Improvements in neuromodulation for late-stage Parkinson's disease

This project is a study of a new type of "brain pacemaker" used for treatment of Parkinson’s disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease. Advanced-stage patients suffer from the highest unmet medical need, with only 36% being adequately controlled by drugs and many suffering severe side-effects. The most effective and popular surgical treatment for advanced-stage Parkinson’s disease is deep brain stimulation, but at present under 5% of patients receive this treatment. This new device enables stimulation to be activated in response to feedback from the brain thereby improving the targeting of therapy delivery. The device and procedure have a number of innovations that potentially cut surgical time in half, reducing costs and improving access to the procedure. The objective is to help improve the quality of life of many more Parkinson’s sufferers and their carers.