Services
Alaska Neurology Center treats a wide range of conditions affecting the nervous system, which consists of the brain, spinal cord, and the network of nerves connecting them to the body’s muscular and organ systems. A neurological disorder may be apparent only in the head and neckor it may affect the whole body. It is important to allow an expert to diagnose any symptoms.
Patients around Alaska trust AKNC because we provide the latest treatment options that achieve results through proactive care. Whether you’ve come to us on a recommendation from your primary physician or through the results of your own research, you’ll find that the Alaska Neurology Center can help you move forward with hope and healing.
Here are some of the neurological conditions we treat and services we offer:
Abnormal MRI
When a patient receives an MRI, the results are interpreted by a radiologist, who determines whether the reading is normal or contains something that requires further investigation. If the MRI focuses on the brain or another part of the nervous system, the radiologist will recommend consulting a neurologist. AKNC neurologists have the specialized training and experience to examine an MRI for tumors, scarring, blocked blood vessels, signs of stroke, or any other abnormality.
Alzheimer's
Usually diagnosed in persons over age 65, early onset Alzheimer’s can also affect younger patients. Symptoms are often mistakenly accepted by both patients and family as a normal part of aging. Although each patient experiences a unique manifestation of the disease, Alzheimer’s is almost always characterized by memory loss, irritability, and confusion. The cause of the disease is not yet fully understood by the overall medical community, but it is associated with plaque in the brain and neurofibrillary tangles. Alaska Neurology Center physicians have extensive experience treating Alzheimer’s.
Brain Injury
The human brain is an enormously complex and fragile organ that contains approximately 100 billion neurons, each of which has as many as 10,000 synaptic connections. Because the brain controls every bodily function, damage to the brain can affect the entire body. The brain can be damaged by a variety of causes - physical trauma, stroke, alcohol abuse, or disease, among others - and can result in permanent disability, speech impairment, or mental irregularities such as mood shifts. Alaska Neurology Center physicians specialize in diagnosing and treating the effects of brain injury to achieve effective management of long-term symptoms or full recovery.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a group of related neurological disorders usually characterized by recurring seizures. There are several types of epilepsy, each with different causes, symptoms, and treatments. Seizures are manifested in very different ways and can involve the whole cortex or only one part of it, but always originate in the brain. Epilepsy is more common in persons of either advanced or very young age, but can occur at any age. Roughly 50 million persons around the world have epilepsy and up to 125,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States. The good news is that epilepsy can usually be controlled. At AKNC, we prefer to treat epilepsy with nonsurgical methods, but we have the experience and training to address the disease in any form it takes.
Headaches
Everyone gets headaches. It’s normal. But recurring or long-lasting headaches may be an indication of a neurological disorder, such as head, brain, or neck injury. We can provide diagnosis that will help you to determine the cause of headaches and proceed with treatment to ease your pain. It is important to consult with a neurologist to distinguish between recurring headaches and migraine, which is a debilitating neurological condition that affects up to 28 million people. If you suffer from migraines, our neurologists can help you discover a course of treatment that will reduce their frequency and limit their severity so that headaches no longer control your life.
Infusion Therapy
Infusion therapy is an important element of many treatment regimens that involves treatment with fluids, usually in the form of intravenous injection (IV) of medications or antibiotics. AKNC has specialized pumps and equipment that make the procedure efficient, safe, and easy. Patients receiving chemo therapy trust us to administer medications in concert with an overall neurological program.
Multiple Sclerosis
MS is a condition affecting the brain and spinal cord in which the body’s immune system attacks the central nervous system. Nerves have a reduced ability to conduct signals, which results in impaired sense of touch, movement, and cognition. Early symptoms of the disease can include overall weakness, a tingling sensation, numbness, muscular stiffness, urination difficulties, blurred vision, or problems with processing thoughts. It is very important to have a neurologist diagnose symptoms. The causes of MS are still not fully understood by the overall medical community, but treatment can relieve symptoms and slow the disease’s progression.
Neuropathy
Neuropathy is any disorder of the nerves outside of the central nervous system, such as those that control heart rate, dilation of blood vessels, constriction of pupils, sense of touch, and muscle movement. Generally, neuropathy deals with conditions related to motor and sensory skills, but can also deal with involuntary functions, such as digestion. Symptoms depend on the condition and may be clearly evident, such as cramps or muscle spasms, or they may be more difficult to identify. In diagnosing neuropathies, we depend on our collective years of experience and our physicians freely consult with each other to determine the appropriate course of treatment.
Numbness
A feeling of numbness in the digits or extremities can be a symptom of several different conditions, one of which is heart attack. If you are experiencing a new sensation of numbness, please dial 911 immediately.
If you have an ongoing feeling of numbness or “pins and needles” like a limb is asleep, it could be the result of poor circulation, which inhibits the nerves’ ability to send signals to the brain. A feeling of numbness could also be a symptom of damaged nerves, either from traumatic injury, infection, or disease. Left untreated, numbness can lead to a neuropathy (see above) that causes serious and long-lasting damage. AKNC can determine the underlying causes of recurring or continuous numbness and provide a variety of treatments. We must emphasize again that if you are experiencing a sensation of numbness that you’ve never felt before, please call 911 and rule out heart attack or stroke before scheduling an appointment with AKNC.
Weakness
Like numbness, a new and not previously experienced weakness in the muscles can be a symptom of several different conditions, some related to the nervous system, some not. It is important to mention a new feeling of weakness to your doctor so that he or she can determine whether it is related to a more serious condition. Since nerves control muscle function, weakness may be indicate damage to either the peripheral nerves, such as may be caused by physical trauma like a sharp blow, or it may indicate a deterioration or disease of the central nervous system. Weakness may also be a symptom of neuromuscular disease. AKNC will work closely with your primary physician and other specialists to determine the underlying causes of your muscular weakness so that we can provide a curative treatment.