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Dr. Andrew Lozano (L), who holds
the Ron Tasker Chair in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery
at the University of Toronto, gave this year’s Dr. John
G. Williams Lecture in the Neurosciences on Oct. 9 at the Faculty
of Medicine. Prior to the lecture he took the opportunity to
meet with Dr. Anne Williams (R), daughter of the late Dr. John
Williams. Dr. Lozano’s talk on Functional Neurosurgery:
Towards Restoring Brain Function, described surgical interventions
for Parkinson’s Disease, essential tremor, and a crippling
disorder of the motor system called dystonia. One successful
intervention applies electrical current to eliminate the pathological
activity going on in the brain that causes tremors. Dr. Lozano
said he sees the next five years as the era of stimulation in
treating these diseases, with refinements including rechargeable
batteries, smaller skull-implanted systems and multiple electrodes.
Over the next 10 years he anticipates an era of restoration
and novel applications including a shift from symptomatic treatment
to neuroprotective and restorative therapy, with effective gene
therapy and applications to diseases beyond movement disorders.
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issue: October 30, 2003
Questions? Comments?
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