Srikanth Damera, M.D., Ph.D. Pediatrics Research Track Resident

Srikanth Damera, M.D., Ph.D. joined the Developing Brain Institute (DBI) in ​2022. Srikanth is a Pediatrics Research Track Resident and awardee of the R38 CNSTARR Award. He also is the first Pediatric Resident from DBI to successfully be accepted into the American Board of Pediatrics Integrated Research Pathway. In his current work, Srikanth  investigates the neural mechanisms that mediate cognitive deficits often seen in patients diagnosed with congenital heart disease (CHD). He is particularly interested in how altered development of a key developmental brain structure known as the subplate in CHD leads to adverse

Man in suit smiling wearing glasses.

neurodevelopmental outcomes. Prior to joining the DBI, Srikanth earned his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at Georgetown University School of Medicine. During his Ph.D., with his mentor Dr. Maximilian Riesenhuber, Srikanth investigated how sensory systems (e.g., vision, hearing, touch) support language and learning in the adult brain. Through this work, he developed a strong foundation in electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging and study of sensory systems. Srikanth also became fascinated by the development of these sensory systems and how they shape behavior.

During his final year of medical school, Srikanth joined DBI to pursue this new avenue of research and to investigate how early experiences during the perinatal period shape sensory cortex function later in life. Since then, his research interests have focused on how early perturbations to typical brain development lead to altered neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Address: 111 Michigan Ave. NW; Washington, D.C., 20010
Email: [email protected]
Department: MRI Lab

Recent publications and presentations

2024 | April

Damera SR, De Asis-Cruz J, Cook KM, Kapse K, Spoehr E, Murnick J, Basu S, Andescavage N, Limperopoulos C. Regional homogeneity as a marker of sensory cortex dysmaturity in preterm infants. iScience. 2024 Apr 4;27(5):109662. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109662. PMID: 38665205; PMCID: PMC11043889
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38665205/