Newswise — LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 15, 2024) - At 69, Hoyt “Corky” Ball knew something was wrong when his right hand began to tremble uncontrollably.
His primary doctor ruled out Parkinson’s, but the prescribed medication failed to alleviate his symptoms. It wasn’t until Ball met Zain Guduru, M.D.
, neurologist with the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute and associate professor in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, that he received a definitive diagnosis. “In about 10 minutes, he knew I had Parkinson’s,” Ball said. Guduru suggested a treatment called deep brain stimulation (DBS).
DBS is described as a “pacemaker for the brain.” By placing electrodes within malfunctioning brain pathways, DBS disrupts abnormal signals that causes tremors and other symptoms. As Ball began researching his diagnosis and suggested treatment, he came across UK HealthCare’s Craig van Horne, M.
D., Ph.D.
, and his work on a procedure known as DBS-Plus. Van Horne, who is a neurosurgeon, is co-director of the UK HealthCare Neurorestoration Center (NRC) and a team of physician-scientists and researchers leading a first-of-its-kind clinical study aimed at stopping or reversing the degenerative effects of the Parkinson’s disease. The study combines DBS with an experimental nerve-grafting procedure.
The nerve cells are transplanted during DBS surgery, meaning patients do not have to undergo additional procedures. In this combined approach, now known as DBS-Plus, the surgeon trans.