Nicholas M. Barbaro
• Professor in Residence of Neurological Surgery
• Neurosurgery Residency Program Director
• Co-Director, Functional Neurosurgery Program
• Principal Investigator, Epilepsy Research Program
Dr. Barbaro has extensive expertise in the treatment of disorders that are manageable by stereotactic and functional neurosurgical techniques, including epilepsy and chronic intractable pain syndromes. He is co-director of the Functional Neurosurgery Program and is recognized internationally for his work in epilepsy surgery. Dr. Barbaro also has a special interest in surgical management of trigeminal neuralgia, which may offer relief for many patients who are not helped by medical therapy. He is director of the UCSF Nerve Injury Clinic, a multidisciplinary clinic where patients with various types of injuries to peripheral nerves are evaluated for possible surgical treatment. As a member of the Neurospinal Disorders Program, Dr. Barbaro performs surgery for adult Chiari malformations and for pain resulting from compression syndromes, such as thoracic outlet and piriformis syndrome (extraspinal sciatica), previous trauma, tumor, infection, or inflammation.
Dr. Barbaro also serves as the Neurological Surgery Residency Program Director and has received several teaching awards for his dedication in training future academic neurosurgeons. He has lectured widely about epilepsy, movement disorders, surgical management of pain, and surgical management of peripheral nerve disorders throughout the United States and in Canada and Europe.
Dr. Barbaro is involved in several basic and clinical research projects in the field of epilepsy. Currently, he is the principal investigator of a multicenter, Phase III randomized trial of Gamma Knife radiosurgery for temporal lobe epilepsy. The Radiosurgery vs Open Surgery for Epilepsy (ROSE) trial is funded by the National Institutes of Health and is the first Phase III clinical trial to examine a noninvasive radiosurgical treatment for mesial temporal sclerosis.
Education, Training, and Previous Positions
- 1975: BS, Georgetown University
1979: MD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
1979-1980: Internship in General Surgery, UCSF
1980-1985: Residency in Neurological Surgery, UCSF
1983: Research Fellowship in pain research, Department of Neurology, UCSF
1985-1986: Clinical Instructor, Neurological Surgery, UCSF
1986-1991: Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery, UCSF
1991-2000: Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery, UCSF
Selected Professional Memberships and Appointments
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons: Spine Section Member; Pain Section Member; Stereotactic and Functional Section Member
American Epilepsy Society
American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery
Congress of Neurological Surgeons: Spine Section Member; Pain Section Member, Stereotactic and Functional Section Member
Neurosurgical Society of America
San Francisco Neurological Society
Federation of the American College of Surgeons
American Academy of Neurological Surgeons
Trigeminal Neuralgia Association — TNA Medical Advisory Board
Society of Neurological Surgeons (Senior Society)
Selected Honors and Awards
- 1975: Phi Beta Kappa, Georgetown University
1975: Summa Cum Laude, Georgetown University
1978: Undergraduate Research Award, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
1978: Alpha Omega Alpha, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
1979: Dr. I. Arthur Mirsky Memorial Award for Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
1979: Allegheny County Medical Association Award for Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
1985: Henry Newman Award, San Francisco Neurological Society
1987: Resident Teaching Award (Harold Rosegay Award), Department of Neurosurgery, UCSF
1988: Fellow, American College of Surgeons
1993: Resident Teaching Award (Harold Rosegay Award), Department of Neurosurgery, UCSF
Selected Recent Publications
Chang EF, Nagarajan SS, Mantle M, Barbaro NM, Kirsch HE. Magnetic source imaging for the surgical evaluation of electroencephalography-confirmed secondary bilateral synchrony in intractable epilepsy [published online ahead of print Jul 3, 2009]. J Neurosurg. doi: 10.3171/2009.6.JNS081376.
Chang EF, Gabriel RA, Potts MB, Garcia PA, Barbaro NM, Lawton MT. Seizure characteristics and control after microsurgical resection of supratentorial cerebral cavernous malformations. Neurosurgery 2009;65(1):31-8.
Binder DK, Garcia PA, Elangovan GK, Barbaro NM. Characteristics of auras in patients undergoing temporal lobectomy [published online ahead of print Apr 24, 2009]. J Neurosurg. doi: 10.3171/2009.3.JNS081366.
Barbaro NM, Quigg M, Broshek DK, Ward MM, Lamborn KR, Laxer KD, Larson DA, Dillon W, Verhey L, Garcia P, Steiner L, Heck C, Kondziolka D, Beach R, Olivero W, Witt TC, Salanova V, Goodman R. A multicenter, prospective pilot study of gamma knife radiosurgery for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy: seizure response, adverse events, and verbal memory. Ann Neurol 2009;65(2):167-75.
Chang EF, Smith JS, Chang SM, Lamborn KR, Prados MD, Butowski N, Barbaro NM, Parsa AT, Berger MS, McDermott MM. Preoperative prognostic classification system for hemispheric low-grade gliomas in adults. Neurosurg 2008;109(5):817-24.
Monson KL, Barbaro NM, Manley GT. Biaxial response of passive human cerebral arteries. Ann Biomed Eng 2008;36(12):2028-41.
Quigg M, Barbaro NM. Stereotactic radiosurgery for treatment of epilepsy [review]. Arch Neurol 2008;65(2):177-83.
Chen Y, Zhu W, Bollen AW, Lawton MT, Barbaro NM, Dowd CF, Hashimoto T, Yang GY, Young WL. Evidence of inflammatory cell involvement in brain arteriovenous malformations. Neurosurgery 2008;62(6):1340-50.
Papavassiliou E, Rau G, Heath S, Abosch A, Barbaro NM, Larson PS, Lamborn K, Starr PA. Thalamic deep brain stimulation for essential tremor: relation of lead location to outcome. Neurosurgery 2008;62(Suppl 2):884-94.
Dalal SS, Edwards E, Kirsch HE, Barbaro NM, Knight RT, Nagarajan SS. Localization of neurosurgically implanted electrodes via photograph-MRI-radiograph coregistration. J Neurosci Methods 2008;174(1):106-15.
Richardson RM, Barbaro NM, Alvarez-Buylla A, Baraban SC. Developing cell transplantation for temporal lobe epilepsy. Neurosurg Focus. 2008;24(3-4):E17. http://thejns.org/doi/pdf/10.3171/FOC/2008/24/3-4/E16. Accessed July 8, 2008.
Sughrue ME, Levine J, Barbaro NM. Pain as a symptom of peripheral nerve sheath tumors: clinical significance and future therapeutic directions. J Brachial Plex Peripher Nerve Inj 2008;3:6.
Chang EF, Potts MB, Keles GE, Lamborn KR, Chang SM, Barbaro NM, Berger MS. Seizure characteristics and control following resection in 332 patients with low-grade gliomas. J Neurosurg 2008;108(2):227-35.
Guggisberg AG, Kirsch HE, Mantle MM, Barbaro NM, Nagarajan SS. Fast oscillations associated with interictal spikes localize the epileptogenic zone in patients with partial epilepsy. Neuroimage 2008;39(2):661-8.
Starr PA, Barbaro NM, Raskin NH, Ostrem JL. Chronic stimulation of the posterior hypothalamic region for cluster headache: technique and 1-year results in four patients. J Neurosurg 2007;106(6):999-1005.
Dalal SS, Guggisberg AG, Edwards E, Sekihara K, Findlay AM, Canolty RT, Knight RT, Barbaro NM, Kirsch HE, Nagarajan SS. Spatial localization of cortical time-frequency dynamics. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2007;1:4941-4.
Yao JS, Zhai W, Fan Y, Lawton MT, Barbaro NM, Young WL, Yang GY. Interleukin-6 upregulates expression of KDR and stimulates proliferation of human cerebrovascular smooth muscle cells. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2007;27(3):510-20.
Josephson SA, Papanastassiou AM, Berger MS, Barbaro NM, McDermott MW, Hilton JF, Miller BL, Geschwind MD. The diagnostic utility of brain biopsy procedures in patients with rapidly deteriorating neurological conditions or dementia. J Neurosurg 2007;106(1):72-5.
Wang VY, Barbaro NM, Lawton MT, Pitts L, Kunwar S, Parsa AT, Gupta N, McDermott MW. Complications of lumboperitoneal shunts. Neurosurgery 2007;60(6):1045-1049.
Yang I, Barbaro NM. Advances in the radiosurgical treatment of epilepsy. Epilepsy Curr 2007;7(2):31-5.
Wang Y, Greenwood JS, Calcagnotto ME, Kirsch HE, Barbaro NM, Baraban SC. Neocortical hyperexcitability in a human case of tuberous sclerosis complex and mice lacking neuronal expression of TSC1. Ann Neurol 2007;61(2):139-52.
Lewis AM, Layzer R, Engstrom JW, Barbaro NM, Chin CT. Magnetic resonance neurography in extraspinal sciatica. Arch Neurol 2006;63(10):1469-72.
Canolty RT, Edwards E, Dalal SS, Soltani M, Nagarajan SS, Kirsch HE, Berger MS, Barbaro NM, Knight RT. High gamma power is phase-locked to theta oscillations in human neocortex. Science 2006;313(5793):1626-8.
Kaiboriboon K, Parent JM, Barbaro NM, Walker JA, Garcia PA. Speech preservation during language-dominant, left temporal lobe seizures: report of a rare, potentially misleading finding. Epilepsia 2006;47(8):1343-6.
Barbaro NM. Stereoelectroencephalography using computerized tomography- or magnetic resonance imaging-guided electrode implantation.J Neurosurg 2006;104(4):480-2.
Wang VY, Chang EF, Barbaro NM. Focal cortical dysplasia: a review of pathological features, genetics, and surgical outcome. Neurosurg Focus 2006;20(1):E7. http://www.aans.org/education/journal/neurosurgical/jan06/20-1-7.pdf. Accessed July, 1 2007.
Chen Y, Fan Y, Poon KY, Achrol AS, Lawton MT, Zhu Y, McCulloch CE, Hashimoto T, Lee C, Barbaro NM, Bollen AW, Yang GY, Young WL. MMP-9 expression is associated with leukocytic but not endothelial markers in brain arteriovenous malformations. Front Biosci 2006;11:3121-8.
Parent JM, Elliott RC, Pleasure SJ, Barbaro NM, Lowenstein DH. Aberrant seizure-induced neurogenesis in experimental temporal lobe epilepsy. Ann Neurol 2006;59(1):81-91.
Sanchez-Mejia RO, Limbo M, Cheng JS, Camara J, Ward MM, Barbaro NM. Recurrent or refractory trigeminal neuralgia after microvascular decompression, radiofrequency ablation, or radiosurgery. Neurosurg Focus 2005;18(5):E12. http://www.aans.org/education/journal/neurosurgical/may05/18-5-12.pdf.Accessed July 1, 2007.
Cheng JS, Sanchez-Mejia RO, Limbo M, Ward MM, Barbaro NM. Management of medically refractory trigeminal neuralgia in patients with multiple sclerosis. Neurosurg Focus 2005;18(5):E13. http://www.aans.org/education/journal/neurosurgical/may05/18-5-13.pdf. Accessed July 1, 2007.