First established in October 2002, the Unit has grown in scope and activity and is recognised as an international centre of excellence in the field. The Unit is dedicated to the multidisciplinary neurosurgical and neurological management of patients with Parkinson’s disease and other movement and neuropsychiatric disorders. This highly specialised multi-disciplinary team includes neurosurgeons, neurologists, speech and language therapists and specialist nurses, in collaboration with neuropsychology, neurophysiology, neuropsychiatry and neurogenetics experts. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and stereotactic ablation (SA) are commonly used surgical techniques to modulate abnormal function in brain circuits. The Unit’s mission is to provide and develop the best possible treatments, to provide comprehensive training & education in the field and to engage in extensive research aimed at understanding, improving and extending the use of DBS, SA and other neurosurgical techniques.
More information about the Functional Neurosurgery Unit can be found at our 2019 annual report (pdf).
Clinical Services
The NHNN Unit of Functional Neurosurgery performs over 100 DBS procedures every year – making it the largest centre in the UK.
Research
The Unit’s research strategy is clinical and patient-centred, with the primary objective being to further improve the outcome and the quality of life of patients, and to develop new therapies.