Brain Pacemaker Helps Parkinson's, but With Risks

One-fourth of the people in the study were 70 and older. That age group has been excluded from many prior studies of DBS. In the new study, the older surgery patients were able to control their movements better, but younger ones benefited even more.

Sharon Pederson poses for a photograph with Kellen, her Norwegian lundehund dog, at a friend's house...

Sharon Pederson poses for a photograph with Kellen, her Norwegian lundehund dog, at a friend's house in Petaluma, Calif., Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. Pederson is a study subject who got deep brain stimulation, or DBS, surgery for her Parkinson's disease. In DBS, a surgeon implants electrodes in the brain which are then connected to a pacemaker-like device that can be adjusted and turned off and on. The device sends tiny electrical pulses to the brain, disabling overactive nerve cells. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

(AP)

Those findings will help older patients make decisions about treatment, said Dr. Michael Okun of the University of Florida, medical director of the National Parkinson Foundation. The information on falls and other problems will help doctors give better advice, he said.

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"This study with its careful methodology will help in setting a higher bar for tracking adverse events," said Okun, who was not involved in the study.

Four of the study's 22 co-authors reported financial ties to companies that make devices or drugs for Parkinson's. The lead author said she has no such ties.

The study was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Institutes of Health. Minneapolis-based Medtronic Inc., maker of the devices purchased for the study, provided the money for collecting data.

In about six months, more results are expected from the study, which also compared two brain regions for electrode placement.

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