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Brian B. Koo, MD

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Associate Professor

Titles

Director, Sleep Medicine Laboratory at Connecticut Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Medicine; Director, Yale Center for Restless Legs Syndrome

About

Titles

Associate Professor

Director, Sleep Medicine Laboratory at Connecticut Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Medicine; Director, Yale Center for Restless Legs Syndrome

Biography

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA, 1995) and Tufts University School of Medicine (MD, 2001), Dr. Koo joined the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine faculty in 2008 and was subsequently recruited to Yale University in 2013. Dr. Koo’s primary clinical and research interest lies at the intersection between neurology and sleep medicine. Dr. Koo is particularly interested in the restless legs syndrome (RLS) and REM sleep behavior disorder and conducts patient-oriented clinical research to determine the underlying pathophysiology of these disorders. Dr. Koo is an international expert in the diagnosis, treatment, and investigation of restless legs syndrome and and treats patients with RLS from across the tri-state area. Currently, Dr. Koo's work focuses on assessing the role of the pro-opiomelanocortin-derived neuropeptides in RLS, and the role of autoimmunity in REM sleep behavior disorder. Other areas of research interest for Dr. Koo include the association between obstructive sleep apnea and wake-up stroke and the effects of cluster headache on quality of life.

Dr. Koo is director of the sleep laboratory at the Connecticut Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and the director of the Yale Center for Restless Legs Syndrome, an RLS Foundation sponsored Quality Care Center. Dr. Koo sees patients with sleep disorders at both Yale and the West Haven VA and is dedicated to the care of patients with both neurologic and sleep disorders.

Appointments

  • Neurology

    Associate Professor on Term
    Primary

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Fellowship
Case Western Reserve University (2008)
Fellowship
Cleveland Clinic (2006)
Residency
Long Island Jewish Hospital (2005)
MD
Tufts University School of Medicine (2001)
BA
University of Pennsylvania, Biological Basis of Behavior (1995)

Research

Overview

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Neurology; Restless Legs Syndrome; Sleep; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive; Stroke; Veterans

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Brian B. Koo's published research.

Publications

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2018

Clinical Trials

Current Trials

Academic Achievements and Community Involvement

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Clinical Care

Overview

Brian B. Koo, MD, is an award-winning physician who combines his training in neurology and sleep medicine to treat patients with a wide variety of sleep disorders.

An internationally recognized expert in his field, Dr. Koo is the director of the Sleep Medicine Program at the Connecticut Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, as well as director of the Yale Medicine Program for Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). He works with patients who suffer from sleep disorders, including narcolepsy, RLS, sleep apnea and sleep issues caused by neurological conditions. “Sleep disorders are very treatable and we are almost always able to provide simple, effective treatments that can significantly and positively impact quality of life,” he says.

An assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Koo is also an active researcher and author specializing in RLS, and one of the world’s foremost experts on the epidemiologic research that links periodic limb movements during sleep and cardiovascular disease.

Clinical Specialties

Neurology

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Sleep Medicine

    Certification Organization
    AB of Psychiatry & Neurology
    Latest Certification Date
    2017
    Original Certification Date
    2007
  • Neurology

    Certification Organization
    AB of Psychiatry & Neurology
    Latest Certification Date
    2016
    Original Certification Date
    2006

Yale Medicine News

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