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Doctors Test Targets For Deep Brain Stimulation In Parkinson Surgery
Called the COMPARE Trial, the National Institutes of Health-funded study conducted at the University of Florida evaluated 45 patients for mood and cognitive changes related to DBS.
UF investigators found that DBS in either brain target effectively treated motor symptoms such as tremors, stiffness and slowness.
However, DBS also produced unique effects depending on the target location, especially in patients' moods and mental sharpness.
The discoveries, in today's (March 13, 2009) Annals of Neurology, may have an impact on the selection of DBS patients, especially those with pre-existing memory, cognitive or mood disabilities.
"Both targets are FDA-approved and provide excellent outcomes for motor function in Parkinson patients," said Michael S. Okun, M.D., the principal investigator of the study and a co-director of the Movement Disorders Center at UF's McKnight Brain Institute. "But there were differences in cognitive function and verbal fluency seven months after the surgery, and that is something that should be considered when trying to tailor therapy to an individual patient's condition."
DBS received Food and Drug Administration approval in 2002 as a therapy for movement-related problems associated with essential tremor and Parkinson's disease. It uses a medical device surgically implanted in a patient's brain and connected to a power pack in the shoulder region. DBS delivers electrical pulses to targeted areas of the brain via very thin wires, known as "leads." Each lead ends with four distinct electrical "contacts."
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