Dell Medical School Pediatric Neuroscience Program
Promoting discovery and innovation in the pediatric neurosciences
On Nov. 14, 2022, the Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center opened a second clinic in the medical office building on the campus of the new Dell Children’s Medical Center North hospital in North Austin. The new clinic provides neurology and neurosurgery consultations, neuropsychology evaluations, and EEG studies.
Services will continue to expand throughout the year to accommodate the growing need for pediatric epilepsy care throughout Austin and Central Texas.
Audrey Brumback, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded a three-year, $1,500,000 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health entitled “Functional Architecture of the Mediodorsal Thalamus.” Brumback’s team will use mice to map the structure and function of a part of the thalamus that is thought to affect conditions such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia.
The thalamus is typically considered a relay center that facilitates the transfer of incoming sensory messages to the brain cortex. But the thalamus is likely a more sophisticated structure that uses the incoming sensory information to orchestrate the activity of higher cortical brain areas. As one of the largest thalamic nuclei, the mediodorsal thalamus reciprocally connects with multiple cortical and subcortical brain regions, provides a strong projection to the medial prefrontal cortex, and coordinates the activity of cortical microcircuits there during prefrontal-dependent behaviors. But despite the importance of the mediodorsal thalamus in a range of behaviors and human disease, little is known about the physiology of the neurons in this region or how they influence behavior.
In preliminary work, Brumback discovered that two populations of neurons in the mediodorsal thalamus have distinct structural and functional profiles. She hypothesizes that each thalamic circuit is responsible for a different aspect of behavior: one circuit is responsible for social or emotional behaviors, while the other circuit modulates cognitive functions like attention and working memory.
In the funded work, Brumback’s team will directly test this model using a neuromodulation approach called optogenetics. Using flashes of light delivered directly into the brain via a fiber optic probe, she will activate or inactivate specific populations of neurons with millisecond precision while mice perform a battery of behavioral tasks. By turning each of the proposed circuits on or off during different types of behavior, she can test which circuit is important for each type of behavior. The team will also determine how individual neurons in these two thalamic circuits integrate synaptic inputs from different brain regions.
“The ability to noninvasively alter the activity of specific populations of neurons has enormous implications. The more specific we can be when targeting neurons, the greater the likelihood of finding an effective treatment with few side effects.”
E. Steve Roach, MD
The team’s future work will decipher how these and other thalamic circuits are altered in autism and whether they can be modified to treat cognitive or social-emotional symptoms. “The ability to noninvasively alter the activity of specific populations of neurons has enormous implications,” said E. Steve Roach, MD, Brumback’s Austin colleague. “The more specific we can be when targeting neurons, the greater the likelihood of finding an effective treatment with few side effects.”
We’re excited to announce that four of our Pediatric Neurosciences Program physicians have been named Castle Connolly 2023 Top Doctors.
Castle Connolly Top Doctors are peer nominated through surveys sent out to tens of thousands of doctors. Those results are rigorously vetted by a research team of Castle Connolly physicians based on several factors, including training, hospital and faculty appointments, outcomes, and clinical and interpersonal skills. Castle Connolly Top Doctors represent the top 7% of all U.S. practicing physicians.
Congratulations, Dr. Clarke, Dr. Edmond, Dr. Roach, and Dr. Tyler-Kabara!
E. Steve Roach, MD, recently received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Neurological Society at the organization’s annual winter meeting in Austin. He was selected for his pioneering work on stroke in children, his contributions to the study of tuberous sclerosis and other genetic diseases, and his success as a medical editor.
Roach is Professor of Neurology at Dell Medical School and Chief of UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s.
Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, Dr. Roach!
The first annual Neurofibromatosis Family Day Meeting took place on Nov. 12, 2022, at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Co-sponsored by the Dell Children’s Neurofibromatosis Center of Excellence, UT Health Austin Pediatric Neurosciences at Dell Children’s, and the Children’s Tumor Foundation, this daylong meeting allowed individuals with NF and their families to learn the latest developments in NF clinical care and research from the Center of Excellence team. Patients and family members attended presentations on key topics and could meet with the team during breakout sessions and meal breaks. Pediatric neuroscience presenters included Jane C. Edmond, MD, Emily Greenspahn, PhD, Manikum Moodley, MD, and Karla Robles-Lopez, MD, PhD.
The Neurofibromatosis Center of Excellence offers comprehensive diagnosis and management for children and adolescents with known or suspected NF. The team includes specialists from several disciplines, allowing us to provide the best possible medical care and psychosocial support to our patients and their families. This first Neurofibromatosis Family Day enabled individuals with NF and their families to learn more about the disorder, promoted relationship building among the families, and raised awareness for the disorder and the need for additional research funding.
Congratulations to Rosalia Costello, PsyD, who has been elected to the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society Board of Directors as a member at large.
Costello recently joined our Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center and is actively involved in several neuropsychology organizations with the aim of fostering equity and inclusion for patients, students, and providers alike. Her research focuses on health disparities and bilingual brain development in pediatric populations.
Welcome to our newest Pediatric Neurosciences Program faculty member, Ashley Stanley-Copeland, MD!
Dr. Stanley-Copeland, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, is a pediatric neurologist who specializes in pediatric neuromuscular disorders. She received her medical degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans and completed her residency training in general pediatrics and pediatric neurology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Dr. Stanley-Copeland completed a fellowship in pediatric neuromuscular medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and is board certified in neurology with special qualification in child neurology.
Dr. Stanley-Copeland is a member of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine.
Rosalia Costello, PsyD, joins our Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center as an assistant professor of neurology at Dell Medical School. She specializes in the neuropsychological evaluation of children with epilepsy. Costello received both her Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology and her Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology from Adler University. She completed an internship in psychology at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and a fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital. Costello’s research interests include cultural responsiveness and health disparities among children with neurological disorders. She serves on the board of directors of the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society and is a member of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology.
Eman Rettig, PsyD, joins our program as an assistant professor of neurology at Dell Medical School and a pediatric neuropsychologist who specializes in pediatric rehabilitation and traumatic brain injury. Rettig comes to Austin from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she completed her fellowship in behavioral medicine and clinical psychology with a concentration in pediatric neuropsychology. Rettig earned her Master of Clinical Psychology and Doctor of Psychology from Wright State University School of Professional Psychology and completed her pediatric neuropsychology internship at Dell Children’s Medical Center. She is a member of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology and the International Neuropsychological Society.
Saher Suleman, MD, also joins our Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center as an assistant professor at Dell Medical School. A board-certified pediatric neurologist who specializes in pediatric epilepsy, she earned her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University and completed her residency in general pediatrics at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. She later completed fellowships in pediatric neurology and pediatric epilepsy at the Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Dr. Suleman is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the Child Neurology Society, and the American Epilepsy Society.
M. Omar Iqbal, MD, is a board-eligible pediatric neurosurgeon who joins us an assistant professor at Dell Medical School. He earned his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, then completed a pediatric neurosurgery residency at Rutgers University, a fifth-year residency at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and a second fellowship in spine deformity at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia. Dr. Iqbal’s research interests include the growing pediatric spine and growth-modulating approaches that allow surgeons to avoid fusion in a pre-pubescent spine. He is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and the American College of Surgeons.
Duriel Hardy, MD, was selected by the Austin Black Business Journal as one of the top 10 Central Texas Most Influential Doctors of 2022.
Dr. Hardy, a pediatric neuroimmunologist and an adult neurologist in UT Health Austin’s Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center, earned his medical degree from Duke University and his bachelor’s from Brown University. He completed his internship and residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in pediatric neurology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, followed by a fellowship in multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology disorders at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
The Black Business Journal’s 2022 Most Influential Central Texas Black Doctors are honored for achieving professional excellence and paving the way for success for others. Dr. Hardy and the other honorees will be recognized at a dinner on November 19 at JW Marriott in downtown Austin.
Congratulations, Dr. Hardy!
Dave Clarke, MD, pediatric epileptologist and Chief of the Dell Children’s Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Center, was presented with the Travis County Medical Society Physician Humanitarian Award in recognition of his continued work toward reducing deficits in epilepsy care by promoting inclusiveness and collaboration between centers in Texas and several Caribbean island countries.
Dr. Clarke is a professor in both the Department of Neurology and Department of Pediatrics. He is a fellow of the American Epilepsy Society, an elected member of the North American Commission of the International League Against Epilepsy, and a past president of the Epilepsy Society of the Caribbean. He has received several awards over the years, including the On-Time Doctor Award, Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors, Top 10 Doctor—State, Patients’ Choice Award, Patients’ Choice 5th Anniversary Award, Compassionate Doctor Award, and Newcomers Award by the NAACP.
Dr. Clarke will be honored with other physician award recipients at a dinner at The Oasis in Austin on November 17.
