Faculty

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Research Interests

Neurophysiological correlates of tinnitus

The quantitative electroencephalograph (QEEG) is used in mapping electrical activity in the brain using scalp electrodes, and has been shown to be of value in the diagnosis of neurologic anomalies. When coupled with a normative database, this procedure compares the subject's EEG patterns to those of a non-compromised pattern. Recently the addition of Low Resolution brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) has added the ability to locate source generators in the cortex.

Working with Dr. Abraham Shulman, we have compiled QEEG recordings on 84 patients diagnosed with tinnitus of the severe disabling type, some of which have repeat recordings after treatment. We are in the process of running LORETA analysis on these patients normalizing the output using the database developed at the Brain Research Labs at NYU Medical Center. The ultimate goal of this research is to determine if there are distinct neurophysiological patterns that can be clustered and linked to specific clinical symptoms.

Example of LORETA output

Selected Recent Publications

Forgacs PB, von Gizycki H, Selesnick I, Syed NA, Ebrahim K, Avitable M, Amassian V, Lytton W, Bodis-Wollner I., Perisaccadic parietal and occipital gamma power in light and in complete darkness. Perception. 2008;37(3):419-32.

Goldstein B, Shulman A, Avitable MJ., Clear Tinnitus, middle-ear pressure, and tinnitus relief: a prospective trial. Int Tinnitus J. 2007;13(1):29-39.

Shulman A, Avitable MJ, Goldstein B.,Quantitative electroencephalography power analysis in subjective idiopathic tinnitus patients: a clinical paradigm shift in the understanding of tinnitus, an electrophysiological correlate., Int Tinnitus J. 2006;12(2):121-31.

Forgacs PB, Von Gizycki H, Harhula M, Avitable M, Selesnick I, Bodis-Wollner I., The wavelet transformed EEG: a new method of trial-by-trial evaluation of saccade-related cortical activity., Suppl Clin Neurophysiol. 2006;59:183-9.

Balazs S, Stepan C, Binder H, von Gizycki H, Avitable M, Obersteiner A, Rattay F, Selesnick I, Bodis-Wollner I., Conjugate eye movements and gamma power modulation of the EEG in persistent vegetative state., J Neurol Sci. 2006 Jul 15;246(1-2):65-9. Epub 2006 Mar 6.

Shulman, A., Strashun, A., Avitable, M., Lenhardt, M., Goldstein, B., Ultra-High-Frequency acoustic stimulation and tinnitus control: a positron emission tomography study, The International Tinnitus Journal. 2004 Nov. vol. 10, 3: 113-125.

Reilly, J., Chin, B., Berkowitz, J., Weedon, J., Avitable, M., The Use of a State-Wide Administrative Database in Assessing a Regional Trauma System: The New York City Experience, J Am Coll Surg. 2004 Apr;198(4):509-18.

Bodis-Wollner, I., von Gizycki, H., Avitable, M., Seyd, N., Sabeth, M., Selesnick, I., Occipital gamma range bursts before new fixation when voluntary saccades are executed. Annals of Neurology, September 2002, 52 (3): S88-S88 Supplement 1.

Bodis-Wollner, I., von Gizycki, H., Avitable, M., Hussain, Z., Javeid, A., Habib, A., Raza, A., Sabet, M., Neurobiology of eye movements: From molecules to behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2002, 956: 464-467.

Bodis-Wollner, I., von Gizycki, H., Avitable, M., Hussain, Z., Saccadic Eye Movement Related Synchrony of Occipital Gamma Range Oscillation in Humans, Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, Vol. 27, Program No. 572.14, 2001.

Restivo, M., Hegazy, M., Cares, E., Avitable, M., Assadi, M., Elhamami, M., Yin, H., Piracha, M., Brooks, R., El-Sherif, N., Effects of Azimilide Dihydrochloride Circus Movement Atrial Flutter in the Canine Sterile Pericarditis Model. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 1996 7(7): 612-624.