Answers
Everything patients ask us most often about functional neurology, testing, treatment, and what a first visit actually involves.
Functional neurology examines how the brain and body communicate rather than looking only for structural damage. We use advanced neurological testing to identify disrupted brain-body communication patterns, meaning circuits that are out of sync, then design personalized programs that retrain those pathways. It is most often used for symptoms that persist after imaging comes back normal.
A traditional neurologist typically looks for structural disease such as a lesion, a tumor, or a stroke, using imaging and bloodwork. Functional neurology examines how well brain circuits are working. That is why we often see patients whose scans came back clear but whose symptoms have not gone away. The two approaches are complementary, and we work alongside your existing medical team rather than replacing it.
Both doctors are Doctors of Chiropractic with advanced post-doctoral training in clinical and functional neurology. Dr. Gary Blackburn is a Fellow of the American College of Functional Neurology and certified in Clinical Neuroscience. Dr. Sam Jyotishi focuses on vestibular and neurological care.
Dr. Gary Blackburn is a Doctor of Chiropractic and a Fellow of the American College of Functional Neurology, with certification in Clinical Neuroscience. He has practiced since 1995 and completed over 3,000 hours of continuing education. He served as Official Team Chiropractor for the Detroit Lions from 2002 to 2007 and as a consultant for the Detroit Tigers, and completed a sports medicine rotation with the United States Olympic Committee during the 2012 London Games.
Dr. Sam Jyotishi holds a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life University and focuses on vestibular and neurological care, particularly concussion, dizziness, vertigo, and balance-related conditions.
FACFN stands for Fellow of the American College of Functional Neurology. It is a post-doctoral credential awarded after extensive additional training in functional neurology beyond a doctoral degree. Dr. Blackburn earned his fellowship in 2022 following certification in Clinical Neuroscience in 2020.
Our treatment protocols were developed alongside clinical neurologists and cognitive scientists and are grounded in peer-reviewed neuroplasticity research. Our assessment technology is FDA-cleared and was developed in association with MIT, Johns Hopkins, NASA, and the Mayo Clinic.
Summit Neuro is at 11201 SE 8th St, Suite 116, in the Gateway Building at Bellefield Business Park, Bellevue, WA 98004.
Submit the appointment request form on our contact page or call (425) 242-7246. Availability varies, and after you submit a request our office staff will call to confirm.
No. Summit Neuro is an out-of-network clinic, and we do not take insurance.
We start with a brief phone or telehealth consultation to understand your goals, symptoms, and history, and to confirm we are the right fit for what you are dealing with.
Your first visit begins with a review of your background and medical history, then a comprehensive exam blending high-tech, low-tech, and hands-on assessments across vision, balance, coordination, gait, cognition, and autonomic function. Precise eye-brain mapping gives us objective data to identify the root cause of your symptoms.
Bring your completed intake paperwork, a list of current prescriptions and over-the-counter medications including dose and frequency, information about your medical and surgical history, and any recent test results, x-rays, MRIs, or relevant records.
There are four steps. First, a brief phone or telehealth consultation to understand your goals and confirm we are a good fit. Second, comprehensive diagnostics on your first visit. Third, a personalized neuro-rehabilitation plan with targeted drills. Fourth, frequent re-testing to track measurable progress, followed by a maintenance plan.
Eye-brain mapping is advanced eye-movement and reflex analysis used to reveal where brain circuits are inefficient or out of sync. Eye movement is controlled by widespread brain networks, which makes it a direct window into brain function.
VNG stands for videonystagmography. It uses precise eye-tracking technology to measure how your brain controls eye movement, balance, and attention. It is non-invasive, and it turns symptoms you have been describing in words into measurable data.
Saccade and pursuit testing measures how your eyes move, both quickly and slowly. Those movements should be controlled, smooth, and accurate. When there is a breakdown, it can cause fatigue, difficulty reading, eye strain, and brain fog.
Optokinetic mapping measures how well your visual system keeps up when you turn your head. If that coordination is not synchronized to your head speed, it can produce anxiety, dizziness, nausea, or fatigue. Our equipment maps this at various speeds so rehabilitation can target the exact point of breakdown.
Vestibular analysis assesses your inner-balance system. Imbalances here create sensations of tilting, spinning, lightheadedness, fatigue, and brain fog. By measuring how visual and balance information reach the brain together, we can identify the neurological cause behind those symptoms.
Vergence is your ability to focus on objects up close. It is very commonly disrupted after concussion, traumatic brain injury, or a balance disorder, and when it is not working properly it causes fatigue, eye strain, and headaches.
The evaluation combines eye-brain mapping with validated assessments across balance, vestibular and cerebellar function, cognition, gait and posture, and autonomic regulation. The goal is to find why symptoms are happening, not only to describe what hurts.
We use FDA-cleared assessment technology developed in association with MIT, Johns Hopkins, NASA, and the Mayo Clinic. It monitors real-time performance across memory, focus, and orientation.
Treatment is a personalized neuro-rehabilitation plan built from your test results. Plans include targeted drills such as oculomotor and vestibular training, coordinated movement and balance work, and breath and posture integration. Each drill is prescribed to strengthen the specific weak links your testing identified.
Many patients experience improvements the same day their plan begins. Longer-term progress is tracked through frequent re-testing so you can see measurable change rather than relying on how you feel.
We re-test frequently using the same objective assessments from your initial evaluation. That means progress is something you can see in the data, not just sense.
Once you have reached your goals we move to a maintenance plan designed to keep your gains in place.
No. We work alongside your existing medical team rather than replacing it.
We treat 22 conditions across four areas. Brain and cognitive: concussion and post-concussion, brain fog, focus and attention, memory problems, chronic fatigue, and long COVID. Balance and dizziness: dizziness and vertigo, balance problems, vestibular disorders, cervicogenic dizziness, and motion sensitivity. Headaches and pain: headaches, migraine, chronic pain, neuropathy, and whiplash. Movement and autonomic: coordination problems, tremors, dysautonomia, POTS, anxiety with physical symptoms, and stroke rehabilitation.
That is one of the most common reasons patients come to us. Imaging looks for structural damage. Our testing examines how well brain circuits are functioning, which is a different question entirely. Many of the patients we see have clear scans and symptoms that have not gone away.
Reach out anyway. Our evaluation is designed to find the root cause across many overlapping conditions, and symptoms often cross the categories we list. If we are not the right fit, we will tell you.
No. Many patients come to us precisely because they do not have one, or because their diagnosis has not led to improvement.
Yes, and it is common. Conditions like concussion, dizziness, brain fog, and dysautonomia frequently overlap because they share underlying neurological pathways. Our evaluation assesses across all of them rather than treating each in isolation.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, with weekend availability by appointment only. Individual doctors keep different hours, so call the office to check availability with a specific doctor.
Yes. We work with patients travelling from across the United States and internationally. Our team can assist with scheduling logistics, treatment planning, and continuity coordination before and after travel.
Yes. Communication coordination between providers is part of our care approach, and continuity planning is available for patients travelling for treatment.
Contact our care coordination team to request an intake review. We provide pre-arrival coordination and post-program planning for patients travelling for care. Call (425) 242-7246.
Still not covered? Call (425) 242-7246 or send us a note and we'll answer it directly.