Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)

Deep brain stimulation, often called a brain pacemaker, is an implanted system that sends gentle electrical pulses to precise points deep in the brain to calm the abnormal activity behind movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia. For people whose tremor, stiffness or slowness can no longer be controlled by medication alone, it can give back steadiness, independence and quality of life, and unlike older operations it does not destroy brain tissue and can be adjusted or switched off at any time. The benefit can be striking, with tremor that lasted years easing within a short time of the system being switched on. Many patients travel abroad for deep brain stimulation to reach experienced functional-neurosurgery teams, precise stereotactic planning and the careful programming that the treatment depends on, often with shorter waiting times than at home.