Movement Disorders

Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital offers complete care for movement disorders. Whether you need medication, physical therapy or surgery, you can access a full range of treatment options all under one roof.

Movement disorders are neurological conditions that cause abnormal movements, such as tremors, dystonias or balance issues.

The expert team at Marcus Neuroscience Institute includes neurologists and functional neurosurgeons who have years of experience treating movement disorders. These specialists work together to develop a treatment plan that’s tailored to your specific needs. Our goal is to find a therapy that reduces your symptoms and improves your quality of life.

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Which movement disorders are treated at Marcus Neuroscience Institute?

The team at Marcus Neuroscience Institute treats all types of movement disorders, including many rare conditions. The most common movement disorder we treat is Parkinson’s disease. We also treat the cognitive and behavioral issues related to Parkinson’s disease and the rare forms of Parkinson’s disease, including:

• Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)
• Cortical basilar degeneration (CBD)
• Multisystem atrophy (MSA)

Other movement disorders we treat include:

• Dystonia
• Essential tremor
• Restless leg syndrome
• Tics
• Tourette’s syndrome
• Huntington’s disease
• Orthostatic hypotension
• Balance disorders, such as spinocerebellar ataxia
• Myoclonus

How do Marcus Neuroscience Institute experts diagnose movement disorders?

There is no single test that can diagnose a movement disorder. In most cases, we diagnose movement disorders with a detailed exam that looks at both physical and neurological symptoms.

You may also need to undergo an MRI to rule out other problems that could cause your symptoms.

In some cases, we may also conduct a DaTscan. This test uses special imaging equipment to see whether your body makes dopamine properly. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, which is a chemical your body makes to help send messages between nerve cells. People with Parkinson’s disease and related disorders usually have low levels of dopamine.

How are movement disorders treated at Marcus Neuroscience Institute?

If you’ve been diagnosed with a movement disorder, our team may use medicines to help manage your symptoms. These medicines can come in different forms, including oral medications, injectables and patches that you place on your skin. Our team will meet regularly with you to see whether your symptoms improve and to adjust your medicines as needed.

For some disorders, we may recommend a Duopa pump. A Duopa pump is a small device that pumps medicine directly into the small intestine. You will wear the pump at all times and your doctor will program the pump to deliver the right amount of medicine at the right time. The medicine we use to treat Parkinson’s disease is more likely to work when it doesn’t have to go through the stomach first. This pump can be a good option when patients have trouble absorbing medicines.

If you’ve been diagnosed with dystonia or a similar disorder, we may treat it with Botox injections. There are different types of Botox we may use depending on your symptoms.

If medicines don’t reduce your symptoms, Marcus Neuroscience Institute also has a dedicated deep brain stimulation (DBS) department with functional neurosurgeons who specialize in this treatment. DBS can be used to treat different movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, dystonia and essential tremor. With DBS, a functional neurosurgeon will implant small electrodes on certain areas of your brain. These electrodes send electrical impulses that can help control abnormal movements.

Our team also has access to focused ultrasound (HiFu) treatment. This treatment uses high-frequency ultrasound to disrupt electrical signals in the brain that are causing abnormal movements.

In some cases, we may also recommend physical, occupational or speech therapy to help manage movement disorder symptoms.

Our approach

When you come to Marcus Neuroscience Institute for movement disorder treatment, you can expect:

• A team of neurologists and functional neurosurgeons who specialize in treating movement disorders and understand the full spectrum of treatment options
• A personalized approach to your care, with a treatment plan that’s tailored to your needs
• Complete care from a range of specialists all available under one roof

Does Marcus Neuroscience Institute offer genetic testing for certain movement disorders?

Through partnerships with various labs in our community, we offer genetic testing for some movement disorders, including dystonia, spinocerebellar ataxia and Parkinson’s disease. Genetic testing can help show whether you have certain inherited genes that can cause these disorders. In some cases, families with a history of these movement disorders can undergo genetic testing to determine family members’ risk for developing the disorder.

What is focused ultrasound treatment?

Focused ultrasound, or high-frequency focused ultrasound (HiFu), is a minimally invasive procedure we use to treat certain movement disorders, including essential tremor. During the procedure, you will sit in an MRI scanner so your doctor can target the part of your brain that’s causing symptoms. Your doctor will then use ultrasound energy to destroy the cells that are causing the abnormal movements.

Marcus Neuroscience Institute, at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, will begin treating patients with HiFU in Fall of 2023. In the meantime, our patients have access to this advanced treatment option at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute. Our teams collaborate to deliver the highest quality care with a seamless experience for our patients. To request an appointment with our partners at Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute, call 786-596-3876 or click here.

Meet the team

Our team includes neurologists and functional neurosurgeons who specialize in diagnosing and treating movement disorders. We also work closely with physical, occupational and speech therapists who help patients manage the symptoms of movement disorders.

• Sameea Husain-Wilson, DO
• Timothy D. Miller, Jr. MD
• Julie Pilitsis, MD

Movement disorder clinical trials

We are actively participating in several trials that are studying more advanced ways to diagnose and treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. We are also involved with a trial that is looking at improving treatment for orthostatic hypotension, which is a drop in blood pressure Parkinson’s disease patients sometimes experience.

Visit our Research and Clinical Trials page for more information.