PANDAS is short for Pediatric AutoImmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections. Children with this syndrome may experience a sudden onset or worsening of tics and/or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) emerging after a strep infection. It is hypothesized that streptococcal infections trigger the production of antibodies which cross-react with healthy brain tissue, resulting in the neuropsychiatric symptoms characteristic of PANDAS. PANS refers to Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome, a similar condition triggered by other autoimmune processes.
The Pediatric Neuropsychiatry and Immunology Research Program was launched nine years ago in order to provide specialized clinical care to children with PANDAS and to improve our understanding of the etiology of and the most effective treatments for pediatric neuropsychiatric immune conditions through an integrated clinic and research program.
Given the significant immune dysregulation that accompanies COVID-19 infection, the program is also interested in learning more about children who develop new or worsening neuropsychiatric symptoms following a COVID-19 infection.
In this webinar, Kyle Williams, MD PhD, Director of the Pediatric Neuropsychiatry and Immunology Research Program, presents an update on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it continues to affect care for children with PANS/PANDAS. In addition, Sarah O’Dor, PhD, the Director of Research, presents her research on how COVID has changed the way we deliver healthcare to children with PANS/PANDAS and discusses upcoming research projects.
Kyle Williams, MD PhD
Kyle Williams, MD, PhD is the Director of the Pediatric Neuropsychiatry and Immunology Research Program at MGH and an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Williams’s primary clinical and research interests involve the intersection of the brain and the immune system, and in particular, the psychiatric and behavioral consequences of these interactions.
Sarah O'Dor, PhD
Sarah O'Dor, PhD is the Director of Research for the Pediatric Neuropsychiatry and Immunology Research Program at MGH and an Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. She specializes in the assessment of children, adolescents, and young adults with developmental, psychological, and medical diagnoses.
