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MBBS, MCh (Neurosurgery), PDF (Epilepsy)
Neurosciences
Clinical Lead - Epilepsy & Functional Neurosurgery
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Brief Profile
Dr. Natesan Damodaran is a CMC Vellore–trained neurosurgeon specializing in epilepsy and functional neurosurgery. With over a decade of advanced experience and more than 300 epilepsy procedures performed, he represents a new generation of neurosurgeons advancing precision-based, minimally invasive care for drug-resistant epilepsy. He currently serves as the Clinical Lead for Epilepsy and Functional Neurosurgery at Dr. Rela Institute & Medical Centre, Chennai.
His expertise spans SEEG-guided epilepsy surgery, radiofrequency ablation, hemispherotomy, awake craniotomy, pediatric epilepsy, and deep brain stimulation for movement disorders and epilepsy. He is currently establishing a Level-4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, integrating pediatric and adult care pathways, advanced presurgical evaluation, and long-term neurorehabilitation.
A strong advocate of technology-enabled neurosurgery, Dr. Damodaran incorporates rs-fMRI/DTI connectomics and AI-assisted lesion detection to enhance surgical precision and functional preservation. His research has been published in leading journals including the Journal of Neurosurgery, American Journal of Neuroradiology, Neurology India, and IEEE, with notable contributions in imaging AI, hippocampal segmentation, and neuro-algorithm development.
Invited to teach at national and international forums, he actively supports the expansion of epilepsy care across India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Egypt. Deeply committed to equitable access and long-term outcomes, he focuses on patient-centric surgery, data-driven decision-making, and structured follow-up programs that empower patients and caregivers. His vision is to scale AI-augmented surgical planning, expand neuromodulation, and build regional referral networks for early access to curative epilepsy surgery.
Educational Qualifications
- Post‑Doctoral Fellowship in Epilepsy & Functional Neurosurgery
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi - Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Neurosurgical Skills Training – Simulation and Cadaver Dissection
AIIMS, New Delhi - MCh in Neurosurgery
Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai - MBBS
Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bengaluru - MSc in Psychology
University of Madras, Chennai
Clinical Expertise
Epilepsy Surgery – Comprehensive Epilepsy Care (Level‑4):
- SEEG planning & implantation, RF ablation/thermoablation, lesionectomy, temporal lobe surgery, hemispherotomy; multidisciplinary care with neurology, neuropsychology, neuroradiology, and neuropathology.
- Presurgical evaluation: SEEG planning & implantation, invasive EEG, rs-fMRI/DTI guided networks.
- Surgical & ablative procedures: SEEG-guided RFA, lesionectomy, tailored resection, hemispherotomy, laser/thermal ablation (where available).
- Pediatric epilepsy (including hypothalamic hamartoma, cortical dysplasia) and complex lesional/non-lesional epilepsy.
- Functional Neurosurgery: DBS for Parkinson’s disease & movement disorders; neuromodulation for epilepsy. Surgeries for spasticity including Baclofen pump surgeries.
- Oncological & Skull Base: Image‑guided minimally invasive surgery; awake craniotomy for eloquent cortex tumors. Endoscopic skull base and intraventricular tumour surgeries.
- Comprehensive Care Pathways
- Multidisciplinary tumor boards
Accomplishments
Affiliations and Memberships
Present position
Honors and Awards
Editorial Work and Reviewer
Innovation
Associated Publications
Research and Publication
Research
- Neuroscience of memory: neuroanatomical, physiological, and cellular bases.
- AI for imaging & multimodal presurgical planning in refractory epilepsy (FDG‑PET asymmetry, hippocampal segmentation, reproducible CT hemorrhage algorithms)
- AI in Clinical Neuroscience: lesion detection, epileptogenic focus identification, rs-fMRI/DTI pipelines
- Data-driven care: outcomes registries, quality dashboards, and precision- surgery planning
- Access & Capacity Building: Indo-state and international outreach (Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Egypt), training programs, and cross-border collaborations
Publications
- Aslam S, Damodaran N, Rajeshkannan R, Sarma M, Gopinath S, Pillai A. Asymmetry index in anatomically symmetrized FDG‑PET for improved epileptogenic focus detection in pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Journal of Neurosurgery, 2022. doi:10.3171/2022.6.JNS22717.
- Singh R, Baby B, Damodaran N, Srivastav V, et al. Design and validation of an open‑source, partial task trainer for endonasal neuro‑endoscopic skills development: Indian experience. World Neurosurgery, 2016. doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2015.09.045.
- Damodaran N, R Gowtham. Towards reproducible results: Validating CT hemorrhage detection algorithms on standard datasets. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 2018. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A5849.
- Damodaran N. Automated segmentation of hippocampal volume—next step in neuroradiological diagnosis of mesial temporal sclerosis. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 2019. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A6092.
- Pratheesh R, Swallow DMA, Joseph M, Natesan D, et al. Evaluation of a protocol‑based strategy for postoperative diabetes insipidus in craniopharyngioma. Neurology India, 2015. doi:10.4103/0028-3886.166533.
- Tripathi M, Deo RC, Damodaran N, Suri A, et al. Quantitative analysis of variable extent of anterior clinoidectomy with intradural and extradural approaches: 3‑D analysis and cadaver dissection. Neurosurgery, 2015;11(Suppl 2):147–160. doi:10.1227/NEU.0000000000000599.
- Tripathi M, Deo RC, Srivastav V, Baby B, Singh R, Damodaran N, Suri A. Neurosurgery apps: novel knowledge boosters. Turkish Neurosurgery, 2014;24(6):828–838. doi:10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.11840-14.0.
- Jotwani P, Srivastav V, Tripathi M, Deo RC, Baby B, Damodaran N, et al. Free‑access open‑source e‑learning in comprehensive neurosurgery skills training. Neurology India, 2014;62(4):352–361. doi:10.4103/0028-3886.141208.
- Isaac JHR, Krishnadas A, Damodaran N, Muniyandi M. Effect of Control Movement Scale on Visual‑Haptic Interactions. In: EuroHaptics 2018, LNCS 10893, Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-93445-7_14.
- Srivastav V, Damodaran N, Baby B, Suri A. Internet‑enabled skills training platform for neurosurgical training. IEEE COMSNETS, 2015. doi:10.1109/COMSNETS.2015.7098726.
- Singh R, Baby B, Damodaran N, Srivastav V, Suri A. A novel electro‑mechanical neuro‑endoscopic box trainer. IEEE ICIC, 2015. doi:10.1109/IIC.2015.7150874.
- Affordable Immersive Virtual Reality–based pre‑surgical planning tool for Neurosurgery. IEEE ICIIBMS, 2015. doi:10.1109/ICIIBMS.2015.7439530.
Book Chapter
- Damodaran N (co‑author). “A Patient with Facial Pain.” In Practical Neurosurgery: An Algorithm of Clinical Scenarios (Thieme). Under the aegis of the Neurological Society of India. Editors: C. Deopujari, N. Muthukumar, S. Behari, V. Rajshekhar.
