Alim Louis Benabid

Prof. Alim-Louis Benabid, the ex-chairman of neurosurgery at the Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France is considered a pioneer in the field of neurosurgery. Prof. Benabid first developed the procedure of deep brain stimulation (DBS), a technique that uses an implanted electrode to deliver continuous high-frequency electrical stimulation to parts of the brain that control movement such as the thalamus, globus pallidus or subthalamic nucleus. The technique can reduce tremor, bradykinesia and rigidity, which are common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Unlike ablative surgery — which had long been one of the treatments of choice for these disorders — DBS does not destroy brain tissue and is thus less risky. Prof. Benabid now heads a national centre for nanotechnologies in healthcare, based in Grenoble, which is one of 4 “new Research Technologies” Directorates of the French Commissariat d’ Energie Atomique (CEA). As such, his group will be one of the major components of a new French Government Initiative, called “le Polygone Scientifique” that will include CNRS, CEA, Cyclotron/ Radiochemistry, Energy and Structural Biology.