David Darrow
@drdaviddarrow.bsky.social
Stereotactic functional #neurosurgeon scientist at the University of Minnesota working to translate #neuromodulation into therapies for #pain #neurologic and #psychiatric #diseases
Some mail you never forget opening.
Thank you NIH, NINDS + the HEAL Initiative for funding SENAP: a trial for central neuropathic pain: pain generated by the brain itself after stroke, MS, or spinal cord injury.
We finally know where it lives. Now we get to go there. 🧠
Thank you NIH, NINDS + the HEAL Initiative for funding SENAP: a trial for central neuropathic pain: pain generated by the brain itself after stroke, MS, or spinal cord injury.
We finally know where it lives. Now we get to go there. 🧠
August 17, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Some mail you never forget opening.
Thank you NIH, NINDS + the HEAL Initiative for funding SENAP: a trial for central neuropathic pain: pain generated by the brain itself after stroke, MS, or spinal cord injury.
We finally know where it lives. Now we get to go there. 🧠
Thank you NIH, NINDS + the HEAL Initiative for funding SENAP: a trial for central neuropathic pain: pain generated by the brain itself after stroke, MS, or spinal cord injury.
We finally know where it lives. Now we get to go there. 🧠
Pain prevention may start when the nerve is cut. In 32 tumor amputations, RPNI was associated with less 12-week pain (25% vs 68.8%) and no phantom limb pain (0% vs 43.8%). Lin, Chen, Zang, Wang & Li @pku1898.bsky.social.
doi.org/10.1227/ons....
doi.org/10.1227/ons....
August 14, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Pain prevention may start when the nerve is cut. In 32 tumor amputations, RPNI was associated with less 12-week pain (25% vs 68.8%) and no phantom limb pain (0% vs 43.8%). Lin, Chen, Zang, Wang & Li @pku1898.bsky.social.
doi.org/10.1227/ons....
doi.org/10.1227/ons....
Could an SCS trial be more than a device screen: a reversible test of pain diagnosis and responsiveness? Failed trials/explants were associated with higher mortality; ongoing SCS was not. Could that phenotype someday inform procedures like fusion? doi.org/10.1227/neu....
Mortality Outcomes After Spinal Cord Stimulation:... : Neurosurgery
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an established but intricate therapy for neuropathic pain. Chronic pain is associated with...
doi.org
August 10, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Could an SCS trial be more than a device screen: a reversible test of pain diagnosis and responsiveness? Failed trials/explants were associated with higher mortality; ongoing SCS was not. Could that phenotype someday inform procedures like fusion? doi.org/10.1227/neu....
After the recent navigation paper, a classic from Neurosurgery: in 1,216 patients with TN, pain-free survival after one RF rhizotomy was 57.7% at 5 years. The curve captures both durable benefit and the reality of recurrence.
#trigeminalneuralgia
doi.org/10.1097/0000...
#trigeminalneuralgia
doi.org/10.1097/0000...
August 6, 2026 at 9:41 PM
After the recent navigation paper, a classic from Neurosurgery: in 1,216 patients with TN, pain-free survival after one RF rhizotomy was 57.7% at 5 years. The curve captures both durable benefit and the reality of recurrence.
#trigeminalneuralgia
doi.org/10.1097/0000...
#trigeminalneuralgia
doi.org/10.1097/0000...
Accessing the foramen ovale can be the hardest part of percutaneous TN rhizotomy. In 61 procedures, EM navigation reduced fluoroscopy from 7.0 to 1.3 minutes, with no detected difference in pain outcomes. Great work by Shervin Rahimpour and colleagues.
doi.org/10.1227/ons....
doi.org/10.1227/ons....
doi.org
August 4, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Accessing the foramen ovale can be the hardest part of percutaneous TN rhizotomy. In 61 procedures, EM navigation reduced fluoroscopy from 7.0 to 1.3 minutes, with no detected difference in pain outcomes. Great work by Shervin Rahimpour and colleagues.
doi.org/10.1227/ons....
doi.org/10.1227/ons....
New TN guideline episode is live.
Payal Soni, MD joins @SBenHaimMD, @vishadsukul and me to discuss headache neurology, facial pain mimics, red flags, imaging, recurrence, and outcomes.
youtu.be/rxOeBJapV5k
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #FacialPain
Payal Soni, MD joins @SBenHaimMD, @vishadsukul and me to discuss headache neurology, facial pain mimics, red flags, imaging, recurrence, and outcomes.
youtu.be/rxOeBJapV5k
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #FacialPain
Trigeminal Neuralgia Guidelines: Headache Neurology & AHS Perspective | Payal Soni
YouTube video by drdaviddarrow
youtu.be
June 26, 2026 at 2:54 PM
New TN guideline episode is live.
Payal Soni, MD joins @SBenHaimMD, @vishadsukul and me to discuss headache neurology, facial pain mimics, red flags, imaging, recurrence, and outcomes.
youtu.be/rxOeBJapV5k
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #FacialPain
Payal Soni, MD joins @SBenHaimMD, @vishadsukul and me to discuss headache neurology, facial pain mimics, red flags, imaging, recurrence, and outcomes.
youtu.be/rxOeBJapV5k
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #FacialPain
New TN guideline stakeholder episode: Anna Williams, Melissa Baumbick, Marshall Holland, MD, and Donald Nixdorf, DDS, MS discuss patient priorities, treatment burden, recurrence, and quality of life.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou4u...
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #FacialPain
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou4u...
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #FacialPain
Trigeminal Neuralgia Guidelines: Facial Pain Association Stakeholder Discussion
YouTube video by drdaviddarrow
www.youtube.com
June 12, 2026 at 1:14 PM
New TN guideline stakeholder episode: Anna Williams, Melissa Baumbick, Marshall Holland, MD, and Donald Nixdorf, DDS, MS discuss patient priorities, treatment burden, recurrence, and quality of life.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou4u...
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #FacialPain
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou4u...
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #FacialPain
New trigeminal neuralgia guideline episode: Vishad Sukul and I speak with neuroradiologist Ajay Malhotra about MRI protocols, neurovascular compression, secondary causes, recurrence, and imaging standardization.
youtu.be/TyFj0hpSTv0
@theasnr.bsky.social
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #MRI
youtu.be/TyFj0hpSTv0
@theasnr.bsky.social
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #MRI
Surgical Trigeminal guidelines with Ajay Malhotra from ASNR
YouTube video by drdaviddarrow
youtu.be
May 18, 2026 at 5:28 PM
New trigeminal neuralgia guideline episode: Vishad Sukul and I speak with neuroradiologist Ajay Malhotra about MRI protocols, neurovascular compression, secondary causes, recurrence, and imaging standardization.
youtu.be/TyFj0hpSTv0
@theasnr.bsky.social
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #MRI
youtu.be/TyFj0hpSTv0
@theasnr.bsky.social
#TrigeminalNeuralgia #MRI
Brain disorders are network disorders but the map we build depends on the metric we choose.
Our new open-access paper validates effective connectivity metrics for detecting delayed, directed coupling in simulated brain networks.
Metrics matter.
doi.org/10.1088/1741...
Our new open-access paper validates effective connectivity metrics for detecting delayed, directed coupling in simulated brain networks.
Metrics matter.
doi.org/10.1088/1741...
Metric validation for detection of delayed and directed coupling
Metric validation for detection of delayed and directed coupling, Dembny, Kate, Farooqi, Hafsa, Herman, Alexander B, Netoff, Theoden I, Darrow, David P
doi.org
May 18, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Brain disorders are network disorders but the map we build depends on the metric we choose.
Our new open-access paper validates effective connectivity metrics for detecting delayed, directed coupling in simulated brain networks.
Metrics matter.
doi.org/10.1088/1741...
Our new open-access paper validates effective connectivity metrics for detecting delayed, directed coupling in simulated brain networks.
Metrics matter.
doi.org/10.1088/1741...
Nice paper on stereotactic radiosurgery for refractory cluster headache.
The time course is mechanistically interesting: improvement, then recurrence in some patients.
Pain circuits are normal physiologic circuits. Recurrence may reflect network adaptation or healing/recovery after radiation.
The time course is mechanistically interesting: improvement, then recurrence in some patients.
Pain circuits are normal physiologic circuits. Recurrence may reflect network adaptation or healing/recovery after radiation.
doi.org
April 27, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Nice paper on stereotactic radiosurgery for refractory cluster headache.
The time course is mechanistically interesting: improvement, then recurrence in some patients.
Pain circuits are normal physiologic circuits. Recurrence may reflect network adaptation or healing/recovery after radiation.
The time course is mechanistically interesting: improvement, then recurrence in some patients.
Pain circuits are normal physiologic circuits. Recurrence may reflect network adaptation or healing/recovery after radiation.
Our first stakeholder conversation for the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Pain trigeminal neuralgia guideline effort is live.
Dr. Michael Staudt and I spoke with Dr. Gary Klasser about orofacial pain, TN vs neuropathy, imaging, dental misdiagnosis, and patient-centered care.
youtu.be/reYNipKY3WM
Dr. Michael Staudt and I spoke with Dr. Gary Klasser about orofacial pain, TN vs neuropathy, imaging, dental misdiagnosis, and patient-centered care.
youtu.be/reYNipKY3WM
Trigeminal Neuralgia, Orofacial Pain & Surgical Guidelines | Gary Klasser
YouTube video by drdaviddarrow
youtu.be
April 26, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Our first stakeholder conversation for the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Pain trigeminal neuralgia guideline effort is live.
Dr. Michael Staudt and I spoke with Dr. Gary Klasser about orofacial pain, TN vs neuropathy, imaging, dental misdiagnosis, and patient-centered care.
youtu.be/reYNipKY3WM
Dr. Michael Staudt and I spoke with Dr. Gary Klasser about orofacial pain, TN vs neuropathy, imaging, dental misdiagnosis, and patient-centered care.
youtu.be/reYNipKY3WM
New case report published on trigeminal ganglion stimulation for refractory anesthesia dolorosa.
Rather than a binary “complete anesthesia + pain,” clinical nuance suggests a spectrum of deafferentation.
Rather than a binary “complete anesthesia + pain,” clinical nuance suggests a spectrum of deafferentation.
February 23, 2026 at 6:43 PM
New case report published on trigeminal ganglion stimulation for refractory anesthesia dolorosa.
Rather than a binary “complete anesthesia + pain,” clinical nuance suggests a spectrum of deafferentation.
Rather than a binary “complete anesthesia + pain,” clinical nuance suggests a spectrum of deafferentation.
Thank you to @u2fp.bsky.social for the invitation to talk about the future of #neuromodulation for #spinalcordinjury
So many good speakers and great ideas
So many good speakers and great ideas
February 17, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Thank you to @u2fp.bsky.social for the invitation to talk about the future of #neuromodulation for #spinalcordinjury
So many good speakers and great ideas
So many good speakers and great ideas
Reposted by David Darrow
🧪 Research Spotlight: Ziad Nahas, MD, MSCR, is studying how brain networks regulate mood in #BipolarDisorder & how instability drives shifts between depression & mania with PACE
👉 Goal: Test if targeting networks can improve mood & reveal mechanisms behind switches.
🔗 bit.ly/4gTbBwU
👉 Goal: Test if targeting networks can improve mood & reveal mechanisms behind switches.
🔗 bit.ly/4gTbBwU
November 19, 2025 at 3:31 PM
🧪 Research Spotlight: Ziad Nahas, MD, MSCR, is studying how brain networks regulate mood in #BipolarDisorder & how instability drives shifts between depression & mania with PACE
👉 Goal: Test if targeting networks can improve mood & reveal mechanisms behind switches.
🔗 bit.ly/4gTbBwU
👉 Goal: Test if targeting networks can improve mood & reveal mechanisms behind switches.
🔗 bit.ly/4gTbBwU
We are excited to be a part of this community to further efforts to understand and treat #bipolardisorder where we hope to bring biological insight back to psychiatry @umn-tc-aaup.bsky.social
The next cycle of funding for BD²’s Discovery Research program is now open! Up to $18M is available, which offers $1.5M per year for 3 years to advance bold, collaborative studies uncovering the biology of #Bipolar. LOIs due Nov 21 👉 bit.ly/4mtZ6tC
October 29, 2025 at 12:05 PM
We are excited to be a part of this community to further efforts to understand and treat #bipolardisorder where we hope to bring biological insight back to psychiatry @umn-tc-aaup.bsky.social
This is the future. The reality of biological #psychiatry. We listen to the patient, create a personalized map of their brain, use algorithms to disrupt stuck networks, and adapt the stimulation over time while continuing our quest to understand those networks.
Now with PFM, prior cortical stim work by @ziad-nahas.bsky.social for depression could be patient specific.
We developed the end-to-end minimally invasive PACE used by @drdaviddarrow.bsky.social to place electrodes directly on Mike's salience, default, fronto-parietal, and action mode networks.
We developed the end-to-end minimally invasive PACE used by @drdaviddarrow.bsky.social to place electrodes directly on Mike's salience, default, fronto-parietal, and action mode networks.
August 10, 2025 at 10:00 PM
This is the future. The reality of biological #psychiatry. We listen to the patient, create a personalized map of their brain, use algorithms to disrupt stuck networks, and adapt the stimulation over time while continuing our quest to understand those networks.
Reposted by David Darrow
Alert!!!!
“An Action Networks Model for Pain”
We propose a new model for chronic pain — and highlight two functionally connected cortical networks that could revolutionize how we treat it.
👉 thread below 🧵
osf.io/preprints/ps...
“An Action Networks Model for Pain”
We propose a new model for chronic pain — and highlight two functionally connected cortical networks that could revolutionize how we treat it.
👉 thread below 🧵
osf.io/preprints/ps...
June 26, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Alert!!!!
“An Action Networks Model for Pain”
We propose a new model for chronic pain — and highlight two functionally connected cortical networks that could revolutionize how we treat it.
👉 thread below 🧵
osf.io/preprints/ps...
“An Action Networks Model for Pain”
We propose a new model for chronic pain — and highlight two functionally connected cortical networks that could revolutionize how we treat it.
👉 thread below 🧵
osf.io/preprints/ps...
We bid farewell to our amazing postdoc @xinyuanyan.bsky.social and congratulations on her new position with @benhayden.bsky.social @bcmhouston.bsky.social
March 22, 2025 at 5:19 PM
We bid farewell to our amazing postdoc @xinyuanyan.bsky.social and congratulations on her new position with @benhayden.bsky.social @bcmhouston.bsky.social
Congratulations to our new #neurosurgery interns at the #universityofminnesota !
March 22, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Congratulations to our new #neurosurgery interns at the #universityofminnesota !
With a thousand people essentially choosing between slot machines, we were able to figure out that anxiety traits and apathy traits provide counterbalance pushing us to either search for better options or stick with what is working, guiding our decisions #universityofminnesota
Anxious people tended to explore more, viewing their environment as rapidly changing. In contrast, apathetic individuals explored less and saw changes as random.
check our new paper on BPCNNI 🫰https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451902225000278
check our new paper on BPCNNI 🫰https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451902225000278
January 22, 2025 at 12:51 PM
With a thousand people essentially choosing between slot machines, we were able to figure out that anxiety traits and apathy traits provide counterbalance pushing us to either search for better options or stick with what is working, guiding our decisions #universityofminnesota