New Advances in Neurosurgical Interventions for Parkinson's Disease with Doris Wang

For over a century, different surgical interventions have been explored to address symptoms of Parkinson's disease, and researchers are continuing to innovate and improve surgical treatments today. With new technology and an ever-expanding understanding of the function of the nervous system and the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease, neurosurgical interventions are becoming more effective and more personalized. Dr. Doris Wang joins us in this episode to discuss her work using focused ultrasound and deep brain stimulation (DBS) as treatments for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. She discusses some of the benefits and limitations of focused ultrasound treatment, comparisons of traditional versus asleep interventional MRI-guided deep brain stimulation surgery, advances in adaptive deep brain stimulation, and the development of gait-related biomarkers that could drive adaptive DBS. Doris is a neurosurgeon and Associate Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Mentioned in this episode:Researchers are studying the link between sense of smell and brain health. People with and without Parkinson's can help by taking a scratch-and-sniff test. It’s free, mailed to your home and takes just 15 minutes to complete. mysmelltest.org/getstartedThis podcast episode was part of a limited series created by The Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2023 and 2024 for clinicians and researchers in our audience.  These episodes provide a deeper dive into exciting new scientific research in Parkinson’s disease, as well as innovative tools and valuable resources, through conversations with a variety of experts in the field. We hope you enjoy the conversation.