Research
About Our Research Programs
The Department of Neurological Surgery’s clinician-scientists and staff researchers conduct basic and clinical research in collaboration with colleagues across the institution. In the lab, in clinical trials and in the operating room, we have pioneered and refined surgical techniques for numerous neurological disorders, from aneurysms to epilepsy.
We are committed to improving patient outcomes, and are dedicated to training residents and fellows in neurosurgical research skills in order to ensure continual progress in our field.
Current Research
Jonathan J. Russin, MD, who completed a residency in neurological surgery at USC and joined our faculty in 2014, works with the Neurorestoration Center and the Cerebrovascular Disorders Center, and is establishing a Cerebral Revascularization Center. In collaboration with the plastic and reconstructive surgery program at USC, he has developed innovative, minimally invasive surgical techniques to access the cranial base for aneurysm treatment, management of cranial and spinal arteriovenous malformations and cavernous malformations, and resection of skull base pathology such as schwannomas, meningiomas and chondrosarcomas. His research is currently focused on investigating cerebral aneurysms using computational fluid dynamics modeling and epigenetics.
Featured Publication
The Neurorestoration Center has developed a human brain–machine interface for upper-extremity functional restoration in collaboration with the California Institute of Technology, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory that has been successfully implanted in its first subject. The team surgically placed a pair of microelectrode arrays into a quadriplegic patient that enable control of a robotic arm through sensory input. The team published results of a clinical trial — funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Boswell Foundation, the Department of Defense and the Neurorestoration Center — in the journal Science in spring 2015.