The Movement Disorders Institute
The Movement Disorders Institute at Sheba Medical Center features the latest medical and surgical treatments for patients with a wide range of movement disorders. Our multidisciplinary staff comprises five faculty neurologists who collaborate closely with experts in neurosurgery, internal medicine, psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, ENT, maxillofacial surgery, gastroenterology, radiology, neurological rehabilitation, and other related fields. In addition to providing a wide range of advanced therapies, we also give patients the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge academic research studies. As the largest clinic of its kind in Israel, we treat approximately 2,700 patients from Israel and abroad yearly, and we are proud to have been awarded the status of an “institute.”
Division of Internal Medicine at the Acute Care Hospital
Founded in 1999, the Movement Disorders Institute is affiliated with Sheba Medical Center’s Department of Neurology. Our facility is an integral part of the Division of Internal Medicine at Sheba Medical Center. This division of the hospital includes the following:
- Departments of Internal Medicine (A – F)
- The Research Center for Autoimmune Diseases
- Allergy and Clinical Immunology Unit
- The Bert Strassburger Lipid Center
- The Center of Geographic Medicine and Tropical Disease
- Cord Blood Bank
- Department of Dermatology
- Institute of Endocrinology
- Department of Emergency Medicine
- Department of Neurology
- Ella Institute for Treatment and Research of Melanoma and Skin Cancer
- Institute of Gastroenterology
- Institute of Oncology
- Institute of Nephrology and Hypertension
- Interventional Pulmonology Unit
- National Hemophilia Center and Institute of Thrombosis &
- Hemostasis
- The Center for Liver Diseases
What conditions do we treat?
Upon arrival at our Movement Disorders Institute, every patient undergoes a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. We offer state-of-the-art treatment for the following conditions:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Atypical Parkinsonisms: Multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration and others
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH)
- Tourette syndrome
- Dystonia, including focal forms such as cervical dystonia, oromandibular dystonia, Meige syndrome and blepharospasm as well as forms of generalized dystonia
- Cerebellar ataxia, including Friedreich ataxia and Fragile X tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS)
- Gait and balance disorders
- Huntington’s disease
- Tremor disorders, including essential tremor (ET)
- Rare neurogenetic movement disorders, including cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis
What specialized treatments do we offer?
All treatment plans are custom designed to address your unique medical condition and preferences. Treatment may include:
Deep Brain Stimulation Program (DBS)
Deep brain stimulation is a well-established, safe, and effective device-aided treatment for Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. The procedure involves the implantation of brain electrodes and a pulse generator (IPG) that delivers electrical pulses to stimulate parts of the brain that regulate movement. The goal of DBS is to eliminate the motor symptoms of movement disorders, such as tremors, muscle stiffness, slowness, and involuntary movements. Generally, DBS is used for patients with disabling symptoms that are unresponsive to medications or other therapies.
MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (FUS) Thalamotomy
Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy is a cutting-edge treatment that can be used to abolish hand tremors. At Sheba, we have been performing this non-invasive therapy since 2015. FUS focuses acoustic energy to destroy a small, highly specific area of brain tissue. Pinpoint precision prevents damage to surrounding healthy brain tissue.
Infusion Therapies
Patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease may benefit from the continuous infusion of Levodopa/Carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) via a portable pump that is connected directly to the small intestine. Infusion therapy can be a safe, effective, and flexible way for patients to maintain and optimize their motor functions. In comparison to standard oral therapies, pump treatment has often led to dramatic improvements in mobility. Subcutaneous apomorphine infusion (Apo-Go) via pump is another type of infusion solution that may be administered.
Our Doctors
Meet the Director
Prof. Sharon Hassin-Baer, MD
Director, Movement Disorders Institute
Senior Neurologist, Department of Neurology
Prof. Hassin-Baer began her studies in the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa, in 1985. After the second year, she moved to continue her studies at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, where she received her medical degree in 1991. Since 1997, Prof. Hassin-Baer has served as a senior neurologist at Sheba, and in 1999, she founded the clinic that developed into Sheba’s current Movement Disorders Institute.
Prof. Hassin-Baer is the first neurologist in Israel to train at leading centers around the world to learn cutting-edge techniques in the field of functional surgical interventions for movement disorders. In 2002, she founded the DBS Clinic at Sheba and is a world-renowned lecturer in the discipline.
Prof. Sharon Hassin-Baer, MD
Simon Israeli-Korn, MD, MRCP, PhD
Senior Neurologist, Department of Neurology
Dr. Israeli-Korn, specialist in Movement Disorders, graduated from Cambridge University in England and completed his residency in neurology at Sheba Medical Center. He finished his PhD in the field of Movement Science at the Weizmann Institute of Science, in the MD-PhD track for medical specialists. He is recognized as a leading expert in the advancement of FUS therapy for tremor, collaborating with academia and industry to research movement disorders and movement science.
Roberto Spiegelmann, MD
Senior Neurosurgeon, Department of Neurosurgery
Head, Stereotactic Radiosurgery Unit, and Functional Neurosurgery Service
Dr. Spiegelmann received his medical degree from the Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay. In December 1992, he founded Sheba’s Radiosurgery Unit, the first facility of its kind in the Middle East. Dr. Spiegelmann has been active nationally and internationally in spreading radiosurgery, and he pioneered the combined approach of microsurgery and radiosurgery in Israel. He is a member of numerous international professional societies and was President of the International Society for Stereotactic Radiosurgery (ISRS) from 2007 – 2009.
Zion Zibly, MD
Senior Neurosurgeon and Deputy Director of the Department of Neurosurgery
Dr. Zibly received his medical degree from the Technion Faculty of Medicine, Haifa. He is a worldwide specialist in neurosurgery with extensive experience in the treatment of benign and malignant tumors of the brain and spinal cord. He worked at the National Institutes of Health in the United States, and practiced functional and stereotactic neurosurgery at Ohio State University, USA. Dr. Zibly was a member of the surgical team that performed the first brain stimulator for Alzheimer patients in the USA. He participates in many neurology studies and has published numerous articles in scientific journals.
Holistic Healthcare for Movement Disorders
At our Movement Disorders Institute, we understand that your condition can be both physically and emotionally challenging for you and your family. That’s why we customize every treatment program to address your whole being and maximize your quality of life. A multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, neuropsychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, a sexologist, and social workers provides each individual with integrative, compassionate care. All services are provided efficiently under one roof on Sheba’s comprehensive campus.
