Mount Sinai Gets $3M NIH Grant for Epilepsy MRI Study
The five-year study will test whether MRI measures of brain tissue stiffness and blood flow can locate seizure origins in drug-resistant epilepsy.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Stroke
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The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai received more than $3 million from the National Institutes of Health for a five-year study of MRI imaging in epilepsy. The research will test whether MRI measurements can help identify where seizures originate in people with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Why it matters
Standard MRI scans do not always reveal where seizures begin, and accurately identifying that region is essential when surgery is considered. The study aims to determine whether advanced MRI measures can fill that gap for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.
The study will enroll 100 people with drug-resistant epilepsy and 50 healthy volunteers, using 7-tesla and 3-tesla MRI scanners. Whether these measurements can reliably locate seizure origins remains to be determined by the five-year study.
The players
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
A medical school in New York City affiliated with the Mount Sinai Health System that receives federal research funding and conducts clinical neuroscience studies.
National Institutes of Health
The principal United States federal agency for biomedical and public health research, which funded this study through grant 1R01NS150462.
University of Washington
A public research university in Seattle that is collaborating on the study by contributing MRE biomechanical analysis.
The details
Researchers will compare MRI imaging results with EEG, tissue removed during surgery, and clinical outcomes, and will analyze blood samples for markers associated with gliosis. Mount Sinai installed an FDA-cleared 7T clinical MRI scanner, and collaborators at the University of Washington are contributing biomechanical analysis.
Timeline
The five-year grant period covers the NIH-funded MRI epilepsy study.
After the grant period, the team hopes to conduct a larger clinical trial.
Big Picture
The study extends NIH-funded neurological research under the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke into MRI-based localization for drug-resistant epilepsy. It builds on the clinical need that standard MRI often fails to show where seizures begin before surgery.
For people with drug-resistant epilepsy, more precise localization of seizure origins could affect whether surgery is considered. The study is still in research, so these imaging methods are not yet available as routine clinical care.
The takeaway
Advanced MRI measurements of brain tissue may eventually help clinicians find where drug-resistant seizures start, but the approach is still being tested. Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy should discuss candidate evaluation options with their own neurologists.
What happens next
The team hopes to conduct a larger clinical trial after the five-year grant period and to explore use in children with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Further reading
For related neurological research coverage, see Stroke in New York City health news.
Source note: This article includes information reported by News-Medical.
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