Understanding speech production: insights from DBS and ECoG
Shervin Rahimpour, PhD
Assistant Professor Department of Neurosurgery
Assistant Professor Department of Biomedical Engineering, Adjunct
Director of Functional Neurosurgery
University of Utah
Friday, March 17th at 11:45 am
In-Person in SMBB 2650!
Patients suffering from neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) often have speech impairment affecting their ability to communicate and negatively impacting their quality of life. While deep brain stimulation (DBS) in PD is an effective means of treating gross motor symptoms, speech outcomes remain variable. A better understanding of the cortical-basal ganglia loop in speech production may lead to improved neuromodulation outcomes. To study this, we employ simultaneous cortical and deep brain recordings during awake DBS surgery. Here, we detail this novel intraoperative paradigm and perform novel high-resolution, micro-electrocorticographic (µECoG) neural recordings during speech production.
Dr. Rahimpour is a neurosurgeon with a subspeciality focus in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. In particular his clinical practice focuses on the surgical management of neurodegenerative disorders, epilepsy, pain and neuro-restoration with a focus on neuromodulation. Through intraoperative electrophysiology and testing his primary research goal is to improve the understanding of how neurodegenerative disorders effect brain function in terms of brain activity and oscillations and how neuromodulation may alleviate these pathologic circuits. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Colorado. He obtained his residency and fellowship training in stereotactic, functional and epilepsy neurosurgery from Duke University.
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