when selecting the music for each patient.

Our speaker is Robin Lombardo, who works for the Music and Memory organization, which manages the iPod program and provides education about music and dementia for caregivers.  Robin is a certified dementia practitioner and a certified recreation therapist.  Her presentation will include an explanation of how many areas of the brain are involved when we listen to music.  She has some amazing video clips to demonstrate the remarkable response that even severely affected Alzheimer’s patients have when they can listen to songs from their past.

I feel that a Keynote address should inspire us and take us beyond our everyday work.  This talk will be inspirational and very pertinent to our lives.  Who does not know someone with Alzheimer’s?  Many of us perform tests for dementia patients.  No matter what area of neurodiagnostics you are in, from pediatrics to intraoperative neuro-monitoring, you won’t want to miss this presentation!

I look forward to seeing you all in Pittsburgh!

Education and Neurodiagnostic Technology

A quote from my daily calendar:  “A good education can change anyone, but a good teacher can change everything.”

That is so true!  Can you recall a favorite teacher in grade school or high school that inspired you to learn?  Or one that saw a talent in you and helped you develop a skill?  I can recall a high school English teacher that made creative writing into a fascinating challenge, and who instilled in me a love of writing. 

The opportunity to teach is a precious gift, because even though you give of yourself as you teach, it is very rewarding to see students build skills, understand concepts and gain confidence.

So why don’t you consider working with students as a clinical site instructor?  Our schools are struggling to find enough clinical sites to accommodate all the students that they would like to accept into their Neurodiagnostic Technology Programs.  One of our Distance Education programs turned away 25 potential students last year because they could not connect with labs able to serve as clinical sites!

There is still a nation-wide shortage of skilled technologists in our field.  ASET is committed to helping to fill this gap by supporting formal education.  Please help us out and consider becoming a clinical site!

Here is a link to the flyer and clinical site questionnaire on the ASET website: Clinical Site Form

Please fill this out and send the form back to me.  This will allow me to add your lab to the ASET clinical site database.  I do not make this list or your contact information public.  I will provide information about labs in a specific area only to a Neurodiagnostic Program Director who is requesting help to place a student.  Since the distance education programs must serve students enrolled anywhere in the USA the demand for clinical sites can be anywhere!

If a student is a good match for your lab, the college will execute a contract with the legal department of your hospital.  This step is necessary to ensure that the student and the hospital are both covered in case of injury, illness, etc. 

If you have any questions about this please contact me directly:  faye@aset.org  I would be pleased to chat with you as well, just request that I call you!

Deadlines are pending! Neurodiagnostic practitioners: do not miss these opportunities

First up!  ASET members can still apply for a scholarship to attend the annual conference in Pittsburgh this summer!  This year’s program is REALLY great and will be inspirational!  The deadline for applications is May 18^th!  Use this link to find scholarship applications for the conference:  http://www.asetfoundation.org/downloads/

An Urgent Notice:  Platform Abstracts needed! 

I think that most people are not aware of the benefits of presenting an abstract at the ASET annual conference, and are not sure of how to go about submitting an abstract application.  I am actively seeking abstracts for presentation at the ASET 2016 annual conference in Pittsburgh, PA.  The deadline for abstract submission has been extended to April 18 and you can access the abstract application here:  You may download and print an abstract form to fill out, or simply use our on-line abstract application option directly from our website:  ASET Abstract Application

We need both platform abstract presentations for our 2015 annual conference program.  This means you will be presenting from the podium on Aug. 18 or 19^th.    So, what is in it for you?

1)            Free meeting registration for the day on which you present your abstract.  This represents a significant savings on meeting expenses!

2)            The opportunity to share knowledge that you have with other neurodiagnostic practitioners in a friendly and supportive environment, and to gain confidence in giving a presentation!  Since the podium abstracts slots are 30 minutes long, including time for questions, this is an ideal way to start speaking in public.

  3)          The opportunity to be a published author!  All abstracts that are presented are published in the December issue of “The Neurodiagnostic Journal”, and subsequently are listed in the PubMed database.

FAQs about abstract presentations:

Q: What kind of topics can I present as an abstract?

A: Almost anything!  We have a history of very diverse subject matter presented as abstracts over the years.  Most people think that this has to be a very scientific research paper.  While that is something we like to include in the abstract program, that is not the only kind of abstract that we accept.  If you are doing a new, cutting edge procedure, you can share that!  If you have a fascinating case history, rare disease case, odd set of artifacts, you can present that!  If you have a successful management technique, you can present that too!  We have had very interesting abstract presentations from technologists who have traveled to third-world countries to volunteer their services!  We have included presentations on veterinary neurodiagnostics!  So, think about what you have done and come up with an abstract for us!

Q: How do I request time to present an abstract?

A: There is an abstract application form on the ASET website, please just go to the “meetings” tab + annual conference + abstract and poster presentations + Download 2016 Abstract Application, or print the abstract form, complete it and fax it to me or scan it and e-mail it to me.  In addition to the application form, you must also submit the 100-200 word synopsis of your abstract subject matter.  A Word document is fine.  This is what will be published in the ASET Journal and printed in the final program for the annual conference.

 Please also note that on our website you can also access tips on how to do prepare an abstract presentation.

Q:  When will I find out if my abstract is accepted?

A: I will send out acceptance notices the first week in May.  The ASET Program Committee will review all abstract applications starting on April 20th . I will contact everyone who submitted an abstract.  I will schedule a time for each podium abstract presentation at that time, and will include that in my notice to you.  You do not have to prepare a handout for an abstract, or submit the slides in advance. 

Q:  What happens on the day of the abstract presentation?

For platform abstracts, we ask that you bring your PowerPoint file with you on a flash drive and pre-load the file on the ASET laptop in the meeting room prior to your presentation, preferably before the meeting begins, during a break or during lunch  We will introduce you at the beginning of your assigned time slot.  We will let you know when you are within 5 minutes of the end of your time slot, so that you can take questions from the audience.  No handouts are required.

Neurodiagnostics is not just a job, it is a career!

How can you go wrong with a profession like this one?  I have been enthralled with this field since 1978 when I began a one-year EEG Technology program.  Back in those days, they did not call it “Neurodiagnostics” since the only modality there was in the clinical setting was EEG. There was always nerve conduction studies, but that was an on-the-job trained extra.   But look how the field has grown!  Skills we are likely to include:  EPs, LTM, IONM, ICU monitoring, Autonomic Testing, Transcranial Doppler and there are a great variety of job settings to choose from as well. 

I know many techs who connect with instrument companies, as I did back in the 90’s to provide new user training and installation services, which I did on occasion, by contract, in addition to my regular job. I have fond memories of all the great Nicolet folks from back then, and lots of great customers too!  Many techs went from consulting to full time employees of instrument companies, working in tech support, research and design, or sales.

We can also be found in research jobs, doing studies and compiling data for grant-based research that involves neurophysiology testing. 

Some of our business-minded techs have started their own companies to provide IONM services or EEG services, working by contract in a variety of labs and hospitals.  I have always admired the courage and stamina it takes to show up in a totally unfamiliar setting, in an O.R. with a surgical team that you’ve never met, to start a long IONM case after a long early morning drive to get to the site.

Some of our most gifted techs are inspired to share their love of the field by teaching full time as training program directors, instructors and clinical preceptors.

Some techs are able to specialize in one area of neurodiagnostics:  Some just love full time intra-operative neuro-monitoring.  Some love ambulatory EEG!  As I have mentioned previously, I love neonatal and pediatric EEG!

One of the areas I found most interesting was Long Term Monitoring for Epilepsy.  It was fascinating to observe the progress from a first admission through the pre-epilepsy surgery work-up, to the Phase II recording with grids and strips, to a successful surgical resection of epileptogenic brain tissue.  There were parts of the work-up which serve as the most amazing neuro-anatomy and physiology lesson ever!  I am referring to cortical stimulation and cortical mapping, and the correlation of seizure symptoms with a focal area of the brain.

So, if you are in this field already, my advice is “Go for it!”  Learn as much as you can, pass as many board exams as you can, and never stop learning!  If your enthusiasm is flagging in one area of neurodiagnostics, try something new!   If you are not a neurodiagnostic technologist, but want to be in an allied health field that is growing and will need more techs in the future, look into it!
We have a list of formal training programs on our website at this link: Neurodiagnostic School listings

You will find schools in some states, and on-line programs to help cover the need for states where there are no colleges that offer a neurodiagnostic curriculum.  Some programs are two-years long and offer an Associate's Degree, others are one-year and offer a certificate, and we are starting to see Bachelor Degree programs, in neurodiagnostics and in IONM.  

Here is a great career video that explains how interesting our work can be!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZidT6PDP4o

The “Old-fashioned” way of doing things

Do you remember when a desk top, meant the top of your desk?  This is what my desktop looked like for a full week while my computer was out for repairs.  

I can recall when I actually worked at a desk that looked like this!  I had pads of paper, pens, pencils, a phone, a typewriter and a dictation machine in my office!  But I must say it was really hard to go back to this way of working!  I did have my tablet last week, so that I could keep up with e-mails, but it was a real challenge to work with documents on this device.  The first step was to sign onto my “Cloud back-up account” and retrieve the document I needed, then make changes and store it on a flash drive so that I could update my files when my “real” computer returned from it’s sabbatical.

This experience brought to mind all of the other work changes we have experienced, at least if you are as close as I am to being a senior citizen!  Oh, the joys of analog EEG systems!   Younger techs have likely heard the stories before, of how big and heavy those old machines were!  Can you imagine having to push buttons labeled “Fp1”, “Fp2”, “F7”, “F8” and so forth to connect electrodes in a montage several times during each recording as we changed montages?  There was a trick to punching those buttons as quietly as you could to prevent that "Pop" when the button went in, so that the noise did not wake up your patient.  Now you can get away without changing a montage at all during the live recording, thanks to the wonders of reformatting on digital equipment!  But back then, we had only one chance to choose the right montage to display abnormalities.  It was also crucial because if you had only 8 or 10 channels, you had to skip some electrodes in each montage.

And the other feature that everyone who ever worked with analog EEG will remember the most, is the ink and the pens!  We went home at night with nails and knuckles stained black, and we all had our favorite methods for removing ink from our white lab coats!

The other component was the paper!  A box with 1000 pages with seams at every 10 second segment.  You can bet that the only burst of spike and wave would occur just at that seam, when the pens lifted from the paper as the seam came up, and failed to draw the complete spike/wave complex!

It was all really great, but we are all firmly entrenched in our digital world and the benefits are tremendous!  The ability to include video on all recordings is wonderful!  Not having to find a way to store millions of pages of EEG on paper in some dark basement of a hospital is also wonderful!  And back then, we did not have cell phones to use, if we got stuck in that dreadful dungeon’s old elevator that resembled a movie prop from an Alfred Hitchcock film.   

With all the channels available in today’s digital EEG world, you can include every electrode, plus extra leads such as T1 & T2, plus all the monitors for EKG, eye movements, and respirations.  It is definitely a better world for neurophysiology, but I enjoyed the old days too!

Happy 2016 and we can look forward to more innovations!