Pediatric Neurological Disorders
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What are neurological disorders?
Neurological disorders are disorders that affect the brain, the spinal cord or nerves found throughout the body. Many neurological disorders in children are congenital, meaning they are birth defects or conditions that develop in the womb. Other types of neurological disorders develop later in a child's life.
Our approach to neurological disorders
The experts at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital are specially trained in caring for infants and children with a wide range of conditions, including:
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Brain tumor
- Cerebral palsy
- Epilepsy
- Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
- Stroke
We provide comprehensive care of children of all ages from diagnosis through treatment and, as needed, long-term follow-up.
Our pediatric neurosurgery program employs state-of-the-art techniques and technologies, with facilities specially designed to accommodate the smaller bodies of infants and children.
We also have several centers and programs focused on specific neurological conditions. These include:
- The Pediatric Cerebrovascular & Stroke Program, the only program in the country offering comprehensive care for childhood stroke and cerebrovascular disease
- The Pediatric Epilepsy Program, designated by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers as a level four center, which means it offers comprehensive, specialized care
- The Pediatric Spina Bifida Program, one of only a few in Northern California, offering medical and social support and treatment for infants, children and adolescents with spina bifida and other birth defects affecting the spinal cord and nerves
- The Pediatric Neuro-Immunology & Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Program, the only one of its kind on the West Coast to be designated as a center of excellence for comprehensive care of children and adolescents by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals medical specialists have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your child's doctor or other health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your child's provider.
Awards & achievements
One of the nation's best for neurology & neurosurgery
#1
in NIH funding among U.S. neurology programs
Ranked among the nation's best in 11 specialties
Clinical trials
External Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation for Children With ASD + ADHD to Reduce Elevated SymptomsOpens in a new window
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) works to treat ADHD symptoms in children on the autism spectrum (ASD). It will also learn about the efficacy and tolerability of the eTNS device. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Does eTNS reduce ADHD symptoms? - Does eTNS improve core and associated features of ASD?...Natural History of Sphingosine Phosphate Lyase Insufficiency Syndrome (SPLIS)Opens in a new window
This is a prospective longitudinal natural history study with a retrospective cross-sectional arm aimed at determining the natural history of sphingosine phosphate lyase insufficiency syndrome (SPLIS), a recently recognized inborn error of metabolism...Fluoroethyltyrosine for the Evaluation of Intracranial NeoplasmOpens in a new window
This is a single center study investigating the use of Fluoroethyltyrosine (FET) in the detection of brain tumors. FET accumulates in malignant cells within intracranial neoplasms and can be used to detect recurrent disease and characterize grade of glial neoplasms.A Clinical Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of ETX101 in Infants and Children With SCN1A-Positive Dravet SyndromeOpens in a new window
ENDEAVOR is a Phase 1/2, 2-part, multicenter study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ETX101 in participants with SCN1A-positive Dravet syndrome aged ≥6 to <36 months (Part 1A), aged ≥48 months to <18 years (Part 1B), and aged ≥6 to <48 months (Part 2)...