Description

Pediatric Neurology is not just the little brother of Neurology. Children and adolescents have different diseases and problems than adults, disorders known in adulthood may present differentially in young patients. Children ask for different treatment options and show different courses and outcomes than adults with similar conditions.

Our research focuses on treatment, but in particular on neurological and neuropsychological sequelae of neuropediatric problems such as prematurity, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, brain tumors and pediatric stroke. We investigate on factors that influence neurological and neuropsychological residual problems in these children and evaluate specific treatment options. We develop cognitive trainings and control for their effect on a neural level, but also in respect to the amelioration of everyday life of these children. We investigate neural reorganization mechanisms in children and adolescents after cancer, stroke and prematurity by means of transmagnetic stimulation (TMS), resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and arterial spin labeling (ASL). This allows us to strengthen the knowledge about neuroplastic processes in the developing brain and helps to tailor rehabilitation methods of these children to support their development.

Our research contributes to a better understanding of prognostic factors that are associated with outcome and enables the development of further therapeutic strategies for an optimal development of these children. Consequently, this will improve their quality of life, wellbeing and scholastic achievement and therefore adds to integration in adult social and professional life.