Deep Brain Stimulation
About Deep Brain Stimulation
Deep brain stimulation, or DBS, is a neurosurgical procedure in which thin electrodes are implanted in specific deep brain structures and connected to a pulse generator placed under the skin of the chest, similar to a pacemaker. Continuous electrical stimulation modulates abnormal brain circuit activity. Its main established uses are Parkinson disease, essential tremor and dystonia, and it is approved in some regions for obsessive compulsive disorder and epilepsy. Common targets include the subthalamic nucleus and globus pallidus internus for Parkinson disease and the thalamus for tremor. Targets are planned using MRI and stereotactic techniques, often with a head frame, and some teams record brain activity and test stimulation with the patient awake during surgery, while others operate under general anesthesia using image guidance. After implantation the stimulator is programmed and adjusted over time by a specialist team. Modern DBS was developed in France in the late 1980s by Alim Louis Benabid and colleagues. It does not cure the underlying disease but can substantially improve selected symptoms.
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