Bonnie Blazer-Yost

Bonnie Blazer-Yost is a professor of biology and a fellow of the American Physiological Society. She and her team are researching potential drug treatments for hydrocephalus, or “water on the brain.” Hydrocephalus may develop as a consequence of trauma, infection, tumors, intracranial hemorrhage or congenital birth defects.

Blazer-Yost says elderly patients may suffer from an underdiagnosed form called “normal pressure hydrocephalus,” characterized by urinary incontinence, gait instability, and dementia. Post-traumatic hydrocephalus occurs as the result of traumatic brain injury. Regardless of the form, brain surgery is the only effective treatment. A drug for hydrocephalus represents a global health care need.

Areas of Expertise

Hydrocephalus, pediatric hydrocephalus, normal pressure hydrocephalus, post traumatic hydrocephalus, polycystic kidney disease.