Neurosurgery
P.O., Box 208082
New Haven, CT 06520-8082
Tel: 203.785.2805
Fax: 203.785.6916
neurosurgery@yale.edu
My laboratory is engaged in a study of the pathophysiology of seizure foci in the brains of patients with epilepsy. Our work has concentrated on the molecular and cellular organization of hippocampal seizure foci in patients with medically intractable temporal lobe epilepsy, who have this seizure focus removed in our epilepsy surgery program for the control of seizures. In the past our work has defined the anatomical and cellular organization of the hippocampal seizure focus in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. Our current work focuses on the molecular characterization these seizure foci through the use of high throughput techniques such as DNA microarray analysis and proteomics. The work completed using these techniques has focused attention on the molecular changes in reactive astrocytes at seizure foci, which appear to play a critical role in causing an excitable environment in the brain. Gene expression profiles in the blood of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy are also being carried out with the goal of identifying biomarkers of different subclasses of temporal lobe epilepsy and for predicting, prior to surgery, the outcome of surgery for controlling seizures.
In parallel with studies on human seizure foci, the laboratory is also developing and characterizing new animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy that better reflect the pathophysiological changes in human seizure foci. These translational studies are aimed at developing and testing new antiepileptic drugs and developing methods for seizure prediction.
This year the laboratory was awarded an NIH grant for the study of proteomic profiles in human seizure foci (PI, NdeL) and for the continued development of a new animal model of seizures (PI, Tore Eid). It also received an award from DARPA for the study of blast induced brain injury.
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Yale School of Medicine
Last updated
6/30/08
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