Xbox games keep brain fresh, says our first woman brain doctor
IRELAND’S first female consultant neurosurgeon has revealed her simple way to keep your brain active – keep learning new things.
Catherine Moran’s appointment to Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital this week meant she became the first female consultant neurosurgeon appointment by the HSE in Ireland.
Speaking to Evoke.ie, the Westmeath native was asked if there were habits people could take up to protect brain health.
The expert’s answer is delightfully simple to implement.
‘Henry Marsh is a really famous neurosurgeon and he learned Spanish in his 60s. So, keep trying to learn new things. It’s funny, my partner – he’s in his 50s – and he started playing Xbox because he was like, “I bet this is really good for your brain because it’s a new skill”.’
Her partner, Professor Ciarán Bolger, is also an accomplished neurosurgeon in Beaumont Hospital, which made her new appointment all the sweeter.
The couple met four years ago on the job and Ms Moran explained how it’s great to be based in the same place now, as their work often involved international commutes or regular uprooting.
‘That’s one of the best things about getting the consultancy. I think I moved nine times in 11 years, my post never goes where it’s supposed to go,’ she joked.
‘He was on Friday night Aer Lingus flights a lot... and Sunday evening goodbyes. We did that for years.’
As well as smashing glass ceilings in traditionally maledominated fields, her appointment is good news for those affected by Parkinson’s disease in Ireland. Ms Moran is bringing a national Deep Brain Stimulation service on stream.
‘We’re hoping to start surgeries at the end of the summer. I’m really excited about that,’ she said.
It hasn’t been easy to secure funding during the pandemic, and, as with the legacy issue of
ICU capacity, theatre capacity causes a ‘bottleneck’ for surgeons.
Ms Moran explains: ‘It’s really difficult to get lots of operating lists, which is what you want to get through things.’
Despite these obstacles, she has already managed to get her new service almost fully-fledged and said: ‘I’m pretty proud of that.’
Deep Brain Stimulation emerged in the 1990s and, until now, Irish patients had to travel to the UK six times for treatment, a major barrier for those who already had their movement impaired by the condition.
‘I operated on a patient in Bristol for a really bad tremor and the day after surgery he was worried about his flight,’ the consultant neurosurgeon said of the stresses patients faced in travelling so soon after treatment.
Detailing how Deep Brain
Stimulation works to help Parkinson’s patients, Ms Moran said: ‘It’s electrical circuits, so you put in these electrodes that disrupt abnormal circuits and you use various different voltages and frequencies to get the best system relief. It’s interesting, it’s really augmenting the brain without cutting out some of the brain, like a lot of other surgeries.’ n For the full interview, see www.evoke.ie
‘We did Sunday goodbyes for years’