Center of Excellence designations by the Parkinson’s Foundation and the Huntington's Disease Society of America
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), the flagship research hospital of Dartmouth Health, has been designated as a Center of Excellence by
For Parkinson's, we are one of just 47 Centers of Excellence around the world and 37 nationwide, and the only one in northern New England. For Huntington's, we are one of only 56 Center of Excellence sites nationally and the only site in New Hampshire.
Movement disorders are illnesses that affect movement. If you have a movement disorder, our caregivers can help you.
About movement disorders
Normal movement requires a complex system of control. Disruption of this system can cause movements that are too weak, too forceful, or awkward. Unwanted movements may occur at rest. Intentional movement may become impossible. Such conditions are called movement disorders.
Abnormal movements are symptoms of underlying disorders. In some cases, the abnormal movements are the only symptoms. Disorders causing abnormal movements include Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and other disorders.
About us
- We help thousands of patients across several locations, working with experts from Neurology, Neurosurgery, Rehabilitation Medicine, Nutrition, and other specialties to offer you comprehensive movement and Parkinson’s disease care. Meet our team of experts.
- Treatments we offer include medical management, deep brain stimulation (DBS), intra-intestinal pump for continuous infusion of medication (Duopa®) and botulinum toxin (Botox®) injection. Learn about your initial evaluation with our team, and all our tests and treatments.
- We oversee clinical trials that aim to discover new treatments for and insights into movement disorders. Learn about our research and clinical trials.
To make an appointment with a clinician, please contact us.
Conditions we treat
- Apraxia: A neurological disorder characterized by the loss of the ability to carry out skilled movements and gestures
- Ataxia: A family of disorders that affect the parts of the nervous system that control movement
- Chorea: An involuntary movement disorder characterized by brief, irregular muscle contractions that are not repetitive or rhythmic
- Dystonia: A disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions that cause slow, repetitive movements or abnormal postures
- Essential tremor (ET): A disorder that involves unintentional muscle movement that is somewhat rhythmic
- Huntington's disease (HD): A rare condition that causes rapid jerky body movements and the loss of mental skills
- Myoclonus (Periodic Limb Movement Disorder [PLMD]): A condition in which a person's legs, and sometimes arms, move repetitively and uncontrollably during sleep
- Parkinson's disease (PD): A disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and affects the way a person moves
- Parkinson-plus syndromes/Atypical parkinsonisms: A group of neurological conditions that are similar to Parkinson's disease but have unique characteristics, including progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), multiple system atrophy (MSA) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD)
- Restless legs syndrome (RLS): A disorder where people have an unpleasant sensation in parts of their bodies when they lie down to sleep
- Tardive dyskinesia: A neurological syndrome caused by the long-term use of neruoleptic drugs
- Tourette's disorder: A hereditary neurological movement disorder that is characterized by repetitive motor and vocal tics
- Tremor: An involuntary, rhythmic muscle contraction that leads to shaking movements in one or more parts of the body
- Wilson disease: An inherited disorder in which excessive amounts of copper accumulate in the body and damage the liver, brain and eyes
Support our work
You can support our work by making a gift to the Hitchcock Foundation or to the Parkinson's Disease Research fund.