deep brain stimulation

As interviewed by Gabriela Lee

Dr. Gene Gurkoff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery, Affiliated Faculty with the Center for Neuroscience, and Affiliated Faculty with the Center for Neuroengineering & Medicine.

By Gabriela Lee and Noah A Pflueger-Peters

Neuroengineering is an emerging field where engineering, medicine and neuroscience come together to engineer innovative tools to study the operation of the central and peripheral nervous systems and develop impactful solutions to treat their pathologies. Neuroengineers work across disciplines in highly-collaborative research projects to develop technologies such as prosthetics, brain-computer interfaces, deep brain stimulation and post-neural injury rehabilitation tools.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is designed to help patients maintain their quality of life and avoid debilitating symptoms through the use of a surgically implanted, adjustable brain pacemaker.

 

http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/neurology/deep-brain-stimulation/dbs_index.html

By Karen Finney, UC Davis

Surgeons at UC Davis Health System are testing an innovative method of limiting cognitive decline in patients with Parkinson’s disease. 

The treatment — deep brain stimulation, or DBS — involves delivering low levels of electrical stimulation to a part of the brain that controls the abilities to think, plan and remember. Kia Shahlaie, assistant professor of neurological surgery, is principal investigator of the study.