Kendall H. Lee, M.D., Ph.D.

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SUMMARY

The research interests of Kendall H. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., are to develop deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, tremor, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and epilepsy. Dr. Lee is fascinated with the possibility of combining sophisticated electrophysiological recordings with miniaturized analytical elements (microprocessors) to augment or repair disrupted function of the brain.

Focus areas

• Real-time DBS. It is currently possible to record pathological behavior in the brain and to provide exogenous input to the brain, such as DBS. But it is not possible to do this in real time, and the equipment is at present very bulky. Dr. Lee is working to develop technologies that will allow the possibility of closing the loop and sensing abnormal electrical discharges within the brain as they occur.
• Selective stimulation. An additional area of focus is the development of tools for intervening selectively both in time and in space. Dr. Lee is interested in being able to stimulate intermittently and only when needed, thereby affecting only small regions of the brain with the stimulation.

Significance to patient care

Dr. Lee's goal is to participate in the development of tools and novel therapies made possible by increasingly sophisticated electrophysiological and bioengineering methods.