#32: Philip Mosley – Neuropsychiatric network effects of DBS in Parkinson's and OCD

Stimulating Brains

It was my great pleasure to talk with Philip Mosley, who is one of the most experienced neuropsychiatrists working with DBS and published seminal work on non-motor, neuropsychiatric side-effects of subthalamic DBS in Parkinson's Disease as well as DBS for obsessive compulsive disorder when targeting the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Our conversation spans many areas from public health, remarkable individual case examples, the role of caregivers in DBS surgery, whether DBS could alter your personality, to boxing, raising three kids and a fast car. Phil has published certainly among the best network DBS papers on neuropsychiatric adverse events in notable journals, involving a virtual casino paradigm and investigating what differentiated patients that struggled with impulsivity and other side-effects after surgery from the ones that don't. After carrying out one of the few randomized clinical trials on DBS for OCD with the DBS team in Brisbane, Phil realized how critical access to this treatment option will be for some patients, so he has become active in pursuing the goal to broaden access to this treatment in Australia and beyond. After listening to the side of neurosurgeons, neurologists and psychiatrists on this podcast, I believe it is a very insightful change of perspective to hear from a neuropsychiatrist that has treated a large number of patients that underwent DBS – so I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did the conversation with Phil!