Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders

At the Marlene and Paolo Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders, part of the Kellar Family Division of Movement Disorders at NYU Langone, our mission is to advance treatment, education, and research for Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders. We take a humanistic, empathetic, and compassionate approach to care, emphasizing the person rather than the disease.

The Fresco Institute is one of the premier movement disorder centers in the United States, and our experts help diagnose and treat both types of movement disorders:

• Hypokinetic disorders: conditions that cause slowness of movement, such as Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonisms
• Hyperkinetic disorders: conditions that cause too much movement, such as myoclonus, chorea, tics, tremor, dystonia, cerebellar disorders, and unusual movement disorders

Our Fresco Institute team works closely with you and your family to develop customized treatment plans that fit your goals. We aim to provide the best treatments to control your symptoms and enhance your quality of life while helping to connect you and your family to our innovative programs in the community.

The Fresco Institute is also committed to research to improve our understanding of the nature of both hypokinetic movement disorders and hyperkinetic movement disorders.

Researchers are actively investigating ways to better address symptoms and improve treatment options. Among these innovative treatments are experimental medications tested in clinical trials, new forms of deep brain stimulation, and groundbreaking noninvasive treatments, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation.

The Fresco Institute is proud to be a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence since 2009 and to be a leader in Parkinson’s disease care. The Fresco Institute was established in 2007 through the generous support of the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation. In 2015, following a transformative grant from the Marlene and Paolo Fresco Foundation, the center was renamed the Marlene and Paolo Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders.

Compassionate, Expert Care for Movement Disorders

Our multidisciplinary team of providers, including neurologists, social workers, nurses, and nurse practitioners, provides expert care for more than 6,000 patients with movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, atypical parkinsonian syndromes, tremor, dystonia, chorea, tics, and other hyperkinetic and hypokinetic disorders, each year.

At your first appointment, your doctor will take your medical history and perform a neurological examination. Once you receive a diagnosis, you may undergo additional testing, including advanced imaging blood tests and genetic testing.

Your doctor will create a treatment plan tailored to your diagnosis, symptoms, and goals, which may include medications, injections such as botulinum toxin, and rehabilitative therapies designed to improve movement, function, and quality of life.

Depending on your diagnosis, we may refer you to the Center for Neuromodulation for treatment with a magnetic-resonance-guided, high-focused ultrasound or deep brain stimulation. This treatment helps mitigate abnormal nerve activity and reduces tremor and stiffness when medications are not effective.

Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease, a condition in which specific cells in the brain are slowly lost, causes slowness of movement, stiffness, changes in walking, and tremor. It’s the most common hypokinetic movement disorder, affecting more than 1 million people in the United States. At the Fresco Institute, we treat over 3,500 patients for Parkinson’s disease annually.

Each person with Parkinson’s disease experiences different challenges, and our team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, occupational and physical therapists, and rehabilitative experts work with you to create a personalized treatment plan. We offer medications and treatments to help you manage your symptoms, including levodopa, dopamine agonists, deep brain stimulation for severe motor symptoms or slowness, and rehabilitative services.

Other Hypokinetic Disorders

In addition to Parkinson’s disease, we evaluate and provide care for the full spectrum of hypokinetic disorders and atypical parkinsonian conditions, including:

• Corticobasal syndrome
• Lewy body disease
• Multiple system atrophy
• Progressive supranuclear palsy

While the cause of these disorders is unknown, they require specialized care because of the challenges patients and their caregivers face. At the Fresco Institute, we care for patients with early and advanced atypical parkinsonism and hypokinetic movement disorders and create individualized treatment plans that help with symptom management.

Hyperkinetic Disorders

Our multidisciplinary team provides compassionate care for patients who have hyperkinetic movement disorders, including:

• Cerebellar disorders
• Chorea
• Dystonia
• Myoclonus
• Tics
• Tremor

Your doctor will create a tailored treatment plan that best addresses your needs and goals, which may include medications or injections. We offer botulinum toxin injections with high-resolution ultrasound and electromyography guidance and perform more than 2,250 injections of botulinum toxin for dystonia, tremor, and myoclonus annually.