Assoc. Prof. M.D. Emel Ur Özçelik Reviews

A 28-year-old competitive freediver from Antalya presented with recurrent episodes of transient confusion and visual disturbances immediately after deep dives. Dr. Özçelik identified a rare form of cortical spreading depression triggered by rapid pressure changes, not previously documented in aquatic athletes. Treatment involved a tailored regimen of magnesium supplementation and a modified dive protocol, allowing the patient to return to competition within three months with monitoring.

A 72-year-old retired calligraphy master from Konya developed progressive micrographia and hand tremors that exclusively affected his intricate artistic work while daily handwriting remained normal. Dr. Özçelik diagnosed task-specific focal dystonia with unique neural pathway involvement. She pioneered a treatment combining mirror therapy with sensory retraining using specially textured brushes, resulting in partial artistic recovery after eight months of dedicated rehabilitation.

A 19-year-old university student from a low-income family in Diyarbakır presented with sudden-onset foreign accent syndrome following a migraine episode, speaking Turkish with an inexplicable Finnish prosody. Neurological imaging revealed a tiny, transient ischemic lesion in the left parietal lobe. Dr. Özçelik managed the case with anticoagulation and intensive speech therapy focused on prosodic retraining, with the accent gradually resolving over six weeks.

A 45-year-old Istanbul shipyard welder developed episodic synesthesia where sounds triggered specific temperature sensations (e.g., hammering caused burning pain in his hands). Dr. Özçelik identified cross-wiring in the auditory-somatosensory cortex due to chronic low-level manganese exposure from welding fumes. Chelation therapy combined with sensory integration exercises led to significant symptom reduction after four months.