Physiology-driven neuromodulation therapies to restore mobility in advanced Parkinson’s Disease
Event details
| Date | 23.09.2026 |
| Hour | 17:00 › 18:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Eduardo Moraud |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Inaugural lectures - Honorary Lecture |
| Event Language | English |
Please note that in-person attendees rmust register by September 17th to access the conference room
Despite major advances in therapies for Parkinson’s disease, a majority of individuals in advanced stages experience persistent mobility impairments, including gait and balance deficits, that markedly increase the risk of falls and profoundly restrict independence, social participation, and quality of life. Unlike cardinal symptoms such as rigidity and tremor, which are comparatively well understood and effectively treated, locomotor deficits remain poorly responsive to existing therapies. This limited efficacy reflects the involvement of distinct motor, sensory, and postural control circuits underlying locomotion, which are further modulated by attentional and cognitive processes during complex everyday behaviors. As a result, locomotor deficits continuously fluctuate with ongoing mobility demands, environmental context, and physiological state, while evolving over time with disease progression.
Restoring mobility therefore requires a new generation of physiology-driven neuromodulation therapies capable of identifying and selectively targeting the neural circuits that underlie locomotion, while dynamically adapting stimulation to changing motor requirements, behavioral context, and physiological fluctuations. Targeted closed-loop neuromodulation across multiple sites of the locomotor neuraxis, including deep brain and spinal circuits, offers a promising framework to achieve this goal. Combining anatomical, electrophysiological, and computational investigations across animal models of parkinsonianism and patients implanted with next-generation implantable neurostimulators, we are identifying, predicting, and modulating pathological neural signatures associated with gait dysfunction during natural behaviors. These developments are establishing an integrative pipeline for physiology-driven neuromodulation therapies capable of restoring mobility and independence in people with Parkinson’s disease.
In this talk, Prof. Moraud will present recent advances toward personalized neuromodulation therapies to restore mobility in advanced Parkinson’s disease.
Despite major advances in therapies for Parkinson’s disease, a majority of individuals in advanced stages experience persistent mobility impairments, including gait and balance deficits, that markedly increase the risk of falls and profoundly restrict independence, social participation, and quality of life. Unlike cardinal symptoms such as rigidity and tremor, which are comparatively well understood and effectively treated, locomotor deficits remain poorly responsive to existing therapies. This limited efficacy reflects the involvement of distinct motor, sensory, and postural control circuits underlying locomotion, which are further modulated by attentional and cognitive processes during complex everyday behaviors. As a result, locomotor deficits continuously fluctuate with ongoing mobility demands, environmental context, and physiological state, while evolving over time with disease progression.
Restoring mobility therefore requires a new generation of physiology-driven neuromodulation therapies capable of identifying and selectively targeting the neural circuits that underlie locomotion, while dynamically adapting stimulation to changing motor requirements, behavioral context, and physiological fluctuations. Targeted closed-loop neuromodulation across multiple sites of the locomotor neuraxis, including deep brain and spinal circuits, offers a promising framework to achieve this goal. Combining anatomical, electrophysiological, and computational investigations across animal models of parkinsonianism and patients implanted with next-generation implantable neurostimulators, we are identifying, predicting, and modulating pathological neural signatures associated with gait dysfunction during natural behaviors. These developments are establishing an integrative pipeline for physiology-driven neuromodulation therapies capable of restoring mobility and independence in people with Parkinson’s disease.
In this talk, Prof. Moraud will present recent advances toward personalized neuromodulation therapies to restore mobility in advanced Parkinson’s disease.
Practical information
- General public
- Registration required
Organizer
- Neuro-X Institiute