Mark Agostini

Biography

He relentlessly tracks down the cause of patients’ seizures and finds the treatment that works for them, with one goal in mind: stopping the seizures. Each epilepsy patient is unique. What works for some won’t work for others, he says. As a result, each patient presents a challenge that requires the skills of a neurology specialist. “We are relentless. We just don’t give up,” says Dr. Agostini, a graduate of Harvard Medical School. Finding the right treatment means balancing quality of life, but the first step is always aimed at stopping the seizures. Dr. Agostini and the epilepsy team at UT Southwestern have access to the latest technologies and treatments to help find the answer. This includes UT Southwestern’s Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, which allows Dr. Agostini to see a patient’s seizure firsthand. A researcher as well as a clinician, Dr. Agostini also is involved in experimental therapies such as intracranial stimulators and experimental anti-seizure medications that are in clinical trials. In several cases, his patients have benefited directly from this research. He was the principal investigator for the drug lacosamide (sold under the brand name Vimpat), which works in combination with other medications to help control seizures. Each anti-seizure medication brought to FDA approval offers a patient a chance to become seizure-free, Dr. Agostini says. Dr. Agostini’s epilepsy patients have complex medical problems. When other doctors are needed, Dr. Agostini can rely on a multidisciplinary team that includes neuroradiologists, neuropsychologists, and neurosurgeons. Not many medical centers can offer that. Working together, Dr. Agostini and the UTSW team achieve his ultimate goal as a physician treating epilepsy patients: “We give people their life back.”

Research Interest

Neurology Neurophysiology Epilepsy Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Epilepsy treatment EEG studies Seizures Vagal nerve stimulator Intracranial nerve stimulators Gelastic seizures Genetic testing Deep brain stimulator