LA Times: Deep Brain Stimulation Implants

Deep Brain Stimulation Eases Tics in Tourette's Syndrome
October 26, 2009

[Scar visible in left image with strand of hair coverage. Ear, rise 6", scan
right 1". That's what a brain implant scar looks like.

Deep brain stimulation, already used for treating Parkinson's disease, essential tremor and dystonia, can ease the tics and other symptoms associated with Tourette's syndrome, British researchers reported today in the journal Neurology. Tourette's is a congenital neuropsychiatric disease affecting an estimated 1% of the population. It is characterized by physical tics, such as eye blinking, shoulder shrugging and head-and-shoulder jerking. It is also marked by vocal outbursts, many of which are obscene, providing great embarrassment. Sufferers often also have obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. There is no cure for Tourette's and no medication that works in all patients.

Deep brain stimulation involves embedding electrodes deep in the brain--often called a brain pacemaker--and applying a minute electrical current to specific areas of the brain, depending on the condition being treated. Its underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/10/deep-brain-st...