Neurological and Genetic Diseases Association
An Istanbul-based association working on awareness, early diagnosis and treatment research in neurogenetic diseases, under the founding presidency of Prof. Dr. Burak Tatlı.
Prof. Dr. Burak Tatlı
Specialist in Paediatrics · Subspecialist in Paediatric Neurology and Developmental Paediatrics
The founder and president of the association, Prof. Dr. Burak Tatlı, completed his medical training in the English Medical Programme of Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine. After the national residency examination he undertook his residency in paediatrics at Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine (Çapa), where he also completed subspecialty training in paediatric neurology and developmental paediatrics.
He continued his academic career at the Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, becoming associate professor in 2006 and professor in 2013. Over many years as a member of the teaching faculty he contributed to the training of a large number of residents and subspecialty fellows. Since 2017 he has worked as an independent physician in Istanbul.
His principal clinical and scientific interests are neurogenetic diseases, fetal and neonatal neurology, drug-resistant epilepsies, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder and developmental neurology. More recently his work has concentrated on repair (regeneration) processes in neurological diseases of childhood; he conducts assessment and treatment planning in the light of the current scientific literature, on an evidence-based and patient-specific (individualised) basis.
He has published a large number of scientific papers on paediatric neurology in national and international peer-reviewed journals. All content on this site, including the disease guides, emergency action plans and follow-up schedules, is prepared and reviewed under his supervision. Under the Nörogender banner he leads work on raising awareness of neurological diseases of genetic origin, on access to early and accurate diagnosis, and on support for scientific research.
The association
The Neurological and Genetic Diseases Association was founded to support the diagnosis, the treatment and the scientific study of neurological diseases of genetic origin seen in childhood. Thanks to the genetic diagnostic methods that have advanced over the past ten years, we now recognise that a greater number of children have diseases of genetic origin.
Although diseases of genetic origin involve many organ systems, they frequently give rise to neurological manifestations. The most common are developmental delay, cognitive impairment, autism and epilepsy. The term neurogenetic is used for neurological diseases of genetic origin.
The effects of neurogenetic disorders on a child’s development begin before birth. The latest genetic tests, performed on amniotic fluid or on maternal blood, can detect some conditions (Down syndrome, for example). Given that thousands of neurogenetic diseases exist, tests carried out before birth often remain insufficient. Where there is motor developmental delay after birth, a delay in head circumference growth, delay in walking, delay in speech, or accompanying autism or epilepsy, detailed genetic testing is important in reaching a diagnosis.