TEMPLE, Texas, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. medical researchers say they are studying the use of deep brain stimulation to help Parkinson's disease patients
A multi-disciplinary team at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas, said deep brain stimulation involves placing a thin wire that carries electrical currents deep within the brain of Parkinson's patients who are no longer benefiting from medications and have significant uncontrollable body movements.
The researchers said they are also studying the effects of DBS on the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, including bladder dysfunction, depression, hallucination, anxiety and dementia.
"First-line medication works quite well for some time after diagnosis, sometimes a patient's lifetime, but typically a patient will need more and more medication over time to control their Parkinson's," said Dr. Gerhard Friehs, interim chairman of neurosurgery at Scott & White. "As the disease progresses and potentially becomes disabling, a treatment like deep brain stimulation can provide significant improvement to a patient's quality of life."
The scientists said DBS works by inactivating parts of the brain that cause Parkinson's disease and its associated symptoms.
"These electrodes are connected by wires to a type of pacemaker device implanted under the skin of the chest, below the collarbone," Friehs said. "Once activated, the device sends continuous electrical impulses to the target areas in the brain, blocking the impulses that cause tremors, which can be turned on or off by the patient."
