The Brain Imaging and Electrophysiology Network (BIEN) Lab at Vanderbilt University is led by Dario J. Englot, M.D., Ph.D., a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist. The lab integrates human neuroimaging and electrophysiology techniques to study brain networks in neurological diseases and normal brain states. One major focus of the lab is to understand the complex network perturbations in patients with epilepsy, by relating network changes to neurocognitive problems, disease characteristics, and changes in vigilance in this disabling disease. Multimodal data from human intracranial EEG, functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and other tools are utilized to evaluate resting-state, seizure-related, and task-based paradigms.

Other interests of the lab include the effects of brain surgery and neurostimulation on brain networks in epilepsy patients, and whether functional and structural connectivity patterns may change after intervention. We were one of the first groups to characterize functional changes in arousal and consciousness networks after epilepsy surgery. Through studying disease-based models, the group also hopes to achieve a better understanding of normal human brain network physiology related to cognition, consciousness, and vigilance. Finally, surgical outcomes in functional neurosurgery, including deep brain stimulation, procedures for pain disorders, and epilepsy, are also being investigated in our clinical studies.

We are located in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), and we are also affiliated with Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Radiology, Neurology, the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS), the Vanderbilt Brain Institute (VBI) and the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE).