Movement Disorders | BrizBrain & Spine

Associate Professor Terry Coyne, along with Neurologist Professor Silburn, is a world leader in the field of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), which is used to treat movement disorders. They have trained around 85% of Australian DBS practitioners.

In this procedure, one or more electrodes are implanted deep into the brain to correct abnormal brain activity. DBS can be used to control tremors, balance problems and involuntary movements. It is performed under a combination of local and general anesthesia and requires a short hospital stay.

More information on the research done by Dr Coyne can be found on the Asia-Pacific Centre for Neuromodulation site.

Movement Disorders treated

Parkinson's Disease

At present, there is no cure for Parkinson disease. It is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder which causes motor symptoms such as tremor, postural and gait disturbances, bradykinesia and rigidity which are used to diagnose the disease. Traditional treatment for the disease (medication) is mainly targeted at reducing these motor symptoms to improve quality of life, however there are non-motor symptoms which can potentially affect the patient even more than the motor symptoms.

More information on Parkinson’s disease can be found on the following sites:

https://www.parkinsons.org.au/

https://www.parkinsons-qld.org.au/

Dystonia

Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder causing muscles to become difficult to control. Patients may experience muscle spasms, twisting, patterned movements and tremors.

You can find more information about Dystonia and its many forms on the following website:

https://www.dystonia.org.au/

Essential Tremor

Essential tremor is a movement disorder which causes shaking of mainly the hands, though other parts of the body may be involved, such as head and voice. The disorder is not life-threatening but it can affect many parts of daily life such as drinking from a cup or driving.

Tourrette Syndrome

Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder which causes motor tics (involuntary movement) and phonic tics (involuntary sounds). The severity of the tics can vary vastly between patients.