Dr. Abhijeet Gummadavelli: Adult Epilepsy Specialist (2024)

Meet Dr. Abhijeet Gummadavelli

Dr. Gummadavelli is a fellowship-trained adult epilepsy and general neurosurgeon with Neurosurgery One in Littleton. He sub-specializes in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery including deep brain stimulation (DBS), NeuroPace responsive neurostimulation (RNS),vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), resections, and laser ablation for adult patients with epilepsy. He is skilled at using stereoelectroencephalography (stereo-EEG) to pinpoint the seizure-generating networks, which makes epilepsy surgery even more effective. Dr. Gummadavelli also is experienced in diagnosing and treating craniofacial pain, spasticity, and refractory back pain, as well as performing minimally invasive and traditional brain tumor and spine surgeries.

In addition to being a leader in minimally invasive and evidence-based epilepsy surgery, Dr. Gummadavelli is passionate about helping patients understand the complexity of their condition through simple, clear language. Born in India and raised in Alabama and Ohio, he developed the skills and compassion to make sophisticated terminology and treatment understandable. He is currently board-eligible and is fulfilling his post-residency practice requirement to become board certified.

Dr. Gummadavelli committed to helping the thousands of adults with uncontrolled epilepsy seizures throughout Colorado and surrounding region. He especially enjoys working with patients who have had other treatments or surgeries that have not resulted in the hoped-for benefits.

“I like being able to look at their issues from a new perspective and offer the latest in evidence-based epilepsy treatment options, giving them renewed hope and helping them achieve their goals.”

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Education

Bachelor of Arts, Neuroscience (Concentration: Cellular and Molecular): Johns Hopkins University
Doctor of Medicine, with Honors: Yale University School of Medicine
Neurosurgical resident: Yale-New Haven Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery
Functional/Epilepsy fellow: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Neurosurgery

Experience

UG3/UH3 phase 0 clinical trial of CL thalamic responsive stimulation to improve
level of consciousness in temporal lobe seizures. Assisted with UG3/UH3 grant preparation and submission. Involved in IRB protocol preparation. Participating in on-going clinical trial meetings. Blumenfeld Lab, Yale School of Medicine
Thalamic neurostimulation for epilepsy; translational experiments in chronic model
preparation of electrically-induced limbic seizures, characterization of seizure model during behavioral tasks, and quantification of behavioral changes after stimulation of arousal nuclei during and after seizures. Blumenfeld Lab, Yale School of Medicine
Neurostimulation to prevent impaired consciousness in epilepsy (HHMI-CURE
fellowship); techniques involved include in vivo electrophysiology (chronic and acute preparations), slice preparation, immunohistochemistry, and microscopy. Blumenfeld Lab, Yale School of Medicine
Biosensor probes in rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy; techniques involved include in vivo electrophysiology, histology, microelectrode array biosensor probes (used to detect neurotransmitters in vivo). Blumenfeld Lab, Yale School of Medicine
Subcortical arousal systems in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy with complex
partial seizures; techniques involved include slice preparation, histology, immunohistochemistry, and microscopy. Blumenfeld Lab, Yale School of Medicine
Undergraduate Research Assistant – Basic science project: White-matter injury with ischemia or hypoxia in mice, Dr. Ali Fatemi. Techniques involved include immunostaining and microscopy. Fatemi Lab, Kennedy Krieger Institute
Clinical research project: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis of Lorenzo’s Oil treatment in patients with adrenomyeloneuropathy, Drs. Ali Fatemi and Gerald Raymond. Techniques involved include spectroscopic image processing, VBA programming, and clinically relevant statistics. Fatemi Lab, Kennedy Krieger Institute
Summer Research Intern – Project: Magnetoencephalography (MEG) study of language in normal children. Techniques involved include MEG waveform analysis, synthetic aperture magnetometry, and clinicalMEG data acquisition. Xiang Lab, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Undergraduate Research Assistant -Project: Creation of Hydrocephalus mouse model. Techniques involved include mouse microsurgery, brain dissection, microtome slicing, and basic immunostaining. Ahn Lab, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Summer Research Intern – Mentored project: Effect of alphaB-crystallin on alpha-synuclein aggregation in vivo. Techniques involved include PCR, molecular cloning, gel electrophoresis, immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy, and immunoblotting.
Undergraduate Research Assistant -Project: “Synaptic Plasticity and Cannabinoid Receptors in Visual Cortex”. Techniques involved include cardiac perfusion and brain dissection, slice preparation, immunohistochemistry, and fluorescence and confocal microscopy. Kirkwood Lab, Johns Hopkins University

Publications

A Gummadavelli, DJ Englot, JM Schwalb, C Wu, J Gonzalez-Martinez, J Niemat, JL Gerrard, on
behalf of the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgeons. ASSFN Position
Statement on Deep Brain Stimulation for Medication-Refractory Epilepsy. Accepted at Neurosurgery.
A Gummadavelli, R Martin, D Goshay, LA Sieu, J Xu, BF Gruenbaum, C McCafferty, JL Gerrard,
H Blumenfeld. Cortical low-frequency power correlates with behavioral impairment in animal model
of focal limbic seizures. Epilepsia. 2021 Aug;62(8):1960-1970. doi: 10.1111/epi.16964.
P Antwi, A Gummadavelli, JL Gerrard. Morbidity of microelectrode recording and intraoperativeMRI guided deep brain stimulation surgery for movement disorders: single center experience. In
submission.
CW Zhao, L Feng, LA Sieu, B Pok, A Gummadavelli, and H Blumenfeld. Parallel pathways to
decreased subcortical arousal in focal limbic seizures. Epilepsia. 2020 Dec;61(12):e186-e191. doi:
10.1111/epi.16697.
J Xu, MM Galardi, B Pok, KK Patel, CW Zhao, JP Andrews, S Singla, CP McCafferty, L Feng, ET
Musonza, TR Liao, AJ Kundishora, A Gummadavelli, JL Gerrard, M Laubach, ND Schiff, H
Blumenfeld. Thalamic stimulation improves postictal cortical arousal and behavior. J Neurosci. 2020
Sep 16;40(38):7343-7354. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1370-20.2020.
A Gummadavelli, C Dinauer, D McGuone, E Vining, EZ Erson-Omay, SB Omay. Large-Scale
Second-Hit AIP Deletion Causing a Pediatric Growth Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Adenoma: Case
report and Review of Literature. J Clin Neurosci. 2020 Aug;78:420-422. doi:
10.1016/j.jocn.2020.04.103.
JP Andrews, A Gummadavelli, P Farooque, J Bonito, C Arencibia, H Blumenfeld, DD Spencer.
Association of Seizure Spread With Surgical Failure in Epilepsy. JAMA Neurol. 2019 Apr
1;76(4):462-469.
A Gummadavelli, HP Zaveri, DD Spencer, JL Gerrard. Expanding Brain-Computer Interfaces for
Controlling Epilepsy Networks: Novel Thalamic Responsive Neurostimulation in Refractory
Epilepsy. Front Neurosci. 2018 Jul 31;12:474.
A Kundishora, A Gummadavelli, C Ma, M Liu, C McCafferty, ND Schiff, JonT Willie, RE Gross, J
Gerrard, H Blumenfeld. Restoring consciousness during seizures with deep brain stimulation. Cereb
Cortex. 2017 Mar 1;27(3):1964-1975.
Q Zhan, GF Buchanan, JE Motelow, J Andrews, P Vitkovskiy, WC Chen, F Serout, A
Gummadavelli, A Kundishora, M Furman, W Li, X Bo, GB Richerson, H Blumenfeld. Impaired
serotonergic brainstem function during and following seizures. J Neurosci. 2016 Mar 2;36(9):2711-
22.
C Alvarez-Breckenridge, M Attiah, M Zachariah, A Gummadavelli, J Yang, PJ Codd.
Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Placement for Hydrocephalus in POEMS Syndrome: Case Report and
Review of the Literature. J Clin Neurosci. 2015 Oct;22(10):1672-4.
A Gummadavelli, AJ Kundishora, JT Willie, JP Andrews, JL Gerrard, DD Spencer, H Blumenfeld.
Improving level of consciousness in epilepsy with neurostimulation. Neurosurgical Focus, June 2015.
JE Motelow, W Li, Q Zhan, AM Mishra, RNS Sachdev, G Liu, A Gummadavelli, Z Zayyad, HS
Lee, V Chu, JP Andrews, DJ Englot, P Herman, BG Sanganahalli, F Hyder, H Blumenfeld.
Decreased subcortical cholinergic arousal in focal seizures. Neuron, 2015 Feb 4;85(3):561-572.
A Gummadavelli, JE Motelow, N Smith, Q Zhan, ND Schiff, H Blumenfeld. Thalamic stimulation
to improve level of consciousness after seizures: Evaluation of electrophysiology and behavior.
Epilepsia, 2015 Jan;56(1):114-24.
A Gummadavelli, JE Motelow, NS Narayanan. Clinical reasoning: 64 year old woman with
progressive quadriparesis. Neurology, 2013 Sep 17;81(12):e89-94.
A Gummadavelli, Y Wang, X Guo, M Pardos, H Chu, P Horn, Y Liu, F Zhang, J Xiang.
Spatiotemporal and Frequency Signatures of Word Recognition in the Developing Brain: A
Magnetoencephalographic Study. Brain Research, 2013 March; 1498:20–32.
A Fatemi, MA Wilson, AW Phillips, MT McMahon, J Zhang, SA Smith, EJ Arauz, S Falahati, A
Gummadavelli, H Bodagala, S Mori, MV Johnston. In vivo magnetization transfer MRI shows
dysmyelination in an ischemic mouse model of periventricular leukomalacia. Journal of Cerebral
Blood Flow & Metabolism, 2011 Oct; 31(10):2009-18.
A Gummadavelli, A Fatemi. Oligodendrocyte death in a mouse model of perinatal white matter
injury. Epidemic Proportions, 2010 Spring; 7(1): 10-13.

Textbooks/Book Chapters

A Gummadavelli, IH Quraishi, JL Gerrard. (2020) Responsive Neurostimulation. In:
Pouratian N., Sheth S. (eds) Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. Springer, Cham
A Gummadavelli, BG Sanganahalli, P Herman, F Hyder, H Blumenfeld. “EEG-fMRI in
Animal Models”. In: EEG – fMRI: Physiology, Technique and Applications. Eds: C
Mulert & L Lemieux. Springer-Verlag.
J Yowtak, A Gummadavelli, D Cooke, JL Gerrard. Deep Brain Stimulation for Essential
Tremor. In, Deep Brain Stimulation: Techniques and Practice. Editors: W.S.
Anderson.Thieme, New York, NY 2018.
A Gummadavelli, H Blumenfeld. “Thalamus”. https://www.britannica.com/science/thalamus.
Encyclopaedia Brittanica. 2018.
T Le, V Bhushan, VT Kulkarani, MM Sochat, A Gummadavelli, J Baronoski, VZJ Bing, JS
Futterleib, L Hibler, J Hoffman, O Laur, KB Loleiger, G Micevic, MC Petersen, R Stretch, G
Strobehn, N Theodosakis, RP Usatine, CA Walker, SXY Wang, WF Wiggins, P Zhao. First Aid
for the Step 1 2013: A student-to-student guide. McGraw Hill Publishing: New York. December
2012. Student author for “Pharmacology” and “Epidemiology/Biostatistics”.

Professional Organizations & Certifications

Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association, member 2010-present
Basic Life Support, certified 2010
Advanced Cardiopulmonary Life Support, certified 2012-present
Advanced Trauma Life Support, certified 2015-present
American Epilepsy Society, member, 2014; 2018-2019
American Association of Neurological Surgeons, resident member
Congress of Neurological Surgeons, resident member

Team

Courtney Flynn

Courtney supports Dr. Gummadavelli with movement disorder patients in Littleton.