Neurology Research

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Our clinical and translational research programs work in close coordination bridging exciting discoveries in lab to the most promising clinical trials for neurological disorders. Through collaboration with other departments at Baylor College of Medicine our research teams have access to immense technical and intellectual resources. Our depth of clinical affiliates allows for a broad array of patient populations to offer clinical trials from pediatrics to veterans to those underinsured.

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Translational Research Labs

The translational research our experts within the department of neurology are conducting in regards to epilepsy.

Primary Investigator	Specialized Research Areas	Lab Website
Edward Cooper, M.D., Ph.D.		https://www.bcm.edu/research/faculty-labs/edward-cooper-lab
Adam Dickey, M.D., Ph.D	My research focus is on statistical prediction of outcomes after minimally invasive epilepsy surgery. My goal is to use Bayesian methods to allow for reliable inferences from small sample sizes.	https://github.com/AdamSDickey/
Barna Dudok, Ph.D.	The Laboratory of Neural Circuit Modulation investigates how GABAergic inhibitory interneurons regulate brain circuit dynamics in both healthy and diseased states. Our research focuses on identifying precise targets for neuromodulatory therapies and developing cell type-specific strategies to inhibit epilepsy.	https://www.dudoklab.com/
Zulfi Haneef, M.B.B.S., M.D.	I am interested in Machine learning in Epilepsy (Video and language models), Responsive Neurostimulation System (RNS) & Epidemiology studies on National administrative databases.	https://haneefresearch.com/
Vaishnav Krishnan, M.D., Ph.D.	Digital Neurobehavioral Phenotyping, Actigraphy, Epilepsy and Emotional Behavior	www.bcm.edu/krishnanlab
Atul Maheshwari, M.D.	The Maheshwari Lab is interested in understanding the basic mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric diseases such as epilepsy and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Our research studies normal mice as well as mice with genetic mutations that lead to neuropsychiatric disease.	https://www.bcm.edu/research/faculty-labs/atul-maheshwari-lab
Jochen Meyer, Ph.D.	Laboratory for optical network neurophysiology We study how genetic and acquired forms of epilepsy emerge, using multimodal in vivo imaging and electrophysiological recording techniques. This approach allows us measure pathophysiological changes across brain areas or different cell types at various spatiotemporal resolutions. The goal is to devise new therapeutic approaches through a deeper understanding of the underlying pathogenic neural network remodeling mechanisms of epilepsy.
Jeffrey Noebels, M.D., Ph.D.	The principal research strategy in the Blue Bird Circle Developmental Neurogenetics Laboratory is to apply mutational analysis to learn how genes regulate neuronal excitability and network synchronization within the central nervous system. Neurological disorders due to spontaneous and transgenic mutations in humans and mice provide a valuable opportunity to identify disease genes and examine their role in synaptic plasticity in the developing brain. Brain wave abnormalities emerging from these altered neuronal signaling properties have enabled our pioneering discoveries linking ion channel biology to mechanisms underlying childhood seizure disorders, Alzheimer’s Disease, sudden unexpected death, and peritumoral epilepsy. We apply advanced multidisciplinary tools to detect and reverse the gene defects that we hope will lead us to improved therapies.
Isamu Aiba, Ph.D.	My laboratory primarily investigates a phenomenon called spreading depolarization and its neurological consequences, such as altered consciousness, cognitive dysfunction, and autonomic dysregulation in epilepsy and other conditions, such as stroke and brain trauma, using mouse models.
Alica Goldman, M.D., Ph.D.	The main focus of my research is the investigation of genetic underpinning of human epilepsy and associated comorbidities and adverse outcomes, such as sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

The translational research our experts within the department of neurology are conducting in Space Medicine.

Primary Investigator	Specialized Research Area	Lab Website
Eric Bershad, M.D.	Dr. Bershad and his team through funding and support from NASA, Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), and CSM is dedicated to advancing the understanding of brain and ocular health in spaceflight and other extreme environments. Key focus areas include the development and clinical validation of non-invasive and invasive intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring technologies, as well as the study of Spaceflight Associated Neuroocular Syndrome (SANS), a condition affecting astronaut vision and brain physiology during prolonged missions. His team's work extends to ground-based analog studies, including head-down tilt and controlled CO₂ exposure, which simulate the unique fluid shifts and neurological changes experienced in microgravity. The Center for Space Medicine provides a multidiscipinary platform for collaborating with other BCM faculty with overlapping space medicine interests and education and mentoring of Baylor medical students.
Rahul Damani, M.D., M.P.H.
Mohammad Hirzallah, M.D.	Our research efforts focus on the intersection of brain physiology in the critical care unit and austere environments this includes biomedical research with commercial space flight missions (inspiration 4, space adventures, Axiom-1, Axiom-2, Axiom-3, and Polaris dawn), developing research solicitations for NASA and TRISH (Translational Research Institute in Space Health), monitoring the long-term consequences of spaceflight on the brain and eyes in NASA astronauts, and the development and evaluation of non-invasive intracranial pressure monitoring techniques including eye tracking, pupillometry, ultrasonography, pulsatile skull expansion, and our primary area of research expertise; optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD).
Chethan Rao, M.D., FNCS

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Primary Investigator	Specialized Research Areas	Lab Website
Sarah Berth, M.D., Ph.D.	My lab studies how genetic causes of ALS and hereditary motor neuropathies disrupt organelle function and trafficking.
Thomas Lloyd, M.D., Ph.D
James Orengo, M.D., Ph.D.	The Orengo lab uses a cross species approach to indentified shared molecular mechanisms of disease in genetic forms motor neuron degeneration.	https://www.bcm.edu/research/faculty-labs/james-orengo-lab

Primary Investigator	Specialized Research Areas	Lab Website
Cristian Lasagna-Reeves, Ph.D.		https://www.lasagnareeveslab.com/
Joshua Shulman, M.D., Ph.D.		https://shulman-lab.org/

Primary Investigator	Specialized Research Areas	Lab Website
Joshua Shulman, M.D., Ph.D.		https://shulman-lab.org/
Nora Vanegas Arroyave, M.D.	My research focuses on understanding the physiological mechanisms underlying cognitive and motor symptoms in neuropsychiatric conditions. To achieve this, my lab integrates multimodal data including neuroimaging, electrophysiology, and behavioral paradigms.

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