Department of Neurology - Movement Disorders Program
Last Updated: October 12, 2021

Movement Disorders Program: Emory is home to a leading treatment and research center for the spectrum of movement disorders, including Parkinson's disease, dystonia, essential tremor, Huntington's disease, and Tourette's syndrome. The Movement Disorders Program provides clinical evaluation and comprehensive care of patients with a wide range of movement disorders (>11,000 patient visits per year, and >7000 individual patients per year with ~50 having Parkinson’s disease). The Program includes one of the largest functional neurosurgery programs in the US for Parkinson's disease, tremor, and dystonia.  From a research standpoint, Emory Movement Disorders is home to one of 8 national Udall Research centers focused on brain circuitry as it related to motor function.  We are also the primary center for the Dystonia Coalition multinational center.  We currently have ongoing clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease and several others for dystonia, tremor, and Huntington’s disease.  Dr. Factor is the site PI for the Michael J Fox funded Parkinson Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI).  Finally, there is a Neuromodulation center that is a multi-disciplinary group that includes Emory Neurology, Neurosurgery, Psychiatry, and Georgia Institute of Technology Biomedical engineering department.  The focus is research on neuromodulation therapies. 

 

Movement Disorders Clinic: The movement disorders clinic is on the 5th floor of the Brain Health center which is broken into quarters and has the geriatric psychiatry section, the cognitive neurology program, and the general neurology program.  The movement disorder space, where the levodopa challenges for aim 1 and lumbar punctures for aim 3 will be completed, has 14 exam rooms, 4 dedicated to research only, and is located in a recently renovated dedicated space (~15,000 sq. feet) in a modern 125,000 sq. foot building for the Emory Brain Health Center that opened in 2015. Within that space are the offices of clinical research coordinators who will coordinate this study.  The administrative center for the Deep Brain Stimulation program is on the floor as well which includes space for two nurse practitioners.  There is also a large space with desks for 3 movement disorders fellows and our video database library and a 620 square foot state-of-the-art motion capture lab where subjects will be assessed in the “ON” and “OFF” medication states. The neuropsychology assessments will be completed in testing rooms within the cognitive clinic which is adjacent to the movement disorders clinic.  There is also a gait mat, which is used to assess gait in clinic visits.  The clinic has a nurse’s station with four 4 clinic nurses and a triage room.  The Brain Health Center includes a clinical laboratory and a touchdown room for clinicians, residents, and students.  Three dedicated conference rooms suitable for family and team meetings and conferences are available at all times on the fifth floor as well. The patient reception area is large (approximately 600 square feet) and windowed.   The faculty offices for Drs. Factor and Dr. Goldstein are on the second and first floors, respectively, of the Brain Health Center. Within the building is an infusion center and physical/ occupation/ speech therapy space on the fourth floor along with the sleep lab and clinic and the office of the movement disorders social worker.  The first floor features an educational suite for all learners (i.e. residents, fellows, medical students, graduate students, etc.) in the Brain Health Initiative and this is where the movement disorders program has its biweekly case conferences, journal club, and deep brain stimulation case conferences. 

 

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