Using artificial intelligence to understand movement disorders
Name:
Dr. Joshua Wong
Email
joshua.wong@neurology.ufl.edu
Phone
(352) 294-5400
Faculty Department/Division
Neurology
This project is primarily:
Clinical
Research Project Description:
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a proven neurosurgical intervention for a range of movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. Contemporary DBS systems can continuously record local field potentials from implanted electrodes without relying on external laboratory equipment. By integrating these electrophysiological recordings with detailed neuroimaging of the implanted leads, we aim to employ sophisticated artificial‑intelligence techniques to elucidate the underlying pathophysiology of movement disorders and identify distinctive biomarkers that could inform and personalize therapeutic strategies.
Medical students will play a central role in this project by first assisting with the acquisition of high‑quality electrophysiological and imaging data from patients undergoing deep brain stimulation. They will then analyze this information from a conventional statistical standpoint, applying descriptive summaries, hypothesis testing, and regression modeling to identify baseline associations. Building on this foundation, the students will collaborate with the multidisciplinary team to implement and interpret advanced artificial‑intelligence, advancing our understanding of disease mechanisms and refining predictive biomarkers for personalized therapy.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No
Improving speed, accuracy, and quality of acute stroke care
Name:
Dr. Christina Wilson
Email
christina.wilson@neurology.ufl.edu
Phone
(352) 273-5550
Faculty Department/Division
Neurology
This project is primarily:
Clinical
Research Project Description:
“Time is brain” is an important mantra in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, as each second of an untreated stroke can result in permanent damage to over 32,000 neurons. Comprehensive stroke centers continuously strive to improve their accuracy of stroke identification and shorten treatment times in order to improve outcomes for patients. The UF Stroke Team has multiple ongoing projects to identify and address barriers to stroke care within specific patient populations. For example, one project is to understand factors that contribute to administration of thrombolytics later than desired (ie, greater than 30 minutes after arrival to the hospital), so that interventions can be designed to target these specific patient populations for faster treatment. Other ongoing studies are to understand predictive factors underlying inaccurately-called stroke alerts in the inpatient setting and emergency department, which will then lead to the creation of targeted educational material for assessment in follow-up studies. One exciting research area is to examine the impacts of our UF Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit fleet on the speed and quality of stroke care. Medical students will assist with data collection via retrospective chart review, data analysis, and/or creation of stroke education material for healthcare team members and patients. These projects will likely lead to one or more presentations and publications, and best of all – your work may lead to improvements in the quality of stroke patient care!
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No