Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy (Clinical Division of Neuroradiology and Musculoskeletal Radiology)
Position: PHD Student
ORCID: 0009-0006-9395-252X
radheshyam.stepponat@meduniwien.ac.at
Keywords
Connectome; Consciousness; Epilepsy; Functional Neuroimaging
Research group(s)
- Developmental and Interventional Neuroimaging Lab (DINLAB)
Head: Florian Ph.S Fischmeister
Research Area: The DINLAB is an international and interdisciplinary research group of scientists interested in the process of development (changes of the human brain in space and time) of the healthy and diseased brain throughout life - from prenatal life to senescence. The DINLAB aims to provide a central point of contact as well as a communication platform unifying researchers interested in clinical functional and structural neuroimaging studies in collaboration with the Division of Neuroradiology and Muscul
Members:
Research interests
My research focuses on understanding consciousness to directly improve clinical patient care. By investigating how various neurological conditions disrupt global brain networks, I aim to map the mechanisms of consciousness - for example, by examining the neurobiological distinctions between epilepsy with and without impaired consciousness. To analyze these networks, I utilize a range of advanced neuroimaging techniques, including fMRI and tractography analysis, with a specific focus on the brainstem. Ultimately, my goal is to bridge the gap between complex imaging data and practical applications to enhance diagnostic precision and patient outcomes.
Furthermore, I am deeply passionate about contributing to the broader scientific discourse on consciousness. While it remains a somewhat elusive topic in mainstream neuroscience, untangling its mechanisms is absolutely critical, not only for advancing direct patient care and our theoretical understanding of the brain, but also for comprehending the subjective experience of living beings in an era of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence.
Selected publications
- Stepponat, R. et al. (2026) “Re‐evaluating impaired consciousness in temporal lobe epilepsy: The role of language dominance and network reorganization,” Epilepsia [Preprint]. Edited by . Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/epi.70512.