Graduate Seminar Series: Clinical Stream – Hrishikesh Suresh

Graduate Seminar Series: Clinical Stream
Graduate Seminar Series for the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME). This day is for clinical stream presenters.
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Presentation Title: Optimizing Response to Neuromodulation
Abstract: Epilepsy is the most common and debilitating disorder of childhood. Children with epilepsy have mortality rates three times higher than the general population and experience significant morbidity, including injuries and hospitalizations. One treatment option for children who have uncontrolled seizures is vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). This surgical procedure involves the implantation of an electric pulse generator to deliver stimulation to the vagus nerve at the level of the neck. However, only 25-50% of patients achieve meaningful improvement in their seizure burden after VNS. Consequently, many children undergo the risk of surgery without benefit. Furthermore, the inability to identify children most likely to benefit results in inefficient allocation of Canadian healthcare resources and precludes care for other children who may be better candidates for VNS. There is, therefore, a critical and unmet need to develop novel means to pre-surgically predict seizure reduction following VNS. This work leverages advances in brain network mapping and machine learning to test the hypothesis that differences in brain network organization can predict outcomes following VNS, and consequently, identify ideal candidates for surgical intervention.
Supervisor Name: Dr. George Ibrahim & Dr. James Drake
Year of Study: 2
Program of Study: PhD
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89610372821?pwd=azd4SCtYVWtreVovaGNPV1c2NGY2Zz09
Meeting ID: 896 1037 2821
Password: 483329
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