Deep brain stimulation, or DBS, is a neurosurgical procedure in which an implantable pulse generator, placed beneath the skin of the chest, sends controlled electrical impulses through leads to targeted areas of the brain such as the globus pallidus, the thalamic ventral nuclear group or the subthalamic nucleus, disrupting the abnormal, oversynchronized neural activity that underlies certain disorders. Developed in the late 1980s originally for Parkinsonian tremor, it now serves as a reversible alternative to permanent surgical lesioning and has become the preferred surgical treatment for Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia, with applications extended to obsessive-compulsive disorder, treatment-resistant epilepsy, chronic pain, Tourette syndrome and cluster headaches. The United States Food and Drug Administration approved DBS for tremor in 1997 and for Parkinson's disease in 2002, with later approvals for dystonia, OCD and epilepsy, and more than 244,000 patients worldwide have received an implant; researchers continue to investigate its potential for depression, Alzheimer's disease and addiction.
Facts
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Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_brain_stimulation, lead sectionQuote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_brain_stimulation, lead section
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a type of neurostimulation therapy in which an implantable pulse generator is surgically implanted below the skin of the chest and connected by leads to the brain to deliver controlled electrical impulses.
2. Deep Brain Stimulation (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory sectionQuote, History section
Alim Louis Benabid and Pierre Pollak heralded the modern era of DBS in 1987 when battery technology and public sentiment had evolved enough to allow manufacture of a portable neurostimulator variant, the addition of a lithium battery allowing it to maintain long term sustained charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which conditions is deep brain stimulation used to treat?
Mainly Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia.
It has become the preferred surgical treatment for Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia. Its applications have extended to obsessive-compulsive disorder, treatment-resistant epilepsy, chronic pain, Tourette syndrome and cluster headaches, and researchers continue to investigate depression, Alzheimer's disease and addiction. The United States Food and Drug Administration approved it for tremor in 1997 and for Parkinson's disease in 2002.
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