WEBINAR SERIES—Optogenetic Stimulation for Parkinson's Research: Recovering Movement in an Animal Model

Electrical deep brain stimulation is an effective treatment for people living with Parkinson’s disease. However, some patients experience stimulation-induced side effects, such as cognitive decline and worsening of gait. Nonselective electrical stimulation of neurons and anatomical pathways underlies some of these side effects.

Optogenetic stimulation might be a highly selective alternative to deep brain stimulation, which could prevent some of the harmful side effects of electrical stimulation. Louise Parr-Brownlie, PhD, associate professor, and Conor Underwood, postdoctoral fellow, both at the University of Otago in New Zealand,  have found that acute optogenetic stimulation of the motor thalamus can recover movements in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease. As a critical step to translating optogenetic stimulation to humans, their study optimized the design of an implantable device to deliver motor thalamus stimulation in Parkinsonian rats for two months to ultimately improve movement, including activities of daily living. Surgical implantation of these devices is technically demanding and the limited fiber flexibility makes this more challenging. In this webinar, Parr-Brownlie and Underwood will outline the surgical procedure and post-operative management requirements and will discuss future directions for their work.

Learning objectives include:

• understanding how a chronically implanted optogenetic stimulation device was developed and how it functions,
• reviewing the surgical procedure to chronically implant the Kaha Sciences Optogenetics Biopotential Telemeter from ADInstruments, and
• discussing tips and tricks for post-operative care and management for this procedure.

Speakers

Louise Parr-Brownlie, PhD, associate professor of anatomy at the University of Otago in New Zealand, completed her PhD in neurophysiology before holding research positions at the National Institutes of Health. Parr-Brownlie has characterized changes in neuronal activity in motor pathways in models of Parkinson’s disease, examined if motor thalamus stimulation can recover movements, and worked with bioengineers to develop implantable light stimulation devices.

Conor Underwood, PhD, is a passionate early-career scientist with a keen interest in novel technologies for neuroscience research. He is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Underwood’s research aims to characterize and treat thalamocortical dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease and hypothalamic dysfunction in kidney disease.