Deep Brain Stimulation

Organizing and directing our movement is one of the things we do take for granted. For even basic tasks, for instance drinking tea from a cup, need an unbelievable interaction which will occur between the cells families which are located in the brains to perfom the right movement in order to avoid spilling the drink.
For Parkinson’s, the balance move out of the kilter due to the malfunction of one of the brain cells which stop working. The basal ganglia, which is in the brain is the in charge of directing our movement. It consist of different brain cells that interact among each other to make movement possible. The way these circuits are functioning are been looked into by researchers so as to make us understand how movement is possible for us, and this has help us a lot.

In Parkinson’s, the cell which is producing dopamine and it is situated in the substantia nigra, stop working slowly and get lost over time. Moving become difficult if there is no injection of the dopamine which cell provide. For instance let say our movement is like that of a car, then consider the substantia nigra acting like the accelerator pedal and the chemical which is needed to push the accelerator down is the dopamine.
The moment the brain cells begin to struggle in creating adequate dopamine which they need, then it start becoming hard pushing down the accelerator and start moving. That the aspect medication for parkinson’s can help, by hiking up the level of dopamine, which will allow the accelerator to be push down easily and help people to move. And at times this medications are not really the perfect solution because as there is continual struggle between this brain cells and get lost over time, more drugs are required in making this dopamine levels remain in the sweet spot in order for it to control symptoms becomes difficult.

A surgery know as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) may be the best option at this point

To make adjustment to group of brain cells which are in control of movement, fine wires are inserted in to the brain carefully in other to stimulate the groups of brain cells electrically. Then the wires are put in contact with a battery pack which are usually put under the skin in the human chest. How electrical stimulation works so as to help improve movement is not fully understandable yet but it was a belief from scientists the it may help in disrupting abnormal electrical activity which occur in the basal ganglia and thereby aid to rebalance movement control.

The symptoms effect is somehow similar to levodopa but the main benefits is that DBS effect is constant and stable. Due to swings in the level of dopamine in the brain, it help in avoiding the problems by pressing the accelerator pedal smoothly. There are lot of different areas which are within the basal ganglia that could be placed with DBS

• the thalamus is a good place for stimulation if severe tremor is the problem
• the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is been use as a potential site in stimulating freezing and falling problems.

The benefits of DBS is that it can be adjust, electrical stimulation level can be twinge in order to give the brain cells the proper dose in giving the best movement control which can be retraced and rectify over time.

“Even in the last few years there have been some important technical improvements in DBS.

For instance, those electrodes which were implanted are getting more advance, there are more stimulation points situated at the tips of the wires so as to select the brain cells which will undergo stimulation with severe correctness than before so as to have the best symptoms control. Creating less invading surgical skills which include ultrasound which was known last year .this steps did not need to insert anything to the brain, high frequency of sound waves are use instead to burn the specific brain cells which are causing the problems away.

Research has made it known that Deep Brain Stimulation is more helpful than been alone on medication for those on Parkinson’s earlier stage. They shouldn’t wait for it to become severe before considering surgery.
Finally, DBS is been use currently in movement-related issues but researchers are making the necessary investigation in using it to rectify other situation related to the condition check here

Thanks for going through, I really appreciate

image: 1 2