Hal Blumenfeld, MD, PhD
Director of Medical Studies
Assistant Professor, Neurology and Neurobiology

Department of Neurology
Yale University School of Medicine
P.O. Box 208018
New Haven, CT 06520-8018

Office: (203) 785-3865
Lab: (203) 785-3928
Fax: (203) 737-2538

email: hal.blumenfeld@yale.edu

Training:
1998-00 Associate Research Scientist, Yale Departments of Neurobiology and Neurology Laboratory of David McCormick, PhD
2001 Board Certification by American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology
1998 Board Certification by American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
1996-98 Epilepsy Fellow, Yale University School of Medicine, CT
1992-93 Internal Medicine Intern, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, NY
1993-96 Neurology Resident, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
1984-92 Columbia University - M.D.
1984-90 Columbia University - Ph.D., Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Laboratory of Steven Siegelbaum, PhD and Eric Kandel, MD.
1980-84 Harvard University - B.A. cum laude, Bioelectrical engineering.

Expertise:
Combined electrophysiology and neuroimaging
Human functional neuroanatomy
Epilepsy, human studies and animal models
Cortical-subcortical mechanisms of consciousness

Research Interests:
What is the relationship between brain activity and conscious thought? Like other difficult questions in science, a good model system is needed so that this question can be investigated. I have chosen epilepsy as a model system for investigating consciousness, because in epilepsy there is a spectrum of levels of consciousness, which may be explained in terms of different states of brain activity. Ongoing studies in my laboratory include experiments to explore network mechanisms common to seizures and other states of impaired consciousness. In particular, we are investigating the role of cortical and subcortical structures such as the thalamus and brainstem in the propagation and behavioral manifestations of seizures. Current projects include: 1. In vivo electrophysiology and fMRI recordings from animal models of epilepsy, 2. Molecular studies of changes in seizure-prone brain regions, and 3. Human neuroimaging and electrophysiology studies of epilepsy-induced loss of consciousness.
Teaching activities include serving as Director of Medical Studies in Clinical Neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine, and writing a textbook of neuroanatomy titled Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases, Sinauer Assoc., Publ. 2002.

Other Links:
http://myprofile.cos.com/halblumenfeld
http://www.sinauer.com/detail.php?id=0604
http://www.neuroexam.com

Selected Publications:
Blumenfeld H, McNally KA, Vanderhill SD, Paige AL, Chung R, Davis K, Norden AD, Stokking R, Studholme C, Novotny EJ, Zubal IG, Spencer SS. (2004). Positive and negative network correlations in temporal lobe epilepsy. Cerebral Cortex, 14(8) .

Nersesyan H, Hyder F, Rothman D, Blumenfeld H. (2004). Dynamic fMRI and EEG recordings during spike-wave seizures and generalized tonic-clonic seizures in WAG/Rij rats. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab, 24(6): 589-599.

Blumenfeld, H. (2003). From Molecules to Networks: Cortical/Subcortical Interactions in the Pathophysiology of Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy. Epilepsia. 44(Suppl. 2): 7-15.

Blumenfeld, H., Taylor J. (2003). Why do seizures cause loss of consciousness? The Neuroscientist, 9(5) 301-310.

Smith AJ, Blumenfeld H, Behar KL, Rothman DL, Shulman RG, Hyder F. (2002). Cerebral energetics and spiking frequency: The neurophysiological basis of fMRI. Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA. 99(16):10765-10770.

Blumenfeld, H., and McCormick, D.A. (2000). Corticothalamic inputs control the pattern of activity generated in thalamocortical networks. J. Neurosci. 20(13): 5153-5162.