Duncan NRI Sameer A. Sheth, M.D., Ph.D., Cain Labs Director
Director, The Gordon and Mary Cain Pediatric Neurology Research Foundation Laboratories
Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine
Principal Investigator, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute
Cullen Foundation Endowed Chair, Baylor College of Medicine
McNair Scholar, Baylor College of Medicine
Director, Psychiatric Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine
Surgical Director, Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Baylor College of Medicine
Adjunct Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University
Contact Information
Email: sasheth@bcm.edu
Research focus
Deep brain stimulation, epilepsy, neuropsychiatric disorders
Get to know Sameer A. Sheth, M.D., Ph.D.
The Functional and Cognitive Neurophysiology laboratory, led by Dr. Sameer Sheth, focuses on the study of human decision-making and cognition, as well as on the development of novel therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders.
We work with neurosurgical patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS), epilepsy monitoring, and other procedures that require the placement of intracranial electrodes. We use single-neuron and field potential recordings as well as stimulation to understand the circuitry underlying complex cognitive functions such as controlled decision-making, memory formation, and emotional regulation.
In parallel, we develop and refine neuromodulatory treatments for refractory neurological and psychiatric disorders such as epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, and many others. These disorders often arise from dysfunction in the same circuits mentioned above.
These two efforts advance synergistically, with a constant back-and-forth flow of ideas between basic neuroscience and clinical translation. Because of the multi-disciplinary nature of this work, the lab interacts closely with many other disciplines, including Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Neurology, Computational Science, Neuro-Engineering, and others.
Research Projects
- Investigating DBS and developing adaptive DBS for Treatment-Resistant Depression
- Investigating the Neural Mechanisms Underlying Ad-Hoc Self-Programmability
- Investigating the Physiology of Controlled Decision-Making in Human Prefrontal Cortex
- Investigating Cortical and Basal Ganglia Networks Involved in Disorders of Mental Health
- Developing Novel Targets and Indications for Neuromodulation
2023 - Plenary Lecture, NIH BRAIN Investigators Annual Meeting
2023 - Plenary Lecture, Society of Biological Psychiatry Annual Meeting
2023 - Grand Rounds, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Canada, Department of Neurology
2022 - Visiting Professor, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, Department of Neurology
2022 - Grand Rounds, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, Department of Neurology
2022 - Visiting Professor, New York University, New York, NY, Department of Psychiatry
2022 - Inducted into American Academy of Neurological Surgery
2022 - Visiting Professor, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY, Department of Neurosurgery
2021 - BRAIN Initiative Show Us Your BRAINs Photo and Video Contest, 1st Place Video
2021 - Visiting Professor (Virtual), University of Pennsylvania, Department of Neurosurgery
2021 - Visiting Professor (Virtual), University of California San Francisco, Department of Neurosurgery
2021 - Visiting Professor (Virtual), Northwestern University, Department of Neurosurgery
2021 - Visiting Professor (Virtual), Cornell University, Department of Psychiatry
2020 - Advisory Council, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
2020 - Multi-Council Working Group, NIH BRAIN Initiative
2022 - NIH BRAIN Initiative Neuroethics Working Group
2020 - Chair, Scientific Program Committee, Biennial Meeting of the (Virtual) American Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery
2019 - Grand Rounds (Virtual), Cleveland Clinic, Department of Neurosciences
2019 - Visiting Professor (Virtual), University of California Los Angeles, Department of Neurosurgery
2019 - Visiting Professor, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, Department of Neurosurgery
2019 - CNS Vanguard Leadership Course
2018 - Visiting Professor, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, Department of Psychiatry
2018 - McNair Scholar, Baylor College of Medicine
