Brain network mapping to improve epilepsy surgery success
Development of multimodal network analyses to improve epilepsy surgery outcomes
This project tests whether combining advanced brain scans, implanted brain recordings, and machine learning can help doctors find the exact brain areas causing seizures for people with drug-resistant focal epilepsy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vanderbilt University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Nashville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11231700 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have drug-resistant focal epilepsy and are being considered for surgery, researchers at Vanderbilt will combine different brain measures to map how brain areas connect. They will use structural and functional MRI, recordings from implanted stereo-EEG electrodes during rest and seizures, and responses from brief electrical stimulation (CCEPs). A supervised machine-learning approach will be trained on these multimodal data to find network patterns that mark true seizure-generating zones and to predict surgical outcomes. The team intends to use these network maps to guide surgical decisions and reduce the chance of ongoing seizures after surgery.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who are being evaluated for epilepsy surgery and may undergo intracranial monitoring with stereo-EEG.
Not a fit: People with generalized epilepsy, those whose seizures are controlled with medication, or those not eligible for surgical evaluation are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help surgeons target the right brain tissue more precisely, increasing the chance of seizure freedom and avoiding unnecessary damage to healthy brain.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research shows network mapping and intracranial recordings can help localize seizure sources, but this combined multimodal machine-learning approach is relatively new and not yet proven in large clinical trials.
Where this research is happening
Nashville, United States
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center — Nashville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Englot, Dario J — Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Englot, Dario J
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.