In a recent study published in Nature Medicine , researchers compare the safety and feasibility of an adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) system to a conventional DBS system for Parkinson's disease (PD). Study: Chronic adaptive deep brain stimulation versus conventional stimulation in Parkinson’s disease: a blinded randomized feasibility trial. Image Credit: Max Acronym / Shutterstock.
com Current treatment options for PD PD is a neurological disease that affects millions of people 60 years and older, many of whom reside in high-income nations. PD treatment often includes levodopa, a medication that replaces dopamine-producing neurons in deep brain areas that are important for movement control. However, excess dopamine can lead to dyskinesia, uncontrollable movements, tremors, and stiffness, which may limit the efficacy of this treatment in some patients.
As a result, some PD patients are treated with continuous DBS (cDBS) devices, which deliver continuous electrical stimulation to the brain. Nevertheless, cDBS devices often lack dynamic reactivity to changing clinical and neurological conditions. PD patients may require a brain stimulation device that can adjust their dopamine levels and recognize brain signals associated with various symptoms.
Feedback control may improve treatment efficacy; however, the optimal technique and advantages of adaptive neurostimulation remain unclear. Although the aDBS system has been shown to improve insomnia, standard-of-care optimization.