Joseph R.  Madsen , MD

The goal of my research, teaching, and clinical contributions is the translation of developmental neurobiology and computational neuroscience to the treatment of children with neurosurgical problems. Clinical problems in the care of children, including epilepsy and spasticity, may be understood and better treated with quantitative models of the dynamics of these diseases. To this end, study of human electrocorticograms recorded during behavioral cortical tasks simultaneously answer basic questions about cortical physiology, and point the way toward safer surgery to control epilepsy by improving our ability to map function. Thus, we have an opportunity to do truly basic research involving data from human subjects, uniquely available because of neurosurgical intervention. Another current clinical issue involves the growing technology of electrostimulation (of the vagus nerve presently, and in the future other targets) in the treatment of epilepsy. Quantitative approaches are also needed to advance understanding of the mechanism of these methods, including detailed signal analysis of brain recordings. Pediatric neurosurgery is applied developmental neurobiology, so I have pursued clinical research on the treatment of hydrocephalus and other neurodevelopmental disorders. I am actively promoting new techniques (tissue engineering, transgenic models, mathematical models, and biomedical signal processing) to the problems of neurosurgical intervention. I have pursued pharmacological strategies to improve repair after spinal cord injury (and, by analogy, after other CNS injuries and developmental anomalies), including the use of immunophilins and inosine. These various clinical, research, and teaching activities represent my attempt to integrate neurobiology into clinical care of children. In terms of teaching these approaches and results to others, I have organized a meeting of Neurosurgeons in Neuroscience at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting for the past 10 years. I organize our weekly Grand Rounds with an eye toward fostering the integration of science and neurosurgery, preparing comments and discussion 35 weeks per year and didactic lectures to this forum on quantitative topics 3-4 times per year. Essentially all of my time in the operating room and clinic (20-25 hours per week) is spent in direct teaching of residents. I coordinate a course at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons annually on New Technologies and Programmable Devices. I frequently advise residents, fellows, and junior faculty on research projects and designs. Improving patient care is both the long-term goal for my career and a short-term goal of my clinical practice.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=madsen%20jr%5Bauthor%5D&cmd=DetailsSearch

www.childrenshospital.org/cfapps/research/data_admin/Site171/mainpageS171P0.html

• Children's Hospital Boston

  Dept of Neurosurgery
  300 Longwood Ave

  Hunnewell 2

  Boston, MA  02115
  Phone: 617-355-6005
  Fax: 617-730-0906