Exploring brain-computer interfaces for transforming dystonia treatment

September 2020

• Kristina Simonyan, Harvard Medical School
• Davide Valeriani, Harvard Medical School

Dystonia is a chronically debilitating neurological disorder. It causes involuntary muscle spasms, which severely interfere not only with the freedom of movements but also have a lasting impact on patient's quality of life, leading to continuous stress, social embarrassment, increased suicidal risk, and derailed professional careers. The poorly understood pathophysiology of dystonia has long impeded the development of effective treatments. However, as most-recent advances in brain imaging and neurophysiology unveiled the significant factors contributing to dystonia pathophysiology, we ought to leverage this knowledge for defining next-generation translational therapeutic interventions for these patients.