Episode Description
A pupil of the pioneering McGill neurosurgeon Dr. Wilder Penfield, a young Andres Lozano knew he wanted to follow a similar path. His fascination with Penfield's early work in brain stimulation led Dr. Andres Lozano to explore and expand the field of neuromodulation, where we can stimulate the brain and alter its activity in various disease states.
Imagine that we could rescue forgotten memories. With Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) that may be possible. Originally hypothesized as a treatment for obesity, Dr. Lozano discusses how we use electrodes to upregulate or down regulate the electrical activity in the brain to elicit memories. In a way the hope is that we can use electricity to restore normal brain activity. Presently, Dr. Lozano and his team are carrying out a large multi-center international trial to assess if DBS can be an intervention for individuals battling Alzheimer's Disease.
About Dr. Andres Lozano
Dr. Lozano's research focuses on Functional Neurosurgery and the development of novel therapies for movement disorders and psychiatric disease. His lab studies brain mapping, deep brain stimulation (DBS) and focused ultrasound (FUS) in patients and in animal models of disease. His lab has approximately 700 publications and ranks first globally in total citations in the field of deep brain stimulation. Dr. Lozano is the most cited neurosurgeon in the world (Clarivate).
He has been involved in phase I "first in man" applications of DBS in dystonia, Huntington's, depression, anorexia and Alzheimer disease, and has been involved in phase II and III trials of DBS and brain intraparenchymal drug delivery in patients with Parkinson disease and other neurological disorders. His recent work in experimental animals has shown that DBS can drive neurogenesis and enhance memory function.
Want to learn more about Dr. Lozano and his work?
Produced By: Twayne Pereira |
Host: Christian Cote |
Audio Editing and Mixing: 217 Audio
