Parkinson's is a chronic neurological disease, whose causes are still poorly understood. It reaches the central nervous system and gradually evolves. A promising new technique for patients, electrical stimulation of the brain, however, this risk should not be underestimated.
Electrical stimulation Deep brain reduces symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease at an advanced stage but are at risk of severe side effects ... / ... Deep brain stimulation is a surgical treatment involving the implantation of electrodes into specific parts of the brain, in which a stimulator (implanted under the skin) sends small electrical currents to reduce involuntary movements and tremors.
Frances M. Weaver of Hines VA Hospital, and colleagues conducted a clinical study with 255 people with the disease, of which 25% were aged 70 and over. Participants were randomly assigned to receive surgical treatment with the electrodes implanted in different brain regions ... / ...
After six months, surgery brought an average gain of 4.6 hours per day of good symptom control without dyskinesia (involuntary movements) compared with no gain for the comparison group, he brought an improvement in their motor function (less tremors and involuntary movements) in 71% of participants compared to 32% in the other group. Various measures also showed greater improvement in quality life.
But the overall risk of experiencing severe side effects were 3.8 times higher among those who received brain stimulation therapy: 49 of them (40%) experienced 82 severe side effects compared to 15 ( 11%) of the comparison group who suffered 19 serious side effects.
Side effects were the most common serious infection at the site of surgery, nervous system disorders, psychiatric disorders, complications related to the unit and cardiac disorders.
Sources
Psychomedia
Radio Canada
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