Bio
Dr. Kuzniecky was born and raised by his parents Betzalel and Sara Kuzniecky in Panama City, Panama, graduating from the University of Buenos Aires Medical School in Argentina in 1981. After 2 years of medical/surgical internship, he did a year of internal medicine at McGill University hospitals followed by residency training in Neurology at McGill University, Montreal, Canada between 1983–1987 and epilepsy EEG fellowship at the Montreal Neurological Institute in 1988. Dr. Kuzniecky has co-directed epilepsy research at the New York University (NYU) Comprehensive Epilepsy Center since 2003. Prior to arriving at NYU, he directed the Epilepsy Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 1992 to 2003.
His research is centered on the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and its applications to epilepsy and on unraveling the major developmental brain malformations in epilepsy. He was the first to recognize and prove that mesial temporal sclerosis, a common cause for difficult epilepsy, can be identified with MRI. On the area of brain malformations, he is the co-author of the widely recognized classification scheme. He has authored over two hundred and fifty (250) chapters and journal articles on a number of topics related to epilepsy and has written two books on MRI applications in epilepsy and more recently a patient guide (Epilepsy 101:The Ultimate Guide for Patients and Families). In 2007, Dr. Kuzniecky was co-awarded a major grant from the National Institutes of Health to organize the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project. Most recently Dr. Kuzniecky in conjunction with Dr. j. French and Dr. D. Lowenstein have launched a new exciting research initiative, The Human Epilepsy Project or HEP to investigate biomarkers of epilepsy progression . This project will enroll 600 patients with new onset focal seizures and follow them up for 5 years with MRI's, EEG, DNA, RNA, Serum and urine measurements.
Dr Kuzniecky described the Kuzniecky Syndrome in 1991, also known as Perisylvian Polymicrogyria. The Syndrome is characterized by seizures, cognitive abnormalities, and a peculiar inability to use the mouth and tongue muscles. This syndrome is recognized by as a specific malformation of the brain.
Current Research projects include the development of a brain drug delivery device to treat seizures in collaboration with Dr. Nandor Ludvig of the NYU epilepsy Research Division http://www.med.nyu.edu/cec/research/investigations.html#HNP. He is also working with Biolert LTD from Israel to develop a watch sensor to detect convulsive seizures http://www.biolertsys.com/dynamic.asp?cid=3159&im=solutionStrip&tyt=Overview. Dr. Kuzniecky and his associates have received several patents including one for system and Device for Seizure Detection (US 2008/0082019 A1). He has been recognized for his efforts in the "Best Doctors in America" in 1995, 1998, and 2002–2011, and by the New Yorker since 2004 as one of the best doctors in the New York Metro area. Dr. Kuzniecky attends to patients with epilepsy and complex neurologic disorders at the NYU Epilepsy center (P:646-558-0806).
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