Epilepsy Lab

MnDRIVE Neuromod Scholar, Dr. Sandip Pati (UMN) & Dr. Lawrence Hirsch (Yale University) co-launched the International Thalamocortical Neuromodulation Consortium, establishing a new collaborative platform for precision neuromodulation research. Learn more: cocanot.com

In a remarkable editorial in Brain, UMN epilepsy specialist & expert in women with epilepsy, Dr. Aisha Abdul-Razaq, challenges us to rethink epilepsy surgery beyond seizure control, emphasizing its profound implications for reproductive health in women. drive.google.com/file/d/1ST9Nfv…

Alex Conley, who has a spinal cord injury, was the 2nd patient to undergo neurosurgery at Barrow to receive @Neuralink's N1 Implant as part of the PRIME Study. Now, also enrolled in CONVOY, Alex is the 1st to use the brain-computer interface (BCI) device to control a robotic arm.

The connections between the cortical areas harboring the SOZ and the thalamus show a complex gradient of connectivity along several thalamic nuclei. doi.org/10.1002/epi.70… #epilepsy #ILAE #epilepsia #corticothalamic #neurostimulation #thalamocortical #tractography #whitematter

Dr. Alwiya Mukhtar Ahmed, a UMN Medical School graduate, fled civil unrest in Somalia, excelled in the U.S., and became a compassionate physician and researcher, even while battling lung cancer. Honor her legacy by supporting her memorial scholarship: bit.ly/4926p6p.

My favorite time of the year #AES2025. This year I have the distinct pleasure of organizing this “do not miss” session at 2 pm on Sunday with Dr Vikram Rao. “Wired minds and Ethical Lines”, to discuss ethical frameworks for neuromodulation, chronic EEG, guidelines for AI etc.

JIPMER received the 17th Healthcare Excellence Award 2025 for excellence in patient care and service delivery in the Public Hospitals category. Proud of the teams who made this possible. #JIPMER #HealthcareExcellence #FICCI #PatientCare #PublicHospital

Plants don’t have nerves. But when they’re injured, they send an electrical “SOS” that looks very familiar. When a leaf is cut or bitten, glutamate (the same amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter in humans) spills out of the damaged cells. In plants, that glutamate flips on a series of glutamate-gated receptors, triggering a rapid calcium wave that races through the stem and leaves. It’s not pain. It’s not consciousness. But it is a long-distance danger signal. And what happens next is biology at its best: • Distant leaves ramp up their defenses • Genes for protection and repair switch on • Chemical pathways shift to heal tissue and deter future damage Humans use glutamate to communicate between neurons. Plants use it to communicate between cells and tissues. Two completely different systems, one molecule playing messenger in both. A reminder that living things often solve survival problems using the same biochemical tools… even when evolution sends them down very different paths. From: Gatsby Plant Science Education Program

Dr. David Darrow & his team launched a curated, high-resolution epilepsy iEEG repository with continuous recordings, clinical video, imaging & outcomes from 100 patients. A #MnDRIVE-aligned resource advancing seizure prediction, surgical targeting & brain-network discovery.

New case study highlights work by Dr. Aisha Abdul Razaq & the Women’s Health & Epilepsy Clinic. It shows that anti-seizure meds can be safely managed in pregnant patients when paired with RNS therapy and its built-in seizure diary. z.umn.edu/womenshealthep…

Insights Into DEPDC5-Related Epilepsy From 586 People: Variant Penetrance, Phenotypic Spectrum, and Treatment Outcomes hubs.la/Q03TkgXh0 #NeuroX

From smart mouthpieces to neurostimulation devices, new innovations are reshaping how sleep apnea is treated - helping patients finally get a better night’s rest. Read more in IEEE Pulse: embs.org/pulse/articles…

More great work from the PERC Surgery and Surgery Database Special Interest Groups. See the results here: neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WN…

🚨 BIG NEWS! Dr. Jacqueline Palmer has received a $2.2M @NIH New Innovator Award to study older adults who stay sharp and active, aiming to uncover how their brains resist aging. Read more ➡️: bit.ly/4h7culM. #NIH #Aging #AgingResearch #HealthyAging

'Induction of plasticity and metaplasticity using noninvasive brain stimulation' by Amitabh Bhattacharya @Amitabh091, Ghazaleh Darmani, Kaviraja Udupa, Jean-François Nankoo, Mandy Yi Rong Ding & Robert Chen cell.com/trends/neurosc…

In a rat hippocampal seizure model, Wang et al. find that parvalbumin-positive interneurons have an essential role in seizure onset, whereas somatostatin-positive interneurons appear to be important in seizure termination. tinyurl.com/3ntebf4a

Via @GreenJournal: Geographic disparities in epilepsy care affect patients across the country, with some states having no certified epilepsy specialists at all: hubs.la/Q03LVblK0 #NeuroTwitter @AANMember @WeillCornell

Attend the 4th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Epilepsy and Neurological Disorders, in 2026! The program is now online :) aiepilepsy-neuro.com/content.aspx?e… #epilepsy #AI

Precision neuromodulation in epilepsy: from shared targets to personalized circuits academic.oup.com/braincomms/art…