Collaborative
Research Areas

Major Research Domains

Research Affiliates

Core Services
Behavioral Science Core

Brain Imaging Core

Cellular Morphology Core

Genetics Core

Animal Behavior Core

Instrument Development Laboratory Core

Collaborative Research Area on Epilepsy

Coordinator: Nicholas Poolos, M.D., Ph.D.

Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurological disorders, affecting approximately 1% of the population. A disproportionate number of children with intellectual disabilities are affected. The causes of epilepsy are many, and include brain developmental abnormalities, acquired brain injuries, and genetic causes. The Collaborative Research Area in Epilepsy seeks to encourage multidisciplinary investigations in the causes and treatment of epilepsy.

Our main approaches are:

• Understand the molecular mechanisms of epileptogenesis, the development of epilepsy following acquired insults to the central nervous system. This includes study of ion channel dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and disrupted cellular signaling cascades in animal models of epilepsy.
• Characterize the causes of genetic epilepsies, both those resulting from single gene mutation (epilepsy with Mendelian inheritance) and complex genetic epilepsies with many implicated genes. Novel human gene sequencing techniques are rapidly expanding our capabilities in this area.
• Develop improved treatment approaches using both existing and novel medications or surgical methodologies. In part we hope to leverage existing treatments by using large clinical databases to study their comparative efficacy in patients with refractory epilepsy.

Faculty Investigators:

• Nicholas Poolos, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Neurology, Coordinator
• Gail Anderson, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, Pharmaceutics and Neurosurgery
• Sandy Bajjalieh, Ph.D., Professor, Pharmacology
• Bill Catterall, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Pharmacology
• Naomi Chaytor, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Neurology
• Raimondo D'Ambrosio, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Neurological Surgery
• William B. Dobyns, M.D., Professor, Pediatrics
• Evan Eichler, Ph.D., Professor, Genome Sciences
• Robert Fraser, Ph.D., Professor, Neurology, Neurological Surgery, and Rehabilitation Medicine
• Adam Hebb, M.D., Assistant Professor, Neurological Surgery
• Mark Holmes, M.D., Professor, Neurology
• Heather Mefford, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
• John Miller, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Neurology
• Edward Novotny, M.D., Professor, Neurology, Pediatrics
• John Oakley, M.D., Ph.D., Acting Assistant Professor, Neurology
• Jeff Ojemann, M.D., Associate Professor, Neurological Surgery
• George Ojemann, M.D., Associate Professor, Neurological Surgery
• Vaishali Phatak , Ph.D., Acting Assistant Professor, Neurology
• Russ Saneto, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Neurology
• Jeff Tsai, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Neurology