Clinical Research Studies > Functional Neurosurgery/Epilepsy Surgery

Functional Neurosurgery/Epilepsy Surgery

Ashwini Sharan, MD, Assistant Professor

Jefferson Functional Neurosurgery and Jefferson Comprehensive Epilepsy Surgery offer residents full exposure to the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders with a physiological basis. The crux of functional neurosurgery is to modulate the neurophysiology of the nervous system with resection, electrical stimulation, or implantation of intrathecal drug delivery systems.

Clinical Studies in Functional Neurosurgery/Epilepsy Surgery

• Molecular and cellular biology of HIV encephalopathy.  PI: F. Gonzales-Scarano. COI: A. Sharan (Sponsor: NIH through University of PA).

• A randomized prospective multicenter study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an occipital nerve stimulator for migraine (PRISM---precision implantable stimulator for migraine). PI:  S. Silberstein.  COI: A. Sharan.

• Multicenter prospective randomized double-blind parallel design study assessing the safety and stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus for epilepsy (SANTE) – PI:  M. Sperling, COI:  A. Sharan.

• Occipital nerve stimulation for the treatment of chronic migraine headache. PI: S. Silberstein. COI: A. Sharan..

• A clinical evaluation for the management of chronic migraine headaches with peripheral nerve stimulation. PI: S. Silberstein. COI: A. Sharan

Jefferson Neurosurgery offers residents exposure in all aspects of diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of a variety of spinal pathologies. Breadth of clinical experience includes minimally invasive decompression and fusion techniques to combined anterior and posterior reconstructions for trauma. Operative functional neurosurgical pain management is also well represented. We work closely with orthopedic surgery in the evaluation and management of complex spine pathology.