Papers by Michael Salcman
IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, Jul 1, 1973
A platinum-glass microelectrode has been developed that permits chronic recording from single cor... more A platinum-glass microelectrode has been developed that permits chronic recording from single cortical neurons in unrestrained animals and without benefit of external manipulation. Details of fabrication and the surgical technique involved are presented. A discussion of the relevant mechanical considerations is also included. A prime advantage of the method is the ease with which it may be realized in the standard neurophysiologic laboratory.
Neurosurgery, Oct 1, 1985
Annals of Plastic Surgery, Aug 1, 1985
PubMed, Aug 1, 1988
While almost no malignant glial tumor can be cured by surgical resection alone, the oncologic ben... more While almost no malignant glial tumor can be cured by surgical resection alone, the oncologic benefits of radical tumor removal are clear. Mechanical cytoreduction is the only therapeutic modality by which a two-log cell kill can be achieved quickly. Surgery also "sets up" other therapies by facilitating the patient's survival during the acute treatment phase, by improving the patient's neurologic status, by potentiating the effect of other treatment agents, and through the removal of large numbers of inherently resistant cells. Recently, the value of reoperation also has been demonstrated, confirming its positive effect on survival. Nevertheless, there remain some patients for whom a radical resection is an inappropriate procedure, and reasonable alternatives should always be considered. Of course, glioblastoma multiforme and other intrinsic tumors of the brain are highly complex and heterogeneous lesions that require multimodal therapy, of which surgery is but one component.
Neurosurgery, Oct 1, 2006
Neurosurgery, Jun 1, 2012
T he human face is the most expressive mechanism for meta-communication in our environment; we re... more T he human face is the most expressive mechanism for meta-communication in our environment; we read the face for recognition and understanding, in joy and sadness, in the home and in the theater stall. That which is said or thought is not believed unless the speaker's face registers a congruent emotion. We decorate our faces to emphasize fierceness in war and attractiveness in love. By analyzing subtle structural similarities in familiar faces, we recognize children and grand children and certify membership in our kinship or tribe. Little wonder that the artistic portrayal of faces is one of the oldest forms of art making. From ancient Greece and China to the Renaissance in Italy and down to the present day, portraiture has been a sub-genre of painting and sculpture. Portraits of rulers and gods in stone, metal, plaster and crystal in ancient Egypt were highly stylized profiles; unique personality and facial features first appeared during the reign of Akhenaten in the 14th century BCE. The 3300-year-old painted limestone Bust of Nefertiti (c. 1345 BCE) in Berlin's Neues Museum is one of the most famous examples. From ancient Greece, similarly realistic sculpted heads and coins of leading rulers and personalities survive, including representations of Alexander the Great and Socrates. According to literary evidence, the lost paintings of Greece possessed a similar verisimilitude. The Chinese portrait tradition goes back at least a thousand years BCE but the oldest surviving paintings, such as the Court Portrait of Emperor Shenzong of Song (c. 1067-1085, National Palace Museum, Taipei) come from about 1000 CE. Many Roman portrait busts survive but paintings from that period are rare, except for a few frescos and the marvelous full-face portraits used as funeral panels in the Fayum district of Egypt (2nd to 4th century CE). The first major decline in accurate portraiture occurred during the Middle Ages when realistic likenesses of religious donors and rulers became relatively uncommon. Notable exceptions include the early self-portrait by history's first great composer, the mystic polymath Hildegard of Bingen (1152) and the secular portrait of Charles IV by Master Theodoric in Prague (c. 1360-1380). The great turning point in the history of the portrait occurred during the Renaissance, both in Italy and in the North, when artists rediscovered the art of ancient cultures and attention turned to secular, humanistic subjects such as the human body. Change in philosophic and societal norms was accompanied by a variety of technical advances including anatomical dissection, the perfection of single-point perspective and the invention of oil-based paint. Willem de Kooning, the American Abstract Expressionist, famously said that oil paint was invented for the depiction of flesh. In fact, the reputed inventor of oil painting, Jan van Eyck (c. 1395-1445), was himself a great portraitist. Van Eyck's pioneering work was deepened and enlarged by virtually every important artist who followed him: in the North by Cranach, Durer and Holbein, in the South by Leonardo, Raphael and Titian. For the first time it was possible to form some estimate of the character of a person by studying their portrait. The world's most famous painting, Leonardo's Mona Lisa, is a portrait, Las Meninas by Velázquez is a group portrait and fully 10% of Rembrandt's paintings are selfportraits. From the Baroque and Rococo (van Dyck, Rubens, Velázquez), to English and American painters of the 18th century (Gainsborough, Reynolds, Copley, Stuart), and the Neo-Classical, Romantic and Realist artists of the 19th century (David, Ingres, Goya, Delacroix, Courbet) portraiture has thrived. The Philadelphian Thomas Eakins ranks among the greatest portrait artists since Rembrandt; surgeons and scientists are the subjects of many of his finest works. 1 John Singer Sargent and Whistler were also exceptional portrait painters. Among the French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, Manet, Renoir, Degas and Cézanne were expert and enthusiastic portraitists, often picturing one another. Vincent van Gogh, a sensitive Dutchman like Rembrandt before him, similarly devoted 10% of his paintings to self-portraits documenting every stage of his life. Although the development of photography in the early 19th century sharply reduced the need for painted likenesses, both Eakins and Degas were enthusiastic about the new medium and
Neurosurgery, Dec 1, 2001
P aul Gauguin not only was a founding figure of modern art but lived a notorious life, one that w... more P aul Gauguin not only was a founding figure of modern art but lived a notorious life, one that was fully emblematic of a major turn in the history of Western culture. Gauguin belongs to the generation of Post-Impressionist painters who formed the essential link between the Impressionists of the 1860s to 1880s and artists such as Picasso and Matisse, the pioneers of early 20th century art. The three other giants of Gauguin's Post-Impressionist generation were Seurat, Cézanne, and van Gogh. The influence of each of these artists was complementary to the impact of the others. Seurat's Pointillism (composition in dots) and Cezanne's proto-Cubist structure were important in determining the drawing practice of both Cubism and Fauvism. The expressive use of discordant color in the work of van Gogh and Gauguin was critical to the color sense of both French Fauvism and German Expressionism. Gauguin was not only a great painter but also a sculptor who worked in carved wood and ceramics, as well as an expert printmaker. The full range of his technical abilities was brought to public attention in the major retrospective held at the National Gallery of Art in 1988 (1). Gauguin's paintings not only reflected contemporary currents in the visual arts but also drew on new developments in French poetry and music. The intermodal aspects of Gauguin's theories and artistic practice are important elements in the late 19th century cultural movement known as Symbolism. The advent of literary Symbolism in poetry can be dated to 1886, when its manifesto was published and emphasized the primacy of ideas over conventional reality and the ordinary means of expressing that reality (2). According to its theorist, Jean Moreas, the goal was to "objectify the subjective" so as to avoid the error of Realism, the subjective treatment of the objective (3). It was soon pointed out that if an author wished to suggest rather than describe, his poems and novels had to become more like music (2). The importance of music in Symbolist theory was a direct result of Wagner's operatic practice. In the visual arts, the movement took advantage of the neurological theory of synesthesia, the concept that individual sounds have equivalent emotional responses to certain colors and that individual colors are indicative of particular emotional states. Symbolist theory, with or without synesthesia, pervades the visual art of Kandinsky in Russia, Franz Marc in Germany, Beardsley in England, and Odilon Redon, Puvis de Chavannes, and Gustave Moreau in France. Well before Freud, Redon spoke openly of the need to submit the creative impulse to "the unconscious." Symbolism in poetry was epitomized by the work of Baudelaire, Verlaine, and Mallarmé. Although the architects and designers of Art Nouveau were powerfully influenced by this movement, the greatest of all Symbolist painters and designers was Paul Gauguin.
Springer eBooks, 2004
Cervical radiculopathy may be caused by a ruptured intervertebral disk, spondylosis, or a combina... more Cervical radiculopathy may be caused by a ruptured intervertebral disk, spondylosis, or a combination of these two processes. Soft disk material extrudes when the posterior annulus ruptures after the nucleus pulposus herniates. Figure 35-1 illustrates a typical lateral extruded disk. Laterally, the posterior annulus is weakest and the posterior longitudinal ligament is thinnest. Consequently, most degenerated disks protrude in this area. Because the nerve root is stretched over this area as it enters the intervertebral foramen, even a small amount of extruded disk material can cause the symptoms and signs of radiculopathy.
Springer eBooks, 2004
Volume I: 1. Craniotomy, Frontotemporal, Opening and Closure 2. Aneurysm of Circle Willis 3. Retr... more Volume I: 1. Craniotomy, Frontotemporal, Opening and Closure 2. Aneurysm of Circle Willis 3. Retrobulbar Intraorbital Tumors 4. Pituitary Tumor 5. Craniopharyngioma 6. Tuberculum Sellae Meningioma 7. Frontal Lobectomy 8. Hemispheric Glioma 9. Stereotactic Craniotomy 10. Olfactory Groove Meningioma 11. Sphenoid Ridge Meningioma 12. Cerebral Spinal Fluid Fistula 13. Falx and Parasagittal Meningiomas 14. Operative Repair of Dural Sinus 15. Tumors of the Third Ventricle 16. Subdural Hematoma 17. Extradural Hemorrhage 18. Temporal Lobectomy for Epilepsy 19. Lateral Intraventricular Tumor 20. Aneurysm of the Basilar Artery 21. Subtemporal Meningioma 22. Clivus Meningioma 23. Lateral Tentorial Meningiomas 24. Occiptal Lobectomy 25. Arteriovenous Malformation Epilogue Index.
Neurosurgery, Oct 1, 1979
We present a case of Nelson's syndrome in which the clinical, radiographic, and surgical find... more We present a case of Nelson's syndrome in which the clinical, radiographic, and surgical findings are indicative of a discrete microadenoma rather than of diffuse pituitary hyperplasia. Ultrastructural analysis reveals this to be the first example of a sparsely granulated lesion in Nelson's syndrome and only the second such adrenocorticotropic hormonesecreting tumor reported. Unfortunately, there do not seem to be any firm ultrastructural features that differentiate between hyperplasia and discrete adenoma. Separation of the two entities may be important in delineating the pathogenesis and treatment of Nelson's syndrome; these are discussed.
Williams & Wilkins eBooks, 1991
Neurosurgery, Jul 1, 1979
Samples of ventricular cerebrospinal fluid, tumor cyst fluid, and subdural fluid were obtained fr... more Samples of ventricular cerebrospinal fluid, tumor cyst fluid, and subdural fluid were obtained from 30 patients at operation. The protein concentration and the specific gravity of each sample were measured and the corresponding mean absorption numbers were calculated from the numerical printout of the preoperative computerized tomogram. For fluids with a specific gravity greater than 1.005, a linear relationship was demonstrated between protein concentration and specific gravity. For protein concentrations greater than 300 mg/dl, there was a linear relationship between protein concentration and the mean absorption number. As the precision of present instrumentation improves, it is expected that a noninvasive technique for estimating intracranial protein concentration will have a number of clinical application.
Journal of Neurosurgery, Oct 1, 1984
✓ The development of a transplantable model brain tumor in the neonatal dog, the adaptation of th... more ✓ The development of a transplantable model brain tumor in the neonatal dog, the adaptation of the tumor to tissue culture, and the successful growth of the tumor in adult mongrel dogs has been adapted to producing similar tumors in the thoracic spinal cord of the adult dog. Ten adult dogs, weighing 4 to 25.4 kg each, were subjected to formal laminectomy. The tumor cell suspension was injected by hand with a Hamilton syringe at two or three sites over a distance of 1 cm; each site received an injection volume to 0.02 to 0.05 cc of the cell suspension after the dura had been opened. Immediately after injection the field was copiously irrigated and the puncture area sealed with a single drop of ethyl cyanoacrylate. Tumor cells for injection were obtained by thawing ampules stored at −195°C in a mixture of 10% dimethyl sulfoxide and RPMI 1640 culture medium. Cells were resuspended in Hank's balanced salt solution and 15% fetal calf serum on ice. Solutions had 90% cell viability, and animals received a dose in the range of 3 to 13 × 106 cells. Eight animals developed tumors and became paraparetic on the 9th to 14th postinjection day. Metrizamide myelography in three animals revealed complete blocks; two animals underwent spinal computerized tomography (CT) and demonstrated syringohydromyelia. Histology revealed the tumors to be highly vascular primitive neoplasms that invaded the surrounding cord. This spinal cord tumor model is large enough to be operated on, studied by CT and myelography, and subjected to pharmacological, electrophysiological, and blood flow study.
Journal of Neurophysiology, Apr 1, 1985
Simultaneous recordings were made from small collections (2-7) of spontaneously active single uni... more Simultaneous recordings were made from small collections (2-7) of spontaneously active single units in the striate cortex of unanesthetized cats, by means of chronically implanted electrodes. The recorded spike trains were computer scanned for bursts of spikes, and the bursts were catalogued and studied. The firing rates of the neurons ranged from 0.16 to 32 spikes/s; the mean was 8.9 spikes/s, the standard deviation 7.0 spikes/s. Bursts of spikes were assigned a quantitative measure, termed Poisson surprise (S), defined as the negative logarithm of their probability in a random (Poisson) spike train. Only bursts having S greater than 10, corresponding to an occurrence rate of about 0.01 bursts/1,000 spikes in a random spike train, were considered to be of interest. Bursts having S greater than 10 occurred at a rate of about 5-15 bursts/1,000 spikes, or about 1-5 bursts/min. The rate slightly increased with spike rate; averaging about 2 bursts/min for neurons having 3 spikes/s and about 4.5 bursts/min for neurons having 30 spikes/s. About 21% of the recorded units emitted significantly fewer bursts than the rest (below 1 burst/1,000 spikes). The percentage of these neurons was independent of spike rate. The spike rate during bursts was found to be about 3-6 times the average spike rate; about the same for longer as for shorter bursts. Bursts typically contained 10-50 spikes and lasted 0.5-2.0 s. When the number of spikes in the successively emitted bursts was listed, it was found that in some neurons these numbers were not distributed at random but were clustered around one or more preferred values. In this sense, bursts occasionally "recurred" a few times in a few minutes. The finding suggests that neurons are highly reliable. When bursts of two or more simultaneously recorded neurons were compared, the bursts often appeared to be temporally close, especially between pairs of neurons recorded by the same electrode; but bursts seldom started and ended simultaneously on two channels. Recurring bursts emitted by one neuron were occasionally accompanied by time-locked recurring bursts by other neurons.
Springer eBooks, 2004
1. Posterior Fossa Exploration 2. Suboccipital Craniectomy 3. Posterior Fossa Cranial Nerve Proce... more 1. Posterior Fossa Exploration 2. Suboccipital Craniectomy 3. Posterior Fossa Cranial Nerve Procedures 4. Posterior Fossa Arteriovenous Malformation 5. Aneurysm of the Vertebral Artery 6. Glomus Jugulare Tumor 7. Meningioma of the Foramen Magnum 8. Cervical Cordotomy 9. Cervical Laminectomy 10. Cervical Radiculoneuropathy 11. Lumbar Radiculoncuropathy 12. Spinal Cord Arterio-Venous Malformation 13. Intramedullary Spinal Cord Tumor 14. Cauda Equina 15. Intradural Extramedullary Tumor 16. Intra- and Extradural Tumor 17. Myelomeningocele Repair 18. Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt 19. Carotid Endartectomy 20. Surgery of Peripheral Nerves Subject Index.
Neurosurgery, Dec 1, 2015
Neurosurgery, May 1, 2015
A n artist can create an aesthetic revolution, misunderstand it, and turn his back to the very th... more A n artist can create an aesthetic revolution, misunderstand it, and turn his back to the very thing that made him famous in the first place. The motivation for such retrograde movement in aesthetic position during an artistic career is not infrequently tied to external political pressures or an inner conviction that one's central beliefs are out of tune with the prevailing wisdom of the times. If the backward turn is sufficiently dramatic it can result in financial ruination and intellectual ostracism; a celebrated artist once central to the cultural milieu of his youth may become an irrelevancy in old age. All of this and more happened to Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), an Art Nouveau illustrator and painter noted for his posters of idealized female figures. The artistic movement of which he was a pioneer itself occupies a somewhat anomalous position among other well-known artistic developments in the modern era; Art Nouveau did not represent a fundamental change in the way in which we view the natural world comparable to the perceptual revolutions created by Impressionism, Fauvism or Cubism, and did not primarily influence the fine arts as much as it did applied arts in the domestic environment. That Art Nouveau represents a link between nineteenth century styles and twentieth century modernism is chiefly due to the fact that its practitioners shared a philosophy that ran parallel to the English Arts and Crafts Movement (c.1862-1900) of William Morris, a desire to erase the division between art and its audience by applying a uniform pattern of high design to every aspect of a person's environment, the marriage of beauty and utility. As a result of this attempt to create a total life experience, Art Nouveau became an international style with its chief influence on architecture and applied arts such as glasswork and ceramics, jewelry and furniture, textiles and household silver. Although Art Nouveau represented a reaction to some tenets of academic art in the 19th century, enough characteristics remained to make a fundamental change in painting and sculpture impossible. At the height of its influence, roughly 1895 to 1905, Art Nouveau was inherently a conservative movement in which a highly stylistic change in the content or subject matter of art took precedence over any conceptual change in how content was presented to the viewer. As a result, while Impressionism led to the Divisionism of Seurat, the Fauvism of Matisse, and the Cubism of Braque and Picasso, Art Nouveau was succeeded by Art Deco, another innovative but primarily decorative style in the applied arts. The difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco is easily described. The older movement placed a premium on sensuous and sinuous natural forms, many of which were derived from flowers and other plants, leaves and tendrils and vines, as first widely seen in Mucha's posters. The use of these forms in architecture and interior design, in jewelry and silverware, in clothing and textiles, in theory, would make it possible to live in a totally harmonious environment. Harmony, however, was not to be the legacy of a century in which the major art movements valorized the right angle and the cube rather than the curve, abstract form rather than shapes derived from nature, and a purist view of art for art's sake rather than the applied use of artworks for decoration or other practical purposes. To a certain degree, even Art Deco, Art Nouveau's daughter movement if you will, rejected natural form for geometric shape in the built environment and advocated a design ethos based on Cubist and Russian Constructivist principles, ancient Mayan and Egyptian architecture, and industrial forms and materials in its later American version, mid-century machine art. Nevertheless, despite its conservative imagery, the ethos of Art Nouveau, with its emphasis on art's seamless integration into the everyday environment, is increasingly recognized as an important link between the visual culture of the nineteenth century and the explosive developments of the twentieth.
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Papers by Michael Salcman