• The Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s will be the first facility of its kind in the United States that will use a multidisciplinary research approach and will be dedicated to understanding the unique issues of a child's brain structure, development patterns and related diseases. It will be a new model of excellence in the study of pediatric cognitive development.

• Brain-related diseases and injuries are estimated to exceed more than a half-trillion dollars annually in health care, lost productivity and other economic costs.

• Brain-related disorders account for the majority of our nation’s long-term care costs. When combined with other psychiatric disorders, they account for more hospitalization and prolonged care than almost all other diseases combined.

• Combining research and clinical treatments, the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute will directly address neurological issues by focusing on cutting-edge research, education and treatment of the neurological disorders that affect children. It also will address the causes of major adult diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. 

• Scheduled for completion in 2010, the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute will consist of research labs and a vivarium within its 14 floors and 370,000 square feet of space.

• Texas Children’s Department of Pediatrics faculty has been at the forefront of identifying genes that cause neurological disorders, including Fragile X syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Prader-Willi syndrome, spinocerebellar ataxia, inherited ataxias, and the brain malformation lissencephaly.