Göttingen Graduate Center for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences

Focke, Niels, Prof., MD

Professor for Epileptology


  • 1998 – 2005: Student of human medicine, University of Göttingen, Germany
  • 2005: Licence to practice human medicine (Approbation)
  • 2005: Dr. med. / MD, University of Göttingen, Germany
  • 2005 – 2011: Neurological Training, University of Göttingen, Germany, Depts. of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurology, Neuroradiology and Psychiatry
  • 2007: Clinical and Research Fellow, Institute of Neurology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Queen Square, London, UK
  • 2011: Board certification for Neurology
  • 2012 – 2017: Consultant for Neurology, University of Tübingen, Germany, Dept. of Neurology and Epileptology
  • 2014: Venia legend (“Habiliation”), University of Tübingen, Germany
  • 2014 – today: Group Leader (“Translational Imaging”) and Hertie Faculty Member, University of Tübingen
  • 2017 – today: Professor for Epileptology, University of Göttingen, Clinical Neurophysiology



Major Research Interests

MRI (structural and functional), high-density EEG

The focus of our research group is the structural and functional imaging of neurological diseases with a particular focus on epileptology. We use multimodal imaging techniques to improve the understanding of disease development and translate it into clinically relevant applications. We aim at early diagnoses, automated lesion detection and developing imaging-based biomarkers for the clinical routine. For this, we use several computer-based techniques such as voxel-based morphometry, machine learning and networks analysis based on MRI, HD-EEG/MEG and PET.

In epileptology, we are interested in analyzing the structural and functional changes responsible for seizures (the "epileptogenic zone"). An important method for this is post-processing of structural MRI data using statistical techniques. This allows very small, previously overlooked lesions to be discovered. We also use diffusion imaging to investigate the link between epilepsy and seizures on the structural networks. For the analysis of functional networks, we use a very wide range of methods, including fMRI (BOLD), HD-EEG/MEG and PET. The different spatial and temporal resolution of these techniques allows unique insights into the very dynamic neuronal processes in humans in vivo.


Homepage Department/Research Group

http://www.neurologie.uni-goettingen.de/epilepsie-und-bildgebungsforschung.html


Selected Recent Publications


  • Stier C, Braun C, and Focke NK Adult lifespan trajectories of neuromagnetic signals and interrelations with cortical thickness (Neuroimage 2023; 278:120275)
  • Kreilkamp BAK, Stier C, Rauf EH, Martin P, Ethofer S, Lerche H, Kotikalapudi R, Marquetand J, Dechent P, and Focke NK Multi-spectral diffusion MRI mega-analysis in genetic generalized epilepsy: Relation to outcomes (Neuroimage: Clinical 2023; 39:103474)
  • Stier C, Loose M, Kotikalapudi R, Elshahabi A, Li Hegner Y, Marquetand J, Braun C, Lerche H, and Focke NK. Combined electrophysiological and morphological phenotypes in patients with genetic generalized epilepsy and their healthy siblings (Epilepsia 2022; 63(7):1643-1657)
  • Stier C, Elshahabi A, Hegner YL, Kotikalapudi R, Marquetand J, Braun C, Lerche H, and Focke NK Heritability of Magnetoencephalography Phenotypes Among Patients With Genetic Generalized Epilepsy and Their Siblings (Neurology 2021; 97(2):e166-e177)
  • Kotikalapudi R, Martin P, Erb M, Scheffler K, Marquetand J, Bender B, Focke NK MP2RAGE multispectral voxel-based morphometry in focal epilepsy (Human Brain Mapping 2019; 40(17):5042-55)
  • Hatton SN, […], Focke NK, […], McDonald CR White matter abnormalities across different epilepsy syndromes in adults: an ENIGMA-Epilepsy study (Brain 2020; 143(8):2454-73)