Movement Disorders

The Movement Disorders group focuses on diseases of the basal ganglia. These include Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, dystonias, Tourette syndrome, and tremor disorders. Our group is pursuing both basic science and clinical research related to these diseases and the normal function of the areas of the brain affected in these regions. Dr. Roger Albin (Professor of Neurology and Chief, Neuroscience Research, Ann Arbor VAMC GRECC) is involved in both basic and clinical research related to basal ganglia disorders. Dr. Albin's laboratory is exploring the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease using murine genetic models of Huntington's disease. Dr. Albin is also studying striatal functional alterations in Tourette syndrome and dystonias using novel positron emission tomography methods. Dr. Kirk Frey (Professor of Radiology [Nuclear Medicine] and Neurology) is pursuing improved understanding of basal ganglia dysfunction in Parkinson's disease and related disorders with novel positron emission tomography methods. Dr. Frey is also involved in studying Tourette syndrome using MRI morphometric methods. Dr. Frey is active in developing novel tracers for positron emission tomography and novel analysis methods for neuroimaging research. Dr. Matthew Lorincz (Assistant Professor of Neurology) is studying the mechanisms of polyglutamine induced neuronal death in a novel in vitro model based on embryonic stem cells.

Dr. Ninith Kartha (Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology), Dr. Albin, Dr. Frey, and Dr. Lorincz are all involved in clinical trials related research. Drs. Kartha and Albin are present or past participants in trials and observational studies related to Huntington's disease. Drs. Albin and Frey are involved in studies related to treatment of Parkinson's disease. Dr. Lorincz is participating in clinical trials of Wilson's disease.