Improving a New Form of Deep Brain Stimulation to Treat Gait and Balance Disturbance in Parkinson's Disease

Grant number: 1066565 | Funding period: 2014 - 2016

Completed

Abstract

Over 64,000 Australians have Parkinson’s disease. Most patients with Parkinson’s disease ultimately develop gait ‘freezing’ and poor balance, which impair quality of life and cause falls. Unfortunately, gait freezing and poor balance often don’t improve with conventional treatments. We are therefore helping to develop a new treatment for these symptoms, which involves implanting a pacemaker into a very deep region in the brain called the “Pedunculopontine Nucleus’.

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Wesley Thevathasan

Hugh McDermott

Thushara Perera