Anna Weber Byars, PhD, ABPP-Cn
- Pediatric Neuropsychologist, Division of Neurology
- Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
- anna.byars@cchmc.org
- Board Certified
About
Biography
As a pediatric neuropsychologist, I provide neuropsychological evaluations for children who have epilepsy or stroke. These assessments test memory, language, motor skills, problem-solving and other functions before and after surgery or to assist in evaluating the effects of treatment.
When I was in college, I took a physiological psychology course. The connection between changes in brain and changes in behavior was – and still is – fascinating to me. I love explaining to parents, who generally already know this to be true, that what they see their children doing results from their seizures, their stroke or their treatments, and that there are solutions to work around these problems.
In my practice, I try to keep the “whole child” in mind. A child with epilepsy, for example, has the same gifts and challenges, along with additional trials, as a child without epilepsy.
Neuropsychological assessment is a great tool for informing treatment, understanding the course of the condition and helping to identify targets for intervention. It will answer questions for your child's neurologist or neurosurgeon, and it will also tell you a lot about your child and his or her behavior.
A number of years ago, I was honored to be included in the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Women’s Scholar Program. This program continues to benefit me through networking opportunities and ongoing connections to other winners of this award, before and since.
In addition to helping patients, I’m involved in research. I collaborate with my physician colleagues on studies aimed at understanding the best ways to predict and improve disease outcomes.
In my free time, I'm usually following my three children around to soccer games, regattas or music performances. I've become a big soccer fan over the last 10 years!
PhD: University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
Internship: West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV.
Fellowship: Pediatric Neuropsychology, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.
Interests
Functional MRI; stroke; epilepsy; language disorders
Services and Specialties
Neurology, Epilepsy, Cerebrovascular
Research Areas
Neurology
Insurance Information
Cincinnati Children's strives to accept a wide variety of health plans. Please contact your health insurance carrier to verify coverage for your specific benefit plan.
Publications
Long-term characterization of behavior phenotypes in children with seizures: Analytic approach matters. Epilepsia. 2025; 66:265-278.
Drug-Resistant Epilepsy in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Is Associated With TSC2 Genotype: More Findings From the Preventing Epilepsy Using Vigatrin (PREVeNT) Trial. Pediatric Neurology. 2024; 159:62-71.
High-gamma modulation language mapping and cognitive outcomes after epilepsy surgery. Epilepsia. 2024; 65:3052-3063.
Emotional facial expression and perioral motor functions of the human auditory cortex. Clinical Neurophysiology. 2024; 163:102-111.
Long-term characterization of cognitive phenotypes in children with seizures over 36 months. Epilepsy and Behavior. 2024; 154:109742.
International consensus recommendations for the identification and treatment of tuberous sclerosis complex-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TAND). Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. 2023; 15:32.
The Impact of Sociodemographic Disadvantage on Cognitive Outcomes in Children With Newly Diagnosed Seizures and Their Unaffected Siblings Over 36 Months. Pediatric Neurology. 2023; 148:178-188.
Development and Feasibility of the Self-Report Quantified Tuberous Sclerosis Complex-Associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders Checklist (TAND-SQ). Pediatric Neurology. 2023; 147:101-123.
Neuropsychological outcomes after epilepsy surgery: A comparison of stereo electroencephalography and subdural electrodes. European Journal of Neurology. 2023; 30:2986-2998.
Impact of sociodemographic disadvantage on neurobehavioral outcomes in children with newly diagnosed seizures and their unaffected siblings over 36 months. Epilepsia. 2023; 64:2172-2185.
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