Research

Mayo Clinic fosters an environment where scientific expertise is combined with clinical insights to create solutions for unmet patient needs. The unrelenting focus of our neurosurgery researchers results in improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological conditions.

Our neuroscientists constantly seek new knowledge to improve diagnosis, therapies and outcomes for people with brain, spine and nervous system disorders. Talk with your doctors to determine if one of the clinic's many neurosurgery-related clinical trials might be an option for you.

Our physician-scientists work with researchers worldwide, contributing to advances in medicine that improve neurologic care for people everywhere.

Examples of successes that improve people's lives include:

  • Using neurostimulation to identify novel brain regions controlling motor function, which will affect how surgery is done for epilepsy and brain tumors. This also will lead to advances in neuromodulation and brain-machine interfaces.
  • Studying which approaches to glioblastoma have the best outcomes over time.
  • Developing approaches to viral and immunotherapy for a brain tumor called glioblastoma.
  • Advancing our understanding of the complex condition arteriovenous malformation.
  • Developing an epilepsy treatment model that focuses on whole-person care.
  • Drawing on advances in artificial intelligence to improve neurosurgical expertise.
  • Using data to improve surgical outcomes.
  • Using liquid biopsy, that is blood and cerebrospinal fluid, for brain tumors.

Mayo Clinic's research programs are productive and widely respected, with labs at its campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Our surgeon-researchers and other scientists work with colleagues worldwide. Together they advance neurological care for people everywhere.

Research labs

Explore research labs.

Research centers and programs

Research Profiles

April 18, 2026