Vikram Shakkottai, M.D., Ph.D.

Biography

Vikram Shakkottai, M.D., Ph.D., obtained his medical degree at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, and his Ph.D. at the University of California, Irvine. He received his neurology residency training at Washington University/Barnes-Jewish hospital, and was a fellow in movement disorders at the University of Michigan. He joined the full-time faculty at University of Michigan in 2010. He moved to UTSW in 2021.

The long-term goal of Dr. Shakkottai’s clinical and laboratory research is to determine whether alterations in neuronal physiology contribute to motor dysfunction and to translate preclinical murine model research to human clinical trials for cerebellar ataxia. Work in Dr. Shakkottai’s laboratory has identified shared dysfunction in the cerebellum in murine models of ataxia, with identification of several ion channels that act in concert, and converging on large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels. BK channels are likely a key target for therapy in degenerative ataxias.

Dr. Shakkottai's clinical interests include cerebellar ataxia; inherited and sporadic disorders of cerebellar dysfunction; balance disorders; and other movement disorders.