Purpose

Memory dysfunction represents one of the most common cognitive complaints in patients with epilepsy, and significantly impairs quality of life.  Our work aims to (1) better characterize memory function in the context of everyday life, and (2) remediate memory impairment, through rigorous exploration of the mechanisms of memory and its dysfunction. We use a variety of tools, including cognitive testing, invasive and scalp EEG, and neurostimulation. We strive to translate the insights gained from cognitive neuroscience and basic neuroscience into clinically meaningful insights, to benefit patients with epilepsy and other patients suffering from memory dysfunction. Our lab’s main research goals are:

1. To characterize the diverse repertoire of memory functions (and their failures) in epilepsy patients in everyday life.   We seek to develop cognitive tasks which represent the range of memory computations that occur (and fail) in everyday life, that may not be captured in conventional neuropsychological batteries. We are developing methods to capture memory performance under everyday circumstances, in a precise and quantifiable way. We are particularly interested in characterizing the contribution of non-dominant temporal lobe to memory function.

2. To determine the neurophysiology involved in memory processing and its disruption in epilepsy patients.  A deep mechanistic understanding of how and when memory fails in epilepsy patients is foundational to rationally-guided therapeutic interventions. We utilize scalp, intracranial EEG, and single unit recordings to reveal the fine-grained spatiotemporal dynamics of how hippocampus and neocortex support encoding and consolidation, during waking and sleep.  We are especially interested in the role that physiological brain rhythms play in these functions, and how their disruption (via pathological interictal epileptiform discharges and seizures) may explain forgetting in epilepsy patients. We have also used lesion-based approaches to understand the functional neuroanatomy of the brain, particularly the contribution of mesial temporal lobe structures.

3. To develop methods of neuromodulation to restore neural rhythms supporting memory function. Understanding how methods of neurostimulation (direct electrical stimulation, transcranial electrical stimulation, acoustic stimulation) can acutely and chronically change brain function is foundational to therapeutic efficacy for memory and seizure control. We use intracranial EEG and scalp EEG to characterize these mechanistic effects.

Our lab works in close collaboration with a dynamic group of basic scientists, cognitive neuroscientists, biomedical engineers, data scientists, neuropsychologists, and physicians. Our intellectual home is within the NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and the NYU ECoG Group.  We belong of the vibrant community of NYU School of Medicine, NYU Neuroscience Institute, NYU Center for Neural Science, and NYU Center for Data Science. 

We owe a debt of gratitude to our patients, who generously participate in our research, as well as our funders. If you are interested in supporting our work, please contact us.

Current and Past Funding

  • NIH-NINDS K23

  • NIH NINDS R01

  • Doris Duke Foundation

  • Feldstein Medical Foundation

  • American Epilepsy Society

  • Leon Levy Foundation

  • American Brain Foundation

  • Epilepsy Foundation

  • Zimin Foundation

  • NYU Clinical Translational Science Initiative

  • NYU Finding a Cure Against Epilepsy and Seizures (FACES)

  • NYU Program Project Development Grant Initiative