Nihal C. de Lanerolle, D.Phil., D.Sc.
Research
Dr. de Lanerolle is an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery (with tenure) and Neurobiology at Yale University School of Medicine. After graduating with honors in Zoology from the University of Ceylon in 1967, he earned a doctorate in Neuroethology from the University of Sussex, England, in 1972, and in 1995 he was awarded the higher doctoral degree of Doctor of Science. He also holds an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge, England. He was elected a Corresponding Member of the German League Against Epilepsy in 1992 for his contributions to the neuropathology of epilepsy. He has served as a member of the Cognitive Functional Neuroscience study section (1992 - 1995) and an Ad hoc member of the Neurological Sciences II study section of the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. de Lanerolle's research interests are in chemical neuroanatomy and neuroethology. His early research was into the neural mechanisms of vocalization and vocal disorders. In the past ten years he has been studying the organization of human seizure foci removed in surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy. A pioneer in the analysis of human seizure foci he has established a unique laboratory for the multidisciplinary investigation and analysis of human seizure foci. These studies center around three areas-the neuroanatomical and neurochemical definition of hippocampal and neocortical seizure foci; the biochemistry and electrophysiology of neuroglia at seizure foci; and the identification of novel genes expressed at seizure foci. This work involves state-of-the art techniques in neuroanatomy and electron microscopy; electrophysiology; and molecular biology. His work has made a significant impact in the redefinition of the epileptogenic substrate, and the classification of seizure syndromes. He has an international reputation in his field.

Dr. de Lanerolle's research in epilepsy is supported by a individual RO1 award and two program project grants from the National Institutes of Health. He also has an award from the Theodore and Vada Stanley Foundation for the "Identification of Genes which are Differentially Expressed in Brain Tissue of Epileptic and Psychiatrically Disturbed Patients." In addition to research, he teaches in the neuroanatomy program for Yale medical students, supervises graduate and undergraduate student research, and contributes to the popularization of neuroscience more widely in the state of Connecticut.

Dr. Nihal C. de Lanerolle can be reached at 203-785-2597 or email tonihal.delanerolle@yale.edu

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