In the human brain, a very small biochemical lesion within the complex neuronal circuits of the motor system results in the symptoms we call parkinsonism: tremor, slowness, and stiffness. In order to develop novel therapies, we need to understand how the subunits of this integrated brain circuit works. We are able to do that by using functional brain imaging to see what areas of the brain are activated by simple motor tasks in normal and ill patients. We are also able to record physiological data from deep in patients' brains during the placement of deep brain stimulators in patients with parkinsonism and dystonia. We are analyzing this data in order to understand how abnormally firing neurons cause motor dysfunction.

Research includes:

• Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation on mood, motor and non-motor signs of Parkinson's disease. Sponsor: Donaldson Charitable Trust.  Determine the time course and duration of motor and non-motor effects in Parkinson patients with bilateral deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nuclei.
  
• Does the firing rate of subthalamic nucleus neurons determine the severity of Parkinsonism or the response to deep brain stimulation? Sponsor: MCRPD
  
• Visual targeting reliability in deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nuclei in Parkinson's disease. Sponsor: Medtronic, Inc. Manage patient selection, and perform microelectrode recording guided placement of deep brain stimulation systems and perform clinical ratings.
  
• Multi-Disciplinary Advanced Image Analysis Laboratory.  Sponsor: University Research Resource Fund  (Diana J. Vincent, PhD)
  
• Increasing the Computational Power and Speed in Advanced Neuroimaging. Sponsor: Intel, Corporation (Diana J. Vincent, PhD)
  
• Mapping Brain Function with Echoplanar BOLD functional MRI. Sponsor: pending. (Diana J. Vincent, PhD)
  
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging on a 3T MR System: a feasibility study.