The current method for treating focal epilepsy, a brain disorder in which seizures arise from a specific location within the brain cortex, involves invasive brain surgery. Removal of the source of seizure in the brain cortex may stop seizures but may also cause impairment to other brain functions. I am currently working with the epilepsy team to develop a new method using femtosecond laser ablation to isolate the seizure’s focus from surrounding neurons to prevent seizure propagation with minimal damage to brain functions. The new method produces satisfactory results in some trials and the team is now focused on ensuring satisfactory results are obtained constantly. I am an undergraduate majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Neurobiology and I started working at the lab in August 2012.
