Health
Florida brain tumor patient plays guitar during his surgery: ‘This is wild’
The idea of having brain surgery while awake might seem amazing enough — but one Florida man took it a step further and played the guitar while doctors removed his tumor.
The neurological team from the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine wanted the patient, Christian Nolen, to play notes on the instrument so they could evaluate and protect his manual dexterity while being as aggressive as possible in removing the tumor.
The surgeon and patient both spoke with Fox News Digital about the experience.
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Nolen, who is an avid guitar player, had a tumor on the right frontal lobe of his brain that was starting to cause symptoms.
“Christian was having issues with the left side of his body, particularly his left hand,” Ricardo Komotar, M.D., director of the brain tumor program at Sylvester, told Fox News Digital via Zoom.
“He was noticing issues with his dexterity that affected his ability to play the guitar.”
The neurological team from the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine asked Christian Nolen to play guitar during his surgery so that they could evaluate and protect his manual dexterity. (Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine)
Nolen needed surgery to confirm the diagnosis and determine the type of tumor — as every tumor has different treatment options, Komotar noted — and also to remove as much of it as possible.
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The surgery was scheduled for 10 days after the tumor was discovered — and Nolen was surprised when the doctors asked if he’d be willing to remain awake and play the guitar for the procedure.
“When a tumor is involving or near a critical part of the brain — something that controls the ability to speak or understand language or move — we want to do the surgery awake to continually monitor the patient, so you know if you start to violate normal brain functions,” Komotar said.
Dr. Ricardo Komotar of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center is director of the brain tumor program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. (Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine)
When the patient is asleep, the doctor said, the surgery team doesn’t have the ability to get feedback.
“The surgeries actually become much more dangerous because you can take out a tumor that involves normal brain function and cause real harm without knowing it,” he said.
Given the importance of guitar-playing in Nolen’s quality of life, Komotar said there was “no better way” to monitor his manual dexterity and the effect of the tumor than to have him take up the instrument in the operating room.
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When the doctors posed the option to Nolen, he said that at first it “didn’t seem real.”
“I’d only really heard of procedures of that nature being done in shows and movies,” he told Fox News Digital in an email. “I felt like it was such a unique experience that I couldn’t pass up — especially with my motor skills being on the line.”
He added, “The risk of being sedated for the entire procedure outweighed any fear or anxieties around the procedure itself.”
Given the importance of guitar-playing in Nolen’s quality of life, his surgeon said there was “no better way” to monitor his manual dexterity and the effect of the tumor than to have him take up the instrument in the operating room. (Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine)
Prior to the procedure, Nolen said he was introduced to members of the surgical team and was told in-depth about what to expect.
The anesthesiology team put Nolen to sleep for the beginning of the open craniotomy, but he was awakened during a delicate part of the two-hour procedure. Once he was oriented on what was happening, the care team gave Nolen a guitar and asked him to play.
“Upon awakening, it was quite overwhelming to see everything around me and to fight the natural reaction to sit up,” Nolen recalled.
“I felt like it was such a unique experience that I couldn’t pass up — especially with my motor skills being on the line.”
After one of the members of the care team placed a “reassuring hand” to prevent Nolen from sitting up, he said it took only a second for him to remember what was happening.
“I just had to breathe and stay calm,” he said.
During surgery, he tried his best to play through some of the songs he had been practicing, including tunes by artists like the Deftones and System of a Down.
Nolen had a tumor on the right frontal lobe of his brain that was starting to cause symptoms. (Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine)
As the surgeons removed the tumor, they continuously monitored Nolen’s hand function while he played the guitar.
“As we were finishing the case at the very back of the tumor, we noticed that his hand function started to decline,” said Komotar. “The tumor was touching and interfacing with the part of the brain that controls hand movement. Fortunately, we were able to remove the entire tumor and not injure his hand.”
“This is wild,” Nolen said during the surgery.
What to know about awake procedures
While a patient playing guitar during surgery is not an everyday occurrence, Komotar told Fox News Digital that he and the rest of the specialized neurosurgical team perform awake surgeries several times a week, for a total of a couple of hundred times a year.
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“Most patients are intrigued by the process,” he said. “We tell them that they’re going to be able to speak and move their hands or limbs so we can constantly examine them.”
The doctors also reassure the patients that they won’t feel any pain, likely won’t remember the entire procedure, and will remain very comfortable — “which is the result of our world-class neuroanesthesia team,” added Komotar.
Research has proven the benefits of doing procedures with awake anesthesia instead of deep general anesthesia, the doctor noted.
Prior to the procedure, Nolen was introduced to members of the surgical team and was told in-depth about what to expect. (Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine)
“Surgery with continuous neurological exam leads to better functional outcomes and fewer neurological deficits,” he said.
There are also improvements in discharge and recovery.
“The less anesthesia you use during your procedure, the better the patient wakes up,” he said. “The faster they wake up, the sooner they are up and walking around, and the sooner they go home.”
Komotar added, “And inherently, the longer you’re in the hospital, the more complications you have.”
“Surgery with continuous neurological exam leads to better functional outcomes and fewer neurological deficits.”
Guitar-playing isn’t the only activity that patients can do during an awake craniotomy.
Anything that doesn’t increase pressure in the head, such as playing the violin, is fair game, Komotar said.
Some patients sing during brain surgery, which allows the surgeon to monitor their ability to form and understand words as they remove tumors in areas that involve language.
Before awake surgeries, the doctors reassure patients that they won’t feel any pain, likely won’t remember the entire procedure, and will remain very comfortable. Nolen is shown at left; Dr. Ricardo Komotar is at right. (Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine)
There are some risks involved with awake cranial surgery, Komotar acknowledged.
“Seizures can definitely be worsened by doing awake surgery,” he told Fox News Digital. “If someone has a history of seizures, we try to avoid electric brain stimulation, which is part of the technique.”
The biggest risk of doing awake brain tumor removal is that about 5% to 10% of patients don’t “tolerate” being awakened, Komotar said.
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“Even with world-class anesthesia, they might wake up either too startled or too in pain to be examined,” he said. “They might be confused, agitated or unable to follow commands.”
If that happens, the care team puts the patient back to sleep and proceeds with a more conservative tumor removal.
“He went home the day after surgery. He says his quality of life is better than it’s ever been, so I think his recovery has been remarkable.”
Without having continuous feedback from the patient, the surgical team can’t be as aggressive with the tumor removal, Komotar noted. “We only take out what we know is definitely safe, and we leave anything that’s questionable.”
The road to recovery
Nolen’s surgery went smoothly and the entire tumor was removed.
“Christian did terrific,” Komotar said. “He went home the day after surgery. He says his quality of life is better than it’s ever been, so I think his recovery has been remarkable.”
“The team at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami has been very informative and has not left much to the imagination in the best way possible,” the patient said. (Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine)
The first couple of weeks after surgery were a little tough for Nolen, the patient said, mainly due to post-surgery restrictions.
“The days were really dragging,” Nolen told Fox News Digital. “However, with a strong support system, I’ve been able to focus on the positives.”
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He is now back to working out at the gym and playing the guitar, with significant improvement in his left hand.
“A case like this spotlights the value of multidisciplinary care.”
He’s awaiting the final pathology results, with follow-up treatment likely consisting of six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy.
Both Komotar and Nolen emphasized that the success of the surgery hinged on the collaboration of the entire care team.
“The team at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami has been very informative and has not left much to the imagination in the best way possible,” said Nolen. “They have also provided me with quite a few programs for emotional support.”
“A case like this spotlights the value of multidisciplinary care,” added Komotar.
“It’s not possible to remove a tumor like this and get the patient home so quickly and in such good health without an entire comprehensive team — neuro anesthesiologists, great intensive care specialists, nurses, techs, great oncologists — all working together.”
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Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health.
Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt.
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“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement.
Loneliness may be linked to memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance.
The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed.
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The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance.
Social isolation and loneliness could play a surprising role in cognitive health among seniors. (iStock)
Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship.
About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression.
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Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time.
The results suggest loneliness may not directly accelerate the progression of memory loss, though it remains linked to poorer cognitive performance overall.
Researchers look at a brain scan at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Experts warn, however, that the findings should not be interpreted to mean loneliness is harmless.
“The finding that lonely older adults start with worse memory but don’t decline faster is actually the most interesting part of the paper, and I think it’s easy to misread,” said Jordan Weiss, Ph.D., a scientific advisor and aging expert at Assisted Living Magazine and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“It likely means loneliness does its damage earlier in life, well before people show up in a study like this at 65-plus,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
By older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold, an aging expert says. (iStock)
He suggested that by older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold.
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“By the time you’re measuring someone in their late 60s, decades of social connection patterns are already baked in,” he said.
Weiss, who was not involved in the research, added that loneliness may coincide with other health conditions, and noted that participants who felt more isolated also had higher rates of depression, high-blood pressure and diabetes. The link, he said, may reflect a cluster of health risks rather than a direct cause.
“While they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia,” a psychotherapist says. (iStock)
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist and author, said the findings reflect a broader pattern in research on loneliness and brain health, and that the relationship may be more complex than it appears.
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“The evidence shows there’s a link between loneliness and cognitive decline but there’s no direct evidence of a cause and effect relationship,” she said. “So while they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia.”
Morin added that loneliness, which can fluctuate, may not be the root of the problem, but rather a symptom of other underlying mental or physical health issues.
Researchers suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging. (iStock)
She said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health.
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“It’s important to be proactive about social activities,” Morin said. “Joining a book club, having coffee with a friend, or attending faith-based services can be a powerful way to maintain connections in older age.”
The researchers also suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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Research continues to uncover new details on how fasting may help extend life.
A new study published in the journal Nature Communications investigated how intermittent fasting can boost longevity in small worms often used in aging research.
Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas compared worms that were fed normally to those that underwent a 24-hour fast in early adulthood and were then fed again, according to a press release.
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The scientists measured a variety of factors, including stored fat, gene activity related to fat metabolism and lifespan.
The results showed that the life-boosting benefit did not depend on the fasting itself but on the body’s behavior after eating again.
Experts say sustainability is key when choosing a long-term weight-loss strategy. (iStock)
Study lead Peter Douglas, associate professor of molecular biology and a member of the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine at UT Southwestern, suggested that these discoveries “shift the focus toward a neglected side of the metabolic coin – the re-feeding phase.”
“Our data suggest that the health-promoting effects of intermittent fasting are not merely a product of the fast itself, but are dependent on how the metabolic machinery recalibrates during the subsequent transition back to a fed state,” he said.
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“Our findings bridge a gap between lipid metabolism and aging research,” he added. “By targeting aging, the single greatest risk factor for human disease, we move beyond treating isolated conditions toward a preventive model of medicine that enhances quality of life for all individuals.”
Lauri Wright, director of nutrition programs at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health, called this a “high-quality” study that adds an “important nuance to how we think about fasting and longevity.”
Intermittent fasting typically involves limiting meals to an eight-hour daily window or fasting every other day. (iStock)
The benefits of the refeeding phase after fasting were “especially interesting,” Wright, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“The researchers showed that longevity was linked to the body’s ability to turn off fat breakdown after fasting, allowing cells to restore energy balance,” she reiterated.
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“From a scientific standpoint, that’s a meaningful shift because it suggests fasting is not just about burning fat, but about metabolic flexibility.”
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Fasting may support longevity through triggering metabolic switching, enhancing cellular repair and stress resistance and improving markers like insulin sensitivity, research shows.
Limitations and cautions
Although this study provides “important insight” on the power of refeeding, Wright noted that the findings should be approached with caution, as the study was done on worms and cannot always be translated to humans.
“Additionally, it explains how a process might work in a controlled lab condition rather than real-world eating behaviors,” she added as a limitation. “Finally, the study is short-term and doesn’t give us the long-term translation on lifespan outcomes.”
The review found intermittent fasting was barely more effective than doing nothing, according to the study authors. (iStock)
Wright cautioned that fasting is “not a magic solution for longevity, and how you eat overall matters more than when you eat.”
“I advise, first and foremost, to focus on diet quality, including a variety of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and minimally processed foods,” she said.
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For those who are considering fasting, it’s better to stick with a moderate plan — like a 12- to 14-hour overnight fast — rather than going to extremes, Wright said. After fasting, she recommends focusing on well-balanced meals.
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Several groups of people should be cautioned against fasting, according to Wright, including those with diabetes who are on insulin or hypoglycemic medications, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, anyone with a history of eating disorders and older adults at risk of malnutrition.
Anyone considering intermittent fasting should consult with a doctor before starting.
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