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Nathan T Tagg, MD
Chief, Department of Neurology
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
LTC
|
MC
|
USA
Jamie B Grimes, MD
Chair, Department of Neurology
Uniformed Services University
COL
|
MC
|
USA
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Department of Neurology
The colors tell the story—a diffusion sensor MRI showing connections between different brain regions in a patient with mild traumatic brain injury; neurologists use images like these
to study the effects of trauma on the human brain and gain insight into how structural changes correlate with long-term effects on brain function. A conventional MRI of the brain in two
planes is superimposed for reference purposes.
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The Department of Neurology provides state-
of-the-art care to patients across the full
spectrum of neurological conditions. Our staff
are a diverse group of sub-specialists with
fellowship training in epilepsy, movement
disorders,
cerebrovascular
disease
and
neurocritical care, neuromuscular disease,
multiple
sclerosis,
neuro-ophthalmology,
neuro-oncology,
behavioral
neurology
(dementia) and pediatric neurology. Within
these specialties, we offer a broad range of
diagnostic and treatment services.
Epilepsy Service
Our two subspecialists, Dr. Joseph Brown and
Dr. Yitao Ma, have expertise in diagnosing and
managing
patients
with
epilepsy.
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a critical
diagnostic test that is used to analyze
brainwave activity of patients suspected of
having seizures or epilepsy. Our department
boasts three trained EEG technicians that are
proficient in performing this test for inpatients
and outpatients alike.
Drs. Brown and Ma supervise the Epilepsy
Monitoring Unit (EMU), an inpatient service
that is able to monitor up to four inpatients
simultaneously with video and EEGs to help
with the diagnosis of epilepsy. This service is
also offered to patients in a critical care
environment who are often prone to recurrent
seizures. Specialized equipment allows for
continuous 24/7 remote monitoring of these
patients so that no seizure is missed.
In addition, our specialists work closely with
the neurosurgery team to provide surgical
services to select patients with epilepsy. Such
surgery can significantly improve quality of life
for patients with epilepsy.
Movement Disorders Service
This service is headed by Dr. Jason Hawley and
Dr. Kevin Cannard. They manage patients with
tremors, gait problems and other disorders of
movement. The most common disease they
diagnose and manage is Parkinson’s Disease,
which is a neurodegenerative disease that
causes tremor and affects a person’s ability to
walk and move normally.
In addition to multi-disciplinary medical
management of this disease, our specialists
have the ability to manage Parkinson’s Disease
patients with Deep-Brain Stimulation (DBS), a
modern surgical option for a select group of
patients. Drs. Hawley and Cannard also offer
treatment of disorders that cause severe and
abnormal muscle contraction (for example,
spasticity and dystonia) with botulinum toxin
injections. This treatment, when expertly
administered, can significantly relieve the pain
and dysfunction cause by such muscle
contractions.
Cerebrovascular Disease and Neurocritical
Care Service
Dr. Michael Crimmins heads the vascular
service in the Department of Neurology. He
manages patients with a broad spectrum of
vascular disorders affecting the nervous
system,
including
stroke,
intracranial
hemorrhage and cerebral aneurysms. He
works closely with the neurosurgery team to
provide minimally-invasive angiography-based
procedural services to select patients with
these disorders.
Ne
ur
ology