K.C. Brennan,
MD
Languages Spoken: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
K.C. Brennan, MD, is a clinician scientist who specializes in the treatment of headache. disorders. His lab studies the basic mechanisms of migraine and post-traumatic headache. See more about his lab here.
You can also view his
Clinical Locations
Headache Clinic
801-585-7575
Board Certification and Academic Information
| Academic Departments | Neurology
-
Professor Neurobiology - Adjunct Professor |
| Academic Divisions | Headache and Neuro-Ophthalmology |
| Board Certification | American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Neurology) United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (Headache Medicine) |
Patient Rating
The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to care provider related questions on our nationally-recognized Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey.
Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.
Likelihood of recommending care provider
4.9/ 5
Care provider's explanation of condition/problem
4.9/ 5
Care provider's effort to include me in decisions
4.9/ 5
Wait time at clinic
4.4/ 5
Care provider's concern for questions & worries
4.9/ 5
Patient Comments
Patient comments are gathered from our Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survery and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.
UofU Patient
September 12, 2022
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Dr. Brennan isn't the neurologist I normally see but after this appointment I want to switch to him. He was so caring.
UofU Patient
June 29, 2022
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
The provider has a great personality, very refreshing.
UofU Patient
June 27, 2022
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Dr. Brennan very knowledgeable, informative, sensitive and helpful.
UofU Patient
May 10, 2022
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
This doctor was insightful about some nervousness I have and very considerate of that
UofU Patient
May 03, 2022
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Dr. Brennan is super caring, considerate, fun to talk to and he knows what he is doing.
UofU Patient
May 02, 2022
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Casey was Very Very Nice!
UofU Patient
March 10, 2022
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Care provider is very intelligent, experienced, with a wide range of knowledge. She is also extremely personable.
UofU Patient
March 09, 2022
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
He is very good to ask and make sure placement is good.
UofU Patient
February 09, 2022
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Dr. Brennon was wonderful. He answered all my questions.
UofU Patient
November 09, 2021
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Dr. Brennan is always pleasant and friendly while being professional.
UofU Patient
November 02, 2021
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
KC was so incredibly thoughtful and kind. I walked out of my doctor's appt feeling like I had someone who genuinely cared about me and my condition without hesitation. I am very thankful for this amazing team of UofU neurologists.
UofU Patient
October 06, 2021
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Dr Brennan is great! He is personable as well as competent. I trust him completely to administer Botox injections for Migraine Managment.
UofU Patient
September 20, 2021
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
I don't think they get any better than Dr Brennan
UofU Patient
September 08, 2021
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Excellent doctor, you can tell he really cares about his patients. Very impressive
UofU Patient
August 16, 2021
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Dr. Brennan is an excellent dr and I am always grateful for his care.
UofU Patient
June 28, 2021
IMAGING AND NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
I love Dr Brennan. he just needs to stop double scheduling appointments. the 45-50 minute wait times are getting old.
UofU Patient
June 15, 2021
IMAGING AND NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
said he would follow up with me after asking another provider a question. Haven't heard back. Lack of communication is very frustrating.
UofU Patient
June 07, 2021
IMAGING AND NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
My doctor was incredible! He was very kind and he seemed to really care about me. It has been a long time since I have had that level of care.
UofU Patient
May 19, 2021
IMAGING AND NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
CANNOT RECOMMEND DR. BRENNAN ENOUGH. He's the best Botox Doctor I've ever had. So many things make sense now with treatment, migraines and such. My previous migraine/botox doctor pails in comparisons. NEVER GET RID OF HIM.
UofU Patient
May 10, 2021
IMAGING AND NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
I did recommend Dr Brennan to a friend who was looking for a new neurologist. He is so great!
UofU Patient
March 29, 2021
IMAGING AND NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
I mean, I trust this man to inject my face and scalp with anesthetics and I keep going back for more face stabbies so I feel that's really all you need to know about the care he provides.
UofU Patient
March 15, 2021
IMAGING AND NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Dr Brennan is perfect at giving Botox injections. I would not trust anyone else. He's also a fun doctor - upbeat and humorous while sympathetic.
UofU Patient
February 24, 2021
IMAGING AND NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
Dr. Brennan has always listened to my concerns and adjusts each treatment to fit my needs at that time
UofU Patient
February 01, 2021
IMAGING AND NEUROSCIENCES CENTER
dr Brenner is amazing
K.C. Brennan, MD, is a clinician scientist who specializes in the treatment of headache. disorders. His lab studies the basic mechanisms of migraine and post-traumatic headache. See more about his lab here.
You can also view his
Academic Locations
Board Certification and Academic Information
| Academic Departments | Neurology
-
Professor Neurobiology - Adjunct Professor |
| Academic Divisions | Headache and Neuro-Ophthalmology |
| Board Certification | American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Neurology) United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (Headache Medicine) |
Research Interests
- Migraine
- Cortical Spreading Depression
- Headache Disorders
Education History
| Other Training | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Summer Course Imaging Structure and Function in the Nervous System , 2007 |
| Fellowship | David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Department of Neurology Headache, Neurophysiology Fellow, 2007 |
| Residency | David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Neurology Resident, 2005 |
| Internship | George Washington University Medical Center Internal Medicine Intern, 2002 |
| Professional Medical | Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Medicine M.D., 2001 |
| Certification | Georgetown University Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Sciences Certificate, 1996 |
| Undergraduate | Georgetown University School of Foreign Service B.A., 1993 |
Selected Publications - Journal Articles
Journal Article
- Cortez MM, Millsap L, Brennan KC, Campbell CL (2019). Craniofacial Autonomic Dysfunction in Migraine: Implications for Treatment and Prognosis. J Neuroophthalmol, 40(1), 67-73.
- Shuttleworth CW, Andrew RD, Akbari Y, Ayata C, Balu R, Brennan KC, Boutelle M, Carlson AP, Dreier JP, Fabricius M, Farkas E, Foreman B, Helbok R, Henninger N, Jewell SL, Jones SC, Kirov SA, Lindquist BE, Maciel CB, Okonkwo D, Reinhart KM, Robertson RM, Rosenthal ES, Watanabe T, Hartings JA (2019). Which Spreading Depolarizations Are Deleterious To Brain Tissue? Neurocrit Care.
- Chung LS, Brennan KC, Rolston JD (2019). Early Focal Brain Injury Predicts Spreading Depolarizations after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. Neurosurgery, 85(2), E188-E189.
- Pietrobon D, Brennan KC (2019). Genetic mouse models of migraine. J Headache Pain, 20(1), 79.
- Cortez MM, Rae N, Millsap L, McKean N, Brennan KC (2019). Pupil Cycle Time Distinguishes Migraineurs From Subjects Without Headache. Front Neurol, 10, 478.
- Sawant-Pokam PM, Suryavanshi P, Mendez JM, Dudek FE, Brennan KC (2017). Mechanisms of Neuronal Silencing After Cortical Spreading Depression. Cereb Cortex, 27(2), 1311-1325.
- Kaufmann D, Bates EA, Yagen B, Bialer M, Saunders GH, Wilcox K, White HS, Brennan KC (2016). sec-Butylpropylacetamide (SPD) has antimigraine properties. Cephalalgia, 36(10), 924-35.
- Bogdanov VB, Middleton NA, Theriot JJ, Parker PD, Abdullah OM, Ju YS, Hartings JA, Brennan KC (2016). Susceptibility of Primary Sensory Cortex to Spreading Depolarizations. J Neurosci, 36(17), 4733-43.
- Kinard KI, Smith AG, Singleton JR, Lessard MK, Katz BJ, Warner JE, Crum AV, Mifflin MD, Brennan KC, Digre KB (2015). Chronic migraine is aaociated with reduced corneal nerve fiber density and symptoms of dry eye. Headache, 55(4), 543-9.
- Tang YT, Mendez JM, Theriot JJ, Sawant PM, Lpez-Valds HE, Ju YS, Brennan KC (2014). Minimum conditions for the induction of cortical spreading depression in brain slices. J Neurophysiol, 112(10), 2572-9.
- Lopez-Valdes HE, Clarkson AN, Ao Y, Charles AC, Carmichael ST, Sofroniew MV, Brennan K (2014). Memantine enhances recovery from stroke. Stroke, 45(7), 2093-100.
- Chang J, Brennan K, He D, Huang H, Miura R, Wilson P, Wylie J (Summer 2013). A Mathematical Model of the Metabolic and Perfusion Effects on Cortical Spreading Depression. PLoS One.
- Clarkson AN, Lopez-Valdes HE, Overmann JJ, Charles AC, Brennan KC, Thomas Carmichael S (2013). Multimodal examination of structural and functional remapping in the mouse photothrombotic stroke model. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab, 33(5), 716-723.
- Brennan KC, Bates EA, Shapiro RE, Zyuzin J, Hallows WC, Huang Y, Lee HY, Jones CR, Fu YH, Charles AC, Ptacek LJ (2013). Casein kinase 1 delta mutations in familial migraine and advanced sleep phase. Sci Transl Med, 1(5), 1-11.
- Bogdanov VB, Bogdanov OV, Koulchitsky SV, Chauvel V, Multon S, Makarchuk MY, Brennan KC, Renshaw PF, Schoenen J (01/01/2013). Behavior in the open field predicts the number of KCl-induced cortical spreading depression in rats. Behav Brain Res, 236, 90 - 93.
- Theriot JJ, Toga AW, Prakash N, Ju, YS, Brennan KC (In Press). Cortical sensory plasticity in a model of migraine with aura. J Neurosci, 32(44), 15252-61.
- Ahn AH, Brennan KC (2012). Unanswered questions in headache: how does a migraine attack stop? Headache, 52(1), 186-7.
- Chang JC, Brennan KC, Chou T (2011). Tracking monotonically advancing boundaries in image sequences using graph cuts and recursive kernel shape priors. IEEE Trans Med Imaging, PMC2215697.
- Tang YT, Kim J, Lopez-Valdes HE, Brennan KC, Ju YS (2011). Development and characterization of a microfluidic chamber incorporating fluid ports with active suction for localized chemical stimulation of brain slices. Lab Chip, 11(13), 2247-54.
- Lopez-Valdes HE, Beltran-Parrazal L, Brennan KC, Charles AC (2010). Bradykinin increases resensitization of purinergic receptor signaling in glioma cells. Cancer Cell Int, 10, 35.
- Chang JC, Shook LL, Biag J, Nguyen EN, Toga AW, Charles AC, Brennan KC (2010). Biphasic direct current shift, haemoglobin desaturation and neurovascular uncoupling in cortical spreading depression. Brain, 133(Pt 4), 996-1012.
- Bates EA, Nikai T, Brennan KC, Fu YH, Charles AC, Basbaum AI, Ptacek LJ, Ahn AH (2010). Sumatriptan alleviates nitroglycerin-induced mechanical and thermal allodynia in mice. Cephalalgia, 30(2), 170-8.
- Charles A, Flippen C, Romero Reyes M, Brennan KC (2007). Memantine for prevention of migraine: a retrospective study of 60 cases. J Headache Pain, 8(4), 248-50.
- Brennan KC, Romero Reyes M, Lopez Valdes HE, Arnold AP, Charles AC (2007). Reduced threshold for cortical spreading depression in female mice. Ann Neurol, 61(6), 603-6.
- Brennan KC, Beltran-Parrazal L, Lopez-Valdes HE, Theriot J, Toga AW, Charles AC (2007). Distinct vascular conduction with cortical spreading depression. J Neurophysiol, 97(6), 4143-51.
- Beltran-Parrazal L, Lpez-Valds HE, Brennan KC, Daz-Muoz M, de Vellis J, Charles AC (2006). Mitochondrial transport in processes of cortical neurons is independent of intracellular calcium. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, 291(6), C1193-7.
- Brennan KC, Jurewicz EC, Ford B, Pullman SL, Louis ED (2002). Is essential tremor predominantly a kinetic or a postural tremor? A clinical and electrophysiological study. Mov Disord, 17(2), 313-6.
- Sakai N, Brennan K, Weiss L, Matile S (1997). Toward Biomimetic Ion Channels Formed by Rigid-Rod Molecules: Length-Dependent Ion-Transport Activity of Oligo(p-Phenylene)s. J Am Chem Soc, 119, 8726-8727.
Review
- Digre KB, Brennan KC (2012). Shedding light on photophobia. [Review]. J Neuroophthalmol, 32(1), 68-81.
- Brennan KC, Charles A (2010). An update on the blood vessel in migraine. [Review]. Curr Opin Neurol, 23(3), 266-74.
- Charles A, Brennan KC (2010). The neurobiology of migraine. [Review]. Handb Clin Neurol, 97, 99-108.
- Charles A, Brennan K (2009). Cortical spreading depression-new insights and persistent questions. [Review]. Cephalalgia, 29(10), 1115-24.
- Brennan KC, Charles A (2009). Sleep and headache. [Review]. Semin Neurol, 29(4), 406-18.
- Matsumoto J, Saver JL, Brennan KC, Ringman JM (2005). Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with lactic acidosis and stroke (MELAS). [Review]. Rev Neurol Dis, 2(1), 30-4.
Book Chapter
- Charles A, Brennan KC (2010). The neurobiology of migraine. In Handb Clin Neurol (97, pp. 99-108).
- Brennan KC, Toga AW (2009). Intraoperative optical imaging. In Frostig R (Ed.), Methods for in vivo Optical Imaging of the Central Nervous System. CRC Press.
- CharlesAC, Brennan KC (2008). Glial cell calcium signaling. In Squire L (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Elsevier Press.
- Brennan KC, Charles AC (2008). Mechanisms of cortical spreading depression as targets for migraine therapy. In OlesenJ, Ramadan N (Eds.), Frontiers in Headache Research: Innovative Drug Development for Headache Disorders. Oxford University Press.
Editorial
- Brennan KC, Ahn AH (2013). Unanswered questions in headache: So what is photophobia, anyway? Headache, 53(10), 1673-4.
- Brennan KC (2011). Turn down the lights! An irritable occipital cortex in migraine without aura. Neurology, 76(3), 206-7.
- Charles A, Brennan KC (2008). A touch of increased pain: cutaneous allodynia in migraine. Ann Neurol, 63(2), 130-2.
- Charles A, Brennan KC (2007). Sumatriptan-naproxen combination for acute migraine. Nat Clin Pract Neurol, 3(11), 604-5.
Abstract
- Lopez-Valdes HE, Clarkson AN, Carmichael ST, Charles AC, Brennan KC (2009). Chronic treatment with memantine enhances recovery of somatosensory maps in a mouse stroke model. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL [Abstract].
- Brennan KC, Chang J, Shook L, Biag J, Nguyen E, Toga AW, Charles AC (2009). Biphasic DC shift, hemoglobin desaturation, and neurovascular uncoupling in cortical spreading depression. 134th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association, Baltimore MD. Selected for Platform Presentation. [Abstract].
- Lopez-Valdes HE, Biag J, Chang J, Toga AW, Charles AC, Brennan KC (2008). Long term optical intrinsic signal imaging of forepaw and hindpaw cortex in mouse. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC [Abstract].
- Chang J, Shook L, Charles AC, Brennan KC (2008). Significant hemoglobin desaturation during cortical spreading depression. 133rd Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association, Salt Lake City UT [Abstract].
- Brennan KC, Romero Reyes M, Lopez-Valdes HE, Arnold AP, Charles AC (2007). Reduced threshold for cortical spreading depression in female mice. 13th Annual Congress of the International Headache Society, Stockholm, Sweden [Abstract].
- KC Brennan, Hector E Lpez-Valds, Marcela Romero Reyes, Arthur P Arnold, Andrew C Charles (2007). Reduced threshold for cortical spreading depression in female mice. American Headache Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Chicago IL. Selected for Platform Presentation. [Abstract].
- Brennan KC, Shapiro RE, Xu Y, Ptacek LJ, Fu YH, Charles AC (2006). Alterations in spreading depression in a transgenic mouse carrying a novel potential migraine gene. (Selected for Platform Presentation, awarded Best Poster Prize), Migraine Trust International Symposium, London, UK [Abstract].
- KC Brennan, Robert Shapiro, Louis Ptcek, and Andrew Charles (2006). Reduced threshold for cortical spreading depression and increased vasodilatation in mice expressing CK1dT44A. American Headache Society Annual Scientific Meeting, Los Angeles CA. Selected for Platform Presentation. [Abstract].
- KC Brennan, Ying Xu, Louis Ptcek, and Andrew Charles (2006). Reduced threshold for cortical spreading depression in mice expressing CK1dT44A. Channels, Receptors, and Synapses Meeting. Cold Spring Harbor NY. Selected for Platform Presentation. [Abstract].
- KC Brennan, Jeremy Theriot, Kevin Cury, Arthur W Toga, Andrew C Charles (2005). Changes in arterial caliber can precede cortical spreading depression. 12th Annual Congress of the International Headache Society, Kyoto, Japan. Selected for Platform Presentation. [Abstract].
- Brennan KC, Guiou M, Cury K, Prakash N, Toga A, Charles AC (2004). Flufenamic acid prevents optical intrinsic signal changes associated with spreading depression. UCLA Joint Neurology Residency and Postdoctoral Research Symposium [Abstract].
Other
- Brennan K, Digre K, Baggaley S (2012). Headache- A Patient's Guide.