Electrical Stimulation of the Human Brain Throughout the History of Neuroscience

The brain works with electricity. Modulating the electrical function of the brain at different sites of the brain can give rise to information about how the brain works and how it may be broken in certain disorders. In the next decades of the century, we will be approaching the field of electriceuticals rather than pharmaceuticals in the treatment of many neuropsychiatric disorders. In this talk, Prof. Parvizi will give an overview of the lessons learned from the time of classical stimulations of the brain until the current technological advancements in this field.

Josef Parvizi MD PHD is an Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine and director of Stanford Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program. He received his MD from the University of Oslo and PhD in neurosciences from the University of Iowa. He completed his medical internship at Mayo Clinic and Neurology Residency at BIDMC-Harvard before joining the UCLA for fellowship training in Clinical Epilepsy and Neurophysiology.  Prof. Parvizi moved to Stanford University in July 2007 and started the Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program (SHICEP). His research is now supported by NIH, Stanford NeuroVentures Program, and Stanford School of Medicine. His expertise is in functional mapping of the human brain using the three methods of electrocorticography, electrical brain stimulation, and functional imaging.