Deep Brain Stimulation

Photo courtesy of Bill Innanen In the operating room: DBS involves major brain surgery.

It's not only Parkinson's sufferers that are being offered this treatment. DBS is already being used routinely to treat other neurological movement disorders like dystonia, which results in involuntary spasms, and Essential Tremor, an extreme version of the ordinary trembling we all experience in certain situations. Researchers are also considering DBS as a way to treat epilepsy, Tourette syndrome and depression. The lifting of depression is a side effect of DBS for some Parkinson's patients and there has been a small but striking study showing that the electrical stimulation of a small area of the frontal cortex can alleviate depression in patients that don't respond to anti-depressant medication. When the electrode carrying the electrical impulses hits the right spot, some patients have likened it to "a black cloud lifting."

At the end of the day, we must remember that DBS is a treatment and not a cure. For people like Mike Robins, it has helped him lead a more normal life, but it may not work for everyone and not everyone may be willing to take the risks involved. For less severe conditions perhaps DBS is not the way forward but for many it is one of the only options if they want to feel comfortable in their own bodies again.

For more info:

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/deep_brain_stimulation/deep_brain_stimulation.htm

Bill Innanen's DBS surgery at John Hopkin's Hospital
http://mac2.innanen.com/~bill/parkinsons/DBSsurgery/