Multimodal Profiling of Neuronal Morphology, Physiology and Gene Expression in Focal Cortical Dysplasia

Patients with focal epilepsy have seizures that arise from a specific part of the brain. One of the most common causes of focal epilepsy is that the cerebral cortex, or outermost layer of the brain, develops abnormally, leading to what is called focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). Dr. Cadwell will study single cells from surgically resected tissue from patients to better understand the molecular, anatomical, and electrophysiological changes that cause seizures in FCD. This study may identify new therapeutic targets that could benefit patients with recurrent, drug-resistant epilepsy or those who are not candidates for surgery.