Dilip R Patel1, Annabel Liao2
1Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, USA; 2JTD Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company
Correspondence to: Annabel Liao. TP Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company. Email: editor@thetp.org.
Editor’s note
Translational Pediatrics (TP) has published a number of special series in recent years, receiving overwhelming responses from academic readers around the world. Our success cannot be achieved without the contribution of our distinguished guest editors. This year TP launched a new column, “Interviews with Guest Editors”, to better present our guest editors and to further promote the special series. We also hope to express our heartfelt gratitude for their tremendous effort and to further uncover the stories behind the special series.
The special series “Neurodevelopmental and Neurobehavioral Disorders in Children”(1) led by Dr. Dilip R. Patel from Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine (Figure 1) and Dr. Joav Merrick from Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center has attracted many readers since its publication. This special series focused on neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral disorders, with the aim of providing a review of selected disorders to highlight the range of characteristics of this group of disorders and provide practical information with direct application in one’s clinical practice. At this moment, we are honored to have an interview with Dr. Patel to share his scientific career experience and insights on this special series.
Figure 1 Dr. Dilip R Patel.
Expert introduction
Dilip R Patel is a professor in the department of pediatric and adolescent medicine at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. He has a long distinguished academic career that spans more than 25 years. He has published numerous articles and book chapters, invited papers, and guest edited journal symposia and special issues. Prof Patel has wide-ranging clinical, research and academic interests in such varied fields as neurodevelopmental disabilities, behavioral pediatrics, primary care sports medicine and adolescent medicine. Among the many books that he has co-edited include Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Clinical Care for Children and Adolescents (2011, Springer Science) and Healthcare for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities across the Lifespan, Volume 1 and 2 (2016, Springer Nature). Prof Patel serves as the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of TP.
Interview
TP: What drove you into the field of pediatrics?
Dr. Patel: The study of pediatrics spans from the time before birth and progresses through the growth and developmental periods through infancy, childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. Being a pediatrician provides a fascinating opportunity to observe this progression from conception to mature adult being in all areas of development – somatic, psychological, physiological, neurodevelopmental, cognitive and social.
TP: Thank you for editing the special series "Neurodevelopmental and Neurobehavioral Disorders in Children" (1) for TP. Which part of the content impressed you most in this special series? Compared with other similar projects, what do you think are the unique advantages of this special series?
Dr. Patel: In the special series of Translational Pediatrics with a focus on neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral disorders, our aim was to provide a review of selected disorders to highlight the range of characteristics of this group of disorders and provide practical information with direct application in one’s clinical practice. This special series provided clinical reviews for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, dysgraphia, dyslexia, intellectual developmental disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, Tourette syndrome, neurodevelopmental impact of pre-term birth, and principles of developmental diagnosis.
Because of a wide diversity of functional impact from these disorders at an individual level, the effective delivery of healthcare for persons affected by any of these disorders requires participation and coordination between professionals from different disciplines as well as both governmental and non-governmental community-based agencies. The medical practitioner in clinical practice setting plays a key role in medical evaluation and treatment of persons with neurodevelopmental disorders. Additionally, the medical practitioner plays a lead role in facilitating and coordinating the overall health care, working with different professionals and agencies.
TP: Could you briefly introduce the current status of the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders?
Dr. Patel: There has been steady progress in the research and application of various technologies to the diagnosis and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Some of these technologies include machine learning, functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalogram, magnetic resonance imaging, and neurofeedback.
Another area of active research is stem cell technologies, which has a potential to help us understand the underlying pathophysiology of the neurodevelopmental disorders. A better understanding of the etiology would allow us to develop more effective treatment strategies including new drug discovery and personalized medicine. Other areas of advancement in research include genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, neurostimulation and precision therapeutics. An area of long-standing research in the field focuses on looking for disease specific biomarkers. Such research typically focuses on specific genes, proteins, peptides, metabolites, cytokines and inflammatory markers in blood, urine or saliva. More recently, there has been steady progress in research on metabolites, especially the metabolites of the intestinal flora.
TP: Looking towards the future, what do you believe is the most important direction for the study of neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral disorders in children? Specifically, what areas of research or treatment do you think hold the greatest promise for improving outcomes for patients?
Dr. Patel: We need to apply rigorous scientific methods to the evaluation of the efficacy of any new and emerging treatments, elucidate the full phenotypic spectrum of the disorder, define the progression of the disease over the lifetime and identify the best objective diagnostic measures. Given the heterogeneity and complexity of neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral disorders, it is more likely that a combination of multiple diagnostic and treatment strategies will provide a more effective approach to improving the quality of life for persons with such disorders.
TP: If given an opportunity to update this special series, what would you like to moderate, add or emphasize to provide a more informative series?
Dr. Patel: Given the progress in our understanding of the disorders and improved treatment approaches, increasingly more individuals with various neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral disorders are more integrated within their social and work life environments. It would be interesting to look at lifespan progression, outcome and quality of life for individuals with these conditions and the best treatment approaches for them.
Reference
- Neurodevelopmental and Neurobehavioral Disorders in Children. Available online: https://tp.amegroups.com/post/view/neurodevelopmental-and-neurobehavioral-disorders-in-children