Gregory A. Worrell, M.D., Ph.D.

Epilepsy, a disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures, affects over 50 million people worldwide. For many patients the seizures are not controlled by currently available medical therapies. Treatment options for these patients are limited to epilepsy surgery, vagus nerve stimulation, or enrollment in an experimental protocol.

Advances in neuroengineering have lead to implantable devices that target specific neurological disease; and epilepsy is one of the most active areas with two 1st generation stimulation devices now in pivotal clinical trials. Preliminary results from brain stimulation trials using 1st generation devices have demonstrated excellent safety, but improvements in efficacy are needed.

The primary focus of our laboratory is directed at the investigation of electrophysiological signatures of epileptogenic brain and the transition from normal brain activity to seizures (ictogenesis). Electrophysiological biomarkers of epileptogenic brain and precursor signals that precede the onset of clinical seizures may make seizure warning devices possible, as well as lead to improvements in the efficacy of epilepsy surgery and brain stimulation.