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Brain Pacemaker a Possibility for Parkinson's Patients

Deep brain stimulation is known in some circles as a brain pacemaker. It is slowly growing in terms of treatment for Parkinson's disease as well as a whole host of other conditions that display motor coordination issues. Drug therapy is a big help but with the brain pacemaker, you can get a big jumpstart over the symptoms and either greatly reduce them or eliminate them all together indefinitely. It is not a cure but an excellent way to cope with the disease for the long term.

A number of studies have been done with groups of patients who have Parkinson's disease. One group stayed on drug therapies while the other group got brain pacemakers. Within a few months, the ones with brain pacemakers were functioning well in social settings as well as physically while the other group were holding their own but did not experience as positive a result.

Quality of life is greatly improved with this deep brain stimulation aka brain pacemaker. Many studies show that there is definite improvement over motor control and even moods with the brain pacemaker - as much as 35%. This deep brain stimulation is a fairly new procedure and only a few hundred places in the country perform it.

How the Brain Pacemaker Works

Thin electrodes the diameter of angel hair pasta are implanted into key strategic places in the brain. Electrical impulses are delivered through these electrodes to stimulate the brain areas that involve motor coordination. A pacemaker device which controls the electrical pulses going to the electrodes is placed just under the skin in the chest area. This device can be controlled via remote control or even a magnet. Adjustments are made in a regular doctor's office setting.

When medications alone can no longer adequately control your tremors, shaking and other motor coordination impairments, you become a good candidate for this brain pacemaker. Of course, your general overall health also plays a part in whether you qualify for the procedure. Each candidate is carefully screened to ensure that you would indeed benefit from this deep brain stimulation.

The best news about this Parkinson's treatment is that the electrodes pose no damage to the brain. They can be easily removed without harm and you are none worse for the wear. Of course, if you do receive a brain pacemaker, be aware that you might have to make multiple trips to the doctor's office for adjustments until a happy medium is reached in terms of how your symptoms are progressing. As you may live far from the hospital where the procedure is done, you should be prepared for this part of your treatment.

Surgically implanting these electrodes and pacemaker best serves those Parkinson's patients who are still in their prime years, usually 65 and younger. The younger you are, the better your results from the surgery will be. However, being older does not preclude you from being a candidate. Talk with your doctor about your chances of being accepted for the surgery as well as the expectations in regards to symptom reduction.