Elena Urrestarazu was born in the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. Most of her academic formation was realized in the University of Navarra. Between 1990 to 1996 she conducted her MD studies at this university and, after passing the MIR exam in the 39thposition, she attained the Specialty of Neurology in the Clinica Universitaria of the University of Navarra. In 2002 she obtained the scholarship of the Spanish Society of Neurology for Specific Qualification in Epilepsy, which was realized in the Epilepsy Unit of the same hospital. In October 2004 she finished her PhD,Apto Cum Laude,in the program of Neuroscience of theUniversity of Navarrawith the Thesis "Application of Independent Component Analysis (ICA) in the interpretation of electroencephalographic signals in epilepsy". She was financed by a scholarship of the Basque Government.
Her current interest includes the analysis depth-EEG recordings using ICA to detect the relationships between brain areas. She is also studying high frequency (100-500 Hz) oscillations occurring in relation to interictal spikes recorded intra-cerebrally.
Dr.Urrestarazu has since left the lab in the summer of 2006, and now hold the positionClinical assistant, Department of Neurology, University Clinic of
Navarra, and Professor Associated to the Medical School, University of Navarra.