Adjusting Motor Fluctuation Management in an Era of Neuromodulation: Laxman Bahroo, DO

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

"When we were talking about Parkinson disease in medical school, DBS had just started to emerge as a therapeutic agent. Now, DBS is well entrenched and a variety of new medications have come out. The bar keeps moving in terms of learning, education, and awareness."

Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) typically present with the symptoms and signs associated with parkinsonism, namely hypokinesia, bradykinesia, postural instability, rigidity, and sometimes a rest tremor. The traditional approach for treating PD begins with a pharmacologic dopamine replacement strategy such as oral carbidopa/levodopa or a dopamine agonist; however, neuromodulation has become a more widely used approach for motor symptoms of the condition. Neuromodulation can be a highly effective treatment as a result of circuit dysfunction association with motor symptoms in PD, although the effects of this method may be inconsistent at times.

Over the years, a variety of different neuromodulation devices have come into the fold for clinicians to treat their patients, including the use of deep brain stimulation. At the 2023 International Congress on the Future of Neurology (IFN) Annual Meeting, held in Jersey City, New Jersey, from September 22-23, Laxman Bahroo, DO, and Jill Farmer, DO, MPH, presented on the management of motor fluctuation in PD, and how clinicians can effectively use the tools at their disposal. Bahroo, a professor of neurology and resident program director at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, sat down with NeurologyLive® prior to the presentation to discuss the impact of neuromodulation devices and how they fit in the scheme of tailored motor symptom management. In addition, he spoke on how the field has changed over the years and the ways clinicians have adapted.

Click here for more coverage of IFN 2023.