Christopher Hess

Christopher Hess, M.D.

The Jill F. And Richard W. Cope Professorship; Associate Professor Of Neurology; Movement Disorders Fellowship Director And Medical Director; Director, Neurotechnology Program For Movement Disorders And Neurorestoration; Norman Fixel Institute

Department: MD-NEUROLOGY-MOVEMENT DISORDER
Business Phone: (352) 294-5000

About Christopher Hess

My name is Christopher W. Hess, MD, and I am an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Florida College of Medicine, and I also direct the Veterans Administration Parkinson’s Disease Consortium Center at the North Florida/South Georgia VA Medical Center.

I received my medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and completed my neurology residency, serving as chief resident, at Columbia University Medical Center. I completed subspecialty fellowship training in movement disorders at Columbia under Dr. Stanley Fahn, with additional training in movement disorders, neurophysiology and intraoperative mapping for deep brain stimulation.

I have published journal articles and book chapters on a variety of topics, including movement disorders, neurophysiology and methods of tremor analysis, neuroimaging in movement disorders, invasive and non-invasive brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease, and substance abuse in movement disorders. My current research interests include the study of wearable devices in movement disorders and the cortical oscillations associated with voluntary movements in dystonia.

I am currently a member of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society and the American Academy of Neurology. I am also board-certified by the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry.

Teaching Profile

Courses Taught
2018
BME7980 Research for Doctoral Dissertation
2021
MDC7800 Neurology Clerkship

Board Certifications

  • Neurology
    American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Clinical Profile

Specialties
  • Neurology
Areas of Interest
  • Basal ganglia dysfunction
  • Chronic motor or vocal tic disorder
  • Deep brain stimulation
  • Dystonia
  • Essential tremor
  • Movement – uncontrollable
  • Movement – uncontrolled or slow
  • Movement – uncoordinated
  • Movement – unpredictable or jerky
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • Parkinson Disease
  • Progressive supranuclear palsy
  • Tourette Syndrome and tic disorders
  • Tremor disorders

Publications

Academic Articles
2025
Greater Apathy Associated With Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Use in Parkinson’s Disease.
Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology. 38(1):13-22 [DOI] 10.1177/08919887241254471. [PMID] 38780969.
2024
Management of essential tremor deep brain stimulation-induced side effects.
Frontiers in human neuroscience. 18 [DOI] 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1353150. [PMID] 38454907.
2024
Promotion of a Mediterranean Diet Alters Constipation Symptoms and Fecal Calprotectin in People with Parkinson’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Nutrients. 16(17) [DOI] 10.3390/nu16172946. [PMID] 39275262.
2023
Interactive mobile application for Parkinson’s disease deep brain stimulation (MAP DBS): An open-label, multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial.
Parkinsonism & related disorders. 109 [DOI] 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2023.105346. [PMID] 36966051.
2022
A randomized clinical trial of burst vs. spaced physical therapy for Parkinsons disease.
Parkinsonism & related disorders. 97:57-62 [DOI] 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2022.02.021. [PMID] 35325665.
2022
Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging Detects Progression in Parkinson’s Disease: A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Rasagiline.
Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society. 37(2):325-333 [DOI] 10.1002/mds.28838. [PMID] 34724257.
2022
Inconsistency and incongruence: the two diagnostic pillars of functional movement disorder.
Lancet (London, England). 400(10348) [DOI] 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01184-9. [PMID] 35871817.
2022
Suppression of Axial Tremor by Deep Brain Stimulation in Patients with Essential Tremor: Effects on Gait and Balance Measures
Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements. 12(1) [DOI] 10.5334/tohm.698. [PMID] 35854793.
2022
Therapeutic Advances in the Treatment of Holmes Tremor: Systematic Review.
Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society. 25(6):796-803 [DOI] 10.1111/ner.13220. [PMID] 32578304.
2021
Closed-Loop Deep Brain Stimulation to Treat Medication-Refractory Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s Disease.
Frontiers in human neuroscience. 15 [DOI] 10.3389/fnhum.2021.633655. [PMID] 33732122.
2021
Effect of a Mediterranean diet intervention on gastrointestinal function in Parkinson’s disease (the MEDI-PD study): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
BMJ open. 11(9) [DOI] 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053336. [PMID] 34551955.
2021
Home Health Management of Parkinson Disease Deep Brain Stimulation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA neurology. 78(8):972-981 [DOI] 10.1001/jamaneurol.2021.1910. [PMID] 34180949.
2021
Response to Telemedicine Visits From Patients With Parkinsonism During the COVID-19 Pandemic on Postvisit Surveys.
Journal of patient experience. 8 [DOI] 10.1177/2374373521997224. [PMID] 34179388.
2021
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Tremor Syndromes: Pathophysiologic Insights and Therapeutic Role.
Frontiers in neurology. 12 [DOI] 10.3389/fneur.2021.700026. [PMID] 34512517.
2020
A Comprehensive Review of Brain Connectomics and Imaging to Improve Deep Brain Stimulation Outcomes.
Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society. 35(5):741-751 [DOI] 10.1002/mds.28045. [PMID] 32281147.
2020
A pooled meta-analysis of GPi and STN deep brain stimulation outcomes for cervical dystonia.
Journal of neurology. 267(5):1278-1290 [DOI] 10.1007/s00415-020-09703-9. [PMID] 31938862.
2020
Cortical Oscillations in Cervical Dystonia and Dystonic Tremor.
Cerebral cortex communications. 1(1) [DOI] 10.1093/texcom/tgaa048. [PMID] 32984818.
2020
Deep brain stimulation in essential tremor: targets, technology, and a comprehensive review of clinical outcomes.
Expert review of neurotherapeutics. 20(4):319-331 [DOI] 10.1080/14737175.2020.1737017. [PMID] 32116065.
2020
Effects of ventral intermediate nucleus deep brain stimulation across multiple effectors in essential tremor.
Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. 131(1):167-176 [DOI] 10.1016/j.clinph.2019.10.019. [PMID] 31794958.
2020
Gait characterization for patients with orthostatic tremor.
Parkinsonism & related disorders. 71:23-27 [DOI] 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2020.01.007. [PMID] 31981995.
2020
Neurophysiological Correlates of Gait in the Human Basal Ganglia and the PPN Region in Parkinson’s Disease.
Frontiers in human neuroscience. 14 [DOI] 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00194. [PMID] 32581744.
2020
Parkinson’s disease motor subtype changes during 20 years of follow-up.
Parkinsonism & related disorders. 76:104-107 [DOI] 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2019.05.024. [PMID] 31129020.
2020
Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Advances in Neurophysiology, Adaptive DBS, Virtual Reality, Neuroethics and Technology.
Frontiers in human neuroscience. 14 [DOI] 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00054. [PMID] 32292333.
2020
Quantitative Separation of Tremor and Ataxia in Essential Tremor.
Annals of neurology. 88(2):375-387 [DOI] 10.1002/ana.25781. [PMID] 32418250.
2019
Challenges in Defining Inappropriate Medication Use in Parkinson Disease Dementia.
JAMA neurology. 76(1):17-19 [DOI] 10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.2826. [PMID] 30285044.
2019
Cortical dynamics within and between parietal and motor cortex in essential tremor.
Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society. 34(1):95-104 [DOI] 10.1002/mds.27522. [PMID] 30345712.
2019
Gait worsening and the microlesion effect following deep brain stimulation for essential tremor.
Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. 90(8):913-919 [DOI] 10.1136/jnnp-2018-319723. [PMID] 30846538.
2019
High Frequency Bilateral Globus Pallidus Interna Deep Brain Stimulation Can Improve Both Chorea and Dysarthria in Chorea-acanthocytosis.
Parkinsonism & related disorders. 62:248-250 [DOI] 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2019.01.008. [PMID] 30658884.
2019
Is Interferon Therapy for Hepatitis C Infection a Treatable Risk Factor for Parkinson Disease?
JAMA neurology. 76(9):1006-1007 [DOI] 10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.1377. [PMID] 31168561.
2019
Spatiotemporal gait parameters and tremor distribution in essential tremor.
Gait & posture. 71:32-37 [DOI] 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2019.04.004. [PMID] 31004995.
2018
Beta-band oscillations in the supplementary motor cortex are modulated by levodopa and associated with functional activity in the basal ganglia.
NeuroImage. Clinical. 19:559-571 [DOI] 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.05.021. [PMID] 29984164.
2018
Globus pallidus internus deep brain stimulation induces tremor in Parkinson’s disease: A paradoxical phenomenon.
Journal of the neurological sciences. 392:102-104 [DOI] 10.1016/j.jns.2018.07.005. [PMID] 30036780.
2018
Longitudinal Follow-up of Impedance Drift in Deep Brain Stimulation Cases.
Tremor and other hyperkinetic movements (New York, N.Y.). 8 [DOI] 10.7916/D8M62XTC. [PMID] 29607241.
2018
Ventral Intermediate Nucleus Versus Zona Incerta Region Deep Brain Stimulation in Essential Tremor.
Movement disorders clinical practice. 5(1):75-82 [DOI] 10.1002/mdc3.12565. [PMID] 30363386.
2017
Accidental Overdose of Droxidopa in Parkinson’s Disease-related Orthostatic Hypotension.
Movement disorders clinical practice. 4(2):279-280 [DOI] 10.1002/mdc3.12390. [PMID] 30838270.
2017
Beta-band activity and connectivity in sensorimotor and parietal cortex are important for accurate motor performance.
NeuroImage. 144(Pt A):164-173 [DOI] 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.10.008. [PMID] 27746389.
2017
Current Practice and the Future of Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease.
Seminars in neurology. 37(2):205-214 [DOI] 10.1055/s-0037-1601893. [PMID] 28511261.
2017
Functional activity of the sensorimotor cortex and cerebellum relates to cervical dystonia symptoms.
Human brain mapping. 38(9):4563-4573 [DOI] 10.1002/hbm.23684. [PMID] 28594097.
2017
High-voltage VIM Region Deep Brain Stimulation Mimicking Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.
Tremor and other hyperkinetic movements (New York, N.Y.). 7 [DOI] 10.7916/D80G3QWB. [PMID] 28373925.
2017
Measures of impulsivity in Parkinson’s disease decrease after DBS in the setting of stable dopamine therapy.
Parkinsonism & related disorders. 44:13-17 [DOI] 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2017.08.006. [PMID] 28827010.
2017
Motor Complications of Dopaminergic Medications in Parkinson’s Disease.
Seminars in neurology. 37(2):147-157 [DOI] 10.1055/s-0037-1602423. [PMID] 28511255.
2017
Motor subtype changes in early Parkinson’s disease
Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. 43:67-72 [DOI] 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2017.07.018. [PMID] 28754232.
2017
Parkinson’s disease diffusion MRI is not affected by acute antiparkinsonian medication.
NeuroImage. Clinical. 14:417-421 [DOI] 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.02.012. [PMID] 28275542.
2017
Recognizing Atypical Parkinsonisms: “Red Flags” and Therapeutic Approaches.
Seminars in neurology. 37(2):215-227 [DOI] 10.1055/s-0037-1602422. [PMID] 28511262.
2017
The Phenomenology of Parkinson’s Disease.
Seminars in neurology. 37(2):109-117 [DOI] 10.1055/s-0037-1601869. [PMID] 28511251.
2017
Update on Parkinson’s Disease.
Seminars in neurology. 37(2):107-108 [DOI] 10.1055/s-0037-1603207. [PMID] 28511250.
2016
Association between antidepressants and falls in Parkinson’s disease.
Journal of neurology. 263(1):76-82 [DOI] 10.1007/s00415-015-7947-5. [PMID] 26514836.
2016
Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guideline on Posttreatment Follow-up Evaluation of Patients With Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas.
Neurosurgery. 79(4):E541-3 [DOI] 10.1227/NEU.0000000000001392. [PMID] 27635964.
2016
Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guideline on Preoperative Imaging Assessment of Patients With Suspected Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas.
Neurosurgery. 79(4):E524-6 [DOI] 10.1227/NEU.0000000000001391. [PMID] 27635958.
2016
Deep Brain Stimulation in a Case of Mitochondrial Disease.
Movement disorders clinical practice. 3(2):139-145 [DOI] 10.1002/mdc3.12241. [PMID] 30713906.
2016
Diagnosing Parkinson Disease.
Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.). 22(4 Movement Disorders):1047-63 [DOI] 10.1212/CON.0000000000000345. [PMID] 27495197.
2016
Occurrence of Dysphagia Following Botulinum Toxin Injection in Parkinsonism-related Cervical Dystonia: A Retrospective Study.
Tremor and other hyperkinetic movements (New York, N.Y.). 6 [PMID] 27830106.
2016
Randomized, Blinded Pilot Testing of Nonconventional Stimulation Patterns and Shapes in Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremor: Evidence for Further Evaluating Narrow and Biphasic Pulses.
Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society. 19(4):343-56 [DOI] 10.1111/ner.12397. [PMID] 27000764.
2015
Impact of an Interdisciplinary Deep Brain Stimulation Screening Model on Post-Surgical Complications in Essential Tremor Patients.
PloS one. 10(12) [DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0145623. [PMID] 26710099.
2015
Missing dosages and neuroleptic usage may prolong length of stay in hospitalized Parkinson’s disease patients.
PloS one. 10(4) [DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0124356. [PMID] 25884484.
2015
Novel targets and stimulation paradigms for deep brain stimulation.
Expert review of neurotherapeutics. 15(9):1067-80 [DOI] 10.1586/14737175.2015.1083421. [PMID] 26312646.
2015
Rate of aspiration pneumonia in hospitalized Parkinson’s disease patients: a cross-sectional study.
BMC neurology. 15 [DOI] 10.1186/s12883-015-0362-9. [PMID] 26141135.
2015
Weight loss and impact on quality of life in Parkinson’s disease.
PloS one. 10(5) [DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0124541. [PMID] 25938478.
2014
Executive functions in premanifest Huntington’s disease.
Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society. 29(3):405-9 [DOI] 10.1002/mds.25762. [PMID] 24375511.
2014
Structural MRI connectome in development: challenges of the changing brain.
The British journal of radiology. 87(1039) [DOI] 10.1259/bjr.20140086. [PMID] 24827379.
2013
Computer-aided detection of radiation-induced cerebral microbleeds on susceptibility-weighted MR images.
NeuroImage. Clinical. 2:282-90 [DOI] 10.1016/j.nicl.2013.01.012. [PMID] 24179783.
2013
Modulation of cortical-subcortical networks in Parkinson’s disease by applied field effects.
Frontiers in human neuroscience. 7 [DOI] 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00565. [PMID] 24062667.
2013
Oculomotor nerve palsy as the presenting symptom of gummatous neurosyphilis and human immunodeficiency virus infection: clinical response to treatment.
JAMA neurology. 70(12):1582-3 [DOI] 10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.1485. [PMID] 24322513.
2013
The evolving role of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging in movement disorders.
Current neurology and neuroscience reports. 13(11) [DOI] 10.1007/s11910-013-0400-1. [PMID] 24046183.
2013
The temporal pattern of stimulation may be important to the mechanism of deep brain stimulation.
Experimental neurology. 247:296-302 [DOI] 10.1016/j.expneurol.2013.02.001. [PMID] 23399890.
2012
Acute transverse myelitis: demyelinating, inflammatory, and infectious myelopathies.
Seminars in neurology. 32(2):97-113 [DOI] 10.1055/s-0032-1322586. [PMID] 22961185.
2012
High width variability during spiral drawing: further evidence of cerebellar dysfunction in essential tremor.
Cerebellum (London, England). 11(4):872-9 [DOI] 10.1007/s12311-011-0352-4. [PMID] 22230985.
2012
Towards the “baby connectome”: mapping the structural connectivity of the newborn brain.
PloS one. 7(2) [DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0031029. [PMID] 22347423.
2012
Tremor: clinical phenomenology and assessment techniques.
Tremor and other hyperkinetic movements (New York, N.Y.). 2 [DOI] 10.7916/D8WM1C41. [PMID] 23439931.
2011
Spatial HARDI: improved visualization of complex white matter architecture with Bayesian spatial regularization.
NeuroImage. 54(1):396-409 [DOI] 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.07.040. [PMID] 20670684.
2010
Hippocampal CA1 apical neuropil atrophy in mild Alzheimer disease visualized with 7-T MRI.
Neurology. 75(15):1381-7 [DOI] 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181f736a1. [PMID] 20938031.
2010
Selective disruption of the cerebral neocortex in Alzheimer’s disease.
PloS one. 5(9) [DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0012853. [PMID] 20886094.
2009
Automated MRI measures identify individuals with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
Brain : a journal of neurology. 132(Pt 8):2048-57 [DOI] 10.1093/brain/awp123. [PMID] 19460794.
2008
Probabilistic streamline q-ball tractography using the residual bootstrap.
NeuroImage. 39(1):215-22 [PMID] 17911030.

Grants

Jun 2024 ACTIVE
Research Scholar in Training (Dr. Hess Lab)
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: SUNWELS CO
Apr 2024 ACTIVE
PF COE – PF Hospital Care Research
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: PARKINSONS FOU
Jan 2023 ACTIVE
CTOA Hess
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: UNIV OF FLORIDA
Jan 2021 – Dec 2023
Study of the Effectiveness of the VibroHealth System For Parkinsons Patients
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: PARKINSONS FOU
Sep 2020 – Aug 2022
Cerebellar and basal ganglia contributions to neuromotor decline in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIA
Jul 2020 – Dec 2022
Dosal Family Movement Disorder Fellowship at the University of Florida
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: PARKINSONS FOU
Jun 2019 – May 2021
Revitalizing Cognition and Motor Symptoms in Parkinson Disease: A Pilot Intervention with Near Infrared Stimulation
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: PARKINSONS FOU
Nov 2018 ACTIVE
Evaluation of the Personal KinetiGraph (PKG) to Improve Insight into Parkinsons Disease Status (APPRISE)
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: GLOBAL KINETICS CORP
Sep 2017 – Nov 2018
Evaluation of the Personal KinetiGraph (PKG) to Improve Insight into Parkinsons Disease Status (APPRISE)
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: NATL PARKINSON FOU via GLOBAL KINETICS CORP
May 2017 – Jun 2020
Role of HLA/MHCII in Parkinson's Disease Pathogenesis
Role: Project Manager
Funding: EMORY UNIV via NATL INST OF HLTH NINDS
Apr 2016 – Apr 2019
LRRK2 in the immune system
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: FOX FOU, MICHAEL J
Jan 2015 – Jun 2017
Immunophenotyping of LRRK2 mutation carriers
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: EMORY UNIV via NATL INST OF HLTH

Education

Fellowship – Movement Disorders
2013 · Columbia University Medical Center
Residency – Neurology
2010 · Columbia University
Internship – Internal Medicine
2007 · Beth Israel Medical Center
Medical Degree
2006 · Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Bachelor's Degree
2001 · William Paterson University

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(352) 294-5000
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
PO Box 100268
GAINESVILLE FL 32610
Business Street:
3011 SW WILLISTON RD RM 1103
GAINESVILLE FL 32608