Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute has the most comprehensive Parkinson's disease and movement disorder program in New Jersey. Our neurologists, neurosurgeons, rehabilitation specialists and expansive care team consider every aspect of a patient's life, offering life changing treatments not available anywhere else in New Jersey.
Our program takes a patient-centered approach with uniquely tailored treatment and management plans for the full spectrum of movement disorders, including:
- Parkinson disease and parkinsonism
- Atypical parkinsonism including multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, cortical-basal syndrome and dementia with Lewy bodies
- Essential tremor
- Ataxia disorders
- Generalized and focal/segmental dystonia including cervical dystonia, oromandibular dystonia and blepharospasm
- Hemifacial spasm
- Chorea including Huntington disease and tardive dyskinesia
- Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders
- Myoclonus
Movement Disorders Treatment at Our Hospitals
We offer movement disorder programs at the following locations:
Hackensack University Medical Center
Rehabilitation for Movement Disorders in New Jersey
Our specialists are leaders in movement disorder rehabilitation and follow the latest, evidence-based guidelines. Our movement disorder rehabilitation team includes:- Board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians
- Movement disorder neurologists
- Certified rehabilitation registered nurses (CRRN)
- Movement disorder therapists
Frequently Asked Questions
Movement disorders are a group of neurological conditions that cause problems with movement, such as slow, voluntary movement and increased, involuntary movements.
Three of the major disorders are Parkinson’s Disease, Essential Tremors and Dystonia.
Several factors can cause movement disorders, including:
- Genetic factors
- Infection
- Certain medications
- Damage to the brain, spinal cord or peripheral nerves
- Metabolic disorders
- Stroke
- Toxins
- Vascular diseases
We provide a full array of medical and surgical treatments, and specialize in the most advanced treatments available, including Deep Brain Stimulation.
Our diverse team of movement disorder experts consider your diagnosis, health history, lifestyle and other factors to construct a personalized treatment plan that meets your unique priorities and needs, controls your symptoms, maintains your independence and improves your quality of life.
Surgical options
- Deep Brain Stimulation: One of the most effective and advanced treatments for Parkinson’s Disease, Essential Tremor, Dystonia and other movement disorders. This implantation surgery involves placing a small wire or stimulating lead in the brain. Extension cables are then routed under the skin down to the chest where an implanted neurostimulator delivers a continual electrical stimulation, unfelt by the patient, to improve symptoms.
- MRI-guided laser therapy uses laser technology to deliver a specific amount of energy to a targeted region of the brain to destroy the brain cells causing the seizures.
- Stereotactic pallidotomy may be an option for patients who can’t undergo deep-brain stimulation for Parkinson’s or other movement disorders. It uses radiofrequency ablation to create a small lesion in the part of the brain responsible for movement control.
- Stereotactic thalamotomy to treat essential tremor or tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease. This procedure creates lesions that stop or reduce tremors using Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery technology.
- Focused Ultrasound (FUS),a minimally invasive alternative to deep-brain stimulation for patients with essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease tremor that has not responded to medications.
Nonsurgical options
- Botulinum injections
- Complex medical management
Supportive services
- Psychological counseling to help you and your family cope with the emotional challenges of living with a movement disorder.
- Neuropsychology to help you through cognitive challenges that may occur with movement disorders, such as memory loss.
- Nutritional counseling
- Physical therapy, occupational therapy and exercise to improve your flexibility, balance and strength.
- Speech and swallow therapy to address communication difficulties and manage cough and swallowing problems.
Learn more about our treatment for pediatric movement disorders in New Jersey
We specialize in the use of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to detect movement disorders.
One of the most advanced diagnostic tools available, SPECT helps neurologists visualize dopamine transporter levels in the brain, providing exceptional clarity while using a low dose of radiation.
We also use a wide variety of other diagnostic procedures to help physicians provide accurate and timely assessments of movement disorders, including:
- Blood or urine samples to check for markers of neurological disorders and rule out other conditions.
- Electromyography (EMG) to measure the electrical impulses along your nerves and muscles, which determine how well your nerves and muscles work together.
- Imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT), to identify neurological abnormalities and diagnose your movement disorder.
- Neurophysiological exam to detect neurological abnormalities.
- Neuropsychological exam to assess cognitive skills like attention, executive functioning, memory, language and visuospatial processing.
