Sat Nov 21, 2009  
UCLA Health System School of MedicineHealth System
UCLA Neurosurgery


About Us
Calendar
Clinical Programs
Conferences and Courses
Contact Us
Find a Doctor
In the News
Diseases and Disorders
Make an Appointment
Patient Resources
Patient Story Blog
Publications
Residency and Fellowships
Research
Resources
Site Map

Bookmark and Share

VisionTree Optimal Care
VisionTree Optimal Care
Patient Registration

Increase (+) Default Decrease (-) Font Size

Clinical Programs / Functional and Movement Disorders Program

UCLA Functional and Movement Disorders Program

The goal of the UCLA Functional Neurosurgery Program and Neurosurgical Movement Disorders program is to implement cutting-edge surgical solutions to improve patients' quality of life. The cornerstones of our program are:

  • Comprehensive management
  • Advanced techniques
  • Individualized care
  • Research and Innovation

Advanced Techniques

The UCLA Functional Neurosurgery Program and Neurosurgical Movement Disorders Program have a long and rich history of using cutting edge technology to treat functional disorders.
Operating room setup for deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery

  • Our faculty began doing Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery in Europe long before it was ever approved in the United States. Since then, our faculty have implanted over 600 DBS leads for Parkinson's disease, tremor, dystonia, pain, headaches, and many other indications.
  • UCLA was among the first centers in the country to regularly use MR-guided DBS placement.
  • UCLA now uses intraoperative CT so that the patient never has to leave the operating room on the day of surgery.
  • UCLA was the first center in Southern California to implant the new Implantable Pulse Generators (IPG) introduced by Medtronic in 2009.

These are just a few examples of innovations that keep the UCLA Functional Neurosurgery Program and the Neurosurgical Movement disorders program ahead of others.

Comprehensive Management

The UCLA Functional Neurosurgery Program and Neurosurgical Movement Disorders Program offer comprehensive surgical management of the following conditions:

The Team: The expert team of neurosurgeons work in consultation with a world-renowned team of neurologists, psychiatrists, anesthesiologists, and pain management doctors to make sure that all medical options have been explored and that surgery is appropriate.

Imaging Technology: UCLA's imaging capability ensure that your surgery will be as accurate, precise, and pain-free as possible. Our powerful 3-Tesla MRI scanner allows us to precisely visualize the parts of the brain we are targeting. Our intraoperative CT scanner makes it possible to perform the entire surgical implantation without ever having the patient leave the operating room.

Programming: For patients who are treated with DBS, programming is a critical component of the postoperative care. UCLA's expert team of programmers will either work with your doctor to make sure you are programmed optimally or have you come in to UCLA to optimize your settings. For more information on programming, call 310-206-2536.

Individualized Care 

Surgery may not be right for everyone. The history, needs, and expectations of each patient are considered before recommending surgical therapies. We want to make sure you know what to expect before, during, and after surgical therapy to make sure that it is right for you.

Research and Innovation

Our program has helped advance the neurosurgical treatment of movement disorders by participating in national studies and publishing over 150 peer-reviewed articles the neurosurgical and neurological literature. Past trials have included transplantation of neural tissues and engineered cells.

Current areas of active research include:

  • Treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • Treatment of medically-refractory obesity
  • Design of newer and more precise electrodes for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
  • Using new technologies, such as Focused Ultrasound, to treat movement disorders
  • Trials for epilepsy
  • And many more...