William J. Marks, Jr., MD
Staff Physician, Neurology Service, Director of PADRECC, SFVAMC
Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology, UCSF
Email: william.marks@ucsf.edu
Brain Stimulation and Other Treatments for Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson's disease is caused by degeneration of brain cells in motor-controlling circuits of the brain. Medications help to control symptoms but reach a limit in their ability to provide patients with consistent, high-quality motor function. Deep brain stimulation uses an implantable device to precisely deliver electrical impulses to key brain targets to override abnormal brain activity and bring motor circuits into a more normal state of function. This "pacemaker for the brain" alters the brain's activity (a change called neuromodulation) to suppress symptoms and enhance patients' function and quality of life. Dr. Marks has pioneered the use of deep brain stimulation for a variety of neurological conditions, especially Parkinson's disease. SFVAMC was the first Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the United States to offer this treatment. Dr. Marks and colleagues have evaluated a variety of issues pertaining to brain stimulation, including optimal surgical techniques and the merits of various brain targets. Other work in Dr. Marks's laboratory focuses on the use of advanced neuroimaging techniques to evaluate patients with Parkinson's disease, sophisticated neurophysiological approaches to understand brain function in Parkinson's disease, and the use of a variety of pharmacological and interventional treatments for Parkinson's disease - including the world's first gene therapy trial using a growth factor to treat Parkinson's disease.
Marks WJ Jr, Ostrem JL, Verhagen L, Starr PA, Larson PS, Bakay RA, Taylor R, Cahn-Weiner D, Stoessl AJ, Olanow CW, Bartus RT. 2008. A phase I, openlabel study of CERE-120 (adeno-associated virus serotype 2 [AAV2]-Neurturin [NTN]) to assess the safety and tolerability of intraputaminal delivery to subjects with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Lancet Neurol 7:400-440.
Weaver F, Follett K, Stern M, Hur K, Harris C, Marks WJ Jr, et al. 2009. A randomized controlled trial of best medical therapy versus bilateral deep brain stimulation for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. JAMA 301:63-73.
