General Information
The Neuromuscular Division of the Department of Neurology consists of physicians, nurses, and technical staff that focus on the diagnosis and treatment of people with diseases of peripheral nerves, muscles and the neuromuscular junction. Neuromuscular diseases include peripheral neuropathies, Guillain-Barre syndrome, myasthenia gravis, the muscular dystrophies, and ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Our clinics are supported by funding from the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the ALS Association of Georgia. The Neuromuscular Division includes the electrodiagnostic laboratory (nerve conduction studies and electromyography or "EMG"), which performs > 1500 diagnostic studies per year. The Neuromuscular Pathology laboratory prepares and interprets nerve and muscle biopsy tissue from patients within the Emory system, and serves as a regional referral laboratory for nerve and muscle pathology for Atlanta and the Southeast. Faculty members within the Neuromuscular Division are active investigators in both basic and clinical research, focusing on disorders of nerves, motor neurons, and muscles.
Emory Neuromuscular Laboratory provides the service of pathological analysis of nerve and muscle biopsy specimens, which can be essential for the diagnosis of neuromuscular disorders.
The Emory ALS Center combines state of the art clinical care with cutting edge clinical and basic research. The Emory ALS Clinic provides multidisciplinary care to ALS patients and their families, focusing on independence and quality of life through state of the art intervention. Our research focuses on basic mechanisms of motor neuron degeneration, genetics of ALS, and new experimental treatments.
Clinical Staff
Jonathan D. Glass, MD (Professor) is board certified in Neurology, Neuropathology, and Clinical Neurophysiology. He is the Director of the Neuromuscular Pathology Laboratory and the Emory ALS Center. His clinical interests are in the fields of peripheral nerve diseases and ALS. He directs a basic science laboratory program focusing on the pathogenesis and treatment of these disorders.
Taylor Harrison, MD (Associate Professor) is board certified in Neurology and Electromyography, and is fellowship-trained in Infectious Diseases. His clinical and research interests are in the neurological effects of HIV infection and AIDS, including HIV-related neuropathies and myopathies. Dr. Harrison directs the Electrodiagnostic Laboratory at Grady Memorial Hospital and is also the Director of the Clinical Neurophysiology Fellowship program.
Vita Kesner, MD, PhD (Associate Professor) is board certified in Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology. Dr. Kesner directs the Electrodiagnostic Laboratory at the Emory Clinic. Her clinical interest is in peripheral neuropathies and peripheral nerve injuries.
Christina Fournier, MD (Associate Professor) is board certified in Neurology. Her clinical interest is in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and in clinical trials for ALS and related motor neuron diseases. She is a co-director of the Emory ALS Clinic. Dr. Fournier has a joint appointment at the Atlanta VA Medical Center.