Surgical treatment of movement disorders: DBS, gene therapy, and beyond

Disorders of movement represent the frontier of understanding of brain function in that the basic mechanisms underlying normal (and abnormal) movement can be ascribed to individual brain structures, but the detailed functions of these structures and their interactions are not well understood.1-7 The clinical treatment of movement disorders, particularly through neurosurgery, highlights the evolution in understanding nervous system function. In many instances, incompletely proven hypotheses, serendipity, and simple trial-and-error have led to advances in patient treatments prior to a full mechanistic understanding of the disease process or the treatment effect.

Duke Scholars

Author Dennis Alan Turner Neurosurgery