Grant: Project Grant

Stimulating the balance organ, by applying a mild electrical current via electrodes behind the ears (at a level so low that people can't even feel) is an exciting potential treatment for Parkinson's disease. It is safe, non-invasive, inexpensive, and portable, but the effects of this therapy are relatively mild, and depend upon the exact sequence of electrical pulses delivered. We believe that if we tailor the sequence of pulses to the individual, we can dramatically improve the effectiveness of this potential therapy. However, if we were to apply many, many different sequences of pulses and then check how much this improved their Parkinson's symptoms, it would take far too long, and we wouldn't be able to check very many sequences to determine the best one before people got tired. We get around this problem by stimulating while measuring both the brain waves and brain activation in an MRI scanner. We then use Artificial Intelligence to predict what the brain's response would be to any sequence of pulses. This allows us to use a computer to check millions and millions of potential sequences to determine the best one for that individual. We will then take this best sequence, as predicted by the computer, and test it in actual subjects to verify that this results in substantial improvement in their motor symptoms. To achieve these goals, we have assembled an expert team of a Parkinson's doctor, engineers and artificial intelligence experts. Success of this project would demonstrate a way to significantly improve the effectiveness of this novel treatment for Parkinson's disease.