#58: Ali Rezai – Long lasting Effects of Focused Ultrasound for Addiction

In this episode, we have an insightful conversation with Dr. Ali Rezai, who is the Associate Dean of Neuroscience at West Virginia University (WVU) and Executive Chair and Director of its Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI). We take a deeper dive into Dr. Rezai’s career, which features his notable achievement of performing 900 neurostimulator implants by 2006.

We highlight Dr. Rezai’s involvement in deep brain stimulation (DBS) and focused ultrasound (FUS), particularly in treating severe traumatic brain injury and addiction. This episode features interesting findings on the sustained effects of low-intensity FUS in addiction, as well as the possibilities of opening the blood-brain barrier for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Rezai shares more about RNI’s core mission and his leadership experiences in various medical societies, namely CNS, NANS, and ASSFN. We also discuss anecdotes from his presentations to various politicians, including President George W. Bush.

We cover a lot of ground in this episode, and it truly offers a comprehensive look into Dr. Rezai’s remarkable contributions to neuroscience and the broader medical field.