NINDS Recognizes Khodagholy’s Epilepsy Research 

April 8, 2026 - The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) named a research paper co-authored by two UC Irvine faculty members as a Top 10 NINDS Research Advance of 2025. 

Dion Khodagholy, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and Jennifer Gelinas, associate professor of pediatrics, were part of a multidisciplinary team who conducted the research, originally published in Nature Neuroscience on June 23, 2025. Titled “Closed-loop electrical stimulation prevents focal epilepsy progression and long-term memory impairment,” the paper was selected by NINDS for showcasing progress within the world of neuroscience. 

Their paper details new findings in treating epilepsy for people who are nonresponsive to regular medical treatment. Using animal models, the researchers implanted special devices  into the brain to stop unusual brain activity that can occur during seizures, often partially due to interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDS). They found that these special devices would self-correct the atypical brain activity. The models with these devices were subject to less neurological issues caused by epilepsy.

These results reveal that focusing on steadying the time intervals of seizures in patients as well as targeting electrical signaling in the brain might help create more effective strategies for treating epilepsy.

– Grace Hefner