Neuroscience Department

Each year, over 500 patients across the world are assessed to improve the management of their seizures and quality of life. We are pioneers in the surgical treatment of refractory epilepsy, clinical trials for new anti-epileptic drugs for common and rare forms of epilepsy, and genetic diagnosis of rare forms of epilepsy. We have extensive experience in epilepsy surgery, including stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG, depth electrodes), thermal ablation / thermocoagulation and Gamma-knife treatment. Main disorders:

- Refractory epilepsy.

- Cortical dysplasia.

- Malformations of cortical development.

- Dravet syndrome.

- Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

- Tuberous sclerosis.

- Focal seizures.

- Clinical trials for anti-epileptic drugs.

- Autoimmune epilepsy.

- Epileptic encephalopathy.

Since epilepsy has many causes, there isn’t just one treatment that could help every patient. As a result, our centre takes a unique integrated approach, maximising the results of seizure control, be it through surgery, drugs, diet, gamma-knife or electrical stimulation. This is achieved through the coordinated work of 5 adult and paediatric neurologists who specialise in epilepsy, together with neurosurgeons and neuroimaging specialists, using the most advanced neurophysiology and brain imaging techniques. Thanks to their clinical experience, multi-modal approaches and SEEG, our team can treat difficult situations, ranging from epilepsy surgery in patients with a normal MRI scan, to advanced therapies for refractory epilepsy.

Memory loss and other cognitive symptoms are the main reasons for consultation in older patients. The assessment of these problems requires a detailed clinical evaluation, as well as carrying out all kinds of neuropsychological tests, blood tests and brain imaging studies (MRI or CT). In some cases, other studies may be required, such as spinal fluid analysis, genetic tests, EEG and functional studies (PET with glucose or amyloid markers, SPECT with ioflupane). We have a human and technical team who can perform all of these tests in a short period of time and design a treatment plan that is adapted to each patient. Main disorders:

• Alzheimer’s disease.
• Mild cognitive impairment.
• Vascular dementia.
• Frontotemporal dementia.
• Lewy body dementia.
• Parkinson’s disease with dementia.
• Normal pressure hydrocephalus.
• Autoimmune and inflammatory encephalitis.

Neuromuscular disorders represent a significant proportion of all neurological diseases and include those that predominantly affect the muscles (myopathies), the nerves (neuropathies), spinal cord motor neurons (motor neurone diseases) and the neuromuscular junction. Our neuromuscular units have multidisciplinary teams of professionals with extensive clinical experience in the assessment, medical treatment and rehabilitation of these disorders. The aim of this coordinated work is to provide comprehensive assessment and care to all patients with neuromuscular conditions.

Diseases/conditions:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
• Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.
• Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.
• Guillain-Barré syndrome.
• Myasthenia gravis.
• Peripheral neuropathy.
• Polymyositis.
• Congenital myopathies.

Parkinson’s disease is a common progressive neurological disorder that affects up to 1% of the population over 60 years old, but it can start at a much younger age. This movement disorder is characterised by stiffness, slowness, walking difficulty and, occasionally, resting tremors. In the last decade, a lot of attention has been paid to the so-called "non-motor" symptoms of these conditions, such as pain and fatigue or moods. Our movement disorders unit has a multidisciplinary team that provides a holistic approach for patients and their carers to treat motor and non-motor symptoms. We provide advanced treatment options, which include botulinum toxin injections, Duodopa® pumps and Apomorphine®, as well as the most advanced stereostatic neurosurgery options with directional deep brain stimulation or gamma knife.

Conditions and symptoms:

Ataxia.

Dystonia.

Tremors.

Chorea.

Essential tremor.

Parkinsonism.

Parkinson’s disease.

Multiple system atrophy.

Progressive supranuclear palsy.

Restless legs syndrome.

Tic disorders.

Tourette’s syndrome

Function movement disorders are part of the spectrum of functional neurological disorders, one of the most common disorders seen in neurological medicine. Over the last decades, there has been great interest among the medical community to better understand the underlying mechanisms and potential treatment of these disorders. We have a multidisciplinary team dedicated to providing assessment, diagnosis and treatment for people with functional movement disorders. The focus of our units is based on the most recent literature and on recommendations of international consensus for these disorders. Our team comprises neurologists, physiotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists, who all have significant experience in dealing with these disorders. A personalised treatment plan is developed for each patient after the initial assessment, with the aim of improving the possibilities of a successful outcome.

Neuro-ophthalmology is a complex sub-speciality that treats ophthalmological problems linked to neurological and neurosurgical disorders. The neuro-ophthalmology branch offers diagnostic and therapeutic options for a wide range of conditions, such as optic neuropathies, eye movement disorders, double-vision, field of vision defects caused by central optic pathway abnormalities, nystagmus, pupil abnormalities, eyelid disorders and any visual problems linked to the brain. We perform a thorough analysis of our patients using the latest technology with the aim of achieving a precise diagnosis in a short period of time, as well as providing a personalised treatment.

We provide expert care to adult patients with primary brain tumours and neurological complications of cancer through our multidisciplinary team led by a senior neuro-oncologist.

We offer each patient the latest advances in chemotherapy, personalised therapies and radiation therapies, to maximise the anti-tumour efficacy and quality of life.

Our staff has an extensive experience in clinical trials and translational research in glioblastoma and other malignancies of the central nervous system.

Our neurological rehabilitation programme is designed for patients with nervous system illnesses or injuries, with the aim of improving their functionality, reducing their symptoms and improving their quality of life.

We treat patients with a wide range of neurological conditions, such as traumatic brain injuries, stroke, neuromuscular disorders (Guillain-Barré syndrome), and different types of degenerative disorders (Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis...).

Patients can undergo neurological rehabilitation both as outpatients and inpatients. The neurological rehabilitation team comprises different experts: neurologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, neuropsychologists, social workers and psychiatrists. They work as a single team to assess and treat each patient individually.

We also have a human and technical team that can treat patients in the acute phase of traumatic brain injury (we have an Intensive Care Unit, Radiology Department with MRI and CT scanners, and Neurosurgeons or Orthopaedic Surgeons).