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PhD defense: Mikkel Petersen

MD Mikkel Petersen will defend his PhD dissertation titled ‘Tractography and Neurosurgical Targeting in Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease’.

16.01.2017 | Henriette Blæsild Vuust

Dato fre 03 feb
Tid 14:00 16:30
Sted Palle Juul-Jensen Auditorium, Aarhus University Hospital, Building 10G, Nørrebrogade 44, 8000 Aarhus C

    

“Tractography and Neurosurgical Targeting in Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease”

 Opponents:

  • J-Donald Tournier, Associate Professor, PhD, Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, GB
  • Volker A. Coenen, Prof., dr.med., Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Freiburg University Medical Center, Germany

 Supervisors:

  • Main supervisor: Karen Østergaard, Prof., dr.med., Department of Neurology, Aarhus University Hospital
  • Co-supervisor: Torben E. Lund, Associate Professor, PhD, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Aarhus University

 

About the PhD thesis: 

Deep brain stimulation is an effective treatment for advanced stage Parkinson’s disease patients with motor fluctuations and involuntary movements. Successful treatment relies on accurate placement of electrodes into a very small region, deep in the brain. The treatment effect is mediated by high-frequency electrical stimulation, which modulates the activity of the surrounding brain tissue and neuronal pathways. Suboptimal placement of electrodes can lead to an undesirable spread of current into neighbouring pathways, which can result in negative short- and long-term side-effects.

Recent advances in diffusion MRI scanning and analysis techniques allow non-invasive mapping of important white matter pathways in the brain with a level of precision previously not achievable. In this PhD project, Mikkel Petersen has examined how these techniques might be used for individualising the presurgical planning of deep brain stimulation treatment. This may provide clinicians with new, more effective targeting procedures.

ALL ARE WELCOME 

Ph.d.-forsvar, Sundhed og sygdom, Videnskabelig medarbejder, CFIN, CFIN, Studerende, Ph.d.-studerende, Kommende studerende, Forskningsårsstuderende