Research

Our goal is the translation of basic laboratory research discoveries into clinical treatment options for patients with neurological disorders in order to reduce symptoms, minimize side effects and enhance function and quality of life. There are three main themes of our research:

Pathophysiology of Parkinson’s Disease

Millions of people in the U.S. and worldwide have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressively debilitating disorder characterized by abnormal movement. Our goal is to identify the specific changes in the activity of neurons in cortical and subcortical brain regions that are associated with the onset and progression of individual motor abnormalities associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD). People with PD develop specific problems with movement including slowness (bradykinesia), stiffness (rigidity), and uncontrollable rhythmic movements in the extremities and face (tremor), that worsen over time. The results of these studies will provide the understanding necessary for the refinement of current and development of future therapies, e.g. deep brain stimulation and gene therapy, directed at modulating the neuronal activity in the basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit responsible for the development of PD motor symptoms.

Mechanisms of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)

Fortunately, many patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) who no longer respond adequately to medications can be treated successfully with an FDA- approved implantable device that provides electrical stimulation deep within the brain, a therapy known as deep brain stimulation (DBS). DBS is being used for the treatment of a variety of movement as well as psychiatric disorders, with new applications arising at a rapid pace. While DBS therapy generally is effective for patients with PD, there is still much that is unknown about the way it works, especially under different conditions. Our goal is to obtain a better understanding of how DBS works in and between specific regions of the brain to improve movement function and to apply this knowledge to optimize DBS therapy for patients affected by movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease.

Innovations in Neuromodulation Therapies

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has revolutionized the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, with therapeutic benefit observed for many of its cardinal motor signs when key nodal points of the pallidothalamocortical circuit are chronically stimulated using high-frequency, isochronal electrical pulses. Almost three decades later, these stimulation parameters have largely gone unchanged despite significant advances in our understanding of the changes in underlying neural activity that accompany the development and progression of parkinsonian motor signs. We are using our findings about the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease and mechanisms of DBS in order to develop and assess new DBS strategies that may provide a more continuous and beneficial therapeutic effect than current approaches.

 

 

 

 

Ongoing Research

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Basal Ganglia-Cortical Connectivity in PD and DBS 

'Basal Ganglia Cortical Coupling & Connectivity Changes in PD & DBS'
National Institute of Health, NINDS: R01NS037019
Primary Investigator: Jerrold Vitek MD, PhD

Millions of people in the U.S. and worldwide have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressively debilitating disorder characterized by abnormal movement. Many patients with PD who no longer respond adequately to medications can be treated successfully with an FDA approved therapy known as deep brain stimulation (DBS), however results vary widely among individual patients and much remains unknown about how it works. Results from this study will provide a better understanding of how DBS and medical therapy change brain function to improve movement in patients, and lead to the development of a new DBS strategy that may provide a more continuous and beneficial therapeutic effect than current approaches.

'Neuronal Activity in MC/SMA in PD and DBS'

'Neuronal Activity in MC/SMA in PD and DBS'
National Institute of Health, NINDS: R37NS077657
Primary Investigator: Jerrold Vitek MD, PhD

Millions of people in the U.S. and worldwide have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a progressively debilitating disorder characterized by abnormal movement function. Fortunately, many patients with advanced disease who no longer respond adequately to medications have been successfully treated with an FDA- approved implantable device that provides electrical stimulation deep within the brain, a therapy known as deep brain stimulation (DBS). While DBS may significantly reduce symptoms in many cases, there is still much that is unknown about the way it works, especially under different conditions. Our goal is to obtain a better understanding of how DBS and medical therapy change brain function to improve movement in patients with PD and to apply this knowledge to optimize DBS and medical therapy for patients affected by Parkinson's disease.

Neurophysiological Mechanisms of PD

'Neurophysiological mechanisms underlying parkinsonian motor signs'
National Institute of Health, NINDS: 01NS058945
Primary Investigator: Jerrold Vitek MD, PhD
 

The goal of this study is to identify the specific changes in the activity of neurons in cortical and subcortical brain regions that are associated with the onset and progression of individual motor abnormalities associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). People with PD develop specific problems with movement manifested, including slowness (bradykinesia), stiffness (rigidity), and uncontrollable rhythmic movements in the extremities and face (tremor), that worsen over time. The results of this study will provide the understanding necessary for the refinement of current and development of future therapies, e.g. deep brain stimulation and gene therapy, directed at modulating the neuronal activity in the basal ganglia thalamic circuit responsible for the development of PD motor symptoms.

Effect of PD and DBS on Sleep-wake behavior

'The effects of parkinsonism and deep brain stimulation on basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuitry during sleep-wake behavior'
National Institute of Health, NINDS: R01NS110613
Primary Investigator: Luke Johnson, PhD
 

Sleep-wake disturbances are a major factor associated with reduced quality of life of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressive neurological disorder affecting millions of people in the U.S and worldwide. The brain mechanisms underlying these sleep disorders, and the effects of therapeutic interventions such as deep brain stimulation on sleep-related neuronal activity and sleep behavior, are not well understood. Results from this study will provide a better understanding of the brain circuitry involved in disordered sleep in parkinsonism and inform the development of targeted therapeutic interventions to treat sleep disorders in people with neurodegenerative disease.

Circuit-based deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease

'Circuit-based deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease'
National Institute of Health, NINDS: 5P50NS098573
Primary Investigator: Jerrold Vitek MD, PhD

The overall goal of the UMN Udall Center is to define the changes in brain circuitry that underlie the motor dysfunction in Parkinson's disease and use this information to develop novel deep brain stimulation therapeutic approaches. The UMN Udall Center will integrate neuroimaging, neurophysiology, and deep brain stimulation techniques to improve the lives of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. For more information visit: 
UMN Udall Center.

Optimizing coordinated reset deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease

'Optimizing coordinated reset deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease'
National Institute of Health, NINDS: 1R01NS117822
Primary Investigator: Jing Wang, PhD

Deep brain stimulation is a surgical procedure for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. A novel approach to current DBS is called coordinated reset DBS which uses different patterns of stimulation at lower currents and can also induce motor improvement that persist after cessation of stimulation. This study will assess critical features and optimal target site for CR DBS that provide optimal clinical outcomes.