Parkinsons: Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy

Parkinson’s Disease has seen some major advances in treatment for those suffering with extreme symptoms of Parkinson’s. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently released the findings of a new study of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) versus treatment considered the “best medical therapy.” Read about it and see photos and videos below.

Michael J. Fox

Parkinson’s is also in the news today as actor and writer Michael J. Fox made an appearance on Oprah saying that Parkinson’s is a part of his life, but it does not define him.

“It’s like having a four-year-old climbing on you all the time and so whatever you’re trying to do, you’ve got this four-year-old and you’re…just trying to be patient and focus on what you need to do…”

Parkinson’s Disease is a “devastating movement disorder, characterized by severe fluctuations of the patient’s mobility” varying between differing states of the inability to move, to extreme hypermobility.

A recent (JAMA) article reports that in those patients in the advance stages of the Parkinson’s, Bilateral Deep Brain Stimulation has proven more successful than the “best medical therapy.”

A total of 255 patients were studied at six university hospitals. Twenty-five percent of those in the study were 70 years of age or older.

Some patients underwent the Deep Brain Stimulation surgery, others received the “best medical therapy.” JAMA reports that among these controlled studies of advanced Parkinson’s patients, “Deep Brain Stimulation was more effective than the “best medical therapy”…At least one serious adverse event occurred in 49 deep brain stimulation patients, and 15 best medical therapy patients.”

The study concluded that “deep brain stimulation” was more effective than “best medical therapy”…but was associated with an increased risk of serious adverse events.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation has a wealth of information on Parkinson’s treatments. Although I did find Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy listed on the site, I did not locate articles on the treatment. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke offers a comprehensive overview.