Activa DBS is a surgical treatment that has been proven to reduce some of the symptoms associated with PD. In one major study, Activa DBS was shown to increase periods of good mobility (no symptoms or involuntary excessive movements) from 27% to 74% of a patient's waking day.1 In another study, Activa DBS maintained motor symptom improvements even after five years.2
The symptoms that Activa DBS has been shown to reduce include:
- Rigidity – stiffness or inflexibility of the limbs or joints
- Bradykinesia/akinesia – slowness of movement/absence of movement
- Tremor – involuntary, rhythmic shaking of a limb, the head, or the entire body
References:
1 The Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease Study Group. Deep brain stimulation of the
subthalamic nucleus or the pars interna of the globus pallidus in Parkinson's disease. N Engl J.
Med. September 2001;345(13):956-963.
2 Krack P, Batir A, Van Blercom N, et al. Five-year follow-up of bilateral stimulation of subthalamic
nucleus in advanced Parkinson's disease. N Engl J Med. November 2003;349(20):1925-1933.