DREU Summer Research Project

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For the summer, I am going to be focusing on Dr. Mentis' study involving Parkinson's patients who have undergone Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). DBS is a procedure that uses electrodes to target specific areas of the brain, most commonly the subthalamic nucleus (STN), to help regulate many of the worst symptoms of Parkinson's disease, including tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia (slowness), dyskinesia and gait problems. DBS has been shown to have a significant impact on improving quality of life for many patients and reducing the amount of medication needed on a daily basis. There are different settings on the DBS system that can be customized to each individual patient. These settings include frequency, voltage, pulse width, and the number of leads. Bilateral stimulation, or the use of two leads, is most common for treating Parkinson's disease, but unilateral stimulation can also be used. Each lead contains four electrodes that can be turned on or off. The electrodes are placed in the desired location in the brain and a small, insulated wire connects the lead to the battery pack implanted in the patient's chest. The frequency, voltage and pulse width have the ability to affect different Parkinson's related symptoms and are adjusted as needed during the programming sessions with the clinician. Each patient will respond differently to the various settings and may be more sensitive to a particular setting than another, as no two patients are alike. In addition to the programming sessions, patients are given control to adjust their device outside of the clinic within certain parameters.

Dr. Mentis hopes to use the information we have gathered from observing DBS Parkinson's patients in the clinic to build technology to more effectively and objectively evaluate patients' symptoms, as well as enhance patient engagement. Eventually she hopes to deploy this new technology for patients to use in their own homes. Every day patients would complete the same set of tests that they do when they come in to see the neurologist. The information gathered by this new technology would provide clinicians with a much more comprehensive view of patients' symptoms outside of the doctor's office and could help them make more informed decisions when changing the settings on a patient's DBS system.

My Goals: Some of my goals for the summer are to learn more about the incredible variety of research currently being conducted, learn about what is required for a graduate degree in Human Computer Interaction, improve my programming skills, and establish relationships with professors and graduate students at UMBC. I really hope to make the most out of this incredible opportunity!