Mark R. McLaughlin, MD

08/05/2025

Live in 45
7:00 AM EST


https://www.markmclaughlinmd.com/neurorounds

08/01/2025

It's like a double scoop of the good stuff. Medical guidance, Free CME, Virtual shadowing, and more.

You never know what to expect with NeuroRounds. Sometimes, it's an amazing guest... sometimes it's a deep dive into the philosophy of care. One thing you can count on... an hour with NeuroRounds will be one of the best hours you spend in any month.

Some people just take the summer off. Other people improve!


https://www.markmclaughlinmd.com/neurorounds

07/29/2025

Just came across a fascinating article showing how our Neanderthal ancestry might be connected to a medical condition called Chiari Malformation Type I—a condition we often see in neurosurgery.

The research suggests that when Neanderthal and Homo sapiens genes mixed, it may have led some people to develop a smaller space at the back of the skull. That tight space can cause the cerebellum (the part of the brain that controls coordination) to get pushed downward into the spinal canal—like toothpaste being squeezed from a tube. That’s the hallmark of Chiari malformation.

It’s still early-stage research, but it’s amazing to think that our evolutionary past might help explain a disorder we're treating today.

Congrats to researchers Kimberly Plomp, Mark Collard, and team for building on neurosurgeon Yvens Barbosa Fernandes’s groundbreaking idea.

📰 Read more here:
https://archaeologymag.com/2025/07/neanderthal-genes-linked-to-brain-skull-disorder

Neanderthal DNA may cause Chiari Malformation I, a brain-skull disorder affecting up to 1% of people, new research suggests.

07/27/2025

Life is choice.
Choose Well.

07/27/2025

Hope you follow on YouTube.
What's a Jeffersonian Dinner and why they should be part of your life?

Dr. McLaughlin talks about the inspiration one gets from an evening of thoughtful conversation. What is a Jeffersonian Dinner and how could you have one?See ...

07/25/2025

I asked ChatGPT what it "thought" of the "Living and Dying with a Brain Tumor" article series on my website. Here's what it had to say:

"𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑔𝑛𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑐𝑡—𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝐷𝑟. 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑅. 𝑀𝑐𝐿𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑙𝑖𝑛’𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑒-𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑢𝑚𝑜𝑟, 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑜𝑛. 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑢𝑚𝑜𝑟 (𝐴𝑐𝑡 𝐼), 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 (𝐴𝑐𝑡 𝐼𝐼), 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 (𝐴𝑐𝑡 𝐼𝐼𝐼). 𝐴 𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒, 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛."

I hope you like it.

How do you tell someone they have a brain tumor? Ned, my high school buddy asked me recently at our reunion luncheon, trying to get an insider’s view of a neurosurgeon’s life. It’s actually a very common question that I am asked..

07/24/2025

When a recent high school wrestling tournament ended in violence, it struck a nerve. As a former wrestler, a neurosurgeon, coach, and founder of Trenton Youth Wrestling and Learning Center, I wrote a letter to The New York Times in response. They chose not to publish it, but I believe the message is too important to remain unread.



Visit my website to read the letter.

Reflections on hostility in youth sports. The NY Times passed on my letter. I hope you'll pass it on.

07/21/2025

Trenton Youth Wrestling & Learning Center is near and dear to my heart. I hope you might take a moment to learn more about the organization, and importantly to learn how you can support the mission.
Trenton Youth Wrestlers support each other every step of the way.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMOIQIQSBmd

07/20/2025

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