Epilepsy
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Neurosciences Programme
Group Leader
Rodrigo Alberto Rocamora Zúñiga
The Epilepsy Group is part of the Neurosciences Programme at the IMIM. The research carried out is based on the clinical activity of the Epilepsy Multidisciplinary Unit (UME) at the Hospital del Mar. The main lines of research are:
1. Human cognition and single neuron registers (SNR).
2. Location of focus and crisis prediction.
3. Clinical epileptology and comorbidities.
4. Pharmacotherapy of epilepsy.
The Epilepsy Unit is a national reference centre (CSUR) for refractory epilepsies designated by the Ministry of Health and is part of the European Reference Network for epilepsy, EPICare.
The EMU has four VEEG monitoring beds equipped with 128/256 channel stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) acquisition systems. More than 150 VEEGs are performed per year, including 15-18 invasive studies. More than 50 patients with epilepsy are operated each year.
The EMU has been a pioneer in epilepsy surgery in Spain and has marked its development:
1) It introduced robotic surgery in epilepsy.
2) It implemented SEEG in the country.
3) It began laser surgery in epilepsy.
4) It is the only centre that uses single neuron recording.
In teaching, the UME has been training national and international specialists in epilepsy for six years through an annual fellowship. The Head of the Unit is also an associate professor of bioengineering at UPF and a course coordinator. The UME directs UPF Theses for Engineering Degrees and PhDs in Biomedicine.
Research group
Members
Gerard Conesa Bertran (Researcher)
Alessandro Principe (Researcher)
Rodrigo Quian Quiroga (Researcher)
Main Publications
• Pacheco Estefan D, Sánchez-Fibla M, Duff A, Principe A, Rocamora R, Zhang H, Axmacher N, Verschure PFMJ. Coordinated representational reinstatement in the human hippocampus and lateral temporal cortex during episodic memory retrieval. Nat Commun. 2019 May 21; 10(1): 2255. IF 11.878. Q1.
• Principe A, Ley M, Conesa G, Rocamora R. Prediction error connectivity: A new method for EEG state analysis. Neuroimage. 2019 Mar; 188: 261-273. IF 5.812. Q1.
• García-Lorenzo B, del Pino-Sedeño T, Rocamora R, López JE, Serrano-Aguilar P, Trujillo-Martín MM. Stereoelectroencephalography for Refractory Epileptic Patients Considered for Surgery: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Economic Evaluation. Neurosurgery. 2019 Feb 1; 84(2): 326-338. IF 4.605. Q1.
Ongoing Research Projects
• Causal connectomics subtending oscillatory spread and information flow in the human brain
- Financing institution: Agencia Estatal de Investigación (PCI2018-092860)
- Period: from 2019 to 2021
- Principal investigator: Principe, Alessandro
• Implantación de la plataforma SYLVIUS en centros especializados para cirugía de la epilepsia
- Financing institution: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (DTS19/00001)
- Period: from 2019 to 2021
- Principal investigator: Conesa Bertran, Gerardo
Participation in Research Networks
• Stable collaborations have been established with groups of high scientific value such as the Epilepsiezentrum of the University of Freiburg, the Epilepsieklinik of the University of Bonn, the Unité d'Epilepsie et Malaises Nuerologiques de Grenoble, the Center for Systems Neuroscience (CSN) at the University of Leicester, the Center for Brain and Cognition (CBC) at UPF (CBC), the Synthetic, Preceptive, Emotive and Cognitive Systems Group (SPECS) of IBEC and the Center for Brain Genomics (CRG). Especially relevant is the hiring of Prof. Rodrigo Quian-Quiroga from the University of Leicester as a visiting professor to lead the area of single neuron records (SNR).
Clinical Trials Signed in 2019
• Estudio de extensión abierto y multicéntrico para evaluar la seguridad y eficacia de padsevonil como tratamiento adyuvante de crisis focales en sujetos adultos con epilepsia farmacorresistente
- Protocol: EP0093
- Sponsor: UCB BioSciences GmbH
- Budget: 181,050 €
- Period: from 2019 to 2021
- Principal investigator: Rocamora Zúñiga, Rodrigo Alberto
• Estudio aleatorizado, doble ciego, controlado con placebo, multicéntrico, para evaluar la seguridad, la tolerabilidad y la eficacia del XEN1101 como tratamiento adyuvante en la epilepsia de inicio focal
- Protocol: XPF-008-201
- Sponsor: Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.
- Budget: 65,900 €
- Period: from 2019 to 2022
- Principal investigator: Rocamora Zúñiga, Rodrigo Alberto
Appointments
• Since 2019, Dr. Rocamora has been appointed by CatSalut as coordinator of the Functional Unit for Epilepsy Surgery (UFCE) in Catalonia and coordinates from the Hospital del Mar all the activities carried out in our Autonomous Community in this area.
Outreach
Dissemination to Society and Initiatives of Citizen Participation
• Health education for people with epilepsy and families. One session every 2 months.
2019
C/ Doctor Aiguader, 88
08003 Barcelona
(+34) 93 316 04 00
info@imim.es