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Colin Derdeyn, MD

Colin Derdeyn, MD is a specialist in endovascular surgical neuroradiology and a key member of the Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital stroke and cerebral vascular team. . . .

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I am a 45-year-old woman and have suffered with depression for years. Are there non-pharmaceutical options I can consider aside from electroconvulsive therapy?

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Most people agree, the best exercise is walking. The key to finding the best walking shoe is to consider your gait, stride, weight and the type of walking you do.

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International Health - Centers of Excellence: Parkinson Disease Center

Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease

Overview

Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson Disease now gives patients another option for alleviating the disorder's debilitating symptoms.

Washington University Medical Center neurologists and neurosurgeons use a new method of deep brain stimulation -- a procedure that delivers continuous, high-frequency electrical impulses to the brain -- to disrupt the signals that cause some of Parkinson's most aggravating symptoms, including tremor, slowness of movement, stiffness and difficulty walking.

Number of Procedures

The team of neurologists and neurosurgeons have implanted the device in about 100 patients with Parkinson's and other forms of tremor. Their hope is that this new surgical option will become more accessible to patients now that it has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Specialized Services

Drugs help to "unfreeze" the muscular system, but often causes frequent, exaggerated, involuntary movements, limiting their functional benefit. Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus provides good symptomatic relief with much lower doses of medication, reducing the side effects.

Previously used in the brain's thalamus to control tremor, the new bilateral usage of deep brain stimulation targets the subthalamic nucleus, one of the regions of the brain that controls movement and that is overly active in persons with Parkinson's disease. The new procedure has proven successful in relieving not only tremor, but other symptoms of the disorder as well.

The device can be turned on and off or removed if necessary, and stimulation levels are adjusted according to individual needs.

Key Physicians

Joshua L. Dowling, M.D.
Brad A. Racette, M.D.
Keith M. Rich, M.D.

Advantages

This may be one of the best treatment options for selected patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, because of the dramatic improvement shown by those patients who have undergone the procedure. Many have returned to a relatively normal, active life, usually with a significant reduction in their medication. Not all patients are good candidates for the surgery, however.

In addition to its clinical uses, the deep brain stimulator provides a unique way to study the underlying cause and manifestation of Parkinson's disease.Washington University researchers are combining imaging techniques with deep brain stimulation to find out more about the disease.

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International Health - Centers of Excellence: Aneurysms

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