Mark Bowren, PhD

2026 Susan S. Spencer, MD Next Generation Research Grant in Epilepsy

Mapping the Mind with Ultra-High Frequency Stimulation

Institution: University of Iowa

Project Summary: Researchers are developing a new method to help protect thinking and memory during epilepsy surgery. Many patients undergo operations to reduce seizures that involve the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes, which are areas essential for decision-making, memory, language, and other everyday mental skills. Unfortunately, even when surgeries successfully reduce seizures and minimize impairments to movement and speech, some patients experience lasting cognitive difficulties.

Dr. Bowren aims to improve surgical outcomes through better brain mapping. This project explores a promising new technique called ultra-high frequency stimulation (uHFS), which uses rapid electrical pulses to temporarily “pause” communication along the brain’s internal wiring. By safely interrupting white matter pathways in patients already undergoing clinical monitoring, researchers can test how different brain regions interact and how specific connections support abilities like auditory working memory, the process that allows us to hold sounds in mind.

The findings from this work could lead to a new generation of surgical mapping tools that identify critical brain regions and the connections between them. Dr. Bowren’s research aims to help surgeons avoid pathways essential for complex cognition, reducing the risk of memory and thinking problems and improving long-term quality of life for people undergoing brain surgery.

This research is funded by the American Epilepsy Society, the Epilepsy Foundation, and the American Brain Foundation.