As the clinical director for the Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, I direct a program that uses transcranial magnetic stimulation as a treatment modality and performed over 11,000 treatments for over 230 patients with medication refractory psychiatric and neurological conditions. TMS allows for modulation of brain circuitry with excellent anatomical resolution. TMS allows for measurement of neuroplasticity, and I have used this to study motor system function. I have also studied the brain regions showing decreased perfusion in Alzheimer’s disease.

My research focuses on the neural basis of specific cognitive processes in neurodegenerative disorders. As a cognitive neurologist, I focus on assessing deficits in patients with well-defined neurologic disorders and investigating the behavioral and neural basis of these functions so that I can devise treatments to bring back to the patients. I have focused on the networks involved in acquiring and consolidating motor skills. These skills are critical for patients with Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease as they underly the basic activities required for independence.