Brett Evan Youngerman, MD

Dr. Brett Youngerman is a highly skilled neurosurgeon specializing in minimally invasive brain surgery and advanced neuromodulation techniques. He provides expert care for a range of brain and neurological conditions, including:

• Pituitary, skull base, and other brain tumors (meningioma, glioma, metastases)
• Drug-resistant epilepsy
• Movement disorders: Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia, hemifacial spasm
• Cavernous malformations
• Adult hydrocephalus: Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH)
• Chronic pain: trigeminal neuralgia, Chiari malformation

In each of these areas, Dr. Youngerman collaborates with multidisciplinary teams of specialists, ensuring patients received a comprehensive approach with access to the latest diagnostic and treatment options. He has particular expertise in minimally invasive techniques that aim to protect or improve brain function, including:

• Neuroendoscopy & robot-assisted surgery
• Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT)
• Neuromodulation: deep brain stimulation (DBS) & responsive neurostimulation (RNS)
• Stereotactic radiosurgery
• Awake & asleep brain mapping for precision surgery

Patients choose Dr. Youngerman for his technical expertise, compassionate care, and commitment to improving brain function while minimizing recovery time.

• Videos featuring Dr. Youngerman(link is external and opens in a new window)
• Epilepsy surgery videos(link is external and opens in a new window)
• Parkinson’s disease and tremor videos(link is external and opens in a new window)

Research

Dr. Youngerman’s research focuses on enhancing surgical outcomes and quality of life for patients with neurological conditions, including epilepsy, movement disorders, and pituitary tumors. As Principal Investigator of the Clinical Neuroinformatics & Neuromodulation (CNN) Lab, he integrates neuroscience, clinical informatics, and biomedical engineering to drive innovation in neurosurgical care.

Research areas include:

• Enhancing Surgical Outcomes – Leading multi-center studies and quality improvement initiatives to refine surgical decision-making and improve patient results.
• Expanding Minimally Invasive Techniques – Advancing laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) as a safer, less invasive alternative to traditional open surgery. (American Epilepsy Society Young Investigator Award)
• Refining Neuromodulation with Biomarkers – Investigating neurophysiologic and multimodal biomarkers to optimize brain stimulation therapies. (R61MH135405)
• Developing Next-Generation Brain-Computer Interfaces – Developing a next-generation, fully implanted, wireless, high-resolution neural interface to enhance brain decoding and neuromodulation.
• Improving Access to Neurosurgical Care – Leveraging clinical informatics to identify and overcome barriers to timely, specialized neurological treatment. (KL2TR001874)