Neurosciences Center

Why Choose Us

Among the Nation’s Top Neurosciences Programs

U.S. News and World Report Best Children's Hospitals Badge, Neurology and Neurosurgery, 2023-2024

Research shows that experience equals better results. Our Neurosciences team is by far the most experienced in the Pacific Northwest and among the most experienced in the nation. We diagnose and treat babies, children, teens and young adults with a broad range of conditions affecting the nervous system.
Your child will benefit from innovations developed at Seattle Children’s to make treatment safer and more effective. One example is Tumor Paint, which is awaiting approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The drug lights up tumor tissue in real time as surgeons operate, allowing them to protect healthy brain tissue and remove more tumor. For certain neurological conditions, we use rapid genetic testing to identify the underlying cause and provide more individualized, effective treatment.

Our goal is to give your child or teen the best chance of a long and healthy life, whether their condition is common or rare. Every day, we care for children with conditions such as epilepsy, brain tumors, Chiari malformation, tethered spinal cord, neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis complex.
Your child will get care from pediatric specialists with years of training and experience in treating children and teens. These include pediatric neuro-oncologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, neuroradiologists, neurodevelopmental pediatricians and rehabilitation medicine doctors.
To give your child the best possible outcome, we provide advanced treatments and the option to take part in clinical trials of promising new therapies. We offer a full range of medicines; innovative surgeries; nerve stimulation; diets; immunotherapy; targeted therapy; chemotherapy; proton and photon radiation therapy; and physical, occupational and speech therapy.
Some of the life-changing treatments we provide are not offered by any other children’s hospital in our WAMI region (Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho).

Read how an innovative epilepsy procedure at Seattle Children’s gave Taylor relief from relentless seizures.

Precise Diagnosis and Better Treatment With Advanced Neuroimaging

To make a more accurate diagnosis and personalize your child’s treatment, we use state-of-the-art neuroimaging to get detailed information about their brain’s structure and how it works. We combine technologies such as MRI, PET, SPECT and fMRI (functional MRI) imaging in caring for children with epilepsy, brain tumors and other neurological conditions.
These advanced imaging technologies helps us map your child’s brain, pinpoint the problem areas and decide the best treatment options for them.
For children who need surgery, advanced imaging helps us plan and carry out the operation while protecting parts of your child’s brain that are important for speaking, thinking and moving. This makes the procedure safer and more effective and reduces the need for further surgery.

Read how advanced neuroimaging helped end Kira’s seizures and preserve her voice.

Neurosurgical Excellence = Best Results

Seattle Children’s has far more pediatric neurosurgeons and neurosurgery nurse practitioners than any other hospital in the Pacific Northwest. Neurosurgeons who are nationally recognized in their field are part of each disease-focused team. All are trained to know the unique needs of babies, children and teens and to operate on their brains.
Our expertise and skilled use of advanced technology make brain surgery possible for more children, as well as safer and more precise. We provide the most innovative, minimally invasive surgeries offered by the top children’s hospitals in the nation, including laser ablation and procedures using the ROSA surgical tool.
We perform significantly more neurosurgeries than any other children’s hospital in our WAMI region. More cases mean greater surgical expertise and a sharper ability to determine if surgery is even needed — and that adds up to better outcomes.

Read how laser ablation was a life-changer for Georgia.

Neurocritical Care to Protect Your Child’s Brain

Children with a critical illness or injury that affects their nervous system are treated by our dedicated Neurocritical Care team. Newborns at risk for brain injury receive care in our Neuro NICU, a special intensive care unit. Seattle Children’s has the only such programs in our WAMI region.
To protect your child’s brain during surgery, prevent new issues and help your child heal, we create a custom care plan for your child and follow them closely all through their hospital stay. Our team uses the latest technology to monitor, measure and help understand what is happening in your child’s brain.
After your child leaves the hospital, our follow-up clinic provides care to help them recover as fully as possible.

Read how our neurocritical care team protected Sirish’s brain.

Leading Research to Improve Care and Cure Rates

The care we provide your child is advanced by the research we do in the lab and with patients. Our goal is to improve treatment, cure rates and quality of life for all children with neurological conditions. For example, our work to identify genes that play a role in diseases like epilepsy and brain tumors has opened the door to new therapies that help us personalize your child’s treatment.
With the nation’s top leaders in neurological care and research, we offer some of the most advanced treatments and clinical trials of any children’s hospital. Our patients have access to promising new treatments, such as immunotherapy, being studied in clinical trials. Learn more about:
- Our neurosciences research
- Seattle Children’s research and clinical trials

How Shanny got relief from a research study on intractable epilepsy.

Services Unique in Our Region

Seattle Children's has our region’s only dedicated pediatric epilepsy program that is accredited level 4 by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). As a level 4 center, we use the most advanced technology to diagnose epilepsy, evaluate patients and perform advanced surgeries.
Children we treat in our Brain Tumor Program have survival rates that are consistently among the best in the country and typically 10% higher than the national benchmark.
Children with cerebral palsy and other conditions may benefit from selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) surgery to improve their mobility and quality of life. We are the only provider in the Pacific Northwest to offer SDR.
For children with strokes or other conditions related to blood flow in the brain, we have the only Pediatric Vascular Neurology Program in the Pacific Northwest. It is led by Catherine Amlie-Lefond a national leader in the treatment of children who have conditions affecting their blood vessels.
We care for children with a range of mitochondrial disorders in our Mitochondrial Medicine and Metabolism Program. Seattle Children’s is the only hospital in the Northwest certified as a Mitochondrial Medicine Center by the Mitochondrial Care Network.
For children with neurofibromatosis, we provide care through the largest multidisciplinary program in the region.

Support for Your Whole Family

We care for children and teens all day, every day — not just once in a while. This means everyone on our team has the experience and skills to make a real difference for your child.
Every member of our team — from our social workers and child life specialists to our pediatric nurses and doctors — is specially trained to work with children and their families. Our facilities and equipment reflect this kid-friendly, family-centered approach.
We focus on your whole child, not just their disease. Your family has a full team behind you, taking care of your child’s medical, physical, learning, emotional and nutrition needs. We give your child personalized care, from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up.
We work with children and families from around the Northwest and beyond. Whether you live nearby or far away, we can help with financial counseling, schooling, housing, transportation, interpreter services and spiritual care. Read about our services for patients and families.

Here When You Need Us

Seattle Children’s is the only hospital in the region with coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by a pediatric neurosurgeon.
If your child has urgent medical needs, we see them the same day in our clinic or emergency department. If needs are not urgent, we offer appointments for most conditions within 1 week.
For your convenience, our doctors see patients at locations in Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Federal Way, Olympia, the Tri-Cities, Wenatchee, Montana and Alaska.
Children, teens and young adults who need surgery on their brain or spinal cord (neurosurgery) get care at our hospital campus in Seattle.
See our locations and contact information.