The Cole Center for Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders

Commitment to Our Patients

The Cole Center’s mission is to provide compassionate and quality care for patients with movement disorders using the most up to date research and treatments. We desire to walk alongside and support our patients and their families as they battle their diseases, providing them with hope and reassurance throughout their personal journeys.

The Cole Center: History of the Cole Family

The Cole Center is named in honor of the late Robert H. and Monica M. Cole, of Knoxville, whose dedication, vision, and philanthropic support nurtured the development of neuroscience-related research, education and patient care programs at UT Medical Center and UT Graduate School of Medicine. Through their and the continued support of others The Cole Center serves as a unique regional hub for the treatment, understanding and study of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.

Our Team and Clinic Vision

The Cole Center employs a multidisciplinary team to treat the complex issues associated with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. Our team is comprised of three neurologists fellowship trained in movement disorders, an advanced registered nurse practitioner with more than a decade experience in movement disorders, a registered nurse and a social worker.

We also have physical therapists at our clinic several times each month to help with complicated cases, and refer actively to ancillary care such as physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. Our movement disorder specialists are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia, chorea and a variety of other movement disorders.  The Cole Center is further considered a Comprehensive Care Center for Parkinson’s care through the Parkinson’s Foundation and a Huntington’s Center of Excellence as an associate site of Vanderbilt’s Level I HDSA Huntington’s Center of Excellence.

Our comprehensive team strives to incorporate patients into the treatment process.  We provide the patient and family with educational materials of clinical issues and treatment recommendations. The team works with the patient and family to help them understand the situation and encourages them to participate in the development of a management plan.

The Cole Center employs the latest technologies and therapies to diagnose and treat thousands of patients in East Tennessee and the surrounding areas.  We are excited to provide botulinum toxin (Botox) injections, the carbidopa levodopa enteral suspension (Duopa) and Deep Brain Stimulation as procedural options for our patient population.  A comprehensive neurological evaluation and treatment plan can establish an accurate diagnosis early in the clinical course, which may allow you or your loved one to preserve mobility and improve quality of life.

Principal Medical Conditions Treated at The Cole Center

• Parkinson’s disease
• Parkinsonism/atypical parkinson’s/parkinson’s plus
• Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)
• Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)
• Corticobasal degeneration (CBD)
• Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)
• Drug-Induced parkinsonism
• Tardive Dyskinesia and drug-induced Movement Disorders
• Involuntary Movements/Movement Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
• Tremor (essential tremor, dystonic tremor, enhanced physiologic tremor, resting tremor, action tremor)
• Myoclonus
• Chorea
• Dystonia (writer’s cramp, cervical dystonia, meige syndrome, orofacial dystonia, oromandibular dystonia, hemidystonia, generalized dystonia)
• Hemifacial spasm
• Huntington’s disease
• Ataxia (if referred by neurologist)
• Friedreich’s ataxia
• SCA (Spinocerebellar Ataxia)
• Gait Impairment (if referred by neurologist)
• Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH)
• Restless Legs syndrome
• REM sleep behavior disorder
• Tics/Tourette’s

Specialty Services and Procedural Options We Provide

• Evaluation and diagnosis with specialty trained neurologists
• Caregiver training and support services
• Carbidopa Levodopa Enteral Suspension (Duopa)
• Deep Brain Stimulation (Parkinson’s disease, Essential Tremor, Dystonia)
• Botulinum toxin (Botox) injections for Dystonia conditions, Hemifacial spasm, spasticity, migraines, axillary hyperhidrosis 
• Community outreach and education
• Clinical trials

The Cole Center Is a Huntington’s Center of Excellence

The Cole Center is a partner site to Vanderbilt Medical Center’s Level I Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) Center of Excellence. This network also includes Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  The Cole Center’s Tennessee partnership with Vanderbilt represents one of the few Level 1 centers across the United States.  There are more than 50-60 overall HDSA Centers of Excellence in the country. The Centers of Excellence provide a team approach to HD care and research. At HDSA Centers of Excellence you will find HD-experienced neurologists, psychiatrists, speech and swallowing specialists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, genetic counselors and other professionals to help you plan the best care program.

To learn more, visit: www.HDSA.org/COE

The Cole Center Designated a Parkinson’s Foundation Comprehensive Care Center

The Cole Center for Parkinson’s & Movement Disorders at The University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC) has been selected to join the Parkinson’s Foundation Global Care Network as a Comprehensive Care Center. This network represents the finest movement centers for Parkinson’s care across the world. The Cole Center is proud to join this larger Parkinson’s network and make a difference in Knoxville and East Tennessee by providing multi-faceted care to people living with Parkinson’s Disease.

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Clinical Trials

Visit Fox Trial Finder to search for clinical trials in your area.

See The Cole Center’s full list of available clinical trials on our Clinical Trials Directory. Scroll to Brain and Spine Institute to see the list.

Outreach

Click here to see the list of support groups in the area.

A link with The Cole Center’s events calendar to come shortly.

Referrals to The Cole Center

Call The Cole Center today for more information or to refer a patient. Please contact: 865-909-4030.

Physician Referral Form