For many people with movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease, medication is not enough to effectively control symptoms. Thankfully, there’s another kind of treatment that can help: deep brain stimulation (DBS), a therapy that passes electrical signals through the brain via electrodes.
While this type of treatment might sound like science fiction, it is actually a well-established and effective way to address movement-based symptoms.
“DBS is a type of neuromodulation,” explained Ricky Wong, MD, a neurosurgeon with Endeavor Health. “Neuromodulation is when we place an electrical device in the brain that produces an electrical signal that regulates, modifies or accents normal brain activity.”
DBS has been established as an effective treatment for patients with movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia, which is a condition that causes rigid muscles. It has also been approved by the FDA to reduce seizures in some patients with epilepsy and is being researched as a potential treatment for conditions like obesity, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and chronic pain.
When patients with movement disorders can’t find symptom relief through medication, DBS can potentially relieve their symptoms. The symptoms of conditions like Parkinson’s disease are caused by areas in the brain experiencing disorganized electrical signals. DBS can interrupt those signals and improve the patient’s movement-related symptoms.
“Parkinson's occurs when a specific area deep in the brain is not working properly,” said Dr. Wong. “We aim the stimulation at that small target deep in the brain and by modifying the electrical signals passing through that circuit, it can dramatically improve their symptoms.”
Patients undergoing DBS have a pacemaker-like device called a pulse generator placed in their upper chest. The surgeon then runs a wire under the skin up into the electrodes in the brain. After the patient recovers from the surgery, the doctor activates the pulse generator. It can take several weeks or even months to find the right amount of stimulation for the patient.
“One of the best aspects of deep brain stimulation is that when we put the wire in, we're not doing anything irreversible,” says Dr. Wong. “We can turn the stimulation up or down and if you experience negative effects, we can just turn it off.”
While DBS is not currently a cure, it can significantly help with movement-related symptoms that many patients find debilitating. And, as researchers continue to explore wider applications of DBS, it’s possible that it will be able to help people suffering from other kinds of disorders in the future.
“It's a growing field where researchers are stimulating different targets in the brain to see what we can benefit,” said Dr. Wong. “We want to apply this therapy to as many people as we think it will help.”
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