Central vestibular neuromodulation represents one of the most consequential emerging intersections in clinical neuroscience today. For clinicians working with patients who present with complex balance disorders, dizziness, or Parkinson's disease, the gap between peripheral vestibular assessment and central vestibular circuitry has long been a limiting factor in clinical outcomes. This course bridges that gap with rigorous, translational research, examining how deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus modulates heading perception and spatial navigation through the cerebellothalamic pathway.

This course equips clinicians with a mechanistic understanding of how central vestibular dysfunction operates differently from its peripheral counterpart. Drawing on psychometric motion analysis, patient-specific DBS modeling, and traced neural pathway data, participants gain a precise neuroanatomical and clinical framework for understanding why Parkinson's patients lose spatial navigation accuracy in a severity-dependent pattern, and how targeted neuromodulation can partially restore it. This is not a theoretical overview. It is a window into active laboratory science that is reshaping how the field thinks about vestibular dysfunction at the level of the basal ganglia and cerebellum.

This course is designed for licensed clinicians in functional neurology, chiropractic neurology, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, physical therapy, and any discipline in which central vestibular dysfunction presents as an unresolved clinical challenge. Clinicians who regularly evaluate balance disorders, manage Parkinson's patients, or treat patients with unexplained dizziness and spatial disorientation will find this content directly applicable to their clinical reasoning and patient conversations.

Dr. Aasef Shaikh, MD PhD, holds the Penny and Steven Weinberg Chair in Brain Health and serves as Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Urology at University Hospitals, with an affiliation to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. A former fellow under Professor DeLong at Emory University, Dr. Shaikh is a recognized authority on vestibular neuroscience, basal ganglia circuitry, and deep brain stimulation. His presentation at the International Symposium in Clinical Neuroscience reflects the caliber of research and clinical translation that defines the Carrick Institute's commitment to advancing the profession.