Deep Brain Stimulators are used to treat a number of movement disorders including Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. This is a complex procedure that consists in implanting permanent electrodes in specific deep brain structures. The electrodes are then connected to an electrical stimulator akin to a cardiac pacemaker. The procedure involves three main stages: planning, implantation, and programming; it requires interdisciplinary clinical teams comprised of electrophysiologists, physical therapists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons. Vanderbilt’s Cranialvault project is an NIH-supported project aiming at facilitating all phases of the process. It consists of a central data repository used to store all data pertaining to DBS procedures, advanced image processing algorithms capable of aggregating data from many patients and of producing population-wide information on best implantation sites, and visualization tools that provide both population-wide and patient-specific information at the time and place of care.
In the News
Wed, 2011-01-05
Since the creation of the direct secured link between Wake Forest University PACS system and Cranialvault, more than 120 patients have been transferred, added to the system and normalized to the Atlas.
Sat, 2010-09-04
For patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, simple activities such as drinking a cup of coffee or walking to the dinner table present a challenge. Their limbs jerk or move without control. Medication can ease these symptoms, but over time the body stops responding to drug therapy.
Many of these cases are helped by deep brain stimulation (DBS), a surgical procedure in which electrodes are placed in the brain at key sites responsible for movement. Wires attached to the implants are secured to an electrical stimulation device similar to a heart pacemaker that is placed under the skin near the collarbone. Electrical pulses, which travel from the stimulator along the lead wire to the implant, block abnormal nerve signals that cause tremors and other unwanted movements.