Helping parents and patients navigate neurological diagnoses and treatments, locate helpful resources and find answers to many of the questions we are often asked.
Primary steps: The value of electroencephalography (EEG) in epilepsy (5/13/2022) - Scalp EEG is an electrophysiological tool that examines the electrical activity of the human brain. EEG is commonly ordered as part of the evaluation of “spells” or suspected seizures in children, and is a useful study that can guide the diagnosis of epilepsy and direct medication management. In patients with known epilepsy, EEG can help understand seizure burden. It also is used in pre-surgical… … Continue reading Primary steps: The value of electroencephalography (EEG) in epilepsy
New research program for kids with rare genetic epilepsy (2/10/2022) - Cook Children’s Neurosciences Research department launched a new program in January 2022 to help children with SYNGAP-1, a rare form of genetic epilepsy. SYNGAP1-related non-syndromic intellectual disability is a rare genetic disorder caused by a variant of the SYNGAP1 gene. The gene is located on Chromosome 6 and is responsible for producing the SYNGAP protein, which acts as a regulator in the synapses. Patients… … Continue reading New research program for kids with rare genetic epilepsy
Cook Children’s and Covenant Children’s: Providing neurology care in Lubbock (2/10/2022) - A pediatric neurologist from Cook Children’s is now seeing patients in Lubbock thanks to a hospital partnership that brings specialized care closer to home for residents of West Texas and eastern New Mexico. Jennifer Pitts, M.D. joined the Jane and John Justin Neurosciences Center at Cook Children’s in December and opened her full-time practice at Covenant Children’s facilities shortly thereafter. She provides care for… … Continue reading Cook Children’s and Covenant Children’s: Providing neurology care in Lubbock
Epilepsy is more than seizures: Epilepsy Awareness Month (10/7/2021) - Cook Children’s Jane and John Justin Neurosciences Center continues the tradition of making November, Epilepsy Awareness Month, a priority each year as we aim to bring more attention to this common, yet rarely discussed condition. Epilepsy affects 1 in 26 people during their lifetime and 3.4 million people currently live with active epilepsy in the U.S. Throughout the month, landmarks across Fort Worth will light… … Continue reading Epilepsy is more than seizures: Epilepsy Awareness Month
Linh Tran, D.O., M.S., joins Cook Children’s Epilepsy Program (7/27/2021) - Cook Children’s Jane and John Justin Neurosciences Center continues to grow our team in an effort to provide the highest quality care to children in our region. In August 2021, Dr. Linh Tran joins Neurology as an epileptologist in our Comprehensive Epilepsy Program. Dr. Tran is a native of Fort Worth and completed her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at University of North Texas Health… … Continue reading Linh Tran, D.O., M.S., joins Cook Children’s Epilepsy Program
Epilepsy Awareness: Seizure Recognition and First Aid Program (10/21/2020) - November 1 marks the beginning of Epilepsy Awareness Month across the U.S. Cook Children’s Jane and John Justin Neurosciences Center makes this month a priority each year to raise awareness for this common, yet rarely discussed condition. Epilepsy affects 1 in 26 people during their lifetime and 3.4 million people currently live with active epilepsy in the U.S. Throughout November, landmarks across Fort Worth… … Continue reading Epilepsy Awareness: Seizure Recognition and First Aid Program
Dravet Syndrome Foundation Family and Professional Conference (1/28/2020) - Cook Children’s Jane and John Justin Neurosciences Center is pleased to welcome those committed to improving the lives of those with Dravet syndrome – including families, caregivers, clinicians, researchers and industry professionals – to Fort Worth on June 18-20, 2020 for the fifth biennial Family and Professional Conference. This three-day event features a professional education track designed to enhance knowledge, skills and performance of… … Continue reading Dravet Syndrome Foundation Family and Professional Conference
Infantile Spasms – Primary Steps for Primary Care (12/4/2019) - A type of severe seizure, infantile spasms require urgent evaluation and treatment. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of infantile spasms is too often delayed because they may be subtle, go unrecognized, or be misdiagnosed as some other less serious condition (i.e., reflux). When associated with an electroencephalography (EEG) pattern of hypsarrhythmia (Figure 1), this is known as West syndrome, a severe form of early onset/infantile epilepsy.… … Continue reading Infantile Spasms – Primary Steps for Primary Care
Convenience is King: Improving the Neuroscience Patient Experience (4/19/2019) - Today, convenience is king. For caregivers and patients, streamlining healthcare has multiple benefits. Focused on our goal to provide an exceptional patient experience, we sought to make our family-centered care more convenient in Neurosciences. Here are just three of our convenience programs put into action over the last year. #1 Direct communication Caregivers requested that staff make communication with caregivers easier. Over the last… … Continue reading Convenience is King: Improving the Neuroscience Patient Experience
Ensuring Quality Care for Adults With Rare Genetic Epilepsies (3/26/2019) - As recently as 10 years ago, many patients with difficult to control epilepsy syndromes – such as Lennox Gastaut Syndrome – had no explanation for the cause of their epilepsy. Worse than not knowing the cause, disorders such as Lennox Gastaut and other rare epilepsies had almost no treatments specifically studied for them and research was limited. Over the last decade, improvements in genetic… … Continue reading Ensuring Quality Care for Adults With Rare Genetic Epilepsies
Comprehensive Surgical Evaluations for Epilepsy (3/26/2019) - Pediatric epilepsy specialists at Cook Children’s aim to efficiently complete complex surgical evaluations for patients and their families, allowing optimal treatment to begin quickly. Epilepsy syndromes in children differ greatly from those that manifest in adulthood. While adult-onset epilepsy often results from symptomatic causes (i.e., head injury or stroke), pediatric epilepsy can present as isolated seizures that may not recur, as part of a… … Continue reading Comprehensive Surgical Evaluations for Epilepsy
Applied Behavior Analysis for Autism Spectrum Disorder (1/10/2019) - Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will be referred to receive Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services. ABA can provide intensive one-on-one teaching to promote desired behaviors (talking, following directions, self-help skills) and reduce problem behaviors (aggression, property destruction, tantrums). In Texas, most commercial medical insurance plans (including some offered through the healthcare.gov marketplace) will cover these services for children with autism. Though Medicaid… … Continue reading Applied Behavior Analysis for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Transitioning to Adult Neurology Care (1/9/2019) - While “Primary Steps” articles are often written for primary care providers, some subjects are equally valuable to patients, their families and their speciality providers. Moving from a pediatric care provider to an adult care provider is likely to be very challenging for many patients – particularly those with special needs. Youth with neurologic conditions and their families often feel discouraged to work on long-term… … Continue reading Transitioning to Adult Neurology Care
New Yoga Therapy Program at Cook Children’s Center for Pain Management (1/8/2019) - Yoga is thought to have originated in India nearly 26,000 years ago, but only began to emerge in the United States in the 1960s. Today, yoga is taking the country by storm. You don’t have to look far to find a yoga class available in most community centers, health clubs, parks, senior adult communities, schools and a number of new yoga studios that have… … Continue reading New Yoga Therapy Program at Cook Children’s Center for Pain Management