Faculty

Casey H. Halpern, MD

Professor of Neurosurgery

Department: Neurosurgery

Graduate Group Affiliations

Neuroscience

Contact information

Pennsylvania Hospital
Department of Neurosurgery
801 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Email:
casey.halpern@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Education:
BA (Classical Studies)
University of Pennsylvania, 2003.
MD (Medicine)
University of Pennsylvania, 2007.

Links
Expertise Deep Brain Stimulation Dystonia Essential Tremor Parkinson's Disease OCD Epilepsy

Permanent link

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Description of Research Expertise

Dr. Halpern researches human brain circuit mechanisms of mental health disease such as addiction, eating disorders and OCD as well as obesity, and uses his lab's innovations to develop targeted neuromodulatory interventions ranging from transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep bran stimulation to MR-guided focused ultrasound.

Selected Publications

Seeber M, Stangl M, Vallejo Martelo M, Topalovic U, Hiller S, Halpern CH, Langevin JP, Rao VR, Fried I, Eliashiv D, Suthana N. : Human neural dynamics of real-world and imagined navigation. Nat Hum Behav. 9(4): 781-793. April 2025.

Nho Y†, Qiu L†, Seilheimer RL, Campos G, Chang A, Wang Z, Magnotti JF, Beauchamp MS, Barbosa DAN, Horn A, Williams NR, Brown LA, Ganguly TM, Cristancho M, Pesaran B, Oathes DJ, Miller KJ, Scangos KW*, Halpern CH*. : Human orbitobfrontal neural activity is linked to obsessive-compulsive behavioral dynamics.[accepted for publication] Cell 2025.

Choi, W.;† Nho, Y.;† Qiu, L.; Chang, A.; Campos, G.; Seilheimer, R.L.; Wilent, W.B; Bakalov, D.; Firdous, N.; Kerr, M.; Joshi, D.; Maze, G.; Topalovic, U.; Batista, D.; Suthana, N.; Amaro, A.; Hayes, M.R.; Cajigas, I.; Cristancho, M.; Allison, K.C.; Pesaran, B.; Scangos, K.W.; Gold, J.I.; Wadden, T.A.; Halpern, C.H.: Brain activity associated with breakthrough food preoccupation in an individual on tirzepatide. Nature Medicine 2025 Notes: accepted.

Buch VP, Purger D, Datta A, Wang A, Barbosa D, Chodakiewitz Y, Lev-Tov L, Li C, Halpern C, Henderson J, McNab JA, Bitton RR, Ghanouni P.: "Quality over quantity:" smaller, targeted lesions optimize quality of life outcomes after MR-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy for essential tremor. Front Neruol Nov 2024.

Qiu L, Pomeraniec IJ, Howard SD, Ajmera S, Bagley LJ, Cajigas I, Kennedy BC, Halpern CH.: Intraprocedural Three-Dimensional Imaging Registration Optimizes Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Focused Ultrasound and Facilitates Novel Applications. Oper Neurosurg 29(2): 281-287, Nov 2024.

Kaplitt MG, Krishna V, Eisenberg HM, Elias WJ, Ghanouni P, Baltuch GH, Rezai A, Halpern CH, Dalm B, Fishman PS, Buch VP, Moosa S, Sarva H, Murray AM. : Safety and Efficacy of Staged, Bilateral Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy in Essential Tremor: An Open-Label Clinical Trial. JAMA Neurol 81(9): 939-946, Sep 2024.

Saluja S, Qiu L, Wang AR, Campos G, Selheimer R, McNab JA, Haber SN, Barbosa DAN, Halpern CH: Diffusion MRI tractography guides investigation of the zona incerta: a novel target for deep brain stimulation. Biol Psychiatry 96(6): 445-454, Sep 2024.

Kellogg MA, Ernst LD, Spencer DC, Datta P, Klein E, Bhati MT, Shivacharan RS, Nho YH, Barbosa DAN, Halpern CH, Raslan A: Dual Treatment of Refractory Focal Epilepsy and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder With Intracranial Responsive Neurostimulation. Neurol Clin Pract 14(4): e200318, Aug 2024.

Qiu L, Chang A, Ma R, Strong TV, Okun MS, Foote KD, Wexler A, Gunduz A, Miller JL, Halpern CH: Neuromodulation for the treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome - A systematic review. Neurotherapeutics 21(3): e00339, April 2024.

Nho YH, Rolle CE, Topalovic U, Shivacharan RS, Cunningham TN, Hiller S, Batista D, Feng A, Espil FM, Kratter IH, Bhati MT, Kellogg M, Raslan AM, Williams NR, Garnett J, Pesaran B, Oathes DJ, Suthana N, Barbosa DAN, Halpern CH: Responsive deep brain stimulation guided by ventral striatal electrophysiology of obsession durably ameliorates compulsion. Neuron 113(1): 73-83, Jan 2024.