Live Grand Rounds: Engineering Brain Circuits to Treat Psychiatric Disorders

November 15, 2023

This presentation will be an ONLINE VIRTUAL LIVE broadcast on November 15, 2023, from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET. While this activity is LIVE and can only be viewed during the time specified, the evaluation will be available online until December 13, 2023. Go to the Register tab above to learn how to participate for continuing education credit, watch the broadcast and download the slides.

The views and opinions expressed by this presenter in this lecture are their own, and do not represent the views of Sheppard Pratt.

Mental disorders arise from brain circuit dysfunctions, but most of our treatments target the whole brain rather than defined circuits. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a more circuit-directed approach that has done well in movement disorders but has very mixed results in randomized clinical trials for mental illness. Part of the difficulty is that psychiatric DBS is delivered in a trial-and-error fashion, without clear evidence that it engages the target circuits. I will discuss new strategies for developing biomarkers to guide that target engagement, centered around the idea of understanding how brain stimulation changes cognition and decision-making. We have identified ways in which DBS can augment top-down executive function and have linked those changes to cortical electrophysiology. In animals, we have developed new approaches to understand how those changes occur and how we can leverage them for clinical benefit. Taken together, these offer the prospect of a new generation of rationally designed brain stimulation therapies.

Target Audience

This activity is intended for physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, counselors and other mental health professionals. 

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, attendees will be able to:

  1. Identify clinical challenges in invasive neurostimulation for mental disorders.
  2. Describe the role of fronto-striatal circuits in behavioral flexibility.
  3. Discuss how a domain-focused approach can be more valuable than a diagnosis-focused approach in understanding mechanisms of brain stimulation.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category I credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
  • 1.00 Participation
Course opens: 
09/13/2023
Course expires: 
12/13/2023
Event starts: 
11/15/2023 - 12:00pm EST
Event ends: 
11/15/2023 - 1:00pm EST

Sheppard Pratt’s Professional Education Program is pleased to provide Wednesdays at Sheppard Pratt free of charge as a public service to the mental health community.  Your tax-deductible donations will help maintain the outstanding quality of this service. 

Sheppard Pratt is dedicated to improving quality of life through mental health, special education, and addiction services for children, adolescents, adults and older adults.  Our patient-centered treatment approach, combined with our legacy of clinical excellence, sets us apart from other health systems on both a local and national level.  We have been ranked among the nation’s top psychiatric hospitals for 24 consecutive years by U. S. News & World Report.  Founded in 1853 by philanthropist Moses Sheppard, Sheppard Pratt Health System still abides by its Quaker traditions and values.

Sheppard Pratt regularly hosts renowned speakers from across the country at our headquarters in Towson. We provide educational opportunities on subjects including psychiatric disorders, issues of behavioral health, systems-based change, mental and somatic co-morbidities, psychiatric effects on health and health outcomes, advances in neurobiology, and clinical developments in concepts underlying drug treatment of psychiatric disorders. We are accredited by the Accreditation Council of Continuing Medical Education, the Maryland Nurses’ Association, the Maryland Board of Psychology, the Maryland Board of Social Work, and the National Board of Certified Counselors.

Please send your contributions to:

Sheppard Pratt Professional Education Program
Grand Rounds Fund
6501 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21204

Professional Education Program: 410.938.4593
Conference Center at Sheppard Pratt: 410.938.3900

There is no commercial support for this activity.

About the speaker

Alik Widge, MD, PhD is a brain stimulation psychiatrist and biomedical engineer. He is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota, where he directs the Translational NeuroEngineering Lab. Dr. Widge completed his MD at the University of Pittsburgh, his PhD in Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, psychiatry residency at the University of Washington, and fellowships at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research focuses on brain stimulation for severe and treatment-resistant mental illness, with particular emphasis on deep brain stimulation and related implantable technologies. Dr. Widge's recent work has demonstrated new algorithms for closed-loop brain stimulation, stimulation methods for modifying connectivity in the distributed circuits of mental illness, and hardware solutions for embodying those insights. His laboratory studies both rodent models for prototyping these new technologies and human participants to identify biomarkers and targets for future intervention.

Disclosure Statements

Sheppard Pratt holds the standard that its continuing medical education programs should be free of commercial bias and conflict of interest. In accord with Sheppard Pratt's Disclosure Policy, as well as standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the American Medical Association (AMA), all planners, reviewers, speakers and persons in control of content have been asked to disclose any relationship he /she has with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 24 months. All planners, reviewers and speakers have also been asked to disclose any payments accepted for this lecture from any entity besides Sheppard Pratt, and if there will be discussion of any products, services, or off-label uses of product(s) during this presentation.

Alik Widge, MD, reports he is a consultant for Abbott. He will not discuss any products or off-label uses in this presentation. He will discuss deep brain stimulation in this presentation. All relationships have been mitigated. 

Event Planners/Reviewers Disclosures: The following event planners and/or reviewers are reported as having no financial interest, arrangement or affiliation with any entity producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients, during the past 24 months: Todd Peters, MD, Deepak Prabhakar, MD, Elizabeth Ryznar, MD, MSc, Louis Marino, MD, Ehsan Syed, MD, Devi Bhuyan, PhD, Faith Dickerson, PhD, Carrie Etheridge, LCSW-C, Tom Flis, LCPC, Stacey Garnett, RN, MSN, Stephanie M. Robinson, MSN, RN, PMH-BC, NPD-BC, NE-BC , Heather Billings, RN, Lisa Illum, MLIS, MEd, and Jennifer Tornabene.

Physician Statement: Sheppard Pratt is accredited by The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.  Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity.  Sheppard Pratt designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurse Statement: Sheppard Pratt is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Maryland Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity. This activity provides 1.0 contact hour(s) for nurses.

Psychologist Statement: Sheppard Pratt is authorized by the State Board of Examiners of Psychologists as a sponsor of continuing education. Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CE activity.  Sheppard Pratt designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 contact hour(s) for Psychologists.

Social Worker Statement: Sheppard Pratt is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners of Maryland to offer continuing education for Social Workers.  Sheppard Pratt takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CE activity. This activity is approved for 1.0 contact hour(s) in Category I credits for Social Workers.

Counselor Statement:  Sheppard Pratt has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5098.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Sheppard Pratt is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.  This activity is available for 1.0 NBCC clock hour(s).

Available Credit

  • 1.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category I credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
  • 1.00 Participation
Please login or register to take this course.

This presentation will be an ONLINE VIRTUAL LIVE broadcast on November 15, 2023, from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ET. While this activity is LIVE and can only be viewed during the time specified, the evaluation will be available online until December 13, 2023. Go to the Register tab above to learn how to participate for continuing education credit, watch the broadcast and download the slides.

WATCH THE BROADCAST

The codeword will be announced during the live event. The codeword is used to prove you attended the event. You will not need it to access the broadcast.

The broadcast can not be accessed through cme.sheppardpratt.org. You will need to use the link provided below to watch the broadcast.

On November 15, 2023, at 12:00 pm ET, please click on, or copy and paste this link into your web browser to view the lecture online. This link is LIVE at 11:30 am ET.  An email address is required to log into the broadcast.

https://onlinexperiences.com/Launch/Event/ShowKey=232742


DOWNLOAD THE HANDOUT.

Use this link to download the handout. This handout will be available for download on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at 12:00 pm ET.  

Handout

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https://www.sheppardpratt.org/training-education/continuing-education/continuing-education-cme-email-sign-up/

EARN CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE

PRIOR TO THE EVENT: Log into your Sheppard Pratt Ethos account and register by taking the pretest. Select the activity by series, title or speaker name. Go to the last tab, REGISTER and select the GREEN RECTANGLE, TAKE COURSE, and follow the prompts. Complete the Pretest and select attendance and you will be registered for this activity. You will not be able to work further until you are marked attended.

DURING THE EVENT: Because you will view this event online, there will not be a sign in sheet. Instead of signing in, a codeword will be given during the lecture for you. The codeword will be announced during the live broadcast. There are two ways to enter the codeword: by text/SMS & through the website. To use the website to enter the codeword to be marked attended, you will go to https://cme.sheppardpratt.org/code and enter the codeword there. To use SMS to enter the codeword, you will text the codeword to 410-291-8061. To save time, add this phone number to your contacts.  From this tab you will be able to complete your course.

AFTER THE LECTURE: Click on Pending Courses and then click on the course title. Select the last tab, TAKE COURSE, and select the GREEN RECTANGLE, TAKE COURSE and follow the prompts. Please use the navigation button located in the lower right corner to continue throughout the course for best results. Complete the evaluation and credit designation to earn continuing education hours or credits. You must complete each component of the COURSE PROGRESS BAR to earn credit for the activity. Your transcript will reflect all completed events.

Questions? Please look at our FAQ page https://cme.sheppardpratt.org/content/faq  or email cme@sheppardpratt.org.

Required Hardware/software

Optimal System Configuration

Flash Player: Adobe Flash Player 10.1+
Browser: Firefox 3+, Internet Explorer 8.0+, Safari 4.0+, or Google Chrome 7.0+
Operating System: Windows XP+ or Mac OS X 10.4+
Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements

Windows PC: 500-MHz Pentium II; Windows XP or higher; 128 MB RAM; Video Card at least 64MB of video memory; Sound Card at least 16-bit; Macromedia Flash Player 10 or higher, audio playback with speakers for programs with video content; Firefox 1.1+, Internet Explorer 7.0+, Safari 1.0+, Google Chrome, or Opera
Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.3 or higher with latest updates installed; 1.83MHz Intel Core Duo or faster; RAM: 128MB or more; Video Card: at least 64MB of video memory; Sound Card: at least 16-bit

Hardware/Software Specifications

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using Internet Explorer 8+, Mozilla Firefox 3+, Safari 4+. This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.