Skip to main content
Varina Boerwinkle, MD
Varina Boerwinkle, MD

With the support of Neurology Clinical Research Pilot Award, the clinical resting state functional MRI service will launch a new clinical trial aiming to transform the treatment of brain injury patients with unnoticed seizures. Seizures are often hard to notice in comatose patients, resulting in prolonged recovery periods and suboptimal outcomes. This trial utilizes resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to identify patients with seizure networks (SzNET) and investigate the impact of combined antiseizure medication (ASM) on their brains connectivity. By harnessing the power of rs-fMRI to detect SzNET activity independent of deep location, researchers lead by Dr. Boerwinkle aim to uncover new insights into the epileptogenic networks and their impact on the consciousness of severe acute brain injury patients. The outcome of this trial has potential to enable new treatment strategies to achieve shorter recovery times in this vulnerable population.