Gholam K. Motamedi, MD| Neurology | MedStar Health
About me
Gholam K. Motamedi, MD, is a professor and director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center in the Department of Neurology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Dr. Motamedi chose his specialty because he feels that neuroscience is at the frontier of science. His philosophy of care involves undertaking a comprehensive work-up, making the correct diagnosis and administering the most efficient treatment possible for the patient.
Dr. Motamedi has published numerous original research studies, reviews and has contributed several book chapters to works in the fields of epilepsy and sleep disorders. Some of his research studies include investigating potentially therapeutic effects of direct brain stimulation in patients with epilepsy, potentially therapeutic effects of direct brain stimulation and brain cooling (hypothermia) in animal models of epilepsy, basic cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of epilepsy, particular genetic forms of epilepsy mimicking sleep disorders, sleep apnea, monitoring cardiac telemetry and pulse oximetry in patients with epilepsy undergoing continuous video-EEG monitoring and retrospective study of in utero antiepileptic drug effects on neurodevelopment. Dr. Motamedi has also received several awards for excellence in patient treatment, teaching and research.
Professional Association Memberships
- American Epilepsy Society
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine
- American Neurological Association
Clinical areas of focus
- Absence Epilepsy
- Convulsion
- Electroencephalography
- Epilepsy
- Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Evaluation (EMU)
- Epilepsy Surgery Evaluation
- Polysomnography
- Sleep Apnea
- Tonic Clonic Seizure
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Abnormal Reflexes
- Absence Epilepsy
- Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- Arm Weakness
- Arteriovenous Fistula
- Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)
- Ataxia
- Behcet Syndrome
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
- Carotid Stenosis
- Central Nervous System Lupus
- Cerebellar Ataxia
- Cerebellar Disease
- Cerebral Aneurysm
- Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
- Cervical Dystonia
- Cervical Plexopathy
- Charcot Marie Tooth Disease
- CNS Vasculitis
- Cognitive Impairment
- Concussion
- Convulsion
- Cranial Nerve Injury
- Dejerine Sottas Disease
- Diabetic Lumbosacral Radiculoplexus Neuropathy
- Diabetic Neuropathy
- Diplopia
- Dural Arteriovenous Fistula
- Encephalopathies
- Epilepsy
- Facial Droop
- Facial Nerve Palsy And Paresis
- Facial Pain
- Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy
- Femoral Neuropathy
- Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS)
- Headache
- HIV Associated Neurocognitive Disorder
- HIV Myopathy
- Horner Syndrome
- Inclusion Body Myopathy
- Ischemic Stroke
- Lacunar Stroke
- Leg Weakness
- Lewy Body Dementia
- Lip Droop
- Lobar Atrophy Of Brain
- Medication Overuse Headache
- Memory Disorders
- Movement Diseases And Disorders
- Multifocal Motor Neuropathy
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Muscle Weakness
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Myelitis
- Myoclonic Epilepsy With Ragged Red Fibers
- Nerve Root Disorder
- Nervous System Disorders
- Neuralgia
- Neuromuscular Diseases
- Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO)
- Neuropathy
- Non Ruptured Cerebral Aneurysm
- Occipital Neuralgia
- Orthostatic Hypotension
- Paramyotonia Congenita
- Paraplegia
- Paresthesia
- Parkinson's Disease (PD)
- Periodic Paralysis
- Peripheral Nerve Injury
- Peripheral Neuropathy
- Periventricular Leukomalacia
- Plexopathy
- Positional Vertigo
- Primary Cerebellar Degeneration
- Primary Progressive Aphasia
- Pseudotumor Cerebri
- Quadriplegia
- Radiculopathy
- Sensory Impairment
- Sensory Neuronopathy
- Sleep Apnea
- Small Fiber Neuropathy
- Spasticity
- Spinocerebellar Ataxia
- Spinocerebellar Degeneration
- Spinocerebellar Diseases
- Statin Myopathy
- Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
- Syncope
- Tetraplegia
- Tic Disorders
- Tinnitus
- Tonic Clonic Seizure
- Torticollis
- Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Tremor
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Unsteady Gait
- Vertigo
- Vision Loss
- Visual Impairment
Procedures I perform
- Angiography
- Avm Embolization
- Botox For Dystonia
- Botox For Hemifacial Spasm
- Botox For Spasticity
- Brain Injury Rehabilitation
- Electroencephalography
- Epilepsy Monitoring Unit Evaluation (EMU)
- Epilepsy Surgery Evaluation
- Headache Therapy
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Infusion Treatment
- Polysomnography
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Practice locations
Distance from Change LocationEnter your Location
3800 Reservoir Road Northwest Pasquerilla Healthcare Center Washington, DC, 20007
202-295-0540Fax 410-354-5461
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- United Healthcare Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO, GEHA, Compass Rose)
- Blue Choice Advantage & Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select (aka Senior Advantage)
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans/ UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans HMO, POS, PPO
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Kaiser PermanenteSelect-Added Choice
- Medicare Fee for Service
- CFBCBS EPO
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv/Special Needs Plans
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- CFBCBS Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- UHC Community Plan of MD
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Kaiser MD Medicaid MCO
- Kaiser Virginia Premier
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS
- BlueChoice Open Access
- Aetna HMO
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Choice Fund PPO
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Innovation Health: POS
- Opoen HMO Option
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- United Healthcare Choice
- HealthyBlue PPO
- Network OA
- Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Open POS II
- PPO and PPO Plus
- Open EPO Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- CIGNA EPO
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- CFBSBC Blue Preferred PPO
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Open HMO
- POS OA & OA Plus
- Aetna Innovations: HMO & EPO Plus
- CIGNA HMO Open Access (OA)
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund) Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- CFBCBS Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- MedStar Select (MedStar Associates' Plan)
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- First Health PPO
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Tricare for Life (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- FIRST HEALTH
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- CFBCBS BlueChoice HMO
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- CFBCBS Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- CIGNA Indemnity
- CFBCBS (NCA) Indemnity
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- Tricare Prime
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- United Student Resources
Videos
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Neurology
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Clinical Neurophysiology
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Epilepsy
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Sleep Medicine
Fellowship Program: Johns Hopkins Hospital (2001)
Residency Program: Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals (1998)
Residency Program: University of Missouri Medical Center (1996)
Internship Program: Yale New Haven Hospital (1995)
Medical School: Tehran University of Medical Sciences (1987)
Awards
- Excellence in Teaching Medical Students, Georgetown 2006-7
- National Epifellow Foundation (NEF) research award 1999
- American Epilepsy Society meeting Topscholar fellow award Dec. 1998
- American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting Scholarship Apr. 1998
- World Health Organization (WHO) Scholarship on Epidemiology, Bangalore, India Jan-Mar. 1990
Hospital affiliations
News and publications
Select original papers:
- Tirol FG, Levine MR, Wang T, Cho YW, Motamedi GK. An FP's guide to caring for patients with seizure and epilepsy. J Fam Pract. 2023 Nov;72(9):366-385. doi: 10.12788/jfp.0685.PMID: 37976335.
- Park KM, Kim KT, Lee DA, Motamedi GK, Cho YW. Structural and functional multilayer network analysis in restless legs syndrome patients. J Sleep Res. 2023 Nov 14:e14104. doi: 10.1111/jsr.14104. Online ahead of print.PMID: 37963544.
- Park KM, Kim KT, Lee DA, Motamedi GK, Cho YW. Glymphatic system dysfunction in restless legs syndrome: evidenced by diffusion tensor imaging along the perivascular space. Sleep. 2023 Nov 8;46(11):zsad239. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsad239.PMID: 37702251.
- Wang T, Raman VK, Motamedi GK.Neurohospitalist. Continuous EEG Characteristics in Critically ill Patients Presenting With Seizures Prior to Death From Cardiac Arrest. 2023 Oct;13(4):371-375. doi: 10.1177/19418744231174950. Epub 2023 May 12.PMID: 37701258
- Motamedi GK, Peter Jeliazkov, Oyegbile T, Song S, Sharma VD, Mihri Mete, Turkeltaub PE, Cho YW, Wu JY. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) as a treatment for insomnia. Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien Des Sciences Neurologiques, 1-4. doi:10.1017/cjn.2022.33.
- Tacrolimus-induced generalized tremor with excellent response to primidone. Lenka A, King C, Soni M, Hu N, Motamedi GK. Annals of Movement Disorders. 2022. DOI: 10.4103/AOMD.AOMD_30_21.
- Wang T, Safadi AL, Lee ECC, Bicher N, Barry B, Sirdar B, Motamedi GK, Osborne B. Clinical Reasoning: A 56-Year-Old Man With Unusual Presentation of Subacute Encephalopathy and Seizure. Neurology. 2022 Jan 4;98(1):e95-e102. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012951. Epub 2021 Oct 14
- Song ML, Park KM, Motamedi GK, Cho YW. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in restless legs syndrome patients. Sleep Med. 2020 Oct;74:227-234. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2020.07.011. Epub 2020 Jul 19.
- Stevens JM, Levine MR, Constantino AE, Motamedi GK. Case of fatal familial insomnia caused by a d178n mutation with phenotypic similarity to Hashimoto's encephalopathy. BMJ Case Rep. 2018 Jul 15;2018. DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2018-225155. PMID: 30012679.
- Oyegbile T, Santos C, Zecavati N, Berkowitz F, Lee C, Motamedi G, VanMeter J, Gaillard WD, Hermann B. Executive Dysfunction is Associated with an Altered Executive Control Network in Pediatric Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior. 2018 Sep;86:145-152. DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2018.04.022. PMID: 30001910.
- Anyanwu C, Motamedi GK. Diagnosis and Surgical Treatment of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy. Brain Sci. 2018, 8(4), 49 doi:10.3390/brainsci8040049.
- Cho YW, Kang MS, Kim KT, Moon HG, Korostyshevskiy VP, Motamedi GK, Yang KI. Comorbid Insomnia with obstructive sleep apnea: clinical characteristics and risk factors. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018;14(3):409417. DOI:10.5664/jcsm.6988. PMID: 29458695.
- Cho YW, Kang MS, Kim KT, Do SY, Lim JG, Lee SY, Motamedi GK. Quantitative sensory test for primary restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom Disease (RLS/WED) Using the Current Perception Threshold Test. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017 Feb;30:19-23. PMID: 28215248.
- Kim KT, Motamedi GK, Cho YW. Quality of life in patients with an idiopathic rapid eye movement sleeps behavior disorder in Korea. J Sleep Research. 2016 Dec 26. doi: 10.1111/jsr.12486. PMID: 28019055.
- Wickwire EM, Williams SG, Roth T, Capaldi VF, Jaffe M, Moline M, Motamedi GK, Morgan GW, Mysliwiec V, Germain A, Pazdan RM, Ferziger R, Balkin TJ, MacDonald ME, Macek TA, Yochelson MR, Scharf SM, Lettieri CL. Sleep, sleep disorders, and mild traumatic brain injury - What we know and what we need to know: Findings from a national working group. Neurotherapeutics. 2016 Apr;13(2):403-17.
- Vitantonio D, Xu W, Geng X, Takagaki K, Motamedi GK, Wu JY. Emergence of dominant initiation sites for interictal spikes in rat neocortex. J Neurophysiol. 2015 Oct 7.
- Kim KT, Cho, M.D YW, Kim DE, M.D, Hwang SH, Song ML, Motamedi GK. Two Subtypes of Positional Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Supine-predominant and Supine-isolated OSA. Clinical Neurophysiology. 2015 Jun 16.
- Motamedi GK, Wheeler MG. Daily episodes of confusion altered behavior · chronic sleep deprivation · Dx? J Fam Pract. 2015 Feb;64(2):92-6.
- Takagaki K, Morales MK, Vitantonio D, Berkowitz F, Bell WL, Kumar PN, Motamedi GK. Periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges (PLEDs) in patients with neurosyphilis and HIV infection. Clin EEG Neurosci. 2014 Oct 17.
- Takagaki K, Russell J, Lippert MT, Motamedi GK. Interhemispheric delay of alpha phase in autistic children. Clinical Neurophysiology. 2014 May 27.
- Vallabhaneni M, Baltassari L, Scribner JT, Cho YW, Motamedi GK. Wicket Spikes in Patients Undergoing Long-term Video-EEG Monitoring. Seizure, The European Journal of Epilepsy, 22 (2013) 14–19.
- Anyanwu C, Ghavami F, Schuelein M, Motamedi GK. Ethosuximide-induced conversion of typical childhood absence to Rolandic spikes? J Child Neurol. 2013 Jan;28(1), pp. 109–112.
- Raybould JE, Alfers C, Cho YW, Wang H, Nawar S, Epstein SA, Motamedi GK. Is EEG Screening for Temporal Lobe Epilepsy in Patients with Acute Psychosis warranted? J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2012 Sep 1;24(4):452-7.
- Motamedi GK, Gonzalez-sulser A, Dzakpasu R, Vicini S. Cellular mechanisms of desynchronizing effects of hypothermia in an in vitro epilepsy model. Neurotherapeutics 2012 Jan;9(1):199-209.
Select editorials:
- Motamedi GK. Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: A disconnect between mind and body. Epilepsy & Behavior. 2018 Jan;78:293-294. PMID: 29239801.
- Motamedi GK. Obstructive sleep apnea; is it the anatomy or physiology?. Clinical Neurophysiology, 125 (2014) 1717–1718.
Select reviews:
- Motamedi GK, Lesser RP, Vicini S. Therapeutic brain hypothermia, its mechanisms of action, and its prospects as a treatment for epilepsy. Epilepsia, 54(6):959–970, 2013.
- Anyanwu C, Motamedi GK. Management of pediatric refractory epilepsy. Journal of Pediatric Epilepsy 1 (2012) 203–209.
Select book chapters:
- Motamedi GK, Gotman J, Lesser RP. Technical and practical aspects of invasive recordings and brain stimulation. In: Lhatoo, Sam; Kahane, Philippe; Lüders, Hans, Editors. Invasive Studies of the Human Epileptic Brain: Principles and Practice of Invasive Brain Recordings and Stimulation in Epilepsy. Oxford University Press;1st Edition, 2018. In Press.
- Anyanwu C, Motamedi GK. Diagnosis and surgical treatment of epilepsy. In: Boling, Warren, Editor. Diagnosis and Surgical Treatment of Epilepsy. Brain Sciences; 1st Edition, 2018.
- Motamedi, GK. Epilepsy surgery and neurostimulation. In: Koubeissi MZ, Editor. Epilepsy Board Review: A Comprehensive Guide. DeveD, Inc. In Press.
- Motamedi GK, Lesser RP. Familial and Sporadic Nocturnal Frontal Lobe Epilepsy (NFLE) - Electroclinical Features. In: Osorio I, Zaveri HP, Frei MG, Arthurs S, Editors. Epilepsy: The Intersection of Neurosciences, Biology, Mathematics, Engineering and Physics. CRC Press, 2011. p. 445-50.
Online publications:
- Motamedi GK. Short GAA trinucleotide repeat expansion and late onset Friedreich's Ataxia. Case reports, Baylor Neurology Web Site, (http://www.bcm.edu/neurology/challeng/pat25/summary.html) 1998.
- Motamedi GK. Neuro-cysticercosis. Case reports, Baylor Neurology Web Site, (http://www.bcm.edu/neurology/challeng/pat10/summary.html) 1997.
Select abstracts:
- A Case of Fatal Familial Insomnia Caused by a D178N Mutation with Phenotypic Similarity to Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy. Stevens J, Levine M, Amjad F, Constantino A, Tornatore CS, Motamedi GK. MedStar Health Research Symposium. 2017.
- Miller A, Takagaki K, Cho M, Cho YW, Motamedi GK. Characterization of High Frequency Oscillations in a Patient with Epilepsy. Annals of Neurology Vol 80 (suppl 20) 2016.
- Jeon JY, Moon HJ, Motamedi GK, Cho YW. Cefepime induced encephalopathy in a tertiary medical center in Korea. Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society, 2014.
- Vitantonio D, Xu W, Wu J, Motamedi G. Early involvement of the contralateral cortex as a spatial organizer of the interictal spikes. American Epilepsy Society meeting, 2012.
- Gonzalez-Sulser A, Vicini S, Motamedi GK, Avoli M, Dzakpasu R. Pharmacological regulation of interictal activity studied with a perforated multi-electrode array in an in vitro epilepsy model. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, 2010.
- Cho YW, Yi SD, Kim DH, Shin WC, Motamedi GK. The effect of levetiracetam monotherapy on subjective sleep quality and objective sleep parameters in patients with epilepsy, compared with the effect of carbamazepine-CR monotherapy. European Conference on Epilepsy & Society, 2010.
- Motamedi GK, Gonzalez-Sulser A, David Press D, Dzakpasu R, Vicini S. Effects of cooling on synchronous epileptiform discharges in mice hippocampus and cortex recorded through a multi-electrode array (MEA). Epilepsia, 50(Suppl. 11):1–502, 2009.
- VanMeter JW, Newlin DB, Renton R, Breeden A, Motamedi G, Kuch J. Using MR Spectroscopy to Measure Cortical Changes in a Pharmacological Agent in Real-Time. Organization of Human Brain Mapping. San Francisco, CA, 2009.
- Motamedi GK, Partridge JG, Vicini S. Asynchronous and differential responses of the hippocampal pyramidal cells and interneurons to hypothermia. Epilepsia, 49(suppl. 7):1–498, 2008.
- Slezicki KI, Cho YW, Brock MS, Pfeiffer M, McVearry K, Tractenberg RE, Motamedi GK. Assessment of handedness in patients with epilepsy. Epilepsia, 49(suppl. 7):1–498, 2008.
- McVearry KM, Motamedi G, Meador K. Behavioral lateralization and prenatal exposure to antiepileptic drugs: Evidence for increased non-right hand preference. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 30(3), 153-262.
View a complete list of Dr. Motamedi's publications here.