What Is DBS Therapy?

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy treats the symptoms of chronic, intractable (drug refractory) primary dystonia, including generalised and segmental dystonia, hemidystonia, and cervical dystonia (torticollis).

How It Works

DBS uses a surgically implanted medical device similar to a cardiac pacemaker to deliver electrical stimulation to precisely targeted areas within the brain.

Continuous stimulation of these areas blocks the signals that cause the disabling motor symptoms of dystonia. The electrical stimulation can be noninvasively adjusted.

A DBS system consists of three implanted components:

• Lead – A lead consists of four thin coiled insulated wires with four electrodes at the lead tip. The lead is implanted in the brain.
• Extension – An extension connects to the lead and is threaded under the skin from the head, down the neck and into the upper chest.
• Neurostimulator – The neurostimulator connects to the extension. This small, sealed device similar to a cardiac pacemaker contains a battery and electronics. The neurostimulator is implanted beneath the skin in the chest below the collarbone (depending on the patient, a surgeon may implant the neurostimulator in the abdomen). Sometimes called a “brain pacemaker,” it produces the electrical pulses needed for stimulation.
   

  These electrical pulses are delivered through the extension and lead to the targeted areas in the brain. The pulses can be adjusted wirelessly to check or change the neurostimulator settings.

Operating the System

Your surgeon may provide you with a small, handheld patient programmer or magnet. This programmer or magnet allows you turn the system on and off by holding it for 1 or 2 seconds against the area where the neurostimulator is implanted. However, in most cases, the neurostimulator is always on.

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• About DBS Therapy
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