Scientific Research

Rare Diseases, Real Battles: A Physician’s Story of Persistence and Purpose

May 06, 2026

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT

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From early studies in sleep medicine to a serendipitous move to Milan, where he discovered intracerebral EEG, this speaker’s journey has been shaped by curiosity and chance. By exploring the sleeping brain with intracerebral electrodes, he uncovered how sleep can both promote and suppress epileptic activity. This talk reflects on a career that helped reveal the blurred boundaries between wake and sleep and how dissociated brain states challenge traditional neurophysiological views.

This was selected as a part of the Neuroscience 2025 programming: Theme I – Cognition.

This session will be moderated by Ted Abel, PhD, 2025 Program Committee member.

Speakers

Maria L. Escolar, MD

Maria L. Escolar, MD, is a physician-scientist and entrepreneur based in France with over 20 years of experience in rare neurodegenerative diseases. She was formerly chief medical officer and founding executive at Forge Biologics, a gene therapy startup, and tenured professor of pediatrics and neurodevelopmental disabilities at the University of Pittsburgh. She established the program for the Study of Neurodevelopment in Rare Disorders (NDRD). Her research focuses on biomarker development, quantitative neuroimaging, and clinical trial design in gene therapy. Most recently, she led the development of a combination therapy for Krabbe disease—hematopoietic stem cell transplantation plus AAV gene therapy in Phase II clinical trials.

Rebecca Seal, PhD

Rebecca Seal, PhD, is a professor of neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Her research focuses on neural circuits and molecular mechanisms underlying chronic pain. The lab employs a range of approaches and is developing a novel gene therapy to treat chronic pain. She earned a BS in chemistry from the University of Oregon, her PhD from Oregon Health Sciences University and completed postdoctoral training at UCSF.

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Rare Diseases, Real Battles: A Physician’s Story of Persistence and Purpose

Speakers

Webinar Refund Policy What is the cancellation/refund policy for webinars? If SfN changes fundamental details of the webinar (date, time, or speakers), nonmember registrants may request a registration refund. SfN webinars can be watched on-demand if someone is unable to attend the live broadcast.

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