innovative CARE
for Movement Disorders
The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute’s Comprehensive Movement Disorders Clinic personalizes each patient’s care by taking a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis, management, and treatment.
innovative CARE
for Movement Disorders
The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute’s Comprehensive Movement Disorders Clinic personalizes each patient’s care by taking a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis, management, and treatment.
WHAT WE DO
The nationally-recognized WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute team offers the most advanced, comprehensive movement disorder care available.
Patient Story: Don’s Journey
One of the most frustrating aspects of Essential Tremor and Parkinson’s disease is uncontrollable shaking. There’s a revolutionary new treatment that can stop the shaking immediately — without making an incision. Learn about MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (also known as HIFU) in this WVU Medicine Health Report.
Our team consists of experts in:
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Psychiatry
- Neuropsychology
- Neuroradiology
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Otolaryngology
Movement disorders we treat include:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Essential tremor (ET)
- Ataxia
- Huntington’s disease
- Cerebellar disorders
- Dystonia
Our clinic offers a range of some of the most innovative approaches available, including:
- Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
- Injections
- Medications
- MR-Guided focused ultrasound
- Rehabilitation
- Speech therapy
PERSONALIZED CARE
The WVU Medicine Comprehensive Movement Disorders Clinic’s multidisciplinary team provides world-class, personalized treatment that is tailored to each patient’s individual needs.
NON-INVASIVE TREATMENT FOR ESSENTIAL TREMOR
WVU Medicine is the only site in West Virginia, and one of only a few sites in the United States, utilizing MR-guided focused ultrasound – a new, FDA-approved treatment for essential tremor (ET) and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s.
 
- MR-guided focused ultrasound uses non-audible sound waves to treat symptoms with no incisions, brain implants, or radiation.
- The ultrasound waves are focused through the skull to create a small ablation, or burn, which reduces the tremor.
- During treatment, a small lesion will be made in the thalamus – the part of the brain that controls your tremor.
- The physician uses MRI images to view and assess the treatment area.
DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION (DBS)
DBS can help ease symptoms of movement disorders and decrease the amount of medicine needed for treatment.
The procedure is performed with a small incision to implant electrodes in certain areas of the brain to control abnormal impulses that cause the disorder’s symptoms.
PARKINSON’S DISEASE SPEECH CLINIC
RNI’s integrated neurological and speech disorder clinic provides comprehensive care to Parkinson’s Disease patients, addressing and preventing complications associated with speech and swallowing problems.
While the majority of patients with Parkinson’s Disease experience speech and swallowing difficulties along the course of their disease, these problems tend to be underrecognized and undertreated. Prevention of speech worsening is needed in the early stages and treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. Swallowing problems may lead to complications such as aspiration pneumonia.
Ninety percent of PD patients will develop speech problems affecting:
- Daily communication with family and friends
- Speaking over the phone
- Professional interactions
Call 304-598-4809 for a Parkinson’s Disease Speech Clinic appointment.
The RNI Parkinson’s Disease Speech Clinic is supported by a community grant from the Parkinson’s Foundation.
