Deep Brain Stimulation News and Research

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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical procedure used to treat a variety of disabling neurological symptoms—most commonly the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), such as tremor, rigidity, stiffness, slowed movement, and walking problems. The procedure is also used to treat essential tremor, a common neurological movement disorder. At present, the procedure is used only for patients whose symptoms cannot be adequately controlled with medications.

Researchers are closer to developing fast, flexible, and powerful bioelectronic devices

Dion Khodagholy, assistant professor of electrical engineering, is focused on developing bioelectronic devices that are not only fast, sensitive, biocompatible, soft, and flexible, but also have long-term stability in physiological environments such as the human body.

27 Apr 2020

Research provides better understanding of how tremor happens

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital have improved our understanding of how tremor -- the most common movement disorder -- happens, opening the possibility of novel therapies for this condition.

19 Mar 2020

Study provides new insight on neural basis of tremors

New insight on what happens in brain cells to cause tremors in mice has been published today in the open-access journal eLife.

17 Mar 2020

Research could improve lives of some people with treatment-resistant depression

Beth MacKay knew at a young age that she saw the world differently than many of her friends and family. She thought her pessimism and cynicism were rooted in realism, a proud reminder of her Scottish roots, and not a sign of an underlying medical condition. But, that understanding of herself changed when at the age of 17, she attempted suicide.

28 Jan 2020

Potential Parkinson's treatment effectively targets a specific group of brain cells

Scientists have discovered that a non-invasive technique which could one day be used to treat Parkinson's disease, can successfully target a highly specific group of brain cells which play a key role in development of the condition.

22 Jan 2020

Study may help explain why deep-brain stimulation does not work for everyone

People with severe Parkinson's disease or other neurological conditions that cause intractable symptoms such as uncontrollable shaking, muscle spasms, seizures, obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors are sometimes treated with electric stimulators placed inside the brain.

10 Dec 2019

Swimming a 'no-no' for those undergoing deep brain stimulation therapy

Researchers have found that persons who have had a deep brain stimulation device implanted for treatment of Parkinson’s disease may have lost their ability to swim. The small study was titled, “Beware of deep water after subthalamic deep brain stimulation,” and was published in the latest issue of Neurology this week.

28 Nov 2019

Ultrasound treatment could be safe and effective option for people with essential tremor

People with tremors in their hands, head or voice may find some relief for up to three years from a treatment using ultrasound waves to destroy the area of the brain causing the tremor, according to a study published in the November 20, 2019, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

21 Nov 2019

New glassy carbon electrode makes deep brain stimulation safer for patients

Imagine having an electrode embedded in your brain in a surgical procedure that involves drilling holes in your skull to implant it. Now imagine going through an MRI scan for medical evaluation, when the metal electrode may react to the magnetic fields and vibrate, generate heat or even possibly damage the brain.

19 Nov 2019

Pioneering brain chip to fight opioid addiction: first US clinical test

Opioid addiction is among the biggest medical conditions troubling the U.S. today, and is far from reaching a solution. In 2017, it claimed almost 50 deaths per 100,000 in the state of West Virginia – the highest drug-overdose-related death rate in the US. Today, however, there is a gleam of hope from a new trial of an old technology to help fight this battle – a brain-embedded chip to counter opioid-induced cravings in treatment-refractory patients.

6 Nov 2019

First-in-the-U.S. clinical trial uses deep brain stimulation to tackle opioid addiction

The West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute and WVU Medicine, today (Nov. 5) announced the launch of a first-in-the-U.S. clinical trial using deep brain stimulation for patients suffering from treatment-resistant opioid use disorder.

5 Nov 2019

MGH researchers create highest resolution MRI scan of the human brain

A new paper describes a breakthrough 100 micron resolution scan of the human brain that was created by a multidisciplinary team of Massachusetts General Hospital researchers.

30 Oct 2019

Mon4t, Henry Ford Health System jointly launch pilot study related to AI and Parkinson's disease

Henry Ford Health System and Montfort, an Israeli startup specializing in neurological disorders, have launched a pilot study related to artificial intelligence (AI) and Parkinson's disease. In 2018, Mon4t was the winner of Henry Ford Innovations' first AI challenge

24 Oct 2019

New NIH BRAIN Initiative awards accelerate the pace of neuroscience research

Scientists have been developing astounding new tools for exploring neural circuits that underlie brain function throughout the first five years of the National Institutes of Health's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative.

18 Oct 2019

Novel treatment strategies could help prevent abuse of opioids, other substances

Concerns over the opioid epidemic have sparked a strong scientific interest in why some people become addicted while others don't. Now, researchers are proposing novel treatment strategies that could help prevent abuse of opioids and other substances.

8 Oct 2019

Deep brain stimulation effective in resistant depression

A new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry says deep brain stimulation is an effective treatment in depressed patients who do not respond to other forms of therapy. The study published on October 4, 2019, looked at the long-term effects on patients who had received electrical stimulation to the subcallosal cingulate area of the brain. The subcallosal cingulate area of the brain is also called Brodmann Area 25, and has been targeted by researchers as a possible focus for antidepressant stimulation.

7 Oct 2019

Long-term study data shows DBS is effective for patients with treatment-resistant depression

A study published online on Friday, October 4, in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that deep brain stimulation (DBS) of an area in the brain called the subcallosal cingulate (SCC) provides a robust antidepressant effect that is sustained over a long period of time in patients with treatment-resistant depression--the most severely depressed patients who have not responded to other treatments.

4 Oct 2019

New review provides knowledge about sex-related differences in Parkinson's disease

There is growing evidence that Parkinson's disease affects women and men differently. In this insightful review, published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, scientists present the most recent knowledge about these sex-related differences and highlight the significance of estrogens, which play an important role in the sex differences in PD.

25 Sep 2019

$Deep brain stimulation found to be safe, effective in the treatment of refractory severe tinnitus$

Deep brain stimulation found to be safe, effective in the treatment of refractory severe tinnitus

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco and Veterans Affairs Health Care System, San Francisco investigated the safety and efficacy of deep brain stimulation in the treatment of refractory severe tinnitus in a small group of patients.

24 Sep 2019

New device uses electromagnetic waves to reverse Alzheimer’s

A new study, to be published in the September 3, 2019, issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, provides something to cheer about for the estimated 44 million patients who have Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the US, and their hard-pressed caregivers.

18 Sep 2019