A man with Parkinson’s who once struggled to hold a fork is back playing

A closer look at A man with Parkinson’s who once struggled to hold a fork is back playing

What this Weill Cornell news story is about

This is a patient-centered news article describing Stan Au’s experience with magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for Parkinson’s disease. It summarizes Stan’s motor problems before treatment, his decision process with clinicians at Weill Cornell Medicine, and clinical-trial and regulatory context for the bilateral MRgFUS approach.

What MRgFUS does and how the procedure is done

The piece explains that MRgFUS is a noninvasive, outpatient treatment that focuses ultrasound waves to create a tiny, precise lesion in a deep brain pathway involved in movement. The reported procedure includes shaving the head, wearing a helmet inside an MRI, using MRI guidance and real-time thermal monitoring to direct ultrasound beams through the skull to the target. The targeted pathway in the trial was the pallidothalamic tract, which links the globus pallidus interna to the thalamus.

Who might find this article useful

People interested in treatment options for Parkinson’s motor complications, clinicians following advances in neuromodulation, and family members researching patient experiences will find the article relevant. It highlights that MRgFUS had been previously FDA-approved for essential tremor and later for Parkinson’s tremor and mobility indications, and that a staged bilateral approach was studied and led to additional approval. The article also notes potential tradeoffs: some patients had improvement but the second-side treatment carried higher risks for speech, walking and balance issues, so patient selection is important.

Questions people ask about A man with Parkinson’s who once struggled to hold a fork is back playing

Does the article say the bilateral treatment was approved by the FDA?

Yes - it reports that the FDA approved the staged bilateral treatment using this platform in July 2025, based on the clinical trial.

What outcomes does the article report from the trial?

The article states 86% of patients reported at least some improvement three months after the second procedure and 62% reported being satisfied, but it also notes the second treatment gave less additional motor improvement and had higher risks for speech, walking and balance issues.

Is the procedure described as invasive surgery?

No - the article describes MRgFUS as noninvasive and outpatient, in contrast to deep-brain stimulation which involves implanting electrodes.

A man with Parkinson’s who once struggled to hold a fork is back playing was shared on NexURLs by Nexis on October 31, 2026, in Health & Fitness.