Impaired consciousness in epilepsy: Mechanisms and Novel Treatment Strategies

Hal Blumenfeld, MD, PhD
 

Dr. Blumenfeld is the Loughridge-Williams Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Neurosurgery at Yale University. He is an expert on brain mechanisms of consciousness and altered consciousness in epilepsy. He directs the Yale Clinical Neuroscience Imaging Center (CNIC), is an active epilepsy neurologist, and leads multi-disciplinary research largely funded by NIH. In addition to authoring numerous peer-reviewed articles he also wrote a widely acclaimed textbook, “Neuroanatomy through Clinical Cases,” used in over half the medical schools in the United States.

Learning objectives:

1. Understand mechanisms of impaired consciousness in absence seizures

2. Validate network inhibition hypothesis for impaired consciousness in temporal lobe epilepsy

3. Identify key nodes for neurostimulation therapy to restore consciousness