Alim Louis Benabid

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Alim Louis Benabid
Alim Louis Benabid 20170908.jpg
Alim-Louis Benabid, MD, PhD in 2017
Born (1942-05-02) May 2, 1942 (age 82)
Grenoble, France
OccupationNeurosurgeon, researcher
EducationMD, PhD
Alma mater Joseph Fourier University
SubjectMedicine, Physics

Alim Louis Benabid is a French-Algerian emeritus professor, neurosurgeon and member of the French Academy of Sciences, who has had a global impact in the development of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. He became emeritus professor of biophysics at the Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble in September 2007, and chairman of the board of the Edmond J. Safra Biomedical Research Center in 2009 at Clinatec, a multidisciplinary institute he co-founded in Grenoble that applies nanotechnologies to neurosciences.

Contents

Biography

Alim Louis Benabid was born May 2, 1942, in Grenoble, France. The son of a doctor from Algeria and of a French nurse, Benabid was quoted as saying he could not easily decide between studying physics or medicine. [1] He received his medical degree in 1970 and a doctorate in physics in 1978, both from Joseph Fourier University (now part of the Université Grenoble Alpes) in Grenoble. [1] He became a staff neurosurgeon at Joseph Fourier University in 1972, professor of experimental medicine in 1978, and professor of biophysics from 1983 to 2007. [2] Benabid also had a fellowship in 1979 – 1980 in preclinical neuropharmacology in the laboratory of Floyd Bloom at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California. [3] From 1988 to 2007, he directed the preclinical neurosciences unit at the French biomedical and public health research institution INSERM, and from 1989 to 2007, served as head of the neurosurgery department at the University Hospital of Grenoble. [2] In other roles, Benabid coordinated the Claudio Munari Center for Surgery of Epilepsy and Movement Disorders at Ospedale (Hospital) Niguarda in Milan, Italy from 1998 to 2007, and was a staff consultant at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio from 2000 to 2003. [3]

In 2007, Benabid joined the French Commissariat d'Energie Atomique as a scientific adviser during the time a campus for public-private innovation was being created, the Grenoble Innovation for Advanced New Technologies campus, which includes the Minatec research complex and the life-science cluster NanoBio. [4] [5] [6] In 2009, he became chairman of the board of the Edmond J. Safra Biomedical Research Center at Clinatec, a translational biomedical technology organization he helped found within Minatec. Clinatec was jointly created by CEA-LETI (Laboratoire d'électronique des technologies de l'information—an applied micro- and nanotechnology subsidiary of CEA), Grenoble University Hospital, INSERM and Joseph Fourier University. [7] [8] [9] In 2013, when awarding Benabid a $100,000 Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson's Research to fund continued research, the Michael J. Fox Foundation said in its award announcement that Benabid had published 523 scientific papers, achieving an H Index of 67, as well as given 18 honorary lectures, and received 23 medals and prizes. [3]

Deep brain stimulation neurosurgery

Benabid developed stereotactic surgery methods for brain surgery in patients who had brain tumors or certain types of movement disorder. [2]

As part of the work, he and his team members created tissue banks using tissue from brain tumor biopsies. The tissue samples were used to characterize brain tumors by oncogenic mapping. Studies of genomics and proteomics have highlighted the factors involved in tumor progression and led to therapeutic advances such as anti-angiogenic factors. [2]

For patients with Parkinson's disease, Benabid and Pierre Pollak, a neurologist at the University Hospital of Grenoble, also developed deep brain stimulation (DBS) in 1987. [1] [10] [11]

Parkinson's disease is commonly treated with medicines such as levodopa to improve muscle control, balance and walking, but higher dosages tend to be needed over time in this progressive neurological condition, and long-term use can lead to motor fluctuations such as tremor, rigidity or slowness. [12]

Prior to development of DBS, the main surgical treatment for Parkinson's disease was lesioning to inhibit involuntary abnormal motion associated with severe Parkinson's disease not controlled by optimal medication. [9] As described in a 2010 interview with Benabid in the medical journal Lancet, [1] electrical stimulation was used during surgery to locate the ablation target and predict lesioning effects. To precisely locate the right area, an electrode would be placed around the target and those surrounding areas stimulated with physiological frequencies of 20 – 50 Hz while observing the patient's movement. Since electrical stimulation itself sometimes seemed to quiet tremor during the procedure, Benabid reasoned this might be a solution. He tested from very low frequencies of 1, 5, 10 Hz and more up to 100 Hz, which mimicked effects of ablation without destroying tissue. Initially the thalamus was stimulated. Later animal studies indicated the subthalamic nucleus might be a more effective stimulation target. As technology advanced to allow such stimulation to be continuously applied for a long time, DBS became widely adopted in the 1990s for treatment of movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. [1] [13]

A meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials published in 2014 showed that in 1,184 study subjects, DBS significantly improved untreated motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, permitting a reduction in medication doses and their associated complications; as well as contributing moderately, during the phase when the patients were taking Parkinson's disease medication, to fewer motor symptoms, greater function, and more quality of life. [14]

Honors and awards

Benabid has received a number of awards and honors from various countries, including: [2] [3] [15] [16]

Honorary degrees

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neurosurgery</span> Medical specialty of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system.

Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep brain stimulation</span> Neurosurgical treatment involving implantation of a brain pacemaker

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical procedure that implants a neurostimulator and electrodes which sends electrical impulses to specified targets in the brain responsible for movement control. The treatment is designed for a range of movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and dystonia, as well as for certain neuropsychiatric conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and epilepsy. The exact mechanisms of DBS are complex and not entirely clear, but it is known to modify brain activity in a structured way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dystonia</span> Neurological movement disorder

Dystonia is a neurological hyperkinetic movement disorder in which sustained or repetitive muscle contractions occur involuntarily, resulting in twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal fixed postures. The movements may resemble a tremor. Dystonia is often intensified or exacerbated by physical activity, and symptoms may progress into adjacent muscles.

Helen S. Mayberg, is an American neurologist. Mayberg is known in particular for her work delineating abnormal brain function in patients with major depression using functional neuroimaging. This work led to the first pilot study of deep brain stimulation (DBS), a reversible method of selective modulation of a specific brain circuit, for patients with treatment-resistant depression. As of August 2019, she has published 211 original peer-reviewed articles, 31 books and book chapters, and acted as principal investigator on 24 research grants. Mayberg is coinventor with Andres Lozano of “Method for Treating Depression Mood Disorders and Anxiety Disorders using Neuromodulation,” US patent 2005/0033379A1. St. Jude Medical Neuromodulation licensed her intellectual property to develop Subcallosal Cingulate Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Unipolar and Bipolar Depression for the treatment of severe depression. As of 2018, Mayberg holds positions as Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery and Professor, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, both at Mount Sinai Medical School, and Professor of Psychiatry, Emory University; Emory University Hospital. Since 2018, she has served as Director, Nash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Ablative brain surgery is the surgical ablation by various methods of brain tissue to treat neurological or psychological disorders. The word "Ablation" stems from the Latin word Ablatus meaning "carried away". In most cases, however, ablative brain surgery does not involve removing brain tissue, but rather destroying tissue and leaving it in place. The lesions it causes are irreversible. There are some target nuclei for ablative surgery and deep brain stimulation. Those nuclei are the motor thalamus, the globus pallidus, and the subthalamic nucleus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkinson's disease</span> Long-term neurodegenerative disease

Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term neurodegenerative disease of mainly the central nervous system that affects both the motor system and non-motor systems. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease progresses, non-motor symptoms become more common. Usual symptoms are tremor, slowness of movement, rigidity, and difficulty with balance, collectively known as parkinsonism. Parkinson's disease dementia, falls and neuropsychiatric problems such as sleep abnormalities, psychosis, mood swings, or behavioral changes may arise in advanced stages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Parkinson's disease</span>

The history of Parkinson's disease expands from 1817, when British apothecary James Parkinson published An Essay on the Shaking Palsy, to modern times. Before Parkinson's descriptions, others had already described features of the disease that would bear his name, while the 20th century greatly improved knowledge of the disease and its treatments. PD was then known as paralysis agitans. The term "Parkinson's disease" was coined in 1865 by William Sanders and later popularized by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot.

David Charles is an American neurologist, professor and vice-chair of neurology, and the medical director of Telehealth at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Neuromodulation is "the alteration of nerve activity through targeted delivery of a stimulus, such as electrical stimulation or chemical agents, to specific neurological sites in the body". It is carried out to normalize – or modulate – nervous tissue function. Neuromodulation is an evolving therapy that can involve a range of electromagnetic stimuli such as a magnetic field (rTMS), an electric current, or a drug instilled directly in the subdural space. Emerging applications involve targeted introduction of genes or gene regulators and light (optogenetics), and by 2014, these had been at minimum demonstrated in mammalian models, or first-in-human data had been acquired. The most clinical experience has been with electrical stimulation.

Mahlon R. DeLong was an American neurologist and professor at the Medical School of Emory University. His research has advanced the understanding and treatment of Parkinson's disease, dystonia, tremor and other neurological movement disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yves Agid</span> French physician

Yves Agid is a neurologist, neuropsychiatrist, cell biologist, neurochemist, academician, university professor, hospital doctor, researcher in biology and scientist specializing in neurosciences.

N. K. Venkataramana is an Indian neurosurgeon and the founder of ANSA Research Foundation, a non-profit non governmental organization promoting research on neuroscience, neurological disorders, cancer biology, stem cells and tumor tissue repository. He is a recipient of Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the highest Indian award in the medical category and the Rajyotsava Prashasti, the second highest civilian award of the Government of Karnataka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polygone Scientifique</span>

The Polygone Scientifique, nowadays known as Presqu'Île (peninsula) is a neighborhood of the city of Grenoble in France. It includes a significant number of research centers in a peninsula between Isère and Drac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krembil Research Institute</span> Academic medical research institute in Toronto

The Krembil Research Institute, formerly known as the Toronto Western Research Institute, is an academic medical research institute in Toronto. It is one of the largest research institutes in Canada focusing on human neurological disease.

Clinatec is a biomedical research center based at the Polygone Scientifique in Grenoble. Doctors, biologists and micro- and nanotechnology experts work side by side at the 6,000 m2 facility. Around a hundred researchers and employees work at the center. When it opened at the end of 2011, it was hailed as the first center of its kind in the world. With six hospital rooms, cutting-edge medical imaging equipment and an operating suite, Clinatec was developed by the Research Division of the CEA, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital (CHU), Inserm and the Université Grenoble Alpes. The primary focus is on cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and disability.

Ali R. Rezai is an Iranian-born American neurosurgeon and neuroscientist. His work and research has focused on neuromodulation treatments for patients with neurological and mental health conditions, including neuromodulation techniques such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) through brain chip implants to treat Parkinson's disease tremors, obsessive–compulsive disorder, Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and addiction. Recent research since 2020 has focused on deep brain stimulation for addiction treatment, as well as focused ultrasound to treat tremor, addiction and Alzheimer's disease.

Sridevi Sarma is an American biomedical and electrical engineer known for her work in applying control theory to improve therapies for neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. She is vice dean for graduate education of the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering, associate director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Computational Medicine, and an associate professor in the Johns Hopkins Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Jerrold Lee Vitek is an American neurologist. He is the Head of the Neurology Department, Director of the Neuromodulation Research Program, and Center Director of the University of Minnesota Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Research. Vitek's clinical interests include movement disorders and evaluation for deep brain stimulation (DBS) and his current research activities focus on Parkinson's disease, dystonia, tremor and deep brain stimulation.

Robert Joseph BuchananKM+ is an American neurosurgeon, psychiatrist, and bioethicist who is best known for his contributions to the field of neuroscience, psychosurgery, and neuroethics. He is an associate professor of neurosurgery at Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin and maintains courtesy associate professor appointments in the school's department of neurology and department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberto Priori</span> Italian neurologist

Alberto Priori is an Italian neurologist, academic, and author. He is a Professor of Neurology at the University of Milan, Director of Neurology 1 Unit at San Paolo Hospital, and the Founder and Coordinator of Aldo Ravelli Center of the University of Milan. He also serves as President of the Neurophysiopatology Techniques Course, and Professor of Postgraduate Schools - Medicine, Healthcare, Dental Medicine at the same University.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Williams, Ruth (2010). "Alim-Louis Benabid: Stimulation and serendipity". The Lancet Neurology. 9 (12): 1152. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(10)70291-X. PMID   21087740. S2CID   32024100.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Notice biographique de Alim-Louis Benabid, Membre de l'Académie des sciences" (PDF) (in French). December 2, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-03. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "PARKINSON'S RESEARCHER PROFILE Alim Louis Benabid, MD, PhD". The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  4. ↑ Prest, Michael (19 January 2010). "A technological powerhouse to rival MIT and Oxbridge: The French are waking the sleeping giant". The Independent. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  5. ↑ Reisz, Matthew (11 March 2010). "Grenoble takes Giant steps towards collaboration". Times Higher Education. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  6. ↑ fr:NanoBio
  7. ↑ Mestais, Corrine (May 2009). "CLINATEC® leverages micro and nanotechnologies for healthcare". Mina-News (5). Archived from the original on 2014-03-10. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  8. ↑ Berger, Francois. "CLINATEC: A Technology Translational Research Center". Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 2014-04-21. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Smart Machines – Neural Evolution IFESS Conference 2012: Speaker Alim Louis Benabid". International Functional Electrical Stimulation Society (IFESS). January 19, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  10. ↑ Benabid, A.L. (December 2003). "Deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease". Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 13 (6): 696–706. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2003.11.001. PMID   14662371. S2CID   27174469.
  11. ↑ Herpich, Nate (May 28, 2013). "Robert A. Pritzker Prize Winner's 'Serendipitous Discovery' Leads to Improved Lives for Many with Parkinson's". The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  12. ↑ Lee, Chong S. (May 2001). "Levodopa-induced dyskinesia: Mechanisms and management". BCMJ. 43 (4): 206–209.
  13. ↑ Berger, Pierre-Damien (July 5, 2013). "CLINATEC Chairman Alim-Louis Benabid Honored by Michael J. Fox Foundation for Pioneering Work in Treating Parkinson's Disease". BusinessWire. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  14. ↑ Perestelo-Pérez, L; Rivero-Santana, A; Pérez-Ramos, J; Serrano-Pérez, P; Panetta, J; Hilarion, P (2014). "Deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials". Journal of Neurology. 261 (11): 2051–60. doi:10.1007/s00415-014-7254-6. PMID   24487826. S2CID   1975589.
  15. ↑ Berger, Pierre-Damien (October 9, 2013). "CLINATEC Chairman Alim-Louis Benabid Honored By U.S. Research Institute for Parkinson's Disease Work". BusinessWire. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Clinatec Chairman Alim-Louis Benabid Wins $3 Million 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for Parkinson's Disease Work". BusinessWire. November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Résumé de Alim Louis Benabid". www.armb.be (in French). 2016-07-01. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  18. ↑ "Patron Saint's Day Alim Louis Benabid". KU Leuven. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
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