Deep brain stimulation is a type of brain surgery that stops impaired electrical activity from occurring in three main areas of the brain:
- thalamus
- subthalamic nucleus
- globus pallidus
With low levels of dopamine, these sections of your brain can’t process nerve impulses correctly. The impaired electrical signals lead to slow, jerky, and uncontrolled movement, stiff muscles, and walking difficulties. The excess movement can be exhausting. DBS sends new electrical signals to the brain. The new signals interfere with the faulty impulses, which can improve Parkinson’s symptoms. Healthy brain cells are not damaged during DBS.