Departments

We are dedicated to excellence in patient care through the study of the cognitive and behavioral changes that can result from medical and brain injuries. We are experts in identifying a patient’s pattern of cognitive and emotional functioning and how this relates to expected brain function. A neuropsychological evaluation combines tests of cognition, behavior, and emotional functioning. This comprehensive evaluation will help to determine whether cognitive changes are related to symptoms of a medical or neurological illness, a psychological condition, or a normal part of aging. This evaluation is also part of the gold-standard workup for neurosurgery candidates. We provide neuropsychological evaluations for a wide array of medical and neurological disorders, as well as neurosurgery-specific candidacy evaluations. In addition, our bilingual neuropsychologists are able to provide evaluations in Spanish. We have expertise in the following areas. Epilepsy Memory disorders & dementia Multiple Sclerosis Oncology Parkinson’s disease Stroke Traumatic brain injury What to expect at your appointment A neuropsychological evaluation consists of an interview and testing, and lasts approximately three to six hours. During the interview, you will be asked about your cognitive and emotional symptoms, health history and medications, and other important background information. Neuropsychological Testing : Cognitive testing is designed to assess domains of thinking including attention, processing speed, memory, language, visual spatial abilities, and problem solving. Tests include paper-and-pencil as well as computerized methods. Emotional functioning is evaluated during the clinical interview and supplemented with self-report measures. We often request information from a close relation (family member or caregiver) about the individual’s functioning in daily life. The results from testing will aid your providers in diagnosis, treatment planning, and recommendations to improve your overall well-being. The neuropsychological evaluation typically includes administration of standardized tests to determine cognitive functioning in the following areas: General/baseline intellectual ability Attention Processing speed Visuospatial abilities Language Memory Executive functioning (problem solving) Motor skills Behavioral and emotional functioning What to bring to your appointment We are very attentive to our patients’ needs. We work with each patient so that they feel as comfortable as possible. We encourage patents to get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast before the appointment. Please bring the following: Glasses and hearing aids Water and a small snack, if needed Reports from any prior neuropsychological testing previously completed A family member, friend, or caregiver so they can provide insights into your abilities Please call us at 203-785-4085 if you have any questions about your appointment.

At Yale Medicine Neurosurgery, we care for adults and children with neurological disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system. These types of conditions affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerves which send messages from brain to the rest of your body. Our team is comprised of highly trained surgeons, researchers, and clinicians who are all focused on delivering expert care for conditions related to the brain and spine. Each neurosurgeon on our team has extensive training in their respective areas of neurosurgery. Conditions we treat include: All types of primary brain tumors, including gliomas, glioblastomas, and meningiomas Brain and spine trauma Cerebrospinal fluid disorders (such as normal pressure hydrocephalus) Epilepsy Metastatic brain, spine, and spinal cord tumors Movement disorders (including Parkinson's disease and tremors) Neurovascular disease (aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and carotid artery stenosis) Pain disorders (such as trigeminal neuralgia) Pediatric and congenital disorders (including hydrocephalus, craniosynostosis, spina bifida, and congenital spine deformities Peripheral nerve syndromes (such as carpal tunnel syndrome) Pituitary tumors (adenomas) Spasticity (including multiple sclerosis) Spinal disorders (such as herniated disks, stenosis, and scoliosis)

We evaluate, diagnose, and manage children and young adults with problems involving the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nervous system, and muscular systems. Our highly trained physicians offer child-friendly, family-centered care and are experts in treating nervous system disorders including: Epilepsy and seizures Learning disabilities, including developmental delay, cerebral palsy, and dyslexia Headaches and migraines Migraine and other pain syndromes Movement and paroxysmal disorders Multiple Sclerosis and white matter disease Muscular Dystrophies, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and other nerve and muscular disorders Spinal cord disorders, including myelomeningocele and spinal muscular atrophy Stroke and other cerebrovascular disorders Our special services include: Comprehensive epilepsy evaluation, including inpatient combined electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure electrical activity in the brain and video monitoring for epilepsy Evaluation and management of full-term and premature infants with potential nervous system problems

So many of us understand the challenges of caring for a loved one who has a neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, or frontotemporal dementia. At our Dorothy Adler Geriatric Assessment Center, our team of experts meets with the patient, family members, or caregivers to determine how medical, psychological, cognitive, or social problems are impeding function or threatening independent living. After assessment, our physicians focus on minimizing the progressive loss of neuron function and repairing neural damage, helping people with these conditions live with as much peace and stability as possible.

Yale’s Department of Neurology has been at the forefront of cutting-edge clinical care and scientific discovery since it began in 1952. It was Yale scientists who discovered the genes that cause Multiple Sclerosis. Yale housed one of the first epilepsy monitoring units in the country, and one of the first stroke centers at its partner, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Center in West Haven. Today, our team of experienced doctors are committed to understanding and treating the entire spectrum of nervous system diseases. Expert physicians specialize in brain and nerve health for both children and adults. Specialized care is offered in the following areas: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), myasthenia gravis, peripheral neuropathy, neuromuscular disorders Alzheimer’s disease/cognitive disorders Epilepsy and neurophysiology General neurology, headache, pain Multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology Neurodegenerative disorders Neurocritical care Neurological infections Neuro-oncology Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders Stroke and vascular neurology

The Yale Child Study Center is an internationally recognized center of innovation in child and family mental health, dedicated to promoting healthy development and psychological well-being across the lifespan. We care for children and adolescents whose families are concerned about their child’s development and behavior. Common concerns include developmental delays, behaviors or worries that interfere with their child’s life, isolation and fear of school, and defiant and difficult behavior. Our first job is to listen. As we begin to understand the family and child, we will guide our patients through the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment process. We provide office and home-based interventions as well as telehealth services, and we work with as many people involved in your child’s growth as possible, including parents, teachers and pediatricians. Above all, we care about your child’s development and your family’s well-being. We will use every means available—and maybe even invent some new ones—to help the child and their family. We are committed to working with every family to help them understand and address their child’s and family’s needs. Our interdisciplinary teams use up-to-date science to evaluate and then work with the family to develop a comprehensive treatment recommendations. Our treatment may include (one-on-one or group) therapy, family therapy, and parent-centered approaches and collaboration with schools. When appropriate, our providers will discuss the use of medication, providing detailed information so parents can make an informed decision. Many of our patients improve and thrive without medication, and for others it is a valuable part of their treatment. At the Yale Child Study Center, we are pioneering many treatments including approaches that help parents improve disruptive anger and aggression in children with autism and other developmental disorders. We are also developing new ways to help children overcome anxieties that may limit their daily lives, and treatment approaches designed to lessen the impact of an overwhelming event on the child and family. Finally, we work directly with parents around their own concerns about their roles as parents.

Yale Psychiatry is the largest provider of psychiatric services in Connecticut, and the top National Institutes of Health-supported Department of Psychiatry in the United States. We are dedicated to adding to the body of knowledge in the field, and improving treatments for psychiatric disorders that span all ages. This includes helping people cope with major life events or medical illnesses, behavioral problems associated with personality disorder or addiction, mood and psychotic disorders, and dementia. Yale investigators have pioneered new treatments for nearly every psychiatric disorder. Our research programs have produced breakthroughs in areas as diverse as molecular neuroscience, genetics, translational neuroscience, neuroimaging, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, rehabilitation, health services, forensic psychiatry, epidemiology, and health policy. Today, our clinicians are at the forefront of social, pharmacological, psychological, rehabilitative, and neurostimulation treatments. Through clinical trials, our interventional psychiatry service delivers high-impact treatments, including ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) and ketamine, for patients with treatment-resistant symptoms of depression. Our clinical programs are interwoven with our research efforts. We host programs that specialize in the major mental diseases and substance abuse treatment at three major institutions: Connecticut Mental Health Center, the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, and the Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital. We also provide increased psychiatry support for Smilow Cancer Hospital in areas such as smoking cessation.

The Yale Neuropathology Service specializes in the evaluation of disorders involving brain, spinal cord, skeletal muscle, and peripheral nerve for adult and pediatric patients. All faculty members are subspecialty-trained and board-certified in neuropathology. Aside from acute, intra-operative frozen section coverage, which is exclusively provided by board-certified neuropathologists, faculty members are also expert consultants for the postmortem assessment of neurological disorders. The Neuropathology Service aims to provide excellent clinical care while incorporating cutting-edge molecular technologies into daily practice for primary and consultation cases. Complex cases are discussed in detail among expert neuropathologists at weekly consensus conferences and ad hoc. All faculty are involved nationally and internationally in professional societies and actively contribute to advancements in the field. The Yale Neuropathology Service provides diagnostic services to Yale New Haven Hospital and Smilow Cancer Hospital. In addition, the Yale Neuropathology team are the primary specialists for surrounding hospitals, including the Saint Raphael Campus in New Haven, Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Milford Hospital, and Griffin Hospital.

The Yale Neurotrauma section was started in July 2019 to deliver the best care possible to patients with traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. Our team oversees each patient’s care from the moment of injury to outpatient follow-up. This longitudinal care is critical, especially for our patients who need long-term management plans. We also conduct cutting-edge research into the molecular basis of traumatic and spinal cord injuries to develop better techniques for diagnosing and treating these conditions. We work with state and national community outreach programs and partner with the Yale Neurocritical Care program and the Yale Trauma Surgery Program to provide comprehensive and compassionate care to all of our patients.

Internationally known for clinical excellence and cutting-edge research, we provide promising treatment options for adult and pediatric patients. Our program was one of the nation's first, and has evolved into one of the most active and advanced in the world.Yale is internationally recognized as a leader in innovative treatment for medically intractable and new onset epilepsy. We treat patients in outpatient settings, at a six-bed adult epilepsy monitoring unit, a two-bed pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit, and a technologically advanced operating suite. We are also equipped with state-of-the-art technology for continuous brain and video monitoring of seizures in children and infants. We evaluate patients in phases to precisely determine concordance of electrophysiology, cognitive testing, history, as well as physical and neurological examination with advanced imaging, using MRI, SPECT, and PET techniques. Doctors treat each surgical patient as an individual, determining which procedure or combination of procedures is appropriate.

The Yale Multiple Sclerosis Center is a multidisciplinary service that evaluates and treats patients with suspected or diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a chronic central nervous system disease that causes symptoms ranging from numbness to weakness. Up to 10% of MS patients are diagnosed before the age of 18. The disease has different effects in these younger patients whose brains are still developing. The Yale Multiple Sclerosis Center offers streamlined resources including sophisticated brain imaging, pharmacy, an infusion center, and phlebotomy. A specialized nurse is available to answer questions about disease-modifying therapies. Social work and nutrition consultants are available. In addition, there are opportunities to participate in MS clinical trials, research studies, and regularly scheduled clinical care conferences. Pediatric neurologist, Naila Makhani, MD, MPH, evaluates and treats these younger patients. She has significant experience in MS, receives funding from Race to Erase MS and participates in clinical trials for MS therapies in children. Dr. Makhani sees children under 12 years of age at the Long Wharf Medical Center (1 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven) and children 13 and older at the Yale Multiple Schlerosis Center (6 Devine St. in North Haven)—a 10-minute drive from the main Yale Medical Center campus.

We are internationally known for the care we provide for older people, helping them maintain their independence and quality of life, and manage multiple complex health conditions. Our team of geriatricians, geriatric psychiatrists, nurse case managers, patient care assistants, physical therapists, and neuropsychologists works closely with patients, their families, primary care providers, and other care providers to assess and develop a comprehensive plan for their care. Yale physicians have developed widely used interventions and support families facing such challenges as functional decline, disability, decision-making, and driving problems. The Connecticut Older Adult Collaboration for Health 4M (COACH 4M) grant provides multiple resources for older adults and their caregivers. The new video resource library offers a collection of brief videos for older adults and caregivers by experts in the field touching on a range of topics relating to health, well-being, caregiving, and maintaining creativity in aging. The COACH 4M project is pleased to provide an updated and expanded list of available resources and services for older adults in Connecticut, parts of southeastern New York and southwestern Rhode Island, and hopes you find the Geriatric Resource Directory a helpful guide to assist you in meeting the needs of older adults throughout the region. The new user-friendly version enables you to navigate the content through links in the table of contents and region list or using the Adobe bookmark feature. If you have any questions about the Resource Directory or have corrections to the content, please contact Dana Limone at dana.limone@yale.edu . View the Yale Geriatrics Resource Directory . Disclaimer: COACH 4M does not recommend or endorse the services provided by the organizations and individuals listed in the directory. Inpatient and outpatient geriatric consultations at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven Syncope and Falls Assessment Program A prevention initiative for seniors at risk for falls, which has reduced falls and related injuries in many Connecticut The development of the Confusion Assessment Method, used internationally to diagnose delirium An Acute Care for the Elderly Unit at Yale New Haven Hospital, which aids with maintenance of function during acute hospitalization Outpatient consultations at the Dorothy Adler Geriatric Assessment Center Welcome to our video library! Here you will find a collection of brief videos for older adults and caregivers by experts in the field touching on a range of topics relating to health, well-being, caregiving, and maintaining creativity in aging. Each video is 15-30 minutes long and you can view the entire video or come back to it later. We are continuously expanding our offerings, so check in periodically to see new selections and let us know if there are topics you’d like to see addressed in the future. Contact eliza.kiwak@yale.edu with any questions or suggestions. This