This article is part of New Fresco Institute Expands Operations of Parkinson鈥檚 Division, Neurology & Neurosurgery Year in Review, Neurology & Neurosurgery 2015 Year in Review.
NYU Langone鈥檚 , a collaboration between our聽 and departments, is a regional leader in another important treatment approach for Parkinson鈥檚, involving the surgical implantation of (DBS) devices. Each device contains a set of tiny electrodes that are placed in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) or globus pallidus internus (GPi) and then stimulated via an implanted pacemaker according to settings tailored to the patient.
鈥淭his technique can signi铿乧antly alleviate motor symptoms in Parkinson鈥檚 patients who are not adequately treated by medication, or are experiencing problematic medication side effects,鈥 notes , associate professor of neurosurgery and anesthesiology, who is the center鈥檚 co-director, along with , assistant professor of neurosurgery and neurology.
The center, which is also a worldwide leader in the use of , recently published the lead article in the journal Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery on its investigational work with a new computerized system from Boston Scienti铿乧 that auto颅颅matically programs DBS settings for Parkinson鈥檚 patients.
鈥淲e found that the software can calculate the initial settings almost as well as a DBS specialist,鈥 says Dr. Mogilner. While the initial adjustment session typically takes several hours without computer assistance and requires a very experienced neurologist, he adds, the new technology allows adjustments to be made more quickly and provides valuable support to less experienced physicians鈥攁 combination that should ultimately give more Parkinson鈥檚 patients access to the technology.
