This is still very new territory but I felt somewhat compelled to cover this once more as in conversations I have with folks, most have no clue that this technology is out there.  It is a risky surgery of course and is used when others treatment plans such as drugs are not working. 

For someone with devastating Parkinson's, this could be finally something to offer relief.   They are trying it for weight loss, but I don't know on that one, having a device in the brain to help that process work, only my feelings here.  Neuromodulation is the term used relative to medical device implants for the brain.  Intractable epilepsy and intractable depression are 2 problems the device can be used to treat, although this is massive intrusive surgery and a step to really think about.  The device lives in your neck. 

This therapy is being tested for patients with severe depression, chronic pain and epilepsy and elsewhere for people with obsessive compulsive disorder, traumatic brain injuries and Alzheimer's disease.  BD

The hospital has performed hundreds of the procedures on Parkinson's patients.

The technique involves drilling two dime-size holes in a person's skull and carefully guiding electrodes to a spot about the size of a Tic Tac or a small olive. Then, electrodes are connected with leads that snake down under the skin of the neck to a battery-operated device implanted under the collarbone.  A trial of 26 patients with obsessive compulsive disorder, meanwhile, found that 60 percent responded to brain stimulation with a "meaningful" reduction in symptoms, said Dr. Benjamin Greenberg, an associate professor at Brown Medical School who is leading the study.

About 300 medical centers offer deep brain stimulation to patients with Parkinson's in the U.S., and about 40,000 procedures have been performed across the world.

Many illnesses may be in for a shock -- chicagotribune.com

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