Book Review re Promise of DBS in Difficult Cases

[rayilynlee <rayilynlee@xxxxxxx>]

Book Review: Deep Brain Stimulation: A New Treatment Shows Promise in the
Most Difficult Cases
Review by Nathan Seppa
By Jamie Talan
June 20th, 2009; Vol.175 #13 (p. 29)

Deep Brain Stimulation: A New Treatment Shows Promise in the Most Difficult
Cases by Jamie Talan

The very notion of having electrodes implanted in your brain would seem like
science fiction - if 40,000 people hadn't already undergone the operation,
most for Parkinson's disease.

This book tells the story of heroic people - some on operating tables and
others wielding scalpels and drills - and the lengths they've gone to in
seeking to relieve devastating brain disorders. Talan describes decades of
brain surgery aimed at addressing movement disorders and zeros in on
deep-brain stimulation, a cutting-edge treatment in which doctors implant
electrodes in the brain to reboot aberrant neural circuitry.

Early efforts to treat neurological disorders that failed to respond to
medication mostly involved finding the offending brain tissue and removing
it. These efforts were hit-and-miss, offering relief only sometimes. More
important, these attempts provided a road map of the brain. Technology used
in heart pacemakers was modified to make tiny electrodes, and the use of
brain scans with surgery has further advanced the practice of inserting
electrodes, making deep-brain stimulation more effective, with fewer side
effects.

Talan cites several scientists' work, as mapping the brain and rearranging
its signals has been a long, trying story of success with many fathers. And
to her credit, Talan doesn't omit the real risks of brain surgery.

Deep-brain stimulation has gained approval for Parkinson's treatment, and
more recently for obsessive-compulsive disorder. It's currently being tested
for other conditions in which medication may fail, including depression,
Tourette's syndrome, epilepsy, pain and persistent vegetative state. It's a
science still in the making and is well-described here.
Dana Press, 2009, 176 p., $25.

Rayilyn Brown
Director AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
rbrown@xxxxxxxxx

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