Deep Brain Stimulation Effective In Early Parkinson's

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Parkinson's Disease Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;Medical Devices / Diagnostics Article Date: 14 Feb 2013 - 3:00 PST

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The study, led by Gnther Deuschl, a professor at Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, Germany, and Yves Agid, a professor in neurology and experimental medicine at the Hpital de la Salptrire in Paris, France, is reported online in the New England Journal of Medicine on 14 February.

The researchers conclude that DBS was more effective than medical treatment in patients with Parkinson's disease and early motor complications.

It is not a cure, and it does not stop the disease from progressing, but in the right patients, it can significantly improve symptoms, especially tremors, and it can also relieve muscle rigidity.

To perform DBS, the neurosurgeon drills a hole in the skull and inserts an electrode about 10 cm into the brain. The electrode delivers mild electrical signals that disrupt and block the brain impulses that cause Parkinson's symptoms.

A wire under the skin connects the electrode to a battery implanted near the collarbone.

DBS can be done on one or both sides of the brain. The target areas are usually the thalamus, subthalamic nucleus, and globus pallidus. In this study, the target area was the thalamus.

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Deep Brain Stimulation Effective In Early Parkinson's