A new type of brain implant in the form of a pacemaker might offer better treatment for Parkinson’s disease, according to recent research.
Scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, tested this new technology in a clinical trial. The implant, known as adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS), adjusts the level of electrical stimulation based on the patient’s needs.
The study showed that aDBS could reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease by half, compared to the traditional method, which provides a constant level of electrical pulses.
Parkinson’s disease, which affects about 10 million people worldwide, happens when certain brain cells responsible for movement slowly die off. The exact causes, whether genetic or environmental, are still unknown.
However, new adaptive technology shows promise in easing symptoms like tremors, stiffness, spasms, and slow movement. This technology may work better than the traditional DBS treatment, offering hope for improved relief, according to the Financial Times.
Smart pacemaker as a long-term treatment of Parkinson’s
Philip Starr, a neurosurgery professor at UCSF, explained that this advancement comes from merging two areas of neurotechnology. The first involves placing stimulating electrodes deep within the brain, a well-known method.
The second, developed by several start-ups like Elon Musk’s Neuralink, uses computer interfaces to read and understand brain activity.
Starr explained that the goal has always been to create a brain-stimulating device that could adapt to the brain’s activity, like a smart pacemaker for the brain.
A recent study shows that this type of adaptive and self-regulating therapy is now possible and can be used for the long-term treatment of Parkinson’s.
The researchers at UCSF carried out a procedure where they placed two stimulating electrodes into a part of the brain called the subthalamic nucleus, which helps control movement.
They also placed two sensing electrodes on the motor cortex, the area of the brain that controls voluntary movements. Their findings were published on Monday in the journal Nature Medicine.
AI algorithms to read brain activity
The researchers used AI algorithms to study the brain activity patterns linked to each patient’s Parkinson’s symptoms.
This analysis allowed them to create a personalized therapy plan that automatically adjusted the amount of stimulation needed to control the symptoms.
Four men with severe Parkinson’s disease participated in the trial. The results showed that the new adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) system reduced their most severe symptoms by 50% compared to the best traditional DBS implants.
Another study found that the aDBS system could identify the specific brain activity patterns linked to different stages of sleep in Parkinson’s patients. This discovery brings hope that neurotechnology might one day help address the insomnia that many people with Parkinson’s experience.
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