FACULTY SCIENTISTS
Mark Richardson, MD, PhD, FAANS
Director of Functional Neurosurgery, MGH
Charles Pappas Associate Professor of Neurosciences, Harvard Medical School
Visiting Associate Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT

Vasileios Kokkinos, PhD
Instructor in Neurosurgery, MGH
Harvard Medical School

Alan Bush, PhD
Instructor in Neurosurgery, MGH
Harvard Medical School

STAFF SCIENTISTS
Varun Saravanan, PhD
Data Scientist
MGH-MIT inBRAIN Collaboration 

Caroline Neely, PhD
Project Manager
Brain Modulation Lab

CONTRIBUTING SCIENTISTS
Nathan Sisterson, MD
Neurosurgery Resident, MGH

Nora Daly, MSHS, PA-C
Physician Assistant, MGH Functional Neurosurgery

Victoria Peterson, PhD
Harvard Research Fellow

Ashley Walton, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Cognitive Science Program, Dartmouth

Tariq Parker, MD, PhD
Neurosurgery Resident, MGH

Zachary Kons, BS
Medical Student, VCU 

Matteo Vissani, PhD
Harvard Research Fellow

Virginia Rosenberger, BS
Research Coordinator

Amir Hadanny, MD, PhD
Harvard Research Fellow

Pranav Nanda, MD
Neurosurgery Resident, MGH

Clemens Neudorfer, MD
Postdoctoral Fellow, MGH

RESEARCH THEMES

Basal Ganglia-Cortical Dynamics in Human Behavior 

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Intraoperatively, we collect simultaneously recorded cortical ECoG, subcortical MER/LFP, and behavioral data to study interactions between the cortex and basal ganglia that encode specific components of motor control.

STN and STN-Cortical Coding of Speech Production

BRAIN Initiative

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Cortical-Basal Ganglia Speech Networks

BRAIN Initiative

Deep Neural Network Approaches for Closed-loop DBS

CRNCS in collaboration with ICNeuromodulation Neumann Group - Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin

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Closed-Loop Brain Stimulation for Epilepsy

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The lab's initial work in brain stimulation for epilepsy involved sensing-enabled DBS (PC+S and RC+S) in a nonhuman primate with idiopathic epilepsy. Subsequently, in order to better understand data recorded during responsive neurostimulation in our epilepsy patients, we built BRAINStim, a platform for Biophysically Rational Analysis and Informed Stimulation.

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Computational Neuroscience of Language Processing 

In this project led by Ev Fedorenko, we are collaborating to study neural responses to language stimuli using intracranial recordings, in combination with the recent advances in computational neuroscience and machine learning, in a quest to understand human linguistic ability.

Mapping the Olfactory Perception Network

With funding from Lawnboy Ventures, we are using intracranial LFP recordings to map the electrophysiological correlates of odor perception, with a goal of defining network signatures of odor categories that can be recapitulated via electrical stimulation. The goal of this project is to development an olfactory prosthesis for patients with anosmia. 

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Clinical Innovation in Functional Neurosurgery​

The lab's resources, including surgical databases, are leveraged to innovate and advance neurosurgical strategies and technical approaches to better treat epilepsy, movement disorders, and other brain diseases.

about our logo:

brain on holiday was created by the Italian illustrator Alberto Ruggieri, who generously granted permission for its use by the Brain Modulation Lab.

For other examples of Mr. Ruggieri's work, visit: albertoruggieri.net

want to help sustain our work?

Please direct philanthropic inquiries to Caroline Neely, Brain Modulation Project Manager: cneely@mgh.harvard.edu  

we're located on the MGH campus, a ten-minute walk from MIT:

Thier Building, 4th floor

Massachusetts General Hospital

50 Blossom St.
Boston, MA 02114