Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective neurosurgical intervention that can significantly reduce the burden of Parkinson’s disease, however, there is currently no reliable way to predict which patients will benefit most from the therapy. In this project, we are evaluating how useful MRI brain images are for predicting DBS effectiveness and risk for side-effects in patients with Parkinson’s disease. This work will have strong potential for improving the way clinicians choose the optimal DBS candidate and surgical brain target, while ensuring that resources are only directed toward patients who are most likely to benefit.
Fractal dimension on T1-w MRI predicts DBS outcomes:
Watch PhD candidate Devin Schoen present her recent work (in review):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asicEueZ66U