Krucoff Laboratory
Location
Marquette University, 160F Cramer Hall
604 N. 16th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53233
General Interests
Neuroplasticity induction, electrophysiological biomarkers of brain plasticity, neurophysiology of motor systems, brain control of hand movement, neural interfaces to improve function in central nervous system injury, neurorehabilitation
View Max Krucoff, MD BioAbout the PI
Dr. Krucoff is a neurosurgeon-scientist on faculty in the Departments of Neurosurgery and Biomedical Engineering at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University. He received his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, IL, and his Doctor of Medicine (MD) from George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC. Dr. Krucoff completed his neurosurgical residency at Duke University in Durham NC, where he received extensive training in brain tumor surgery from some of the biggest names in the field. Additionally, Dr. Krucoff underwent a year of specialized training in functional and epilepsy surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he learned about the latest implantable bidirectional neural interfaces and brain mapping techniques. Dr. Krucoff's excellent surgical technique and bedside manner have been recognized by his mentors and peers, earning him the prestigious Surgical Excellence Award as a chief resident and election into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) medical honor society as a medical student. As a neurosurgeon, Dr. Krucoff specializes in brain tumor operations that preserve critical neurological functions when they are at risk, like language and movement. He integrates the latest technological advancements with microscopic surgical technique to get the best outcomes for his patients, and his lab is set up to continue advancing what is possible when interacting with the human brain.
Dr. Krucoff’s post-graduate research career began at Northwestern University (NU) in Lee Miller, PhD’s lab where he served as a research technician learning about the dynamics of the primate motor cortex during limb movement. In medical school, Dr. Krucoff was one of 20 medical students nationwide awarded the 2010 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Medical Student Research Scholarship to return to NU and work with Marc Slutzky, MD, PhD, on decoding hand movement from the human motor cortex with electrocorticography (ECoG). Later, while at Duke, Dr. Krucoff worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the lab of Miguel Nicolelis, MD, PhD, which included receiving an R25 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to neural interfaces in non-human primates.
Dr. Krucoff's scientific pursuits have earned him widespread recognition, including election into the Robert J. Lefkowitz Society for physician-scientists at Duke University and the Tau Beta Pi (TBP) engineering honor society at Northwestern University, amongst others.
Dr. Krucoff currently lives in Wisconsin with his wife, Kate, and two daughters, Josephine and Maya. When he’s not at work or with his family, you can probably find him in his music studio playing the drums.
Joining the Lab
Members of the Krucoff lab have unique opportunities to partner with consenting neurosurgical patients to learn more about how motor systems organize and reorganize in response to brain tumor growth, removal, and direct electrical stimulation. We partner with clinicians and scientists throughout the world in collaborative efforts to learn more about the physiology of human motor systems, and to improve outcomes for patients with central nervous system injuries by expanding what is possible.
Collaborating Labs
- Integrative Neural Engineering & Rehabilitation Laboratory, Marquette University. PI: Brian Schmit, PhD
- Laboratory of Neuromodulation & Neuroimaging, UCLA. PI: Nanthia Suthana, PhD
- Slutzky Neuroprosthetics Laboratory, Northwestern University. PI: Marc Slutzky, MD, PhD
- Yadav Lab, Indiana University. PI: Amol Yadav, PhD
- Lebedev Lab, Moscow, Russia. PI: Mikhail Lebedev, PhD
Current Projects
Current Members

Ahmed Awad, MD
Neurosurgery Resident, Class of 2024

Timothy Boerger, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Brian Conway
Medical Student

Sarah Cornell
Research Coordinator

Edward Harwick
Medical Student

Stephanie Schwartz, MPAS, PA-C, CNIM
Physician Assistant

Leon Taquet
Engineer I
Krucoff Lab Image Gallery
Recent Publications
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Generating artificial sensations with spinal cord stimulation in primates and rodents.
(Yadav AP, Li S, Krucoff MO, Lebedev MA, Abd-El-Barr MM, Nicolelis MAL.) Brain Stimul. 2021 Jul-Aug;14(4):825-836 PMID: 34015518 PMCID: PMC8316418 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85106366436 05/21/2021
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Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease: Invasive and Noninvasive Neuromodulation.
(Rahimpour S, Gaztanaga W, Yadav AP, Chang SJ, Krucoff MO, Cajigas I, Turner DA, Wang DD.) Neuromodulation. 2021 Jul;24(5):829-842 PMID: 33368872 PMCID: PMC8233405 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85098079849 12/29/2020
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(Krucoff MO, Wozny TA, Lee AT, Rao VR, Chang EF.) Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2021 01 13;20(2):E98-E109 PMID: 33074294 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85099774213 10/20/2020
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(Aaronson DM, Martinez Del Campo E, Boerger TF, Conway B, Cornell S, Tate M, Mueller WM, Chang EF, Krucoff MO.) Front Surg. 2021;8:730367 PMID: 34660677 PMCID: PMC8517489 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85117333999 10/19/2021
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(Krucoff MO, Gramer R, Lott D, Kale E, Yadav AP, Abd-El-Barr MM, Sinha SR, Lad SP.) Spinal Cord Ser Cases. 2020 10 16;6(1):96 PMID: 33067413 PMCID: PMC7567797 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85092617172 10/18/2020
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(Galan D, Monuszko K, Sankey EW, Zakare-Fagbamila R, Yang Z, Niedzwiecki D, Gottfried O, Bagley CA, Krucoff MO.) J Clin Neurosci. 2019 Oct;68:80-85 PMID: 31327584 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85070731404 07/23/2019
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(Sergesketter AR, Elsamadicy AA, Lubkin DT, Krucoff KB, Krucoff MO, Muh CR.) J Craniofac Surg. 2019 Mar/Apr;30(2):334-338 PMID: 30358747 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85067315645 10/26/2018
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(Wang TY, Harward SC 2nd, Tsvankin V, Bell H, Charalambous L, Adil SM, Englot DJ, Goodwin CR, Karikari IO, Isaacs RE, Krucoff MO.) Clin Spine Surg. 2019 02;32(1):18-29 PMID: 30589647 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85060923711 12/28/2018
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(Krucoff MO, Miller JP, Saxena T, Bellamkonda R, Rahimpour S, Harward SC, Lad SP, Turner DA.) Neurosurgery. 2019 01 01;84(1):30-40 PMID: 29800461 PMCID: PMC6292792 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85058880894 05/26/2018
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(Sergesketter AR, Elsamadicy AA, Lubkin DT, Kemeny H, Harward SC, Krucoff KB, Krucoff MO, Fuchs H, Thompson EM, Allori AC, Marcus JR, Muh CR.) J Craniofac Surg. 2018 Oct;29(7):1767-1771 PMID: 30059426 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85054451689 07/31/2018
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Sensory percepts induced by microwire array and DBS microstimulation in human sensory thalamus.
(Swan BD, Gasperson LB, Krucoff MO, Grill WM, Turner DA.) Brain Stimul. 2018 Mar - Apr;11(2):416-422 PMID: 29126946 PMCID: PMC5803348 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85032918154 11/12/2017
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(Krucoff MO, Chan AY, Harward SC, Rahimpour S, Rolston JD, Muh C, Englot DJ.) Epilepsia. 2017 12;58(12):2133-2142 PMID: 28994113 PMCID: PMC5716856 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85031121359 10/11/2017