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Motor skills improve with deep brain stimulation, but risk of side effects also greater

Patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease who received deep brain stimulation showed greater improvement in movement and quality of life after six months than those treated with medication, a new study shows.

But the deep brain stimulation patients also had almost four times the risk of suffering a serious adverse event like depression, infections, falls or heart problems. Although most side effects could be treated, one patient suffered a brain hemorrhage and died.

With deep brain stimulation, doctors surgically implant electrodes that send electrical stimulation to specific parts of the brain to reduce involuntary movements and tremors. It is a widely accepted treatment for advanced Parkinson’s disease, but few randomized trials have been conducted comparing different treatments. Continue>>