Faculty Focus - Andres Lozano
Andres M. Lozano, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FRSC, FCAHS
Dr. Lozano was born in Sevilla, Spain and moved with his family to Ottawa at a young age. He obtained his MD degree from the University of Ottawa and his PhD in Neurobiology and neurosurgical training from McGill University. He received postdoctoral training in movement disorders at Queen Square, London, UK and in cell and molecular biology in Toronto. He was appointed to the University of Toronto in 1991, and in 1999 he became the youngest individual to be appointed Full Professor in the Department of Surgery. In 2014 he was appointed to the rank of University Professor, the highest and most prestigious academic rank at the University of Toronto. He is currently Chairman of the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto and holds with it, the Dan Family Chair in Neurosurgery. He also holds the RR Tasker Chair in Functional Neurosurgery at University Health Network and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience.
Dr. Lozano has an active laboratory dedicated to the study of neurodegeneration and functional neurosurgery. He has published over 450 manuscripts, 90 chapters and edited 5 books. He has the unique distinction of being named the most highly cited neurosurgeon in the world (Thompson Reuters, 2002-2012). Dr. Lozano has been an invited speaker or visiting professor throughout the world, delivering over 500 lectures including 45 named lectures such as the Penfield, Marsden, Leksell, Feindel, Ojemann, Hunt-Wilson, Winn, Salk and Olivecrona lectures. He has served on the board and executive of several international organizations, including the founding scientific advisory board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Weston Brain Institute, and has been President of both the American and World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery. He is editor-in-chief of the Textbook of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and currently serves on the international editorial board of 18 journals. Dr. Lozano is married to Marie and they have two sons, Alexander and Christopher.
Areas of Interest and Expertise
Dr. Lozano is best known for electrical recording and stimulation mapping of hitherto unexamined brain areas and for the identification and testing of novel therapeutic targets for deep brain stimulation (DBS). He and his team have pioneered the “first in man” applications of DBS in dystonia, Huntington’s, depression, anorexia and Alzheimer’s disease and locomotor brainstem areas in Parkinson’s disease. His recent work in experimental animals has shown that DBS can drive neurogenesis and enhance memory function. He is currently leading a large multicenter trial of DBS for Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Lozano is particularly proud of the residents in the neurosurgery training program in Toronto and the more than 60 functional neurosurgery fellows that have trained with him and gone on to become leaders in their field.
Current Appointments
- University Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, 2014-present
- Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Weston Brain Institute, 2014-present
- Dan Family Chair in Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, 2010-present
- R.R. Tasker Chair in Functional Neurosurgery, University Health Network, 1999-present
- Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience (renewed), 2005-present
- Professor of Neurology (cross-appointment), University of Toronto, 2011-present
- Member, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto,1994-present
- Senior Scientist, Toronto Western Research Institute,1996-present
- Staff Surgeon, Division of Neurosurgery, Toronto Western Hospital, 1991-present
Selected Past Appointments
- Professor of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, 1999-2014
- Clinical Fellowships Director, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, 2006-2010
Selected Awards and Distinctions
- Innovations Award, Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2014
- Cloward Award, Western Neurosurgical Society, 2014
- Margolese National Brain Prize, University of British Columbia, 2013
- Tasker Award, World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, 2013
- Elected to 100 Espanoles (100 People of Spanish Origin), 2013
- Olivecrona Medal, Karolinska Institute, 2012
- Pioneer in Medicine Award, Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics, 2012
- Elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, 2012
- Senior Investigator Award, International College of Psychoneuropharmcology, 2012
- Donald Calne International Award for Parkinson’s Disease Research, 2010
- Winn Prize, Society of Neurological Surgeons, 2010
- Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, 2009
- Guest Member, Japanese Neurosurgical Society, 2009
- Jonas Salk Award, 2008
- Order of Merit of Spain, 2007
Selected Publications
- Fox MD, Buckner RL, Liu H, Chakravarty MM, Lozano AM, Pascual-Leone A. Resting state networks link invasive and noninvasive brain stimulation across diverse psychiatric and neurological diseases. Proc Nat Acad Sci. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1405003111
- Kalia SK, Lozano AM. Parkinson disease: Neurostimulation in PD--benefit of early surgery revealed. Nat Rev Neurol. 2013 May;9(5):244-5.
- Lipsman N, Woodside DB, Giacobbe P, Hamani C, Carter JC, Norwood SJ, Sutandar K, Staab R, Elias G, Lyman CH, Smith GS, Lozano AM. Subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation for treatment-refractory anorexia nervosa: a phase 1 pilot trial. Lancet. 2013 Apr 20;381(9875):1361-70.
- Lipsman N, Schwartz ML, Huang Y, Lee L, Sankar T, Chapman M, Hynynen K, Lozano AM. MR-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy for essential tremor: a proof-of-concept study. Lancet Neurol. 2013 May;12(5):462-8.
- Lozano AM, Lipsman N. Probing and regulating dysfunctional circuits using deep brain stimulation. Neuron. 2013 Feb 6;77(3):406-24.
- Lozano AM. Deep brain stimulation therapy. BMJ. 2012 Feb 21;344:e1100.
- Smith GS, Laxton AW, Tang-Wai DF, McAndrews MP, Diaconescu AO, Workman C, Lozano AM. Increased Cerebral Metabolism after One Year of Deep Brain Stimulation in Alzheimer’s Disease. Arch Neurol. 2012 Sep;69(9):1141-8.
- Lozano AM. Harnessing plasticity to reset dysfunctional neurons. N Engl J Med. 2011 Apr 7;364(14):1367-8.
- Kennedy SH, Giacobbe P, Rizvi SJ, Placenza FM, Nishikawa Y, Mayberg HS, Lozano AM. Deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression: follow-up after 3 to 6 years. Am J Psychiatry. 2011 May;168(5):502-10.
- Stone SS, Teixeira CM, Devito LM, Zaslavsky K, Josselyn SA, Lozano AM , Frankland PW. Stimulation of entorhinal cortex promotes adult neurogenesis and facilitates spatial memory. J Neurosci. 2011 Sep;31(38):13469-84.
- Laxton AW, Tang-Wai DF, McAndrews MP, Zumsteg D, Wennberg R, Keren R, Wherrett J, Naglie G, Hamani C, Smith GS, Lozano AM . A phase I trial of deep brain stimulation of memory circuits in Alzheimer's disease. Ann Neurol . 2010 Oct;68(4):521-34 .
Selected Current Funding
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), 2014-2019.
Pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease.
PI: Chen R; Co-PIs: Fasano A, Hodaie M, Lozano AM, Kalia S
$915,575 - Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR))—Industry Partnered Collaborative Research, 2014-2019.
Long-term stability of local field potentials recorded from the subthalamic nucleus and effects of deep brain stimulation.
PI: Chen R; Co-PIs: Fasano A, Hodaie M, Lozano AM, Kalia S
$450,380 - Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)—China-Canada Joint Health Research Initiative, 2012-2017.
Role of the basal ganglia in inhibiting and promoting voluntary movements.
PI: Chen R, Zhuang P.; Co-PI: Hodaie M, Lozano AM.
$225,000 - Klarman Family Foundation Grants Program in Eating Disorders Research, 2013-2014.
Phase II Trial of Deep Brain Stimulation of the Subcallosal Cingulum for Treatment-Refractory Anorexia Nervosa.
PI: Lozano AM.
$200,000 - National Institutes of Health (NIH), 2012-2017.
Deep Brain Stimulation for Alzheimer’s Disease.
PI: Lyketsos K, Lozano AM.;co-PI: Anderson WS, Giacobbe P, Leoutsakos JM, Marano CM, McAndrews MP, Munro C, Sacktor N, Smith G, Strafella A, Tang-Wai D.
$3,390,034 - Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), 2012-2017.
Pathophysiological mechanisms of dystonia: Insights from deep brain stimulation and brain plasticity.
PI: Chen R.; Co-PI: Hodaie M, Jog M, Moro E, Neagu B, Udupa K, Wong A, Lozano AM.
$811,895 - FedDev Technology Development Program for Southern Ontario/Ontario Brain Institute (OBI), 2011-2014.
Deep Brain Stimulation for Alzheimer’s disease.
PI: Lozano AM.
$520,439 - Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), 2011-2014.
Brain stimulation to induce plasticity and enhance recovery in animal models of stroke.
PI: Lozano AM.
$225,000