Learn more…

 

While there is no cure for Dystonia — see About the Dystonic — there are a variety of treatments which can alleviate the symptoms. These treatments vary depending on the severity of the disease; milder instances can by treated with medications, surgeries, or a combination thereof. More "severe" cases require more radical treatments. one of these is Deep Brian Stimulation; DBS. I have writen in depth on the subject in The DBS Articles, but here is a brief overview of what the procedure is.

 

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a relatively new procedure that uses a lead that is implanted into “deep” brain structures. It may be used in place of or in conjunction with lesioning procedures such as pallidotomy or thalamotomy(8) (burning a hole in structures in the brain that control movement).

Deep Brain Stimulation is now widely used to alleviate tremor, rigidity and dyskinesia associated with a variety of movement disorders. The technique employs chronic and high-frequency electrical stimulation of specific brain targets through implanted electrodes. Different types of movement disorders are treated by stimulating different brain structures. The majority of DBS operations are carried out in patients with Parkinson's Disease. Most of the successful results have been achieved using DBS in the vicinity of the subthalamic nucleus (STN), a small but important part of the basal ganglia, which controls complex movements. DBS has proved an extremely effective approach towards movement disorders: it can return the patient to a normal quality of life and allow them to play their full part in both family and in society. It is a reversible approach (the electrodes can be removed), and is therefore preferable to lesions (such as pallidotomy or thalamotomy) -- earlier surgery treatments.

How does DBS work? Although it is known that DBS suppresses activity in the overactive STN of Parkinson's patients, and Globus Pallidus Interna (GPi) in Dystonia patients, much more research is needed to understand the action of DBS. It may block conduction in local circuits, generate inhibitory activity or act by desynchronizing pathological brain rhythms. The potential of treating other sites for treatment is largely unexplored. In otherwords, we don't really know!

---