Neurostimulators are being increasingly used for a wide variety of clinical applications including movement disorders, epilepsy, and severe intractable psychiatric disorders. However, the currently available stimulators are relatively limited in being designed to modulate large areas of tissue, and more importantly, in being open-loop. That is, most of these devices are programmed to operate at a constant frequency and current with little opportunity for real-time adjustment. In order to move beyond the current applications and begin treating other disorders such as traumatic brain injury, stroke or even blindness, it will be necessary to develop more intelligent devices that can be regulated by external input, or by internal electrical or biochemical stimuli. Such next-generation devices will have a much broader applicability. This presentation will review some recent data suggesting how such intermittent stimulation can be used to treating a much broader range of neurological disorders than is currently possible.
Dr. Emad Eskandar is a Neurosurgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He obtained his MD at the University of Southern California, and completed his residency training at MGH and Harvard. He is the Director of Functional Neurosurgery and Residency Director at MGH.
Dr. Eskandar leads an active multidisciplinary program and collaborates closely with colleagues in Psychiatry, Neurology and Anesthesia. He specializes in employing cutting-edge surgical treatments for Movement Disorders, Epilepsy, Pain, and severe Psychiatric Disorders. For example, Dr. Eskandar is currently employing, or investigating, the role of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the treatment of Pediatric Dystonia, Parkinson Disease, and Major Depression. In addition, Dr. Eskandar is involved in studying the role of implanted stimulators to treat epilepsy and stroke.