Harvard experts explain the use of deep brain electrical stimulation in motor disorders

• by EVOMT
• 2017-06-05

　　As the fastest developing technology in the field of neurosurgery in the past 20 years, deep brain stimulation (DBS) is known as an important treatment method for many neurological and psychiatric diseases in the future. In order to help Chinese visiting scholars and doctors in Boston learn about the latest research trends in DBS in the United States medical community, Dr. Ron L. Alterman elaborated on the latest research results in the field of deep brain electrical stimulation at the sixth Harvard expert lecture held at 1 Harvard Avenue in Boston, United States, on February 7, 2017, with the theme of Deep Brain Stimulation For Movement Disorders.

　　Dr. Ron L. Alterman is an internationally renowned expert and industry leader in the field of deep brain electrical stimulation (DBS). Over the years, he has participated in numerous clinical trials initiated by the National Institutes of Health and industry organizations in the United States, verified the efficacy of deep brain electrical stimulation technology for motor disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and conducted in-depth research on new gene therapy for Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. As a professor of surgery at Mount Sinai Medical School, Ron is currently the director of neurosurgery at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a teaching adjunct to Harvard Medical School.

　　In the lecture, Ron introduced his best practice of treating motor disorders through deep brain stimulation to over 30 Chinese visiting medical experts, explaining the broad therapeutic field of deep brain stimulation. DBS regulates abnormal neural circuits by stimulating brain nuclei or nerve conduction tracts with high-frequency electrical pulses emitted by a stimulation generator.

　　Ron introduced that since deep brain electrical stimulation was approved by the US FDA for the treatment of idiopathic tremor in 1997, more than tens of thousands of patients with motor disorders have received this treatment. In recent years, with the continuous improvement of deep brain electrical stimulation technology, the treatment field has gradually developed from motor disorders to the treatment of other neurological and mental diseases, such as Tourette's syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, anorexia nervosa, refractory pain, epilepsy, vegetative state, and Alzheimer's disease.

   　　Of course, the mechanism of deep brain electrical stimulation therapy is not very clear at present, but its effective diagnostic and therapeutic effects and increasing acceptance by patients are also attracting more and more medical researchers to participate in it. I believe that the principle of deep brain electrical stimulation therapy will be studied and discovered by scholars in the future. As the director of neurosurgery at BIDMC, Ron has treated hundreds of patients with motor disorders and has rich clinical experience in diagnosis and treatment. During the lecture, he also shared his diagnosis and treatment experience and precautions.

　　Due to his remarkable research achievements in the field of deep brain electrical stimulation, Ron is often invited to give lectures in many international academic forums. This time, Dr. Ron L. Alterman was invited by EVO Medical to give a lecture at the Chinese Scholars Center, aiming to bridge the gap between Chinese and American medical circles in the field of deep brain electrical stimulation research. As DBS has become a routine surgical method for the treatment of motion disorders such as idiopathic tremor, Parkinson's disease, and dystonia, it is believed that in the future, deep brain electrical stimulation technology will serve more patients in China, helping them recover early and regain a healthy life.