About

Lauren Fanty, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. She received her medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Long School of Medicine, where she also earned a master's degree in public health with a focus in global health. Her clinical training began in 2016 with an internal medicine internship at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, followed by a three-year residency in adult neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, during which she also worked at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In 2021, she joined the University of Florida to undertake a three-year fellowship in movement disorders within the Department of Neurology. Dr. Fanty is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Her research interests include movement disorders such as ataxia, dystonia, and Parkinson's disease, with a focus on understanding the underlying mechanisms and improving treatment options. Her work has taken her across the globe, including study abroad scholarships to Zambia and Ecuador, and she has contributed to research on Parkinson's disease, deep brain stimulation, and related neurological conditions.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Radiology
• Anesthesia
• Neuroscience
• Internal medicine
• Surgery
• Pediatrics
• Psychology

Selected publications

• Circadian Rhythm and Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation in Essential Tremor (S32.006)

  Neurology · 2025-04-07

  article

  To study the influence of circadian rhythms on local field potentials (LFPs) recorded from the ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) of the thalamus of essential tremor (ET) patients and develop an adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) strategy.

  PublisherDOI

• The Black and African American Connections to Parkinson’s Disease (BLAAC PD) study protocol

  BMC Neurology · 2024-10-21 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Determining the genetic contributions to Parkinson's disease (PD) across diverse ancestries is a high priority as this work can guide therapeutic development in a global setting. The genetics of PD spans the etiological risk spectrum, from rare, highly deleterious variants linked to monogenic forms with Mendelian patterns of inheritance, to common variation involved in sporadic disease. A major limitation in PD genomics research is lack of racial and ethnic diversity. Enrollment disparities have detrimental consequences on the generalizability of results and exacerbate existing inequities in care. The Black and African American Connections to Parkinson's Disease (BLAAC PD) study is part of the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program, supported by the Aligning Science Across Parkinson's initiative. The goal of the study is to investigate the genetic architecture underlying PD risk and progression in the Black and/or African American populations. This cross-sectional multicenter study in the United States has a recruitment target of up to 2,000 individuals with PD and up to 2,000 controls, all of Black and/or African American ancestry. The study design incorporates several strategies to reduce barriers to research participation. The multifaceted recruitment strategy aims to involve individuals with and without PD in various settings, emphasizing community outreach and engagement. The BLAAC PD study is an important first step toward informing understanding of the genetics of PD in a more diverse population.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Chronic intracranial recordings in the globus pallidus reveal circadian rhythms in Parkinson’s disease

  Nature Communications · 2024-05-30 · 21 citations

  articleOpen access

  Circadian rhythms have been shown in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in Parkinson's disease (PD), but only a few studies have focused on the globus pallidus internus (GPi). This retrospective study investigates GPi circadian rhythms in a large cohort of subjects with PD (130 recordings from 93 subjects) with GPi activity chronically recorded in their home environment. We found a significant change in GPi activity between daytime and nighttime in most subjects (82.4%), with a reduction in GPi activity at nighttime in 56.2% of recordings and an increase in activity in 26.2%. GPi activity in higher frequency bands ( > 20 Hz) was more likely to decrease at night and in patients taking extended-release levodopa medication. Our results suggest that circadian fluctuations in the GPi vary across individuals and that increased power at night might be due to the reemergence of pathological neural activity. These findings should be considered to ensure successful implementation of adaptive neurostimulation paradigms in the real-world.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The current state, challenges, and future directions of deep brain stimulation for obsessive compulsive disorder

  Expert Review of Medical Devices · 2023-08-29 · 4 citations

  review1st authorCorresponding

  INTRODUCTION: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is clinically and pathologically heterogenous, with symptoms often refractory to first-line treatments. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of refractory OCD provides an opportunity to adjust and individualize neuromodulation targeting aberrant circuitry underlying OCD. The tailoring of DBS therapy may allow precision in symptom control based on patient-specific pathology. Progress has been made in understanding the potential targets for DBS intervention; however, a consensus on an optimal target has not been agreed upon. AREAS COVERED: A literature review of DBS for OCD was performed by querying the PubMed database. The following topics were covered: the evolution of DBS targeting in OCD, the concept of an underlying unified connectomic network, current DBS targets, challenges facing the field, and future directions which could advance personalized DBS in this challenging population. EXPERT OPINION: To continue the increasing efficacy of DBS for OCD, we must further explore the optimal DBS response across clinical profiles and neuropsychiatric domains of OCD as well as how interventions targeting multiple points in an aberrant circuit, multiple aberrant circuits, or a connectivity hub impact clinical response. Additionally, biomarkers would be invaluable in programming adjustments and creating a closed-loop paradigm to address symptom fluctuation in daily life.

  PublisherDOI

• Differentiating Parkinson Disease From Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome

  Neurology Education · 2023-09-25 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  The recent publication detailing Muhammad Ali's clinical diagnosis of levodopa-responsive young-onset Parkinson disease[1][1] has provided an educational opportunity for clinicians and trainees to enhance their diagnostic acumen, especially when encountering cases with a history of head trauma. A

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Chronic intracranial recordings in the basal ganglia reveal patient-specific circadian rhythms in Parkinson's disease

  Research Square (Research Square) · 2023 · 2 citations

  • Neuroscience
  • Medicine
  • Psychology
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The current state, challenges, and future directions of deep brain stimulation for obsessive compulsive disorder

  Figshare · 2023-01-01

  datasetOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is clinically and pathologically heterogenous, with symptoms often refractory to first-line treatments. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of refractory OCD provides an opportunity to adjust and individualize neuromodulation targeting aberrant circuitry underlying OCD. The tailoring of DBS therapy may allow precision in symptom control based on patient-specific pathology. Progress has been made in understanding the potential targets for DBS intervention; however, a consensus on an optimal target has not been agreed upon. A literature review of DBS for OCD was performed by querying the PubMed database. The following topics were covered: the evolution of DBS targeting in OCD, the concept of an underlying unified connectomic network, current DBS targets, challenges facing the field, and future directions which could advance personalized DBS in this challenging population. To continue the increasing efficacy of DBS for OCD, we must further explore the optimal DBS response across clinical profiles and neuropsychiatric domains of OCD as well as how interventions targeting multiple points in an aberrant circuit, multiple aberrant circuits, or a connectivity hub impact clinical response. Additionally, biomarkers would be invaluable in programming adjustments and creating a closed-loop paradigm to address symptom fluctuation in daily life.

  PublisherDOI

• Abstract WP91: Pre-notification Is Associated With Decreased Door To Groin Puncture Time But Not 90-day Modified Rankin Scale

  Stroke · 2022-02-01

  article

  Background: Time is essential in endovascular reperfusion of large vessel occlusions (LVO) in acute ischemic stroke. Improving time to reperfusion improves functional outcome for these patients and is thus an area of critical concern. We sought to determine factors that predict delays in door-to-groin puncture time in an effort to improve clinical outcomes for our patient population. We hypothesized that patients who presented without pre-notification of our interventional team would have delays in door-to-groin time and higher 90-day modified Rankin scale (mRS). Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of consecutive patients with LVO consented for thrombectomy between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2020, in a comprehensive Stroke Center in a hub-and-spoke stroke care model. We collected baseline demographic data, mode of transport (ground vs air), time of the day (regular hours, 8am-5pm vs after hours, 5pm-8am) and status as transfer or direct admission to hub. Results: A total of 237 patients (127 [54%] female, mean age 70.2±14.7 years) were included in the analysis; 204 (86%) were transferred from other hospitals. Patients transferred from other hospitals had a significantly lower door-to-groin time than non-transfers (37 vs 86 minutes, p<0.001), as did patients with arrival pre-notification compared to without (35 vs 88 min, p<0.001). There was overlap between transfers and those with pre-notification. After adjustment for mode of transport, time of day, and transfer-from-spoke status, pre-notification remained independently associated with significantly lower door-to-groin time with an adjusted mean difference of 23.7, 95% CI (18.7-28.8) minutes, p<0.0001). In adjusted analyses, baseline mRS (p=0.005) younger age (p=0.003), fewer passes (p=0.03), higher TICI (p=0.002), and lower initial NIHSS (p<0.0001) were associated with better 90-day mRS scores. Prenotification was not associated with mRS (p=0.85). Conclusion: Door-to-groin puncture times are significantly shorter in stroke patients with arrival pre-notification. However, prenotification was not associated with 90-day mRS in our cohort. This highlights the need to optimize all components of thrombectomy systems-of-care to improve outcomes.

  PublisherDOI

• The role of Tscan in the diagnosis of Parkison

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2021-12-15

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  <strong>Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a “clinical” diagnosis. This means that an individual’s history, symptoms, and physical exam are used to make the diagnosis. There is not a specific lab or imaging test that can diagnose PD. However, certain tests such as magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (MRI brain), a dopamine transporter scan (DaT scan), or blood work can be used to support the diagnosis of PD or to rule out other medical conditions that can mimic PD.</strong>

  PublisherDOI

• Harlequin Syndrome, Apnea, and Acute on Chronic Hemiparesis: An Atypical Pediatric Case of Chiari I With Holocord Syringohydromyelia

  Pediatric Neurology · 2021 · 1 citations

  • Medicine
  • Surgery
  • Pediatrics
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Michael S. Okun

  6 shared

• Kara A. Johnson

  University of Florida

  5 shared

• Coralie de Hemptinne

  University of Florida

  5 shared

• Joshua K. Wong

  University of Florida

  5 shared

• T. Araújo

  Merck (Germany)

  5 shared

• Simon Little

  5 shared

• Filipe Sarmento

  University of Florida

  5 shared

• S. del Palacio

  Chalmers University of Technology

  4 shared

Labs

• iBRAIN LabPI

Awards & honors

• Travel Scholarship 2023 Movement Disorders Society Full Trav…
• Gold Humanism 2017 Arnold P Gold Foundation