Haleh Karbasforoushan, PhD, MS
Assistant Professor
Neurology
School of Medicine

Dr. Haleh Karbasforoushan is a neuroscientist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology. Her research interests include chronic stroke, pediatric stroke, systems neuroscience, and neuroimaging. She received her PhD in Neuroscience from Northwestern University and completed two postdoctoral fellowships at Stanford University and University of California, San Francisco.

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Her research background expands in computer science, neuroscience, neuroimaging, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Karbasforoushan’s research focuses on stroke neuroimaging and neurorehabilitation, investigating the neural mechanism underlying the motor impairments after stroke with the use of advanced MRI techniques and translating this knowledge into targeted and effective neurotherapeutic interventions for these individuals.

Awards

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• Career Development Award, American Heart Association, 2023
• VA Advanced Fellowship (San Francisco VA), VA Office of Academic Affiliations, 2022
• VA Advanced Fellowship (Palo Alto VA), VA Office of Academic Affiliations, 2020
• Fletcher H. McDowell Award for best clinical/basic science abstract of the year, American Society of Neurorehabilitation, 2019
• NIH NRSA F31 Pre-doctoral Fellowship, National Institute of Health, 2017
• Mensa Education and Research Foundation Scholarship Award, Mensa Foundation, 2015

Education & Training

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• Postdoctoral Fellowship Neuroscience; TBI & Stroke University of California San Francisco 2023
• Postdoctoral Fellowship Neuroscience; TBI Stanford University 2022
• Ph.D. Neuroscience Northwestern University 2020
• M.S. Computer Science University of Southern California 2009

Interests

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• Pediatric Stroke
• Neuroscience
• Chronic Stroke
• Neuroimaging
• Neurorehabilitation

Grants and Projects

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• Investigating Brain Activity and Connectivity Involved in Hand Movement in Chronic Stroke, American Heart Association, 2023-2026
• Brain Microstructural and Functional Changes in Traumatic Brain Injury and Stroke, VA Office of Academic Affiliations, 2022-2023
• Cortico-thalamic Functional Connectivity Post Traumatic Brain Injury, VA Office of Academic Affiliations, 2020-2022
• Elucidating Motor Pathways Involved in Hand Impairment Post Stroke, NIH, 2017-2019

Publications (15)

Top publication keywords:
Choice BehaviorCognition DisordersParesisBrain StemWhite MatterSchizophrenic PsychologyReaction TimeCervical CordSchizophreniaNeuroimagingStrokePsychomotor PerformancePrefrontal CortexMagnetic Resonance ImagingSpinal Cord

• Comparison of multicenter MRI protocols for visualizing the spinal cord gray matter.
  Magnetic resonance in medicine 2022 Cohen-Adad J, Alonso-Ortiz E, Alley S, Lagana MM, Baglio F, Vannesjo SJ, Karbasforoushan H, Seif M, Seifert AC, Xu J, Kim JW, Labounek R, Vojtíšek L, Dostál M, Valošek J, Samson RS, Grussu F, …
• There is a topographic organization in human cortico-pontine connectivity.
  Brain communications 2022 Karbasforoushan H, Tian R, Baker J
• Author Correction: Open-access quantitative MRI data of the spinal cord and reproducibility across participants, sites and manufacturers.
  Scientific data 2021 Cohen-Adad J, Alonso-Ortiz E, Abramovic M, Arneitz C, Atcheson N, Barlow L, Barry RL, Barth M, Battiston M, Büchel C, Budde M, Callot V, Combes AJE, De Leener B, Descoteaux M, de Sousa PL, Dostál M, …
• Author Correction: Open-access quantitative MRI data of the spinal cord and reproducibility across participants, sites and manufacturers.
  Scientific data 2021 Cohen-Adad J, Alonso-Ortiz E, Abramovic M, Arneitz C, Atcheson N, Barlow L, Barry RL, Barth M, Battiston M, Büchel C, Budde M, Callot V, Combes AJE, De Leener B, Descoteaux M, de Sousa PL, Dostál M, …
• Generic acquisition protocol for quantitative MRI of the spinal cord.
  Nature protocols 2021 Cohen-Adad J, Alonso-Ortiz E, Abramovic M, Arneitz C, Atcheson N, Barlow L, Barry RL, Barth M, Battiston M, Büchel C, Budde M, Callot V, Combes AJE, De Leener B, Descoteaux M, de Sousa PL, Dostál M, …

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• Open-access quantitative MRI data of the spinal cord and reproducibility across participants, sites and manufacturers.
  Scientific data 2021 Cohen-Adad J, Alonso-Ortiz E, Abramovic M, Arneitz C, Atcheson N, Barlow L, Barry RL, Barth M, Battiston M, Büchel C, Budde M, Callot V, Combes AJE, De Leener B, Descoteaux M, de Sousa PL, Dostál M, …
• Author Correction: Brainstem and spinal cord MRI identifies altered sensorimotor pathways post-stroke.
  Nature communications 2020 Karbasforoushan H, Cohen-Adad J, Dewald JPA
• Limited capacity for ipsilateral secondary motor areas to support hand function post-stroke.
  The Journal of physiology 2020 Wilkins KB, Yao J, Owen M, Karbasforoushan H, Carmona C, Dewald JPA
• Brainstem and spinal cord MRI identifies altered sensorimotor pathways post-stroke.
  Nature communications 2019 Karbasforoushan H, Cohen-Adad J, Dewald JPA
• Intrainsular connectivity and somatosensory responsiveness in young children with ASD.
  Molecular autism 2017 Failla MD, Peters BR, Karbasforoushan H, Foss-Feig JH, Schauder KB, Heflin BH, Cascio CJ
• Processing speed impairment in schizophrenia is mediated by white matter integrity.
  Psychological medicine 2014 Karbasforoushan H, Duffy B, Blackford JU, Woodward ND
• Response selection impairment in schizophrenia transcends sensory and motor modalities.
  Schizophrenia research 2013 Woodward ND, Duffy B, Karbasforoushan H
• Prefrontal cortex activity during response selection predicts processing speed impairment in schizophrenia.
  Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS 2013 Woodward ND, Duffy B, Karbasforoushan H
• Thalamocortical dysconnectivity in schizophrenia.
  The American journal of psychiatry 2012 Woodward ND, Karbasforoushan H, Heckers S
• Resting-state networks in schizophrenia.
  Current topics in medicinal chemistry 2012 Karbasforoushan H, Woodward ND