Research Strengths

Investigators in our ataxia program study the underlying disease mechanisms of different inherited ataxias with a goal of developing treatment strategies for what are now largely untreatable disorders. 

Our epilepsy faculty participate in diverse research efforts ranging from individual clinical projects to nationally-funded multi-center clinical trials and basic science studies. 

The Health Services Research Program is a national leader in neurology-specific health services research, striving to improve the healthcare system for patients with neurologic disease. 

We are home to an aggressive campus-wide effort working toward a better understanding of, and an intervention for, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. 

Our movement disorders group, among the largest and most accomplished in the nation, collaborates across our campus to explore how the key genes in Parkinson's disease transmit their lethal messages to neurons, unraveling the details of how neurodegeneration takes place.

Our multiple sclerosis center and research program in neuroimmunology is actively engaged in numerous clinical studies and trials, including ongoing research includes studies in human immunology and animal models of multiple sclerosis, and mechanistic sub-studies of clinical trials. 

The neuro-oncology program conducts clinical research focused on patients with malignant and non-malignant tumors of the brain and spinal cord, and neurological complications of cancer. 

The NeuroSport program undertakes research that answers fundamental questions on concussion prevention, identification, diagnosis, management, and long-term outcomes. 

Our neuromuscular diseases program harnesses cellular disease models, animal disease models, stem cell biology and computer-based analyses to gain comprehensive insight into disease processes of diabetic neuropathy and ALS. We translate these findings into clinical studies and therapeutic trials.

Our sleep research spans the continuum from basic, preclinical science through translational and clinical investigation, contributing important new knowledge on common and consequential conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, parasomnias, and restless legs syndrome.

The stroke group has a fundamental interest in health disparities and uses the disease stroke as a common, expensive and severe model disease to look at the impact on minority populations and women.