The future of neuroscience in Africa and emerging global neurosurgical collaborations were in focus on Thursday’s edition of the Asaase Breakfast Show, hosted by Dr Teddy Totimeh.
The programme featured leading neuroscientists, clinicians and visiting surgical teams, including Professor Patrick Amoateng President of the Ghana Neuroscience Society, alongside a delegation of neurosurgeons from Ghana and abroad working on a week-long surgical mission at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The discussion formed part of the Asaase Breakfast Show “neuro segment,” which examined research innovation, surgical capacity building, and the growing burden of neurological disease in Ghana.
Neuroscience in Africa: research, tools and local relevance
Prof Amoateng outlined neuroscience as the scientific study of the nervous system, stressing its relevance to conditions such as epilepsy, stroke and other brain-related disorders that remain major public health concerns in Ghana.
He said his work over the past two decades has focused on pharmacological research into potential anti-epileptic compounds derived from medicinal plants, initially tested in animal models.
A key part of his research journey, he explained, involved shifting from traditional rodent models to zebrafish systems due to their efficiency in drug screening and genetic modelling.
According to him, zebrafish offer several scientific advantages, including transparent larvae that allow direct observation of gene expression, high reproductive output, and significant genetic similarity to humans.
“The fish has about 70 percent of its genes common to humans, so we can model diseases effectively,” he explained during the interview.
He added that zebrafish also support advanced gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR, making them valuable for studying neurological disorders and potential treatments.
Prof Amoateng said he has spent years building zebrafish research capacity in Ghana, including collaborations with European institutions such as the University of Sheffield and funding support to strengthen laboratory infrastructure locally.
Neuroscience Society marks 10 years
The interview also highlighted the upcoming annual conference of the Ghana Neuroscience Society, which begins this week under the theme “Advancing Neuroscience in Africa.”
Activities include a pre-conference workshop for students at Academic City, focusing on research writing, CV development and foundational neuroscience skills.
The three-day programme will also feature keynote presentations, poster sessions, and an annual general meeting to review the society’s progress since its establishment in 2016.
Prof Amoateng said the conference marks a milestone for neuroscience development in Ghana and reflects growing regional collaboration in brain research and clinical neuroscience.
Global neurosurgery mission at Korle Bu
The second half of the programme focused on a visiting neurosurgical team working with clinicians at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The team includes surgeons and trainees from Brigham and Women’s Hospital Brigham, part of Mass General Brigham and affiliated with Harvard University.
The collaboration is led locally by Dr Mabel Banson, Ghana’s first female neurosurgeon, alongside visiting specialist Dr Shaksham Gupta.
The mission is currently focused on pituitary tumour surgeries, a highly specialised procedure performed through the nasal cavity to access deep-seated brain tumours.
Dr Gupta explained that pituitary tumours can cause serious complications, including vision loss, and that timely surgical intervention can be life-changing.
He also noted that epilepsy surgery remains significantly delayed globally, with patients in some settings waiting up to a decade between diagnosis and curative intervention.
Capacity building and surgical training
Dr Mabel Banson said the week-long mission has already enabled multiple pituitary surgeries and intensive clinical teaching, including back-to-back procedures performed for the first time in the programme.
She said the approach introduced by the visiting team differs in technique and is expanding the skill set of local surgeons and residents.
“We are learning a lot. The approach is different from what we usually do here,” she said, adding that the programme is designed to strengthen long-term local capacity.
She noted that Ghana continues to face a significant neurosurgical burden, with multiple patients awaiting surgery and limited capacity to meet demand.
Dr Banson added that the partnership is expected to support a transition toward wider adoption of endoscopic surgical techniques and expanded training across regional centres.
Toward a long-term training hub
Dr Gupta said the broader goal of the collaboration is to build a sustained, bi-directional training partnership between Ghana and the United States.
He said the intention is to gradually shift from visiting support to a model where Ghana becomes a regional training hub for neurosurgery in West Africa.
Prof Amoateng echoed the broader scientific perspective, noting that neuroscience is increasingly interconnected with other disciplines, including gastroenterology and psychiatry, through emerging fields such as the gut-brain axis.
He stressed that neurological conditions such as stroke and traumatic brain injury remain leading causes of death and disability in Ghana, underscoring the urgency of investment in both research and clinical care.
The programme underscored a dual message: growing scientific capacity in neuroscience research and an expanding international effort to address Ghana’s neurosurgical burden through training and collaboration.
From laboratory research on zebrafish models to complex brain tumour surgeries in Accra, speakers on the Asaase Breakfast Show highlighted a field increasingly defined by both innovation and urgent public health need.
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