Burke-Blythedale Pediatric Neuroscience Research Collaboration

There is an urgent need for research in pediatric neurorehabilitation, because there are few effective therapies and many children with neurological impairments. The Mission of the research collaboration is to translate advances in basic neuroscience conducted at the Burke Medical Research Institute into improved treatments for children with neurological impairments at Blythedale Children's Hospital.

The Burke-Blythedale Pediatric Neuroscience Research Collaboration is organized around neurological impairments; Blythedale patients have a variety of impairments in movement, sensation, and cognition.

To improve neurorehabilitation treatments for children through advances in neuroscience the following three programs have been established.

Programs

Hemiplegia Program

Neurorehabilitation for children who have decreased use of one upper extremity due to hemiparesis or hemiplegia as a result of cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke or other diagnoses.

Vision Recovery Program

The aim of this project is to be able to accurately measure vision in children with cerebral visual impairment. The research will evaluate the ability of a new, noninvasive system, to assess smooth eye movements as a novel way to measure visual impairment in brain injured children.

Cognitive Recovery Program

Children with severe brain injury can lose connection with the outside world. This lack of responsiveness is called a disorder of consciousness. Most children recover a large amount of connections with the external world, but they are often left with impairments particularly in thinking.

Technologies

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Electroencephalogram (EEG) technology detects electrical activity in the brain with noninvasive electrodes attached to the head. EEG technology has an exciting ability to show brain activity over the course of recovery, and has potential in helping people recover from neurological injuries.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Transcranial means ‘through your head’, magnetic means there is a magnet in the machine, and stimulation means the magnet gives your brain a short bit of energy.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation therapy which uses constant, low current stimulation that is delivered to an area of the brain using electrodes on the head.