Studying Basal Ganglia Circuits and Developing Deep Brain Stimulation Protocols for Longer-Lasting Effects with Aryn Gittis

Improving our understanding of the complex neural circuits involved in normal function of the basal ganglia and other parts of the brain impacted by Parkinson's disease is critical for developing more targeted and more effective treatment approaches. In this episode, Dr. Aryn Gittis discusses her research examining how the activity of specific basal ganglia circuits relates to motor control in both health and pre-clinical models of movement disorders like Parkinson's disease. She describes new research on basal ganglia circuits that expands upon existing theoretical frameworks and provides important insights that can be leveraged to improve current therapies for Parkinson's disease by better targeting specific cell types in relevant circuits. Aryn also shares details about her ongoing project evaluating the impacts of stimulus location for a novel pattern of deep brain stimulation (DBS) that has been shown to provide long-lasting therapeutic effects in pre-clinical models. Aryn is Professor of Biological Sciences and the Neuroscience Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.Mentioned in this episode:This 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.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/getstarted