David Smith did not want to let Parkinson’s disease prevent him from walking his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. Medicine was no longer helping to control symptoms. A family member suggested that he try an alternate treatment: deep brain stimulation, or DBS.
Parkinson’s disease is most common in people over the age of 50.
Symptoms of this disorder include:
- Stiffness.
- Uncontrollable or very slow movements.
- Trouble with balance and coordination.
- A tremor (shaking) in different parts of the body.
This disorder affects the part of the brain that coordinates movement. Over time, these symptoms can cause difficulty doing everyday activities. They impact walking, movement, and balance.
David’s tremors were so severe he could not stop shaking. Medicine had helped him at first. As his disease progressed, the medicine was not as effective in controlling his symptoms.
For people like David, whose Parkinson’s disease is not well-treated with medication, deep brain stimulation may help.
In DBS, a brain surgeon implants a hair-thin wire into the brain. They place it in an area that contributes to the abnormal movements. The surgeon attaches the wire to a pulse generator implanted under the skin below the collarbone.
Once activated, the generator will send electrical pulses through the wire to the brain. This is similar to how a pacemaker works with your heart. This can control Parkinson’s symptoms by adjusting the brain’s electrical signals.
This treatment has shown positive results: it has lessened people’s symptoms by 40-60%. This is not a cure, but it does improve the person’s quality of life.
Doctors can install a DBS in one of two ways. You’re either lightly sedated but awake or completely asleep.
In awake DBS, the person is sedated during the beginning and end of the surgery. They are alert during the middle of the surgery. MRI images taken before the surgery help surgeons plan.
Asleep DBS uses a different approach, where the person can be put to “sleep” under general anesthesia. Surgeons use a surgical imaging system that gives them real-time images of the brain as a guide. UPMC is one of only a few institutions in the US that do this surgery while the person is asleep.
David decided to undergo asleep DBS at UPMC. Before the treatment, his symptoms were so severe that he could not sit still without shaking. He could barely walk.
Afterward, his symptoms improved so much that he could walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. He even danced with her at the reception.
Learn more about UPMC’s DBS options for Parkinson’s.
Editor's Note: This video was originally published on , and was last reviewed on .