Neurological Surgery Research Centers at UCSF
 
Clinician researchers, basic scientists, clinical trialists, research specialists, postdoctoral fellows, and an administrative staff all support research efforts in the Department of Neurological Surgery. Communication and collaborations among researchers and clinical faculty in the research centers provide a productive environment for research trainees. A large body of publications results from these research efforts each year.
 
Current funding for research in the Department totals approximately $7,000,000 per year. Most research is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Other funding resources include private agencies, such as the American Cancer Society, and gifts and endowments from our patients, their families, and friends.
 

Brain Tumor Research Center (BTRC)

At the forefront of brain tumor research since 1972, the Brain Tumor Research Center (BTRC) is an integrally related program of basic science and clinical research investigating brain tumor biology and therapy, including radiation injury and repair, drug resistance, neuro-oncology, developmental neurobiology, and gene therapy.

Brain and Spinal Injury Center (BASIC)

Injury of the central nervous system has devastating consequences, both to the individual and to society, but progress is being made in the diagnosis and treatment of brain and spinal cord injury. The mission of the Brain and Spinal Injury Center (BASIC) is to promote collaborative basic and clinical studies on injuries to the brain and spinal cord.

Cerebrovascular Research

Cerebrovascular research in the department is concerned with ischemia and functional recovery, as well as the pathophysiology of arteriovenous malformations.

Epilepsy Research

Epilepsy research in the Department of Neurological Surgery is centered on experimental surgical treatments and basic neurobiology studies. The overall goal of our research program is to elucidate basic mechanisms through which a normal brain becomes "epileptic" and to develop novel treatment options, based on this information, for patients suffering with epilepsy.

Movement Disorders Research

Movement disorders research in the department includes experimental surgical treatments, gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, neurotransplantation strategies for Parkinson's disease, associated intraoperative neuroimaging techniques, basal ganglia physiology in movement disorders, and neurophysiological correlates for movement disorders.

Pain Research

Pain research in the department includes projects on cortical modulation of pain behavior, modeling fibromyalgia and associated pain in rats, and central nervous system (CNS)-modulated peripheral inflammation.

Pediatric Clinical Research

Current research projects focus on pediatric neurological and neurosurgical disorders, including pediatric brain tumors, congenital hydrocephalus, and fetal repair of myelomeningocele.