Scientists Discover the Brain Rhythm Behind Why Deep Brain…

Scientists Discover the Brain Rhythm Behind Why Deep Brain Stimulation Works in Parkinson's Deep brain stimulation has long helped reduce movement problems in Parkinson's disease, but exactly why it works, and why some patients respond better than others, has remained only partially understood. A new study published in Brain identifies a specific brain network and its distinctive electrical rhythm that appears to drive the treatment's benefits. Bringing together two separate research approaches: This study is genuinely notable for combining two methods that have largely been studied separately until now, electrophysiology, which measures the timing and frequency of brain signals, and brain imaging, which identifies where in the brain those signals occur. As the study's lead author put it, this is the first time researchers have characterised the deep brain stimulation response network in Parkinson's disease in terms of both space and time, simultaneously. How deep brain stimulation currently works: Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus is already an established therapy for Parkinson's motor symptoms, using implanted electrodes to deliver small electrical puls