ATMRD 2025

Technological advances are substantially altering the landscape for DBS treatment. This session explains key advances that characterize the field today, incorporating essential information for clinicians who use DBS or recommend it for their patients. Topics include remote programming, adaptive DBS, directional leads, closed-loop systems, rechargeable devices, and integration of existing systems with digital health tools.

Advances in DBS placement can lead to improved outcomes and safety for patients. This session discusses innovations in imaging, robotic-assisted surgery, and real-time monitoring that enable more precise DBS placement and permit tailoring to individual patient anatomy and symptoms. The promise of asleep DBS will also be considered.

MRfUS is emerging as an important treatment option for selected movement disorders. This session will describe the clinical applications and patient selection for MRfUS, as well as a procedural overview, potential mechanisms, safety considerations, and future directions.

Many new therapies are in development for Parkinson’s disease, from those grounded in the disease’s neuropathology to those repurposed from other indications. This session summarizes the status and evidence related to gene therapies, antibody-based therapies, growth factors, repurposed pharmacotherapies, and new formulations of existing medications.

Advanced therapy procedures such as DBS and MRfUS are important tools for treating selected movement disorders but it can be difficult to determine which patients are good candidates. With refinements in these procedures, the definition of a “good candidate” has evolved. This session uses case-based examples to identify patients who may benefit from advanced procedural therapies and how to select among the available treatment options.