New technology could transform deep brain stimulation

Frequent adjustment of deep brain stimulation (DBS) equipment is often required in order to reach the most effective stimulation pattern for a patient and to ultimately optimize treatment outcomes. While eventually effective, the current ‘trial and error’ method does not represent the most efficient method of administering DBS and suboptimal delivery can cause adverse side effects. A new study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic (MN, USA) has sought to solve this problem by designing and testing a new system that is capable of measuring neurotransmitter production and automatically adjusting the DBS pattern in response. The research was presented at...