Neural Networks

Introducing Neural Networks

We are pleased to introduce Neural Networks, a triannual Children’s Hospital Boston Neuroscience Program newsletter sponsored by the departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

This inaugural issue focuses on epilepsy, a common disorder that affects one percent of children. A child with severe intractable epilepsy presents a great challenge. When medications are not enough to stop the seizures, more drastic measures must be considered, including neurosurgical removal of the epileptic source. Since this involves excision of pathologic regions of brain, great care must be taken to identify adjacent normal brain structures to avoid injuries that could leave the child with life-changing neurological sequelae.

An integrated multidisciplinary approach is needed, bringing together the expertise of neurologists, neurophysiologists, neuropsychologists, neuroradiologists and neurosurgeons to identify the source of seizures. Specialized care from neuroanesthesiologists, neurocritical care and neurological nursing help the child through a complex and prolonged hospitalization. This combined effort allows the team to zero in on the source of the seizures, so that successful neurosurgical removal of the source can achieve the ultimate goal: a life without seizures.

Going forward, Neural Networks will focus on the latest developments in science and clinical care within the Neuroscience Program at Children’s. We will highlight clinical innovations and research in neuroscience, and show how advanced care teams translate these advances into technologies and treatments that tackle diseases of the nervous system. We will focus on the challenges of caring for children with life-long disabilities, and the skilled and compassionate caregivers who work tirelessly to improve their lives.

We hope you enjoy our first issue.