Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal HM CINAC, located at Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur (Móstoles), surpassed 500 HIFU (high-intensity focused ultrasound) interventions in 2024. This milestone reinforces its position as a benchmark in the treatment and research of Parkinson’s disease—characterised by motor issues such as slowed movement, rigidity, resting tremor, or loss of facial expression—and other neurodegenerative pathologies using ultrasound. This achievement underscores Grupo HM Hospitales’ commitment to cutting-edge medicine, driven by technological innovation and clinical excellence.
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting approximately 160,000 people in Spain, according to data from the Sociedad Española de Neurología (SEN). This figure reflects a significant increase in recent decades, and due to population ageing, the number of cases could triple in the next 25 years. While prevalence rises with age—affecting 2% of people over 65 and 4% of those over 80—around 15% of cases are diagnosed in individuals under 50, demonstrating that it is not exclusively a disease of the elderly.
Early diagnosis is crucial to improving the prognosis of the disease. In this context, HM CINAC, under the direction of Prof José Obeso, offers a pioneering approach by combining clinical care with experimental and translational research. With a multidisciplinary focus, the centre aims to diagnose early and intervene in the disease’s initial stages to slow progression and enhance patients’ quality of life. ‘The main therapeutic challenge in Parkinson’s disease is to halt its progressive evolution. While many possibilities exist, there are currently no neuroprotective treatments in clinical practice. The trial on early-stage subthalamotomy seeks to demonstrate an impact on quality of life and motor deficits by normalising brain circuits affected by dopaminergic deficiency,‘ emphasises Prof Obeso.
Care metrics
Under the slogan ‘STOP PARKINSON’, HM CINAC reaffirms its commitment to fighting this neurodegenerative disease by publishing its latest care metrics, solidifying its role as an international reference centre for developing new therapies and a global leader in ultrasound applications for movement disorders.
Since its inception in 2015, the centre has performed over 500 high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) procedures, including 58 in 2024. Additionally, it conducted 2,652 new consultations for Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor alongside multiple clinical and experimental research studies aimed at developing neuroprotective therapies.
Prof Obeso explains HM CINAC’s work: ‘A key aspect of HM CINAC lies in our ability to translate cutting-edge experimental research into patient care. We champion innovative therapies that not only alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms but also slow its progression. Restoring damaged brain circuits and improving patients’ quality of life is our priority.‘
Advancing knowledge
HM CINAC’s research activity, measured by its scientific publications as a key quality indicator, is robust. Currently, the centre leads the international EarlyFocus trial, which evaluates whether HIFU subthalamotomy—beyond significantly impacting symptoms—can slow Parkinson’s progression in its early stages. This study, developed with Clínica Universidad de Navarra, the University of Kiel (Germany), and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, includes patients with less than five years of disease progression. The minimally invasive procedure, requiring no cranial incision, has proven effective in later disease stages and may now mark a turning point in early intervention.
Notable achievements include a pilot trial published in JAMA Neurology demonstrating the feasibility of bilateral HIFU treatment in six patients, enabling action in both brain hemispheres to improve motor symptoms on both sides of the body. Another milestone, published in J Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, showed that low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) can safely and effectively open the blood-brain barrier in three patients—potentially enabling direct delivery of drugs like monoclonal antibodies or gene therapy to specific brain regions such as the substantia nigra (most vulnerable to neurodegeneration) and the putamen (where dopamine loss is most severe in Parkinson’s).
HM CINAC’s scientific and clinical leadership has been further strengthened by a collaboration with CIEN, directed by Dr Pascual Sánchez-Juan, an international expert in dementias. This partnership has led to the launch of the HM CINAC Unidad de Demencias Complejas.
This unit has implemented a clinical and research programme based on biomarkers and neuroimaging to advance the diagnosis and treatment of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and Lewy body dementia, cementing HM CINAC’s status as an international neurology hub.
