Peter Brown has recently been appointed as Professor of Experimental Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurology and as an Honorary Consultant Neurologist within the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust.
Professor Brown was attracted from UCL in London to Oxford by the range and volume of innovative work being done here by Professor Tipu Aziz, Head of Functional Neurosurgery, and his team.
The Oxford Biomedical Research Centre is helping fund Professor Brown within the Brain Theme’s functional neurosurgery programme, working alongside Professor Tipu Aziz and Mr Alex Green. Their programme of research focuses on the use of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in the alleviation of movement disorders and pain syndromes.
One of Professor Brown’s research interests is how to improve deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy as a treatment for Parkinson’s Disease (PD). DBS uses a surgically implanted, battery-operated medical device called a neurostimulator—similar to a heart pacemaker and approximately the size of a stopwatch—to deliver electrical stimulation to targeted areas in the brain that control movement, blocking the abnormal nerve signals that cause tremor and PD symptoms. Professor Brown is an expert in electrophysiology (brain signals), and their analysis. His research will look at how to advance DBS to better control the dose and delivery of electrical stimulation to more closely follow abnormalities of nerve signals. This should help to make treatment more efficient and limit side effects for patients.
With an increasingly ageing population PD and essential tremor are a growing challenge for healthcare providers. Around 120,000 people in the UK suffer from PD and around 500,000 suffer from essential tremor.
Professor Brown said: “I’m delighted to have joined the team in Oxford. Oxford has been very successful at attracting funding for research into long-term degenerative diseases and has an international reputation for its work. My goal is to add to our understanding of PD and translate it into improved care for patients.”
Notes to Editors:
Functional Neurosurgery and Experimental Neurology (FNEN) Group.
OxBRC Brain Theme