Jerrold Vitek, M.D.,Ph.D.

Dr. Jerry Vitek studies cortical activity and function in Parkinson’s disease (PD), and how they are modulated during deep brain stimulation (DBS). Using electrophysiological recordings in a monkey model of PD, this work will characterize activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPFC), dorsal premotor (PMd), supplementary motor (SMA), and motor (MC) cortices in conjunction with DBS in the globus pallidus (GP) or subthalamic nucleus (STN), as well as pharmacological treatment with levodopa. The goal is to better understand how DBS and levodopa change brain function to improve movement in parkinsonian states, in an effort to optimize these treatment options for PD patients