Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical treatment for people with PD. It can help improve your motor symptoms and reduce the amount of medication you take during the day. A recent study developed a new approach to DBS called adaptive DBS. It is thought to have the potential to further personalize DBS treatment. Let's dive in.
Artificial intelligence and custom computer algorithms are used in adaptive DBS. It allows the DBS to detect when your symptoms are changing by monitoring your brain activity. If there are changes in your symptoms, it will deliver electrical impulses that counteracts the shifts in brain activity. For example, it may deliver more stimulation when you are experiencing bradykinesia (slowness in movement) and less activity when you are experiencing dyskinesias. Adaptive DBS can also provide more stimulation when you are on your OFF time, and less when you are on your ON time.
The clinical trial had 4 people with PD undergo conventional DBS. Researches then collected brain activity data for each person. That date was used to create the algorithm for their adaptive DBS. Months later, the study participants switched to adaptive DBS. The participants would then switch between conventional and adaptive every 2-7 days over 2 months. All participants saw almost a 50% reduction in symptoms. On average, the most troublesome symptoms from each patient went from persisting for about 25% of their day to 12% with adaptive DBS. Adaptive DBS did not worsen other PD symptoms.
A sample size of 4 people is not sufficient enough to defiantly rule if this type of treatment will be safe and effective. However, these results are promising! In the age of new technology and ever-growing AI, it is exciting to think about how treatment can improve in the future. It is especially exciting to learn that researchers are thinking outside of the box - having a treatment that can adapt and change responding to how you are currently feeling. If you have DBS and would like to be involved in future research like this one, talk with your doctor!
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