Real-time brain stimulation slashes Parkinson's symptoms by half in trial

Brain stimulation that rapidly adjusts in real-time can dramatically reduce Parkinson's symptoms, a small, early trial suggests.

The device in question, described in a paper published Monday (Aug. 19) in the journal Nature Medicine, uses implanted electrodes that automatically respond to brain signals associated with slow movement or spasms seen in Parkinson's patients. The device then gives more or less electrical stimulation as needed.

By comparison, traditional brain stimulation delivers constant electrical stimulation and patients must have the degree of stimulation adjusted by a doctor.

The new adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) system "cuts the duration of their motor symptoms in half and increases their quality of life," lead study author Dr. Carina Oehrn, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, told Live Science.

Related: New blood test could flag Parkinson's disease years before symptoms, study hints

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease in which specific brain cells that make dopamine malfunction and steadily die off. These cells play a critical role in movement.

Most Parkinson's patients take levodopa, a drug that elevates dopamine levels in the brain. But as the disease progresses, levodopa often stops being enough to manage the symptoms.