For people with advanced Parkinson’s disease, electrical stimulation through an electrode implanted in one side of the brain produces long-lasting improvements in movement difficulties on both sides of the body, a new study shows. “If you can get nice benefit with unilateral deep brain stimulation, why not do that and minimize the risk” associated with more extensive surgery, Dr. Jay L. Alberts said in an interview with Reuters Health. Then if the disease should progress, he said, the opposite side will still be available for implantation of a second deep brain stimulation device.
