Development And Validation Of Personal Technology For The Treatment Of Communication Deficits In People With Parkinsons Disease
PI: Amanda Gillespie, Otolaryngology Co-PI: David Anderson, Electrical & Computer Engineering Adam Klein, Otolaryngology
Behavioral voice therapy can be effective in Parkinsons-related voice and speech disorders by increasing vocal loudness and improving speech intelligibility. Clinical and market research demonstrate a dearth of, and need for patient-centered technology to improve communication in patients with Parkinsons. This multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional team is developing the Speech-Assisting Multi-Microphone System , to isolate, monitor, and analyze vocal output for time and loudness and provide haptic biofeedback to the wearer.
Emory University In Atlanta Ga
The Research Center of Excellence is part of the Emory Cognitive Neurology/Memory Clinic and the Emory Movement Disorders Clinic. These clinics provide evaluation and treatment of mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimers disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinsons disease, Parkinsons disease dementia, and related disorders.
The Emory Movement Disorders Clinic has a dedicated full-time social worker who provides a range of services to assist patients and families. These services include assistance with assisted living placement, identification of senior day programs and respite programs, handicapped parking, coordination with all aspects of the disability process, and processing of related paperwork.
Emory has a range of relevant patient and family education and support groups including a Parkinsons disease support group, a support group for atypical parkinsonism, and The Early Memory Loss Group which is an eight-week class designed for people facing the many challenges of dealing with early memory impairment.
The Emory Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinsons Disease Research, in collaboration with the American Parkinsons Disease Association , organizes or participates in local PD activities. These include GA APDA monthly educational meetings, GA APDA sponsored exercise classes and GA PD Gladiators as well as local awareness and fundraising events.
Daniel Huddleston, MD
Clinic name: The Emory Movement Disorders ClinicContact name: Kelsey Tucker
Parkinsons Disease Research Centers Of Excellence
The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. As a part of this mission, the NINDS supports basic, translational and clinical research on Parkinson’s disease , a complex neurodegenerative disorder that progressively impairs the control of purposeful movement.
The NINDS Centers of Excellence program for PD research was developed in honor of former Congressman Morris K. Udall of Arizona, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1961. Representative Udall was diagnosed with PD in 1979 and remained active in Congress until his retirement in 1991. On November 13, 1997, the President of the United States signed the Morris K. Udall Parkinson’s Disease Research Act of 1997 into law .
In 1997, the NINDS released a Request for Applications to establish the first Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence in Parkinson’s Disease Research. Udall Centers utilize a team-based, interdisciplinary research approach to elucidate the fundamental causes of PD as well as to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients with Parkinson’s and related neurodegenerative disorders.
The NINDS is committed to continuing and enhancing the tradition of scientific excellence fostered by the Udall Centers. For further information, contact .
NINDS Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease Research
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Parkinson’s Disease And Other Movement Disorders
Parkinson’s disease is a common neurodegenerative disease of aging, producing progressive immobility, tremor, gait problems, and often neuropsychiatric symptoms. The disease affects ~1.5 million Americans while most of these are elderly, about 15% of patients are diagnosed before age 50. Other neurodegenerative diseases which have similar clinical or pathological features to Parkinson’s disease include progressive supranuclear palsy, Lewy body dementia, Shy-Drager syndrome, essential tremor, dystonia, corticobasal degeneration, and multiple system atrophy.
Emory faculty are world renowned for their major contributions to Parkinson’s disease research. The Emory investigators listed below study a variety of aspects of Parkinson’s disease, ranging from genetic and environmental causes, to cell biological and pharmacological studies in culture and in animals, to development of new diagnostic methods, to clinical trials of promising new medications and pioneering surgical approaches for medically refractory patients, such as pallidotomy and deep brain stimulation. More than a dozen faculty specialists provide state-of-the-art care for thousands of patients with Parkinson’s disease and related conditions annually. The Parkinson’s programs have been awarded several Center grants from the National Institutes of Health and private foundations .
Apda Information & Referral Center At Emory University School Of Medicine
The Information and Referral Center at Emory University School of Medicine serves as a resource to the local community for referrals and education on Parkinsons disease. As a part of the countrys largest grass roots organization providing the support, education, and research that will help everyone impacted by Parkinsons disease live life to the fullest.
Services provided by the APDA I& R center are as follows:
- Provides information and resources about Parkinsons disease to patients, their families, healthcare professionals and the community.
- Statewide Support Groups
- Comprehensive resource referral network for Parkinsonians needs
- Quarterly Newsletters
- Enhances public education and awareness of Parkinsons disease.
Contact Information
APDA I& R Center CoordinatorEmory Clinic Dept of Neurology12 Executive Park Dr., NEAtlanta, GA 30329
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Stroke And Traumatic Brain Injury
Stroke is a debilitating condition that affects about 750,000 Americans each year and a leading cause of disability throughout the world. It is estimated that in USA every 3.5 minutes a person has a new stroke and every 4 minutes somebody dies because ischemic stroke or its complications. The Emory Stroke Center is an interdisciplinary program assembled by vascular neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists and nurses prepared to provide state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment to ischemic stroke patients. Clinical and basic researchers are an essential part of the Emory Stroke Center, and their work has led to a better understanding of the basic mechanisms leading to stroke and to the development of potential therapeutic strategies to minimize the harmful impact of this disease.
Parkinsons Study Receives $6m Grant
Courtesy Van Andel Institute
Van Andel Institute scientists will benefit from a grant to further a Parkinsons disease research project led by a team from Emory University.
The three-year, $6.3 million grant from the Aligning Science Across Parkinsons Collaborative Research Network will further the teams studies into motor cortical disturbances caused by Parkinsons disease . The grant was issued by ASAPs implementation partner, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research.
The team consists of researchers from Emory University, VAI, the State University of New York Downstate in Brooklyn and Inscopix in Palo Alto, California.
Dr. Hong-yuan Chu of VAI will head the institutes team of researchers on the project led by Dr. Thomas Wichmann, associate director for scientific programs at Emorys Yerkes National Primate Research Center. The team also is led by other researchers from Emory/Yerkes.
The coordinated study will explore motor disturbances caused by PD, providing the team a better understanding of potential treatment methods that may directly target the brains cortical nerve cells. The cerebral cortex plays a significant role in controlling movement, as dopamine produced by brain cells is instrumental in movement coordination. The death of these dopamine-producing brain cells leads to the motor disturbances commonly associated with the disease.
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Alzheimer’s Disease And Other Dementias
Symptoms of cognitive and behavioral impairment are perhaps the most devastating of all medical conditions. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease – a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain that results in loss of memory and other intellectual abilities. Nearly one-half of individuals over age 85 have Alzheimer’s disease! Since the geriatric population is the fasting growing segment of society, it is expected that 14 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s by the middle of the next century unless a cure or prevention is found. Already, Alzheimer’s disease costs US society more than $100 billion annually. In addition to Alzheimer’s disease, many other neurodegenerative disorders can cause dementia, including Lewy body disease , frontotemporal dementia, and strokes.
The causes of these disorders are as yet poorly understood. However, in recent years there has been tremendous research progress, and for the first time, the molecular basis of these conditions is becoming clearer and treatment opportunities are increasing. Emory investigators study various aspects of these conditions, ranging from genetic studies to identify new genes that confer disease susceptibility, to cell biological and pharmacological studies in cell culture and experimental animals, to development of new diagnostic methods, to clinical trials of promising new approaches to help treat symptoms and slow disease progression.
Emory University Secured $63m To Lead Collaborative Research Targeting Parkinsons Disease
Almost 1 million people in America live and struggle with Parkinsons disease representing more cases than multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrigs disease combined and will total 1.2 million by 2030 reports the Parkinsons Foundation. With 60,000 Americans diagnosed with the condition per annum, over 10 million live with the neurodegenerative condition worldwide. A disease associated with aging men are 1.5 times more likely to be afflicted than with woman. And there are no standard treatments for the condition but rather several different approaches. No medicinal therapy reverses the condition. The disease leads to prominent movement and other disturbances. The motor symptoms of PD occur when brain cells that make dopamine, a chemical that coordinates movement, die. Now Emory University researchers secured $6.3 million in the form of a grant from the Aligning Science Across Parkinsons Collaborative Research Network to investigate the motor cortical disturbance triggering the disease.
A collaborative effort, investigators from the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, MI, SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, New York and Insc…
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Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation For Freezing Of Gait
PI: Svjetlana Miocinovic, Neurology Co-PIs: Nicholas Au Yong, Neurology, , Stewart Factor, Neurology
Freezing of gait is a common symptom in patients with Parkinsons disease where the ability to walk is abruptly interrupted, often described as if their feet were suddenly glued to the floor. This study will examine if lumbar transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation , utilizing electrodes on the skin surface to deliver electrical stimulation to the spinal cord, can be used to improve walking and reduce or abort FOG episodes.
Nih Grants Emory $66 Million To Lead Udall Parkinson’s Disease Research Center
Emory University will receive more than $1 million each year for the next five years to support a Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinsons Disease Research. With a goal of developing more effective Parkinsons disease treatments that have fewer side effects, the Emory Udall Center will integrate cutting-edge collaborative research, expert training of researchers and clinicians, and open dialogue with the general public.
Story Landis, PhD, director of the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health , the funding source for the new Emory Udall Center, as well as a center at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, made the announcement today at the World Parkinson Congress in Glasgow, Scotland. Dr. Landis said, For more than a decade, the Udall Centers of Excellence have represented our commitment to bring together the talent and effort of the foremost investigators advancing research in Parkinsons disease. I look forward to these new centers partnering with us to accelerate basic, translational and clinical research to find a cure for this devastating illness.
The Emory Udall Center is designed with Parkinsons disease patients in mind so we can broaden and optimize treatment options, said Dr. Wichmann. Working together within Emory and with colleagues across the country, were certain we can accelerate progress, he continued.
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Emory To Advance Parkinson’s Disease Clinical Research With Recent Gift
The Emory School of Medicine has received a pledge of $2 million from Mary Louise “Lou” Brown Jewell to establish the A. Worley Brown Chair in Neurology in honor of her late husband.
Worley Brown, former CEO of Rock-Tenn Corporation, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1988 and died from complications of the disease in 1997. Lou also has donated $500,000 to renovate the A. Worley Brown Family Parkinson’s Disease Clinical Research Unit at Wesley Woods. Both contributions are the lead gifts for an endowment program to raise money for research, service and education in neurology, specifically Parkinson’s and other movement disorders.
Lou’s personal experiences led to her desire to support research into Parkinsons disease and other movement disorders. In addition to her first husbands illness and death from Parkinson’s disease, she endured the death of her mother as a result of ALS , also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
When Worley was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, Lou’s first reaction was relief that he did not have a brain tumor. As his disease progressed, her hopes faded. He also suffered from Lewy body dementia, a more progressive form of Parkinson’s, which effects memory and the ability to carry out simple actions and to reason, as well as causing hallucinations.
She hopes her gift to Emory will help expand research to improve detection, advance treatment, and, eventually, discover a cure for Parkinson’s.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Spinal Muscular Atrophy And Other Neuromuscular Disorders
Diseases of the peripheral nerve, muscle, and spinal cord account for a large proportion of patients seeking neurological care. These disorders affect strength, movement, and sensation, causing abnormalities of walking and breathing, as well as numbness and pain. Investigators within the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease are working on basic mechanisms involved in several specific degenerative neuromuscular diseases, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis , Spinal Muscular Atrophy , muscular dystrophies and peripheral neuropathy. Ongoing research projects involve animal models, primary neuron culture and stem cells, neurogenetics, and development of novel therapeutic strategies. Research on disease mechanisms has already led to ongoing and planned clinical trials in human patients. These research programs are tightly interwoven with clinical programs of the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, the ALS Clinic, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta , the Emory Chemical Biology Discovery Center, and Emory Healthcare. We acknowledge the research support from the National Institutes of Health , the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the ALS Association, Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy and other private agencies.
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Wearable Sensing And Artificial Intelligence To Continuously Examine Acute And Long
PI: Omer Inan, Electrical and Computer Engineering Co-PI: Chris Rozell, Electrical and Computer Engineering Paul Beach, Neurology
Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system or dysautonomia, is common in Parkinsons disease and a related condition called Multiple System Atrophy . Cardiovascular dysautonomia , such as impaired blood pressure response to standing, is especially associated with worse patient outcomes in both conditions. This team is developing novel wearable devices to allow non-invasive, continuous cardiac and blood pressure monitoring to afford an opportunity for easier assessment of CVD in both clinical and real-world settings.
Diagnosing Parkinson’s Disease And Related Disorders
The first step in diagnosing PD and its related disorders is a full neurological examination with a focus on the patient’s movement, balance and coordination. Because symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are shared with many other conditions, it is critical that the doctor diagnosing Parkinson’s disease is an expert in the field of neurology.
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Location: Atlanta Gaunited States
Adriana Galvan, PhD, received her masters and doctoral degrees in Mexico City and completed postdoctoral research training at Emory University . She joined the faculty of Emory University in 2009 and is currently an Associate Professor of Neurology. She studies the brain regions involved in movement planning and execution known as the basal ganglia, which are strongly affected in Parkinsons disease. Her work is conducted at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, where she uses functional and anatomical techniques, including electrophysiological recordings, optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques, as well as light and electron microscopy approaches to study motor circuits in primates. Dr. Galvan is also a project leader of Emorys Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinsons Disease Research and receives independent research funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Human Activity Recognition To Track Freezing Of Gait In Parkinsons Disease
PI: J. Lucas McKay, Biomedical Informatics/Neurology Co-PIs: Gari Clifford, Biomedical Informatics/Biomedical Engineering , Stewart Factor, Neurology
One of the most troubling and difficult to treat symptoms of Parkinsons disease is Freezing of Gait . This study will use modern computer vision human activity recognition approaches to directly measure FOG in video recordings of PD patients with and without FOG collected and labeled by experts.
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The Morris K Udall Parkinson’s Disease Research Center Of Excellence
In 1998 Congress created the Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease Research . The primary goal of the Udall Centers is to develop new clinical treatments for Parkinson’s disease. However, it is well recognized that because there is so much that we do not yet understand about the causes of Parkinson’s disease, basic science is currently a key component of the overall effort to develop clinical treatments.
Van Andel Institute Others Aim To Speed Up Parkinsons Disease Research With $63 Million Grant
Dr. Hong-yuan Chu is leading a Van Andel Institute research team exploring treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI Van Andel Institute researchers and others in a collaborative project are using a $6.3 million grant to speed up research on Parkinsons disease.
Emory University in Atlanta received the grant from Aligning Science Across Parkinsons Collaborative Research Network, or ASAP, which is fostering collaboration and resources to better understand the underlying causes of the disease.
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Huntington’s Disease And Related Disorders
Huntington’s disease is an inherited neurodegenerativedisorder caused by a single gene mutation. For every parent with HD, each childhas a 50% risk of inheriting the gene mutation and getting the disease. Thereare about 35,000 people with HD in the US and many more at risk. Usually, symptomsstart in middle age but can occur in children or late in life. HD ischaracterized by progressive problems with abnormal movements, poor coordination, psychiatric problems, and dementia.The involuntary movements are called chorea, from the Greek word for”dance. Chorea is also seen in some metabolic diseases and otherinherited disorders.
Thanks to investigators and patient advocates, this raredisease has had a huge impact on science and medicine. Work on HD founded the fieldof positional cloning – mapping out disease-causing genes. HD research revealedan entirely new class of diseases with similar genetic mutations. Some of thesediseases, such as spinocerebellar ataxias , have symptoms similar to HD,and are also seen in Emory movement disorders clinics. HD investigators alsohelped establish genetic testing protocols and are at the forefront of ethicaldebates about genetic testing for late-onset disorders. As researchers map outcomplex genetic risks for common disorders like Alzheimers disease, this debatewill have increasing relevance for many more patients and families.