Deep brain stimulation treatment

DBS is a neurosurgical procedure that involves implanting a device that sends low-level electrical signals to help synchronize areas of the brain responsible for your body’s movement.

An effective, FDA-approved procedure, DBS has been used to treat over 160,000 individuals for various neurological conditions according to American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Talk to your neurologist to see if DBS might be right for you and your movement-related symptoms.

If you're not getting the relief you need from medication, DBS may be another treatment option for you to consider.

DBS can help you manage your neurological condition and motor symptoms more effectively by:

• Keeping your movement-related symptoms under control

  • Working alongside medication, DBS can reduce tremors, rigidity, slow movement and other symptoms of advanced movement disorders

• Decreasing the amount of medicine needed for your treatment

• Improving your quality of life

Our specialized neurological team at Sharp will conduct a thorough evaluation, and you will decide together if DBS is a good option for you. Typically, patients eligible for DBS are:

• Between the ages of 18 to 80

• Not tolerating the side effects of medication

• Experiencing that medicine therapy is no longer working

Our highly-skilled, multidisciplinary teams work together to implant the devices that make up the DBS system. During the neurosurgical procedure, electrodes are strategically implanted in your brain. This is followed soon afterward by a procedure to implant a generator, or pacemaker-like device, in your chest. Controlled by the generator, the electrodes produce electrical impulses that override abnormal impulses to control your symptoms.

With DBS, you may experience results shortly after the initial programming of the device — your response may be different from others depending on your condition and symptoms. After the entire DBS system is in place, our expert programmers at Sharp will personalize your settings for optimal results.

It typically takes 3 to 12 months to optimize the DBS settings. This amount of time is required for your brain to adapt to the stimulation, and for your medications to be adjusted. You will be scheduled for programming visits that occur frequently throughout the first six months. After that, the visits typically take place twice a year.