the functional neurology center
there is hope
Before you begin your therapy we must first assess your condition to get the best understanding of your personal brain health. We do this with an initial Neuro-Exam, which is a 90 minute exam to assess The Six Key Systems involved brain health: Cognitive, Pain, Ocular Motor, Autonomic, Proprioceptive, and Vestibular.
There are three phases of our Neuro-Exam: Autonomic, Structural, and Neurological. This exam is done in a private room with you and your dedicated Doctor. The Neuro-Exam is a very detailed and thorough exam that utilizes a mix of personal interviews, assessments, high tech diagnostic tools and sometimes even laboratory testing or additional imaging. It is so in-depth it can lead to the discovery of previously undiagnosed or overlooked conditions and many patients comment on how detailed it is.
The Neuro-Exam will always start with an autonomic function assessment to uncover underlying Dysautonomia. Here we’ll test your heart rate, blood pressure, pupil size, oxygenation, and breathing mechanics.
In the structural exam, we'll start by identifying pain generators, muscular imbalances, and focusing on the area of complaint (headache - head/neck, TMJ assessment).
In this phase we are looking to identify regions in the nervous system that have been injured or have dysfunction. Specifically in your cerebellum, vestibular system, balance, gait, Cranial nerves, eye movements.
Balance problems, dizziness, and other issues associated with the vestibular system can be assessed through videonystagmography (VNG) testing. VNG consists of a series of tests to evaluate how well the eyes respond to information from the vestibular system. During the tests, you will wear a set of infrared goggles that record eye movements as your eyes follow moving targets. In addition to enabling your team of doctors to detect signs of central nervous or neurological problems, VNG can indicate whether the vestibular system is responding correctly to stimulation. VNG testing is considered the standard for testing vestibular function, because it tracks eye movements directly, rather than measuring movements based on the muscles surrounding the eyes, as other testing does.
Test takes 5 minutes.
Virtual Reality is used to help identify real-life situations that might lead to symptoms of dizziness and imbalance. A typical test that might be included in your Diagnostic Assessment is “subjective visual vertical,” which assesses your brain’s perception of up and down.
The D2 is an interactive light board that can test visual, cognitive, and motor functions to help your team of doctors to get objective data on your hand-eye reaction times. Many people with frontal lobe and cognitive dysfunction will have slowness in hand-eye coordination. If you are participating in an Intensive Program, the D2 tests will be reevaluated on Wednesday and Friday.
Test takes 1 minute
The BTrackS™ Assess Balance System is a widely used clinical tool for a variety of balance assessment and training applications. Force plate technology is used to graph out balance, sway patterns, instability, eyes open/vs. eyes closed, on flat and foam surfaces to uncover if there are issues in your proprioception vs. vestibular system vs. problems with the cervical spine.
Test takes 10 minutes.
Using advanced, eye-tracking technology, the RightEye system uncovers issues that an observation-only exam cannot. This advancement is game-changing: it’s now possible to pinpoint vision and brain health issues, identify the root cause of reading problems, and improve athletic performance.
Test takes 8 minutes.
Brain EQ is a game-based app to help test and track your brain functions. These simple tests can be run once to establish base performance or daily overtime to track improvements. Download the app before your appointment to start monitoring your brain health today.
Based on the findings in your Bedside Exam we may order additional lab work and medical imaging tests as part of the assessment. Lab tests help determine recommendations for nutritional supplementation for brain health and are run through VibrantAmerica Labs. Most often, we run a customized panel that assesses your comprehensive metabolic panel, thyroid, fatty acid, micronutrients, lipid panel, vitamin D, and inflammatory markers. (See Sample Lab Results) If you are participating in an Intensive Program we will order labs on the second to last day of your program. The results will take 7-10 days and are reviewed with you on your initial post-care check-in.
What should I expect from a VNG test?
Is there a connection between ears and eyes?
If my doctor orders Lab Testing, when will I get my results? 
